Living Bread Ministries

Calling Our Newest Church Planter

2012-01-21T06:04:27Z

For several months we have been evangelizing a very needy community in the city of Torres in southern Brazil. Our desire has been to launch a church plant in this community but unfortunately, we have had difficulty finding church planters who want to work in the slums. As a result, one of our other pastors was evangelizing the neighborhood, when possible, in anticipation that the Lord would raise up someone to minister to this community.

Artenio, Luciane, and family

Of course, in his timing, the Lord did just this. We have called a young seminary student to begin a church planting effort in Torres. Artenio and his family will be commissioned on January 29th and will begin ministering in February. Artenio and Luciane have two children. They adopted their son when his mother died of a drug overdose.

As with all of our church plants among the poor and needy, we are beginning this one in faith. We have one partner church helping but still need to raise $900 per month to fund this church plant. This amount will provide the basic resources to launch and operate the church including: ministry expenses, support for Artenio and his family, utilities, rent, feeding ministries, etc.

Will you join us in planting a church among the poor and needy in Torres?

Hard Work Should Be Rewarded

2011-12-27T18:35:04Z

Each year we partner with our church plants to send some of the teens to camp. Just like American youth they love going to camp and its a great time of spiritual growth for them. It is especially joyful for our youth because its the one time most of them ever get out of the slums they live in. They get to enjoy three meals a day, hot showers, and an opportunity to hang out with kids from other demographic groups.

Last Year's Group

In order to qualify for a scholarship each teen must pass the school year and participate with their church in fundraising for camp. If they meet these two criteria we will provide them with a $90 scholarship to help fund camp and the transportation to and from. Will you help us bless the youth for their hard work this past year?

Share Christmas 2011 - Update

2011-12-21T19:13:32Z

Share Christmas 2011 was a big success. Through partnerships with churches and individuals in the US and Brazil our church plants were able to provide Christmas for 650 kids and youth. The school age kids received school supplies and a hygiene kit, while the younger kids received a hygiene kit and a toy.

Teen mom who received school supplies with her son and his toy truck

All of these were distributed by the church plants at worship services last week. Many mothers from the various communities expressed their gratitude for helping their children succeed in school. This outreach ministry is a way that the local churches can assist with meeting a very practical need and demonstrate to the community, as a whole, the love of Christ.

To see more pictures from the gift distributions click here.

Church Plant Helps Fight Dengue Fever

2011-11-28T14:37:59Z

Pastor Ubiratan,from our church plant in the neighborhood of Planalto, recently attended a community meeting hosted by the local health clinic. The leaders of the clinic shared that they were organizing a campaign to combat Dengue Fever, a viral infection spread by mosquitos. The campaign would include sharing information about the disease followed by an effort to remove trash and standing water from the community. Unfortunately, there was no one in the community willing to host the event or provide volunteers for the clean up.

Church members and residents cleaning up the neighborhood

Pr. Ubiratan quickly offered the church and agreed to provide lunch for the leaders from the clinic as well as the volunteers. Several residents of the community came for the lunch and information. During this time the coordinator from the clinic told those in attendance that the church was the only people to volunteer to help them. She also said that the church was always willing to help the clinic anytime they could. As a result, she had learned to love and respect the church. This woman is not yet a believer but we are trusting the Lord to draw her to himself.

To read additional testimonies or learn more about our work take a look at our current newsletter.

Judo Ministry in a Brazilian Slum

2011-10-20T18:39:43Z

Our church plant in the Porto Alegre, Brazil neighborhood of Vila Nova is trying to begin a Judo ministry. The church has the man power for the ministry. Vini Santos, a member of the church, has been training in Judo for several years and is currently teaching some private classes. He and his wife Wanessa have a heart for the youth in Vila Nova and want to reach them with the Gospel and help encourage them in their education as well as keep them from gangs and drug traffickers.

Student for the Judo Ministry

Vini, Wanessa, and other members of the church have about 20 teens and pre-teens who are eager to learn Judo. Vini will instruct the Judo classes and after each class he and Wanessa will provide a hearty snack for the kids and teach a Bible lesson. This ministry will allow the church in Vila Nova to invest in the lives of kids and the future of the community.

The start up cost is $1,900.00 to cover the mats, uniforms, and equipment. The church plant is made up of very poor families. They have a willingness to serve and a heart for their neighbors, but lack the capital to get the project going. Would you make an investment in Vini, Wanessa, the church, and Vila Nova to help to meet these one time expenses?

