Stewardship: Grace and Gratitude

Church and School Remain Beacon of Hope to Felipe Camarão

Gordon Turnbull and John Vann recently returned from a visit with our partner church and school in Felipe Camarão, an impoverished and densely populated neighborhood of 90,000 people in the city of Natal, Brazil.

The purpose of the trip was to meet with the leadership of the Felipe Camarão Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPIB), the faculty and staff of the Bethel School (pre-K through third grade) affiliated with the church, and the leadership of the Bethel Association, the certifying organization of the IPIB, responsible for the fiscal oversight and compliance of the school.

Both Gordon and John report feeling encouraged by being with our brothers and sisters of Felipe Camarão, some of whom our church has watched grow up over more than ten years. The depth and spirit of our partnership is a treasure that God continues to bless across the miles.

Upon the call of Pastor Fernando to a church in the south of Brazil last January, Pastor Rubens (pronounced "Hubens"), a long-time pastor of the region, took responsibility for the church in Felipe Camarão in addition to his pastoral duties at the Third Presbyterian Church of Natal, located in the neighboring barrio of Quintas. Pastor Rubens is well known to the community and is working effectively with the elders of Felipe Camarão to minister to the congregation.

Currently, 112 students are enrolled in the school, with the majority in prekindergarten and kindergarten classes, and about 25 students in grades one through three. The school has developed a reputation in the community for offering high quality education that prepares the students to successfully continue in public schools or, if space is available, in a nearby charter school funded by Banco Bradesco.

The challenges are many in the neighborhood: unemployment remains high, hunger and living conditions are substandard, health care is inaccessible, drug and alcohol abuse by children as young as ten years of age is common, and teenage prostitution is another high risk factor influencing the culture of this poor neighborhood and, in fact, each child's very future. The school and the church remain a beacon of hope and comfort in the community, working together to reach out to children, parents, and families to share the love and hope that is theirs in Christ.

It was very evident that our continued involvement is important to the church's and school's missions. Financial support is seen as a continued blessing, meeting the funding needs of faculty salaries, basic school supplies, uniforms, and food for the children each day. Without help like ours, the school simply could not continue to operate. Living conditions for the students are such that without the spiritual, physical, and intellectual sustenance and love received at the school each day and in the church, the children would often be left to survive on their own, and at tremendous cost.

But of even greater importance is the spiritual connection between our two church bodies. In the first meeting of their visit, Pastor Rubens read from Paul's letter to the Philippians 1:3-6: I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. This very aptly set the tone for the subsequent discussions and affirmed the strength of our mutual desire for continuing in this mission together.

Gordon and John look forward to sharing with our congregation in the coming weeks and months the successes witnessed and the evolving needs of the school and church. God has richly blessed the union of our two congregations, which he ordained more than ten years ago. It is beautiful and comforting to know that our brothers and sisters in Felipe Camarão remember us daily in their prayers as we also remember them in our daily walk.

Teddy Goes to School

It Isn't Fair, but Let It Go

Children to Help Lead Early Worship Sunday