We had an amazing week and a half in the São Paulo area. We flew in on a Sunday and were picked up at the airport by Pastor Fabio of C3 Church Santos. That night at church, Annie shared an amazing offering message in Portuguese without needing a translator!
I preached on “How Did I Get Here?” It is a message about the importance of guarding our hearts. We saw six people come to Christ that night.
The main reason that we were in Santos this time, though, was to be a part of their first ever School of
Ministry. For many years, I taught Bible, Theology, and Leadership at the C3 School of Ministry at C3 Church in Atlanta. Pastor Fabio wanted me to teach an intensive course on the Gospels.
Tuesday night through Friday night, from 7:00 to 10:00 and then from 9:00 to noon, Saturday morning, we worked through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We had over 25 students from C3 Santos and even a few people from some other churches who came to the class. We covered a lot of material over the 15 hours but everybody loved it.
On Saturday, Annie, Scott, and I took a bus to São Bernardo do Campo. This month, they are celebrating their first birthday as a church! In the evening, they had a special meeting honoring their leaders and volunteers. It is so exciting to see how far these guys have come in just one year. Pastor Sidnei had asked me to speak so I taught on “How to Create Kingdom Culture.”
On Sunday, we had a great lunch with Pastors Sidnei and Raquel. We then went with them to look at a new building that they are negotiating on. They have outgrown their current facility and this new location looks perfect for their needs.
That night in church, the celebration was on! C3ABC had a pre-party with some great food to celebrate their birthday. The church service continued the celebration. Pastors Sidnei and Raquel, along with their team have accomplished so much. In just a year as a church, their attendance is consistently over 100 in their Sunday meetings and they are seeing people come to Christ regularly. Their connect groups are all packed and they are looking to start a few more.
I preached on “Running to Win” and we saw four people surrender their lives to Christ. One of the things 
that most impressed me about C3 Church ABC is how their leadership team has grown. Even in the last couple of months since we have visited, a number of awesome people have stepped up to help Sidnei and Raquel carry some of the weight of leading the church. Church planting is a team sport. It is always good to see new people taking initiative and serving and leading at a high level.
Annie and I are serving the Lord in Brazil. We are training leaders and working closely with all three C3 Churches in Brazil. You can help us make an impact in so many lives! Just click here to get involved. Obrigado!