Update from Church Plant in Planalto

2011-10-17T13:27:16Z

Below is an update from Pastor Ubiratam at our newest church plant in the Porto Alegre, Brazil neighborhood of Planalto. Please rejoice with us in the Lord's blessing.

Beloved brethren, through the infinite grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, on September 3rd we were finally able to inaugurate Missão Batista na Vila Planalto. At this service we had the presence of our mother church , Igreja Batista Viva. Brothers and sisters from other churches, as well as some people from the community whom we had invited were also present. It was a packed house!

On September 4th we had our first service however, only my family was present. On the second Sunday however, we had three visitors, of which two were believers with a desire to join us and help in this new work. They have been a great help already! On the third Sunday we had five more visitors; all ladies from the community. This past Sunday, we had twelve people at the service counting my family and I. Thank God we are doing so well in this early stage. We’ve had an average of 10 people at the services and every Sunday we have a new visitor. Glory be to God.

Students for the Guitar Lessons

On September 18th, we launched free guitar lessons at the church plant as an outreach to the community. To our surprise we had eleven teenagers at the first class! During the lessons we read from the Bible and share about Jesus.

I ask that you’d be in prayer for us and especially the teens in the guitar lessons, for God to work in their lives. We have not been able to get them to come/stay for the services, but I am certain that at the right time God will enter their hearts.

Partnering with an Evangelical Drug Rehab Center

2011-09-05T15:15:21Z

We are adding a new phase to our work in southern Brazil. With our mission of planting churches among the very poor we encounter many people who are addicted to alcohol, drugs, and huffing glue and paint thinner. These addictions wreak havoc on lives, families, and communities. Our pastors do their best to work with these addicts and their families, but often need help. For this reason we are entering into a strategic partnership with a local evangelical rehab center. We know this particular ministry is very effective because one of our pastors graduated from it many years ago and is now planting a church in the very community where he was a homeless crack addict.

Pastor Magioli with Daniel (a man from the community he is church planting in).
Daniel has been at the rehab center for two months.

     The program is led by Pastor Quirino and is completely faith based. They get no support from the government or denominations. It is a labor of love for Pastor Quirino and his wife; as they have dedicated their lives and personal resources to the work.

     The program is simple yet profound. The residents, currently over 70 men women and children, spend their time working around the compound and studying God's word. By the power of the Spirit people are being set free from their addictions. As you might imagine feeding 70 people three meals a day can be costly. We will be helping with that cost by providing $250 per month.

     As part of our partnership our church planters will be teaching classes at the rehab center. Pastor Jocelito is currently teaching a class on Urban Mission. Our hope is that the people in treatment will come to know the Lord and be discipled, so that we will be able to plug them into our church plants when they leave the program. This will provide a level of accountability and will also help our churches minister to others in the community. We currently have two men from our church plants in the program.

     Will you help provide the $250 a month to fund this partnership? To see pictures from the work visit our photo site. For individual gifts use the Donate button below. To give monthly please contact us.

What's Going On...

2011-08-31T00:23:36Z

Below is a link to our third quarter newsletter. Please take a few minutes to have a look at it. We are very excited about the church planting updates and personal testimonies included. Please share it with anyone who might be interested. We would appreciate if you shared it on social media outlets as well.

Newsletter

Share Christmas 2011

2011-08-24T18:25:00Z

Its that time of year when kids are returning to school. This is always a time of hope and promise, because we know that education is essential to our children's success. The Lord uses education to open doors of opportunity and provision for them. For this reason as parents we are willing to do the hard work of getting our kids to school, checking homework, helping them to grasp difficult concepts, and providing the materials they need to do well.

Third grade from local elementary school receiving their school supplies

     This last item, materials or school supplies is not something many of us give a lot of thought too. It's a chore to run around town picking up the various supplies, but beyond that we take them for granted. Imagine, if you were a single mom who was struggling to provide even one meal per day for you child. How high on your priority list would pens and notebook paper be?

     Now imagine you are a struggling elementary or middle school student. You want to do well in school but without the basic supplies you can't even turn in your homework or do the practice problems in math class. How well do you think you will do? What type of education will you get? How long before you quit in frustration? This is the need we seek to address with our annual Share Christmas project.

