The ministries of church planting, Seminary training, and Bible camp work are located in two major geographical areas: in southern Brazil and in central Brazil. In southern Brazil, there are ministries in the state of SÃO PAULO and a national church in PARANÁ. In central Brazil, ministries are in the states of BAHIA, MINAS GERAIS and GOIÁS. (See: Map of Brazil.)
Araçatuba, SÃO PAULO.
Charles and Ruth Harmon and family first entered into Araçatuba in 1953. (See: Missionaries, Opportunities.)
1) The Bible Seminary of Evangelization (SBE) began in 1972 as the IBE. The many graduates have become Christian workers in many fields, including pastors, missionaries, tribal work, children's and women's ministries, trained workers in churches and homes. Missionary John Harmon is the former director of the Seminary, and is still one of its teachers; his wife Ana cooks for the single students. George Harmon is one the teachers, and other pastors and missionaries are also on the faculty. As of March 2009, Pastor Jesus Amaro became the director of the SBE seminary. (See details: Missionaries, Opportunities.)
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| Class at SBE seminary Araçatuba, SÃo Paulo |
Missionary John Harmon turns over the presidency of SBE seminary to Pastor Amaro |
2) The Araçatuba Bible Church is the first church founded by the Harmons in the 1950's, and often is referred to as "the mother church." Missionary John Harmon was pastor of the church from 1974 to 1989. Missionary George Harmon is presently the Pastor. Today, it thrives as a well-organized, self-supporting and mission-orientated church, located near the Bible Seminary of Evangelization.
Goiânia, GOIÁS.
The Bible Church of Goiânia was founded by missionary John Harmon in 1985, where he and Ana served the Lord for the next fifteen years. The prosperous church continues today as a self-supporting, mission-minded church, reaching out to the community. The church flourishes under the ministry of Pastor Elias de Paula, one of the first graduates in 1974 of the Araçatuba seminary. The church has been expanding its facilities to meet the needs of the growing church family as it reaches out into the community.
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| The Perpétuo Family | Harmony Camp |
3) The Harmony Camp is located on a beautiful section of land outside of Araçatuba, São Paulo. Founded in 1999, missionary George Harmon is the Camp Director. George's son, Nathan, is the Program Director. Many teams from America have had part in its maintenance. (See details: Opportunities.)
4) The Boa Vista Bible Church is located in a heavily-populated residential area, and attendance is good and growing rapidly. The Awana program with children has a goal of 200. Youth, women, and music ministries are active. John Harmon is the Pastor, and supervises another church, Hope Bible Church.
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| Awana Children Boa Vista Bible Church |
Young Men's Study Group with Pastor John Harmon |
5) Other Organized Churches in Araçatuba, SÃO PAULO. Nine other Bible churches are in Araçatuba and in other areas of São Paulo under Brazilian leadership with others in progress.
Vitória da Conquista, BAHIA.
Vitória da Conquista is situated in the cooler mountain area of east-central Brazil. Coffee, cattle-raising, several small industrial factories and countless businesses make up this city of 300,000, and Conquista (as it is commonly called) is a strategic center for dozens of smaller towns in southeastern BAHIA.
1) Urbis | Bible Church, the first church planted by BIM missionaries David and Debbie Thompson, in 1984. The current building was built by an American-Brazilian building team in January 1988. In 1990, the church was officially organized as a church body. The church property now includes a well-maintained, all-purpose educational facility and parsonage on the same large lot. Membership: above 50. Missionary David Thompson currently pastors the church and trains it to be later self-supporting, self-propagating and ready for a Brazilian pastor.
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| Urbis I Church Vitória da Conquista, Bahia |
Vacation Bible School Calvary Bible Church |
2) Calvary Bible Church, located in the suburb of Petrópolis, the second church founded by BIM missionaries, David and Deborah Thompson, was begun in the suburb of Guarani, in 1993, and moved to the nearby Petrópolis suburb in 1998. Completed were the three-story educational building and fellowship hall in 1999, and a large sanctuary in 2001. Evangelistic teams work in the church, hold meetings in two flourishing congregations (see below) and preaching points in various other locations. Enthusiastic children's summer clubs draw from the community, an Awana Club flourishes, and a vibrant youth group encourages attendance and Christian service. There is a new choir, and new men's meeting. Pastor: Hartman Mangueira Souza.
3) The Thompson Theological Bible Seminary was founded in Umuarama, PARANÁ, in 1968, by missionaries Robert and Alice Thompson, and functioned there under their leadership for 27 of their 43 years of missionary service. The Seminary was relocated to Vitória da Conquista in 2000. It currently has about 40 students, a good faculty and staff, extension schools and correspondence students. The large chapel is used for school functions and houses the congregation in the Morada III suburb. The Seminary is under the leadership of Brazilian leaders: Pastor José Pereira, director, and a staff of five Brazilian teachers and two missionaries, David and Debbie Thompson. (See details: Opportunities.)
