Living Bread Ministries

Biblical Community Changes Lives

2010-03-04T00:28:00Z

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.

LBM Benefit Golf Tournament

2010-03-02T00:24:00Z

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.

Pray For These Opportunities

2010-02-20T01:57:00Z

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.

The Poor and Needy Helping in Haiti

2010-02-04T22:52:00Z

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!

Vision for Church Planting Among the Poor and Needy

2010-01-20T16:59:00Z

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.

Share Christmas 2009 Recap

2010-01-20T16:44:00Z

    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.

Summer Camp: An Opportunity to Be a Regular Kid

2009-12-17T21:30:00Z

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?

Go in Peace, Be Warmed and Filled

2009-12-10T21:47:00Z

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.

Local Author Supports LBM

2009-12-09T16:57:00Z

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.

Share Christmas 2009: All the Children Are Sponsored

2009-12-04T21:04:00Z

     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.

A Family Transformed by the Power of the Gospel

2009-12-01T23:06:00Z

    Pamela and Milton live in Vila Safira. They began "dating" when Pamela was eleven. By age twelve Pamela had given birth to their first child. Now age 21, she is the mother of four children. She and Milton live together, but they are not married.

    Through our church plant in Vila Safira, Pastor Jocelito and his wife (Luciane) have been reaching out to Pamela and her family. Several months ago she came to know the Lord, but because of her living situation has been unable to join the church. However, she has been attending new believer classes; learning what the Christian life is all about. In the process she was taught God's plan for her family. Of course Pamela was convicted about her situation, but Milton was not a believer and did not see the problem. This is very common specifically among the poor in Brazil.

                   Pastor Jocelito and Luciane (left) Milton and Pamela (right)
                      Rodrigo, Gabriela, Manuela, Lucia (left to right)

    This left Pamela in a very bad situation. She knew that living with Milton outside of marriage was wrong. At the same time, what was a 21 y/o mother of four living in abject poverty to do? This is a very difficult situation in which many women in our churches find themselves. The church's response has been to love and encourage them, while at the same time holding them accountable. They exhibit grace while maintaining a standard of holiness.

    Time and again we have seen the Lord work resulting in the salvation of the children and boyfriends of these women. This of course leads to marriage. I am excited to say that this is the case for Pamela and Milton, as well. Due to her witness and the witness of the church, he recently received Christ and is going through new believer classes. They have set their wedding date for March 28, 2010. This will be an extra special day because after their wedding they will both be baptized and join the church in Vila Safira.

    What a great testimony of the grace of God! It is also a testimony that illustrates the importance of church planting especially among the poor and needy. We are literally seeing individuals, families, and whole communities being transformed by the power of the Gospel.

Transforming Communities by the Power of the Gospel

2009-11-24T18:53:00Z

Each of our church plants is ministering to needs in their community. Our church plant in Bom Jesus is no different. Since April we have been providing food for several families in the community. The members of these families consists of thirty five people. Since, April eight of them have come to know Christ, been through several months of new believer classes, baptized and are actively serving in the church. They have become a testimony of grace in the community.

                             New Believers from Bom Jesus Prior to Baptism

    During this time we have distributed over 2,000 lbs of food at this young church. However, the idea is not to just give them food, but by the grace of God and the power of the Gospel to equip them to provide for themselves. We have seen a great transformation in people's lives. Before, they were completely lacking a foundation; without hope and perspective. Now, they are experiencing God's mercy and grace daily; giving them dignity, restoring hope, and strengthening them physically to work. They have come to understand that they are image bearers of God created with a God ordained purpose. With this understanding they have the faith and confidence to begin building a life for themselves and their families.

    The Lord has been good to us this year. I hope you will take a few moments to read our newsletter to learn other ways the Lord is blessing.

New Partnership to Plant Churches Among the Poor and Needy

2009-11-11T16:17:00Z

November 11, 2009

I was on my way to a prayer meeting this morning when the Lord gave us a wonderful blessing. I recieved a call from Brian Mininger owner of Home Innovations. Brian and his family want to partner with LBM to continue the church plant in Vila Safira. Up to now we have not been able to raise the monthly support to fund this church and our exisiting resources have been used. Faced with the possibility of not being able to continue the work, we decided to spotlight this church plant at our annual International Dessert Reception.