     Through Share Christmas we equip each of our church plants among the desperately poor in South America to provide school supplies for children in the church and surrounding communities. This is a way for the church to continue to build relationships and expand the kingdom of God. All of the school supplies and hygiene kits are distributed at the churches during evangelistic services.

     Would you join us as we Share Christmas? Your gift of $15.00 will help provide school supplies for one child. Will you help our church plants care for needy children in their communities both spiritually and physically?

The Lord Accomplishes Much with Little

2011-07-26T18:05:38Z

Yesterday I was reflecting on all that the Lord has done in and through Living Bread during our brief history. It is amazing to see what he has accomplished in a relatively short period of time with very minimal resources combined with the very small faith of an insignificant couple of first generation believers. To be sure even the faith was a gift of his grace.

When we began LBM in early 2004 we started from scratch. We had no partnerships, no connections in Brazil, and no money. The first donation was literally a $50 donation from our family. In the less than 7 and a half years that followed and with total resources of $493,000 the following has been accomplished.

Living Bread Ministries (LBM) has been established as a mission organization planting churches focused on integral mission among the poor and needy in South America.
Ministério Pão Vivo (MPV) has been established as a Brazilian led mission organization planting churches focused on integral mission among the poor and needy in Brazil and is building partnerships with Brazilian churches and individuals.
In partnership with MPV we have planted 8 churches

Hundreds of new believers
Many marriages performed with new believers forming godly homes
Hundreds of Bibles distributed
Thousands of food kits distributed
Thousands of meals served
Medicine and medical supplies distributed
Winter clothes distributed annually
Blankets distributed
Thousands of school supply kits distributed through Share Christmas
Dozens of Pastor Libraries and many other Biblical resources for pastors and leaders distributed
Adolescents sent to church camp
Elderly widows and orphans being cared for

Four Brazilian church planters on staff
In partnership with MPV

Bought multiple properties
Renovated church buildings
Building a church
Assisting an evangelical drug rehab center

Supporting the Hubbard family as they have lead this work from its inception

As you can see the Lord has blessed exceedingly abundantly and much has been accomplished with minimal resources. One of the primary reasons we accomplished so much in Brazil is because the Lord gave our family the grace to endure severe financial hardship in order to see his will done in and through us. What a blessing it is now to look back and see the fruit of those difficult times. By his grace we will continue to trust the Lord to do great and mighty things for his glory and the good of his kingdom.

Library Resources for Needy Pastors

2011-07-25T13:40:00Z

We seek to invest in each of our national church planters among the urban poor by providing them with a basic pastor library. In addition, we provide ongoing resources periodically to help continue their spiritual growth. The initial library costs $150 with additional books ranging from $15 to $65. For most of our church planters these are the only resource materials they have.

Recently we were able to provide our church planters with two book written by Theologian and Missiologist Rene Padilla. These books will help equip them to lead their churches in caring for their communities spiritually and physically. Will you help us continue to invest in the lives of national church planters among the urban poor? You can give online below or send your tax deductible gift to Living Bread Ministries, 154 Lisa Place, Lynchburg VA 24502.

Caring for Daniel

2011-07-22T20:04:50Z

In March of this year we met a man named Daniel. He is an addict who sniffs paint thinner to get high. He is in complete bondage to his addiction and it is destroying his life and his body. Pastor Magioli led Daniel to the Lord and since then Daniel has come to see his addiction and has asked for help. In faith our church plant in Vila Nova has helped Daniel get into a evangelical drug rehab center that has a very good record of success. The church bought his toiletries, bedding, and collected clothes for him. They are also giving financially to cover the cost of his rehab. We are looking for partners to provide $1000 to cover the remaining cost of his treatment for 6 months.

Pastor Magioli praying for Daniel's salvation and deliverance from drugs.

Will help the church care for this young man? During his time in treatment he will spend several hours a day in Bible classes and ministry training so that when he leaves he will be better equipped to minister as a member of Igreja Batista Viva.

Feeding Children and the Elderly

2011-06-07T18:08:21Z

Each of our church plants among the desperately poor in southern Brazil are caring for their community in various ways depending upon the needs of the people. One thing they all have in common is the feeding ministries they provide. Each year we provide over $24,000 to assist the churches in meeting the needs of the hungry among them. While most of the funds currently come from Living Bread all of the work of the ministry is done by the pastors and lay leaders of the church plants.