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| Meeting in Chapel Thompson Theological Bible Seminary Vitória da Conquista, Bahia |
Missionary David Thompson José Pereira, Director of Seminary |
4) A new evangelistic outreach was begun in March 2007 in the suburb of Vila América by missionaries David and Debbie Thompson, and continues with the help of the Calvary Bible Church. It is in a strategic, growing location, and across from a school. Missionary David Thompson and local pastors continue to lead that ministry, helped purchase the property, and build the church building!
5) The Armindo Gomes Bible Camp is located a few miles from Vitória da Conquista, Bahia, in a strategic location for a camp ministry. Pastor Izaias, wife Sônia and son live on the property to maintain it. Pastor Izaías holds meetings in homes in the community of Choças and in the recently completed multi-purpose building at camp on weekends. Sometimes churches use the camp for retreats.
There is a need for a Bible Camp Director. (See: Opportunities.)
Morada DOS Pássaros, BAHIA.
Regular meetings are held each week in the chapel of the Thompson Theological Bible Seminary in this mushrooming suburb in Vitória da Conquista. Pastor Jose Pereira is the pastor at this thriving church.
Lagoa do Temóteo, BAHIA.
This rural church has grown steadily under national leadership. This is the third church founded by missionaries David and Debbie Thompson. The church has its own church building and new addition, parsonage, and regular outreach in the nearby towns of Lagoa Grande and Estiva.
Estiva, BAHIA.
On the way to Lagoa do Temóteo is the small town of Estiva where there was no gospel witness a few years ago. Evangelistic meetings began and the growth was good as interest increased; property was bought in 2009 with an existing building which has been remodeled for a church building. It is currently thirving and growing!
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| Church Group at Taiobeiras |
Taiobeiras, MINAS GERAIS.
Taiobeiras, population 25,000, is located on a high plateau, in east-central Brazil, south of Bahia. The small rural town is the hub of the region, and is known for its many small agricultural and cattle farms, a large ceramic factory, plantations of eucalyptus for charcoal, and pine trees for lumber and pulp. The main event of the week is the colorful open-air market on Saturday, when thousands gather for much bartering and shopping.
The church is very active, the young people are energetic, and general attendance is good. The church owns its own property and adjacent parsonage. There are outreaches in the suburb of Bom Jardin, and in the town of Mirandópolis. A new pastor, Dionísio, was called in July 2009.
HISTORY. The work in all east-central Brazil began when Armindo Gomes was burdened for his huge family of extended relatives who lived in the distant state of Minas Gerais. Armindo was then living in the state of Paraná, near Umuarama, when he decided to sell his farm and return to Minas Gerais to evangelize his family. The first evangelistic meeting in that place was held on a remote farm in Marruás, beneath the branches of a mango tree. In 1976, missionary Robert Thompson baptized the first believers and made eight more missionary trips after that. From 1978, the church was established and developed in Taiobeiras, and other fields opened to the Gospel.
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| Pastor Wandaick and Vanessa |
Montes Claros, MINAS GERAIS
Montes Claros is a thriving industrial city of 350,000, situated in a valley surrounded by low mountains. It is well known for its five universities, a large cement factory and many other factories and prosperous businesses, making Montes Claros one of the most important cities in MINAS GERAIS.
In 1990, Rev. José Pereira da Silva founded the work in the populous suburb of Dr. João Alves. His labor of love and sacrifice has resulted in an active, organized church that now has it own church building and adjacent Sunday School rooms. Pastor Wandaick Silva Ferreira has worked hard and there is increasing evangelistic emphasis. In a suburb of Montes Claros, Campos Elísios began in 2009, and is thriving. A small church is being built here.
Januária, MINAS GERAIS
In 2006, a new congregation was started in the city of Januária, 160 kilometers northwest of Montes Claros. A year later, a preaching point was started in Janaúba. Pastor: Wandaick Silva Ferreira. The congregation thrives with its own lay-men doing the preaching and teaching and regular visits from the entire church in Montes Claros, A men's team from the Montes Claros church. They look forward to buying their own property soon for the construction of a church building.
The goal of the BIM, Inc. is "to train Brazilians to train Brazilians." In the places mentioned above in east-central Brazil, this is being accomplished by two American missionaries, five Brazilian families in full-time ministry, plus several gospel teams and various trained national leaders. There are eleven different locations of ministry, in addition to the Seminary.
There is an open field of harvest and ministry for those seeking to serve the Lord in full-time missions. Missionaries may extend church planting in this productive area of east-central Brazil, to teach at the Bible Seminary, or work at the Bible Camp.
Your inquiries are welcomed.
© 2000-2011 Brazil Inland Mission Inc.