                                  Children Waiting to Eat After a Bible Study

    Brian attended this event and was moved by what the Lord is doing, through this church, in the most dangerous community in Porto Alegre. The church is growing by conversion. People are being fed spiritually and physically. They are reaching out and making an impact in the severe drug problem in the community as well. The Lord is working and Brian and his family want to be a part of it.

    We need to raise $920 per month to fund this church plant. Home Innovations has agreed to match any monthly supporters for the church in Vila Safira up to $460 per month. That means that we only need to raise $460 per month to fully fund this church plant! Would you prayerfully consider investing $30 or $50 per month to plant a church among the desperatley poor in Vila Safira? Home Innovations will match your investment to make sure that we can continue to reach one of the poorest and most dangerous communities in Porto Alegre, with the life transforming Gospel of Jesus Christ. This offer is only available for the next several weeks, so please pray that the Lord will raise up the partners we need to continue this work.

If you have any questions please contact us.

Rescued From Depression and Alcoholism

2009-10-08T19:23:00Z

    I got these testimonies from our church plants in Vila Safira and Vila Nova. I was greatly encouraged by what the Lord is doing. I hope you will be as well.



    Marília and Fabiano are attending the church in Vila Nova. They are pictured with her son Gabriel. She is pregnant; due in December. She is a believer but had strayed from the Lord as a result of hardship in her life. Gabriel's father abandoned them. Her mother struggled with depression and recently hung herself. Marília also deals with depression. The Lord used all of this to get her and Fabiano into church. Fabiano has accepted the Lord and they are being discipled for church membership. They are planning to be married and baptized.



    Jusandra is an alcoholic and suffers from depression. She accepted Christ through our church plant in Vila Safira. Today she no longer drinks and is being treated for depression. She is a blessing and is always ready to help out around the church. The Lord is working in her life reconciling relationships that were destroyed due to her alcohol abuse. Recently, she was able to reconcile with her daughter.

It is wonderful to see the Lord transforming lives and families for His glory. People are being rescued from the hopelessness and despair that comes from living in extreme poverty. Relationships are being restored and homes are being built upon the foundation of Christ. It is a great thing to witness the power of the Gospel. Praise Jesus!

Reaching the Poor and Needy by Planting Churches

2009-10-06T20:11:00Z

October 6, 2009

    Yesterday I received an update from our church plant in Vila Safira. I sat in my office fighting back tears of joy and sadness. My heart is over joyed to see this young church plant growing and ministering to the community in a Christ exalting way. It is so exciting to see the Gospel penetrating such dark places and transforming them for the glory of Jesus. That is what the Lord is doing in Vila Safira and it's exciting.



   Setembrino is a new believer at our church plant in Vila Safira. He is a
     severe alcoholic and is in poor health. He is pictured in front of his home.

    At the same time my heart broke for the people. It is hard for me to see the conditions they live in, especially once they are born again by the Spirit of God. My heart aches for my brothers and sisters in Christ who struggle to survive. As I looked at the pictures and read their stories I was reminded of Matt 25:31-46. Jesus said that at the final judgment He will separate people based on how they responded to the needs of the least among them. Not that doing things for the poor results in salvation, but that a clear indication of a regenerate heart is a burden for helping the least among us; the poor and needy in Vila Safira and all over the world. I was reminded that if what I do for the least among us will testify to the measure of my love for Jesus I need to do a lot more. He is worthy of much more!



     These young parents are 15 & 17. He bags groceries and she does not
    work. They are lost but the church in Vila Safira is reaching out to
      them providing food and any help they can. Apart from a miracle of
    God's grace this little girl will spend the rest of her life in abject poverty.

    Join me in praying that LBM will break through and by God's grace be able to begin planting more churches among the desperately poor. Not just any kind of church, but churches that will boldly proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed. Churches that the Lord will be pleased with when he comes to judge the world.

    To learn more about LBM and our church planting efforts among the poor and needy contact us.

Share Christmas 09

2009-09-29T20:48:00Z

Sept 29, 2009

Once again it's time for Share Christmas. This year our church plants will be providing school supplies and a hygiene kit for children in their communities. Each church will be distributing the gifts the week of Christmas at evangelistic services. Your $15.00 gift will meet a basic need while giving us an opportunity to address the most important need of all.