Meal served at our church plant in Vila Nova

     They provide food baskets for families. They do not meet all of the needs, but they provide enough to keep the people from eating from the garbage to survive. They also provide fellowship meals at the churches and breakfast before Sunday school. In addition, they deliver food to the elderly and handicapped members of the churches and community. Finally, they try and keep a pantry of food available to meet emergency needs that arise.

     This partnership between Living Bread and our church plants is making a great impact among the poor and needy in southern Brazil. Lives are being changed as the church is faithful to its mission of witnessing to the gospel of the kingdom of God in both word and deed. To date we have been funding these ministries from our general budget, but need to find sponsors to continue this important work.

     Will you consider giving at least $20 per month or making a special investment of $240 to help our church plants continue to care for the poor and needy in southern Brazil? For a special gift please click below. If you are able to give monthly please contact us at info@livingbread.org or (434) 401-1267.

Exciting News

2011-05-27T15:08:01Z

We are excited about all the Lord is doing with our church planting ministry among the very poor in South America. Please take a few moments to read our June - August newsletter and learn about our two new church plants, as well as updates on how the Lord is blessing our existing works. There is also a wonderful testimony of grace and forgiveness. Thank you for your continued prayers and support.

New Church Plant is Experiencing Growth

2011-04-15T19:00:00Z

A few weeks ago when we were in Brazil the pastor of the church plant in Capao da Canoa was sharing about the difficulty and struggles he was having in the community. In Brazil the very poor are often preyed upon by peddlers of the prosperity gospel. Unfortunately, the people there often lump all evangelicals into that camp and as a result Pastor Lindomar was being kept at arms length by the people in his community. He was heart broken over the situation and asked us to be in prayer.

Pastor Lindomar and Marilu visiting the community

Yesterday, we received word from him of how the Lord was answering prayer. Just in the past few weeks he has been able to begin Bible studies in five different homes. The average attendance to Sunday worship services has grown to twenty. He has two new believers who are being discipled for baptism and church membership. Finally, this week they are having a scavenger hunt in the community. It will culminate on Saturday night where they will share a meal and he will explain the significance of Easter and provide a small gift for the children.

Pastor Lindomar and his wife Marilu are so happy to be a part of expanding the Kingdom of God in their community. The sadness from several weeks ago has been replaced with a renewed joy and trust in the Lord. Please pray for them as church planting among the poor and needy is very hard and discouragement is a constant struggle.

Growing Church Needs Help Caring for the Community

2011-04-14T20:41:00Z

One of our church plants among the poor and needy in Porto Alegre, Brazil is in the process of building a new kitchen and three classrooms for the children of the church. They own their facility and are trying to accommodate the large number of children attending. They are building the kitchen to facilitate the various feeding programs they offer to the hungry members and the community. We have waited to see if they could complete the building project solely with resources from Brazil and specifically the church.

Children having class in the church parking lot

Progress of the building project

They have given sacrificially of their resources and other churches in Brazil have helped. In addition, qualified men from the church are doing the work and using the opportunity to train some of the young men in construction. Unfortunately, having exhausted their resources, they have come to a stopping point. They lack $6500 to finish the project. We would like to be an encouragement to them by helping with as much of the remaining amount as possible. You can help by making a donation below or sending your tax deductible gift to Living Bread Ministries, 154 Lisa Pl, Lynchburg VA 24502. Thank you for your help in equipping this church to continue to care for its members and community.

Love Wins - A Testimony of Grace and Forgiveness

2011-03-29T13:00:00Z

A couple of weeks ago in a Brazilian slum we witnessed one of the most powerful testimonies of forgiveness and grace we have ever seen. While leading a short term mission team ministering among our church plants in Porto Alegre, Brazil we got word of a terrible situation. A young boy from the church plant in Vila Safira had been hit by a motorcycle driven by a local drug dealer. He was not killed, but had some rather serious injuries to his mouth and face.

The boys had placed four large rocks in the street to use as soccer goals, like using cones. Apparently, the drug dealer was angry because the boys left the rocks in the street and it was assumed that he hit the little boy on purpose as retribution. Needless to say the scene got out of control. When the boy's family began to confront the drug dealer his friends brought out guns. It left the community in a very volatile situation.

     On our last day in Brazil we were listening to a devotion led by the pastor of the church plant in Vila Safira. A young man and his girlfriend came and quietly stood in the doorway of the little chapel. When the devotion was over the pastor greeted them and invited them inside. He then told us that the man was the person driving the motorcycle and it was his first time to ever visit the church.

