Living Bread Ministries                                 
Planting Churches Among the Desperately Poor
Living Bread Ministries

Biblical Community Changes Lives

      Imagine living in a 120 square foot house with your three granddaughters.  Also, imagine that you have no running water so you have to carry buckets of water from the filthy stream that also happens to be the place where the plumbing from many homes in the community drains.  Iara does not have to imagine; this is her daily reality.

                       
   
                                                     Pastor Jocelito and Iara

      Like many in her community she struggles to survive.  She was all alone, until the Body of Christ from our church plant in Vila Safira began to reach out to her, even though their poverty is just as severe.  This is one of the beauties of church planting among the poor and needy.  It is glorious to see lives changed by the gospel.  Then slowly the miraculous happens, biblical community begins to form and while the people often remain materially poor the community begins to change for the glory of Christ.


                         

                                                                Iara's Home

      To learn more about how the Lord is working in Iara's life and among the church in Vila Safira checkout our newsletter.  You can see more pictures from our work on our photo page.

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LBM Benefit Golf Tournament

Please join us on April 23rd at Ivy Hill Golf Club in Forest, VA for our annual LBM benefit golf tournament.  We will tee off at 12:30 P.M.  The cost is $250 per 4 person team, which includes cart fees, range balls, and lunch.  

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            All proceeds will go to fund church planting among the desperately poor.

Click here for a flyer and/or registration form.  If your business would like to sponsor a hole for $100 please contact info@livingbread.org.


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Pray For These Opportunities

     Over the past few months the Lord has been blessing LBM like never before.  We have several opportunities, on the horizon, to build partnerships and we would greatly appreciate your prayers.  See below:

  • Feb 14 - 28 - Brazilian leadership is sharing about LBM with 9 churches in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
  • March 2 - meeting with the executive pastor at Vintage 21 in Raleigh, NC
  • March 7 - sharing about LBM at Sovereign Grace Fellowship in Warrenton, VA
  • March 21 - sharing about LBM at Mission Dorado Baptist Church in Odessa, TX
  • March 24 - sharing about LBM in Odessa, TX
  • June 6 - sharing about LBM at Open Door Community Church in Kingsville, OH

     Recently, we met with leadership at the following churches and are praying for partnerships to be formed: Redeeming Grace Baptist Church, The Kirk, Alum Spring Baptist Church,  Bridge Church, and Trinity Baptist Church.  Also, we rejoice over the newest ministry partner to join our team; Eastpoint Community Church.

     Please join us in praying that through these opportunities the Lord will build partnerships that will enable LBM to continue to plant missional churches among the poor and needy.  Also, pray that we will have more opportunities to share what the Lord is doing among the desperately poor.  

     If you would like to learn more or have us visit your church contact us here.

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The Poor and Needy Helping in Haiti

      I received word today that our church plants among the extremely poor in Brazil have taken love offerings for the people in Haiti.  Even though the members of these churches live in abject poverty they have been moved by reports of the devastation.  As part of the body of Christ they have a burden to minister to the hurting.  They know all to well what it is like to go without the basic necessities.  I am so proud of them for raising the equivalent of $300 USD to aid in relief efforts in Haiti.
      Their pastors have been discipling them and teaching them to look beyond their own need and consider others as more important than themselves.  This act of kindness is evidence that by God's grace they are learning this important lesson.  I am so proud of their kingdom mindset, therefore LBM is going to match their gift and send $600 to aid relief efforts in Haiti.  Together, we are building the kingdom for the glory of Christ!

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Vision for Church Planting Among the Poor and Needy

      A couple of weeks ago I was asked to share on the topic of the call for church planting among the poor and needy.  Which is of course our passion at Living Bread Ministries.  Here is the message I preached at Eastpoint Community Church in Newark, Delaware.  I hope you enjoy and I would love to hear your thoughts.


Download | Duration: 00:36:47

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Share Christmas 2009 Recap

      In Dec we celebrated Christmas at our church plants, in part by celebrating our annual Share Christmas event.  This year we provided 500 young people with school supplies and a hygiene kit.  We provided the younger children with a toy. 

                  

                                 Children in Vila Safira Hearing the Gospel

      Each church distributed these gifts at evangelistic services where the Gospel (the true meaning of Christmas) was shared.  We had many new families introduced to the church plants and several people received Christ.  By God's grace even a local elementary school principal came to now Christ.

      To see pictures from Share Christmas 09 click here.  Thanks to everyone who helped make this outreach possible.  It will continue to bear fruit for the kingdom throughout the year.

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Summer Camp: An Opportunity to Be a Regular Kid

                Every year we send a group of teens from our church plants to summer camp.  This is a great opportunity for them to get out of the slum & spend time with other youth.  For a week they get to be in a safe place and not have to worry about gangs, drug traffickers, hunger, and the many other hardships they face daily.

           

                                               Last years group at camp

                In order to attend camp we require that the kids pass the school year.  In addition, they must save $3.00 a month all year, which is a huge contribution for them.  This year we have 23 youth that have met these requirements.  They have been collecting recyclables and selling crafts to raise money.  Even with this savings they fall short of the funds needed.  To supplement their efforts a sponsorship of $50 is needed for each teen to attend camp. 

                   These young people are the future leaders of our church plants.  Many of them are already serving in worship ministry and also help to teach younger children.  Therefore, camp is an investment in the discipleship of future church leaders and will help us to build strong churches.  Will you bless one of them and help to equip them for future ministry?

 

                                                    

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Go in Peace, Be Warmed and Filled

      James said it well,"If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Go in peace. be warmed and filled' without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?" (James 2:15-16)  James taught that if your faith did not move you to respond with compassion to the poor and needy then your faith was dead!  Can a dead faith lead to salvation?  Better stated, can true salvation result in a dead faith?
 
                             
                   Pastor Jocelito providing food and the Gospel of John for a single mom in Vila Safira

      At LBM we take the many teachings in Scripture about ministering to the poor and needy very seriously.  While each of our church plants boldly proclaims the Gospel, we are equally committed to ministering in tangible ways.  We don't feed the hungry because they deserve it, but because Christ has given us a new heart that generally cares about them.  We understand that apart from God's grace toward us we would be no better off physically and we realize that their extreme physical poverty is a picture of our own spiritual poverty before our holy God.

      Would you consider joining us as we church plant among the poor and needy?  We currently need ministry partners to provide $50 or even $25 per month to fund our church plant in Vila Safira. 
 
                                                     

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Local Author Supports LBM

      This past Sunday Paul Watson, author of Protect, did a charity book signing at Living Word Baptist Church.  He generously gave 100% of the proceeds to support LBM's various feeding ministries at our church plants among the poor in southern Brazil.  This was a great blessing to us, as we have a short fall in funding these outreach ministries.

                                               

      Paul is a very promising young writer and it is a blessing to see his desire that the Lord would use his ability to further His kingdom.  We appreciate Paul's partnership in ministry and believe the Lord will bless his generous spirit, for the glory of Christ and the good of the Church.  If you have any readers on your Christmas list I recommend Protect as great gift.  To learn more about Paul and Protect visit his website.

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Share Christmas 2009: All the Children Are Sponsored

     The Lord has graciously provided to meet our fund raising goal for Share Christmas 2009!  During Christmas week each of our church plants will be distributing the gifts at evangelistic services.  Please pray for these services.  Pray that the Lord will begin preparing hearts and minds to receive the Gospel; that the word would fall on good soil.  

     We appreciate everyone that has given to this project.  Seven churches and many individuals gave to make Share Christmas possible this year.  We thank the Lord for each of you.

     If you would like a picture CD and update of the gift distribution please contact us.

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