Children who received gifts last year

To learn more or to participate please visit the Share Christmas website. Thank you for helping us share the true meaning of Christmas with the desperately poor.

Feeding the Poor Spiritually and Physically

2009-09-22T22:55:00Z

September 22, 2009

    We are planting churches among the desperately poor in southern Brazil. The people in our church plants live in abject poverty and without our help most of them would be forced to survive by eating from the garbage. It is sad to think of children digging through refuse to find a meal but it is a harsh reality of life in much of the world.

    We believe that the local church has a responsibility to address these type of needs in its community. How could we plant churches among the poor and needy and not address this very basic need? Each of our church plants operates various feeding ministries to reach out to their community. Some offer meals at the church, breakfast before Sunday school, and others have feeding ministries for the homeless. All of them provide families with monthly food kits, which make the difference between having to eat from the garbage or not. In addition, the churches meet emergency needs for food.

             Pamela is a new believer. Her family receives a food kit
                     from our church plant in Vila Safira.

    The Lord uses these ministries to open doors for the Gospel and they have been a key part of church growth. The poor come to see that the church really cares for them and the Lord draws them to himself. Further, scripture clearly teaches that we have a moral obligation to help our brothers and sisters in Christ. What better way to do that than through the local church.

    As you might imagine these types of outreach ministries require resources to operate. We need monthly partners to give $15.00 to provide one family with a food kit each month. Your gift will literally keep people from eating from the trash for survival!

                    If you would like to provide food for hungry
                             families please click here.

    Would you consider sharing this post with your circle of influence? You could email it or post it on a social network like facebook or twitter.

Join LBM in Brazil - July 2010

2009-09-09T18:25:00Z

September 9, 2009

We have begun planning for our summer 2010 mission trip(s). We are currently recruiting members for a group to spend July 9-20 with us in Porto Alegre, Brazil. We will be serving with our church plants among the desperately poor in the city. We will be involved in children and women's ministries, feeding and homeless ministries, and various other outreach events. This will be an opportunity for you to come alongside young churches whose membership consists primarily of new believers to encourage and equip them as they minister in their own communities. Below is a video that will give you a good idea of our work and the types of ministries you will be serving in.

If you would like more information or an application packet please contact Barbara Hubbard at (434) 401-1267 or via email at info@livingbread.org. If you would like to plan a separate trip for your church let us know. We can schedule and plan a trip specific to your needs.

30 Years As a Witch Doctor

2009-08-24T15:34:00Z

August 24, 2009

    In Porto Alegre, Brazil there is a huge presence of religions like Macumba, and Umbanda. In fact, there are 30,000 Macumba Centers in the city. We have numerous people in our church plants that have spent their lives involved in these religions. Vilma is a member of the church in Vila Nova. Prior to conversion she spent 30 years as a witch doctor in Umbanda. Her daughter, Fabiane, was reached with the Gospel at the church in Vila Nova and through her Vilma came to know the Lord.

    A couple weeks ago Vilma and one of her grandsons were also baptized into the church. They are the only Christians in their family. We are praying that Vilma's husband and her other grandson will come to know the Lord. You can watch her baptism below.

To read other testimonies and find out more about our church planting ministry among the poor check out our newsletter.

Returning to the US

2009-08-12T22:00:00Z

August 12, 2009

     It has been an exciting few weeks. We have been very busy here in Brazil. It has been a wonderful trip but we are looking forward to getting home. The Lord is blessing the work of LBM in Brazil and we are so grateful.

     The church plants are doing well. The Lord is drawing people to Himself and growing these churches by conversion. The two new works are doing very well and we are thankful for the fruit we have already seen. These churches are ministering to needs and by the power of the Gospel individuals and families are being transformed. We know that the Lord will continue to transform each of these communities.


     Above is a video of one of the seven baptisms in Vila Nova last Sunday. Wagner is 19 and he is the first believer in his family. He used to be a drug runner for a local dealer. Now he is serving Jesus! We are praying that as we return to the US the Lord will open doors for us to share what He is doing through LBM. We want to tell Wagner's story and the stories of others who are being changed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are willing to go wherever and share about the wonderful work the Lord is doing.  If your church or small group would like to learn more about LBM and what is going on among the desperately poor in southern Brazil please let me know.

     We will leave tomorrow and arrive home on Friday afternoon. Please pray for a safe and uneventful trip. Thank you and God bless.