Developing South-South Mission Partnerships - January 2018 Update

One of the frequent features of Christianity in Africa, Asia and Latin America is enthusiasm for mission and evangelism. Through our “Developing South-South Mission Partnerships” project, The Outreach Foundation seeks to come alongside efforts that our partners are undertaking to bridge cultural differences with the purpose of sharing the Gospel in areas where there is less access to it.

Last July I visited with a Brazilian family dedicated to demonstrating the love of Christ in word and deed in a North African country. Having arrived in the country 16 years ago after 13 years of fruitful ministry in Jordan and Morocco, their mastery of the language and culture is exceptional. They are currently working in coordination with the small Christian community there to follow up with the growing number of people that have expressed an interest in learning more about the Christian message. They are also mentoring other missionaries arriving from Brazil, Guatemala and other countries.

New Church Development in Brazil - January 2018 Update

Reaching Younger Generations Through New Churches

“Each church has its own style but each one of them needs to have two main characteristics: It needs to be centered in the Gospel, committed to it, because that is what gives it integrity. It also needs to engage people that are not part of any church by identifying deeply with what they are going through.” With those words, Ricardo Agreste challenges Brazilian Christians to become actively involved in planting churches that welcome new generations who are not part of any congregation. Ricardo serves a Presbyterian church that was started fourteen years ago and which has now planted twenty additional churches. He is also one of the directors for the Center for Training of Church Planters (CTPI is its Portuguese acronym) which effectively equips pastors among several denominational traditions.

José Carlos Pezini - December 2017 Update

Dear friends and supporters,

This year has been very busy for Odete and me. We have been traveling all over Brazil, teaching, training, consulting, leading pastors’ retreats, coaching, and mentoring pastors. We have witnessed the action of God in the lives of many pastors. They have shared with us their struggles and difficulties. Many of them have thought more than once about leaving the ministry. Others are discouraged and still others are suffering from depression. During these three years we have helped more than fifty pastors get out of depression.

Our retreats have served as a place where they are encouraged and challenged to seek God first in their lives. A great number of pastors seem to be doing ministry on “autopilot.” They are tempted to read the Bible only to prepare sermons and not as a means to a devotional relationship with God. They see themselves as working for God rather than working with God.

The good news is that pastors who have mentors through the SARA ministry and who participate in our retreats are being transformed. Their devotional life has been rescued, and their passion for ministry has returned. They have shared with us their joy and say that they cannot live without attending retreats and being accompanied by a mentor in ministry. As a result of their participation in retreats and mentoring, their churches have grown and because of this, they have regained their confidence as servants of God.

José Carlos Pezini - October 2017 Update

Dear friends and supporters,

It is a joy to share some great news with you. Three years ago, Steve and Kay Wright came to Brazil to visit the church planting projects that their church, Zionsville Presbyterian Church in Indianapolis, Indiana, has supported. I had the privilege of accompanying them and during the days we were together, they shared with me about the Great Banquet, a retreat ministry which had greatly impacted their congregation. They invited me to attend a “Great Banquet,” and I did so the following year. Seeing what God was doing through this three-day weekend largely led by lay people, I heard the Lord whispering in my heart that the Great Banquet would be a wonderful gift to the Church in Brazil.

Steve Wright agreed with me, and we began planning for a Brazilian version. Zionsville Presbyterian Church started inviting Brazilians who spoke English to its semi-annual banquets to become the seed group of a Brazilian leadership team. In two years twenty people, ten men and ten women, traveled from Brazil to attend a Great Banquet. Steve and Kay returned to Brazil two years ago to guide this leadership group in preparing for the banquet. Then, with the blessing of God, we set the date for the Great Banquet in Brazil.