     His girlfriend began to weep as they shared how heartbroken they were over the situation and they began to ask for forgiveness. Immediately, the mother of the little boy who had been hit went to them and began to weep and tightly hug the young woman. The pastor hugged the young man and shared the Gospel of grace with them both. The little boy who had been hit came in and told them that he forgave them and hugged them.

     That young drug dealer and his girlfriend experienced something they had never imagined. They encountered people who have been transformed by the love of God who demonstrated that same love and grace to them. It was such a sweet time. In fact the young couple spent the rest of the morning with us. I fully expect that in the future this young couple will be gloriously saved and will join the body of Christ in transforming Vila Safira for the glory of God.

Youth Camp Update

2011-03-28T18:21:00Z

We want to thank everyone who gave to sponsor the youth for camp this year. Through the generosity of our partners we were able to send 24 youth to camp. They came from each of our church plants and it was a great time for them to build friendships which we hope will lead to these churches ministering together in the future.

Two of the young boys from the church plant in Vila Safira came to know the Lord. One of them is struggling with the imprisonment of his mother for drug dealing. It is comforting to know that now he will have the Lord Jesus and the body of Christ in Vila Safira to care for him as he is left in a difficult situation.

If you would like to sponsor a child for camp in the future you can give by clicking the link below. Your sponsorship will be a great blessing in their lives.

Update From Brazil

2011-03-08T23:31:00Z

     I had a great day in Brazil. I arrived in Porto Alegre, at 7:00 AM and hit the ground running. I met with a potential church planter today. He has been helping Pastor Magioli for several weeks and would like to be a church planter for LBM. We talked and spent the day with Pastor Magioli and another one of our church planters. We visited two poor communities that are in need of a church plant. We are praying and will be making a decision about all of this soon. Please pray with us and also that the Lord would raise up one or more sponsors to fund this church plant. It will be our 7th since beginning LBM in early 2004.



                          Me, Pastor Magioli, and Ubirata (church planter candidate)

     After lunch I went with Pastor Magioli to see the work they are doing at his church. They are building a children's building. Thus far all of the funds have been raised in Brazil, either among the congregation or other churches and members are doing the work. They may end up needing some help from us, but we will see how the Lord provides. If needed we will need to raise the money.

     Tomorrow I will visit our church plant in Vila Safira where we bought land a few months ago. We are currently raising $35,000 to build the church a basic building. I am looking forward to seeing the land and the vision for how they will use the building to minister to the community through a feeding program and other ministries.

     Our newsletter was mailed today and I am including a link here. Please take a few minutes to read it and pray for us. If you would like to help with any of these needs please let me know.

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T13:30:00Z

     Christmas is quickly approaching. On behalf of everyone at Living Bread, including our staff and pastors in Brazil we hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed 2011. This has been a great year for us. The Lord has blessed in so many ways and we are very grateful.

     By God's grace we have seen our church plants in Brazil grow spiritually and numerically. Several couples have gotten married and are raising their children in Christ exalting homes. Widows and orphans are being cared for by the various church plants and their members. In addition, we launched our 6th church plant and purchased property for one of our existing churches. Of course, every church continues to operate feeding and clothing ministries as well as provide medicine and school supplies. In fact, over 26,000 lbs of food was distributed in 2010.

     We have seen many doors for partnerships open this year. I was able to share about LBM in churches in 9 states in 2010. Lord willing we will see partnerships evolve from these visits. More exciting are the partnerships we have built in Brazil. Individuals and churches there are now providing over 15% of our monthly budget in Brazil.

     I am very excited about 2011. We are actively looking for pastors to begin new church plants; please commit this to prayer as we plan to launch a minimum of 2 churches next year. Also, we are planning for 2 short term mission teams to work with us in southern Brazil. We have an opportunity to present a paper at the regional EMS meeting in March, which should be great exposure for LBM and will allow us to potentially influence the strategy of other missionaries. Finally, we are already receiving invitations to share about church planting among the poor and needy with churches in the US and Brazil in 2011.

     Thank you all for your prayers and support over the past year. LBM is maturing into an established ministry that is not only planting churches among the poor, but is being used by God to help stimulate a church planting movement among the poor in Brazil and beyond. We are grateful for your role in building this ministry for the glory of Jesus.