We just returned from Rio. What did we learn?
Our Going Matters
Short-term mission trips are just one facet of our year-round partnership with the pastors of the Celebration Network in Rio de Janeiro. But, short-term trips are a super important part of that partnership!
Why? Because, it matters to God that we go and serve and worship alongside our partners and their congregations. It matters to God because He wants to use our teams to strengthen our partners, their families and their churches, and to grow us personally, too. It matters that we pray together and share meals together as family.
Most of all, our short-term trips matter to God because the name and the message of Jesus will reach more kids and families in our going than if we had just decided to stay home.
Our Witness Matters
It is true of most short-term trips, and it was true of this one, that a particular song manages to really stick out. From the minute we set out from Tampa, we heard the song “I Speak Jesus” by Charity Gayle every time we turned on the radio, and then, of course, when we got to the worship service in Santa Cruz. Over and over. And, I thought, man, God must really want us to listen. So I Googled the lyrics:
I just wanna speak the name of Jesus
Over every heart and every mind
‘Cause I know there is peace within Your presence
I speak Jesus
I just wanna speak the name of Jesus
‘Til every dark addiction starts to break
Declaring there is hope and there is freedom
I speak Jesus
‘Cause Your name is power
Your name is healing
Your name is life
Break every stronghold
Shine through the shadows
Burn like a fire
Declaring hope and freedom. I speak Jesus. Amen.
Short-term missions matters to God because our witness matters to God. When we go, we go covered in prayer, we go Word-filled, and Spirit-led, and we end up by His grace speaking the name of Jesus. We preach and teach the name of Jesus. We have one-on-one conversations with people all day, every day about the love of Jesus. And, praise God, we see kids and adults respond. Every time we go.
Our Investment Matters
Our American dollar is worth more than five and a half Brazilian dollars (reals). Think about that. Our investment into supplies, equipment, support (and soon, we pray, in real estate) for our pastors and their church plants is multiplied five and half times the day we give it. Our financial support matters to God, because our partners are able to use our dollars figuratively to buy more time, time to intentionally and effectively evangelize their neighbors, time to shepherd and disciple their people and future leaders.
Your Support Matters
In our partnership with the Celebration Church Planting Network we are seeking to become model partners, who serve pastors and church planters year-round through prayer, mentoring, fellowship, short-term trips, training and resources.
As Great Commission Partnerships moves into our fifth year next year, we want to thank you for your prayers and your ongoing financial support of our organization, and our work with Brazilian churches in Boston and Brazil. Your faithful support matters to God!
As we got off the plane in Tampa this past Saturday, we immediately began reflecting on what God had done through this trip.
Our hearts were full. Beyond grateful. We saw our partners and their churches encouraged and strengthened. We are seeing them grow and move toward multiplication. We realize how blessed we are to be a small part of the things that matter to God in these churches in Rio.
And, we could not do any of that without your support. Thank you. May God continue to bless your opportunities to pray and to give and to go, and to be a part of our ministry.
Please visit our Facebook page to see some select photos from the trip:
facebook.com/
-Boe
WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN RECREIO?
We are blessed to serve Pastor Luciano at Celebration Recreio
What began as handful of next-gen small groups led by Pastor Luciano Freitas in Barra da Tijuca has grown into a brand new church plant in the Recreio just east of Barra. We were able to attend their Friday night small group (above) and also on Saturday afternoon help set up for their Sunday morning service, which is being held in the basement of a local Christian School.
Please pray for Pastor Luciano and his leadership team. The set-it-up-tear-it-down routine can be exhausting for volunteers week after week. Pray for more volunteers and leaders to come and join in a brand new work.
instagram.com/celebration_
WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN SANTA CRUZ?
WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN SANTA CRUZ
We are blessed to serve Pastor Rosalvo at Celebration Santa Cruz
We were blessed to participate on Saturday morning with Pastor Rosalvo in Impacto Social. It was an event set up in a local neighborhood, where the church provided hair cuts, clothing, medical attention, crafts, face painting, and games for the local kids.
On Sunday night, we traveled back to Santa Cruz for Celebration Network Night, where all of the leaders from the Rio City area were able to come and worship together, be recognized and prayed over. It was a special night.
Please pray for Pastor Rosalvo and his continued leadership, which includes a vision for growing the church in Santa Cruz and also for missions in Africa and Portugal.
instagram.com/rosalvowesley/?
-Boe
WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN UNIVERSITÁRIA?
WHAT REALLY MATTERS IN UNIVERSITÁRIA?
We are blessed to serve Pastor Rafa at Celebration Universitária
We were blessed to worship on Sunday morning again with Pastor Rafa and his team at Universitária. On the site of the Federal University in Rio, they are reaching college-aged and next-gen students through English language small groups.
Please pray for Pastor Rafa as he continues to lead the Celebration Network in Rio and as he plans to plant a new church in Southern Brazil next year.
-Boe
WHAT MATTERS IN BONSUCESSO (SAQUAREMA)?
We are blessed to serve Pastor Marcelo at Celebration Bonsucesso (Saquarema)
In the newest church plant in the Network, Pastor Marcelo is reaching kids in Bonsucesso, Saquarema, Rio de Janeiro. We spent Monday afternoon inviting kids to come out to a two-day camp that we helped with on Wednesday and Thursday. Many teenagers, kids and adults heard the Gospel many times through singing, teaching and preaching, and through games. Many responded. We also participated in Pastor Marcelo’s Jiu Jitsu class that he holds for teens every Tuesday and Thursday night.
Please pray for Pastor Marcelo and his wife Tania, and son Moises for strength to keep it up!
www.facebook.com/tania.
-Boe
WHAT MATTERS IN VOANDO ALTO (SAQUAREMA)?
We are blessed to serve Pastor Hilario at Voando Alto
For the fourth straight year GCP was able to bring T-shirts / uniforms and participate in a VBS camp with Pastor Hilario’s kids at Voando Alto in Saquarema. It is a before-school / after-school program where more than 160 kids find a safe place where they can grow in Christ.
We were also blessed to host a leaders’ banquet for Pastor Hilario’s volunteers and their spouses.
Please pray for Pastor Hilario’s team, and for his plans to build an expansion on land that his organization has recently acquired.
HOW YOUR CONTINUING SUPPORT MAKES A DIFFERENCE
Your support is not just being used to encourage churches and church planters in Brazil, but your support provides scholarships for Brazilians to be able to join our teams in Rio. It provides support for American students to be able to come and love on Brazilian kids, to lead activities and games, to share their testimonies multiple times in a cross-cultural setting. These are all seeds that we are planting for missions in Brazil and beyond. God will give the fruit.
Beyond just these kinds of short-term trips, our organization, and our board of directors, is seeking to partner more intentionally with businesses, churches, families and individuals who can carve out a monthly donation to support our ongoing budget needs, to strengthen our foundation and increase our ability to mobilize more people and more churches on mission. Please contact Boe directly to start a conversation!
YOU CAN STILL HELP US MEET NEEDS IN BRAZIL!
THANK YOU TO OUR GOLF TOURNAMENT SPONSORS
Our 2024 Great Commission Golf Classic was a huge success on May 17, 2024 at Temple Terrace, FL. Thanks to our corporate sponsors, to local pastors and churches, and to more than 80 golfers, we were able to raise almost all of our budget for our summer mission in Brazil.
Special thanks to Frank Cagnina, Allen Lynn and Jeffrey Ramey; and to Joey and Joe Affronti; Jimmy Schaffer; Bart and Janice Azzarelli; and all of our sponsors, golfers and volunteers. We are already looking forward to next year’s event in May, 2025.