South America, Projects, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationOctober 19, 2017José Carlos Pezini, Brazil

Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell - August 2017 Update

Dear friends at The Outreach Foundation,

The grace and peace of the Lord be with each one of you. Dorothy and I are doing well. In July, we attended the General Assembly of the United Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPU) which was held in São Paulo. Our Regional Liaison, Dennis Smith, and Valdir França, PC(USA) Mission Coordinator for the Caribbean and Latin America, were present as well. The IPU invited us back for another term beginning in January 2018. This will be the first time in over 23 years of ministry in Brazil that we have been invited back to the same location (Mangabeira) in which we have been serving. We are comfortable with that decision. We have served in seven different locations during our time in Brazil as a couple.

During our first two years here in Mangabeira, the adult group at our church lay dormant. This year they decided to come alive and participate in the life of the church. They plan special events and commemorations and are in charge of making things happen. They were instrumental in helping one of the ladies of the church, Dona Maria, celebrate her 80th birthday with a devotional and cake. She was most appreciative. For Mother's Day, the ladies in the adult group made aprons to put clothespins in to make it easier to hang clothes to dry since folks where we live do not have dryers.

Missionaries, South AmericaThe Outreach FoundationAugust 17, 2017Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell, Brazil

José Carlos Pezini - May 2017 Update

The ministries in Brazil are going well. In fact, they are growing more quickly than I can handle. When I started working with pastors here, I had no idea that so many of them were experiencing burnout. About a third of the pastors who participate in the three-day SARA retreats suffer from this, and many of them are taking anti-depression medication. So, there is a real sense of urgency for a time of healing and wholeness for God’s servants within the SARA retreat ministry.

SARA is working in three different areas. Our main focus, of which the retreats are part, is mentoring more than two hundred pastors. In order to be able to care for each of these 200 pastors, I have trained 40 other mentors but even this number is not enough to meet the great demand. The mentors offer to their mentees one hour of conversation per month, while the mentees commit to participate in two SARA retreats each year.

Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell - March 2017 Update

Dear friends and family,

We are south of the equator, so this time of year is our summer. It has been very hot and unfortunately seriously dry. Our church work, however, has NOT been dry, but lively and refreshing. Presbytery meetings here are held yearly and last from Friday to Sunday, beginning with committee meetings on Friday afternoon. We have only seven churches in our presbytery spread out over this large state. The last few meetings have been in a meeting center in the capital, Salvador. We hosted the January 2017 meeting. It was a wonderful experience for us and those who attended. There were about 40 people there. Our church members have the gift of hospitality and are realizing they can serve the Lord by opening their hearts and homes to others. They are good cooks, so their meals are delicious. The attendees spent two nights and ate five meals with us. They slept in our homes and ate together at the church. Our church used to have an elementary school, so it has a small but nice kitchen in which large meals can be cooked. The presbytery meeting began with a meeting of the Adult Group on Friday afternoon.

South America, Projects, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationMarch 23, 2017Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell, Brazil

José Carlos Pezini (Outreach) - December 2016 Update

Dear brothers and sisters,

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was a very busy and stressful year of my ministry here in Brazil. SARA Ministries is growing so fast that it is almost impossible to respond to all the demands. The number of pastors who are being mentored is growing day by day. This year I have trained more pastors to be mentors, bringing the total to thirty-eight. Each one of these new pastor-mentors serves an average of five pastors.

José Carlos Pezini (Mission Staff) - August 2016 update

It is truly amazing what God has accomplished through the SARA ministries this year. The number of pastors in the mentoring program is growing every day. In this update I would like to tell you about a mentor training retreat we held in May in Curitiba.There were thirty-three pastors from six different denominations in attendance. SARA works with the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil, Lutheran Church, United Presbyterian Church, Bethany Evangelical Church and Congregational Evangelical Church.

Philip and Bacilia Beisswenger (The Antioch Partners) - September 2015 Update

Greetings in Christ from the Beisswenger family! On Pentecost, Peter said, “The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off.” Acts 2:39 Though we tend to emphasize “your children” more than “all who are far off,” the scripture is clear that both are crucial to God’s covenant. Our circle of faith stretches dramatically from our closest kin to envelop people whose culture and circumstances differ sharply from our own.

Missionaries, South AmericaThe Outreach FoundationSeptember 30, 2015Philip and Bacilia Beisswenger, Guatemala

New Church Development in Brazil - September 2015 Update

Dear Friends,

For many years the principal partnership of The Outreach Foundation with the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brazil was in relationship to the IPIB’s church-planting initiatives in the semi-arid interior of Northeast Brazil (Sertão), in the river communities of the Amazon Region, and in the largely unchurched southern (Gaucho) part of Brazil.

José Carlos Pezini - April 2015 Update

Dear Brothers, Sisters and Friends in Christ,

Peace be with you all from our Lord Jesus Christ. My wife, Odete, and I are full of joy as we reflect on what God is doing in our lives and ministry in Brazil. The retreat and mentoring ministry we started three years ago, “SARA” (meaning “healing”), is multiplying every day.

José Carlos Pezini (Mission Staff) - December 2014 Update

Dear Brothers, Sisters and Friends in Christ,

Merry Christmas to you all. I pray that God brings much joy to your heart during this Advent season.

As this year comes to an end, I would like to thank you for your love, prayers and support for our ministry. This year was a blessing. God is multiplying our ministry since we returned to Brazil. As this year comes to an end, I would like to thank you for your love, prayers and support for our ministry.

South America, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationDecember 24, 2014José Carlos Pezini, Brazil

Rev. Dr. José Carlos Pezini (Mission Staff) - October 2014 Update

Dear Brothers, Sisters and Friends,

Greetings in the name of our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ! I am writing this update with much joy and enthusiasm as I think on the opportunities that I have had to mentor and coach pastors all over Brazil. The demand is great. Every single day I receive phone calls and emails from pastors asking for help. Many of them are facing burnout.

Missionaries, South AmericaThe Outreach FoundationOctober 2, 2014José Carlos Pezini, Brazil

Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell (PCUSA) - July 2014 Update

Dear Friends,

In May we celebrated Family Month by having a week of daily Bible studies each evening, led by a different person. Many of the people asked to lead the studies said they didn’t feel that they could do it, but everyone did a wonderful job. It was refreshing to experience different styles of presentation.

Missionaries, South AmericaThe Outreach FoundationAugust 6, 2014Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell, Brazil

Rev. Dr. José Carlos Pezini (Mission Staff) - December 2013 Update

Dear Friends,

At this season of Advent and Christmas, Odete and I feel like Mary, the mother of Jesus, who “magnified the Lord” for the “great things he has done” (Luke 1:46, 49). Indeed, God has done amazing things in our lives and through our ministry among pastors and leaders here in Brazil.

Missionaries, South AmericaThe Outreach FoundationDecember 12, 2013José Carlos Pezini, Brazil

Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell (PCUSA) - November 2013 Update

Dear Friends,

Our monthly church visits to the farming community are a wonderful time of fellowship. It is a witness to the congregation that our faith is important to each of us and that the people of the community are important to us, too. In this picture you see us gathered around a church member’s table. After our worship service, we stop at her house for regional food and a great time of sharing and laughing. The young people often bring their boyfriends, so it helps the local folks realize that men are welcome in the church, too. A young couple joins us when we go, showing that families and young people are a strong part of the church.

South America, MissionariesThe Outreach FoundationDecember 12, 2013Gordon and Dorothy Gartrell, Brazil

Tim and Debbie Dunn - November 2013 Update

Celebrating a Bountiful Harvest

We have several exciting new developments which we believe have the potential to significantly extend our ministry. It is with great joy that we echo the words of Ephesians 3 in saying that God does indeed do immeasurably beyond all that we can ask or think.

South AmericaThe Outreach FoundationNovember 18, 2013Brazil, Tim and Debbie Dunn

Partner Updates

Celebrating a Bountiful Harvest