When Pastor Gumer from Barueri, São Paulo came to the first MDA Conference in 2001, he fell in love with the PAZ vision to make disciples through cell groups and one-on-one discipleship. Since then he has transitioned his church and church-plants, “Plentitude em Cristo” to this church model, each year bringing his team to the conference in Santarém and even hosting conferences in São Paulo.

Pastor Gumer introduces the special guests.

Recently he led his church through another big change: they and the churches under them have officially become “Igreja da Paz.” It has been nothing short of miraculous to see what God has done in the last 10 years — how they have grown in depth and numbers, reaching more and more people through the ministry of cell groups and discipleship. These models work wherever they are practiced — deep in the Amazon Jungle or in the heart of one of the world’s largest cities. We whole-heartily welcome our brothers and sisters in São Paulo to the PAZ family! May you grow and multiply for God’s glory!

The emphasis on returning to the roots of the first century church is having tremendous results around Brazil. Leaders on the verge of burnout and churches on the edge of extinction are coming to life again through the rediscovery of these practical applications of biblical truths. Hundreds of churches are adapting to the MDA vision, so much so that a new association is being created. Not a denomination in itself, the MDA Association is for churches practicing the vision to be connected to one another — sharing resources, speakers, counsel and experience. This passion for missions and discipleship is taking over Brazil, praise the Lord! We hear of the same passion in so many other countries as well. Truly the Lord is preparing His church for a great end-time revival!

Leave a comment

The Cuiabá river runs through the city.

Having great success in starting bases in the capital cities of Fortaleza and Boa Vista (among many others), the PAZ headquarters in Santarém is once again on the move; this time in the second-to-last capital city in the Amazon Basin to yet have a PAZ base — Cuiabá, in Mato Grosso.

Pastor Sabá and his team from the church in Santarém will move to Cuiabá in July of 2011 to start what will be PAZ’s 15th base. Earlier this year, Pastor Vitório lead the way to Mato Grosso as he and his team from Santarém planted a new church in the key city of Sinop. The church that was inaugurated just last July already has 150 in attendance! Pastor Vitório relates that their biggest problem right now is finding a way for him and his pastoral staff to disciple all the new Christians! It is certainly on track towards having a great impact, just like the church in Santarém and our other bases. It has paved the way for the church-planting effort in the capital city of Cuiabá, a city of roughly half a million people that governs the huge agricultural state of Mato Grosso.

We are really excited about what God is doing in all of our bases, raising up new leaders and church plants. Recently in Santarém, the church had over 50,000 people attending their cell groups! In 35 short years, God has turned this city around and is using it as a staging point for winning the Amazon for Christ. In fact, Santarém offers a glimpse of what the other bases will look like 20 to 30 years from now. The road there isn’t easy: there is a price of prayer and fasting, work and dedication, giving and sacrifice that must paid, but the results are well worth it! Now more than ever we need your involvement, so please continue to join with us in even more prayer and giving to see the Amazon won!

Get Involved Donate to PAZ

Leave a comment

2010 MDA Conference is underway! Visit our facebook page for more photos.

UPDATE: Click to see pictures of the ongoing conference added on our facebook page!

This year marks the 10th MDA Conference to be held in Santarém. Leaders and pastors from all over Brazil are already heading towards Santarém to take part in this powerful event. For one whole week, participants are immersed in the MDA world of cell groups and disciple-making. “MDA” stands for Modelo Discipulado Apostólico or “Apostolic Discipleship Model.” This model is being used all over the world, trans-denominationally and is having powerful, lasting impact. It is the model we at PAZ use to plant and grow our churches.

This year our keynote speaker is none other than Dr. Ralph Neighbour, a pioneer in missions and church-planting using the cell model. We are so looking forward to all that God has in store and ask you to pray alongside us that the vision to win and disciple could continue to spread far past just our PAZ churches and have a great impact across all of Brazil and even the world. Take a look at the excellent conference website. Google translate does a good job of taking it from Portuguese into understandable English! Click here

Leave a comment (1)

Congresso da Paz 2010 was a huge success. The Paz worship team ministered powerfully and launched their new CD. Missionary/Pastor Abe Huber delivered the Word of Life with anointing and conviction. The testimony of ex-soccer player João Leite had a huge impact. The three-night drama involving huge sets, dances, a sweeping story-line awed and inspired. But more than ever this year, God took center stage as there were a number of awesome healings including a deaf woman hearing and speaking again, a wheel-chair bound paralytic walking. Tumors completely disappeared and bad backs were completely restored (just to name a few of the healings that took place). But that doesn’t even mention the greatest miracle of all — salvation — of which 1,374 people gave their lives to the Lord! Hallelujah!

Each one of these new Christians will be visited personally by a cell-group in their area (if they don’t already have one). They will be invited to the cell group and well cared-for, receiving one-on-one discipleship and growing in the vision of the church — to win their family and friends for Christ and disciple them. Please pray for the church now, that we would not lose a single new convert during this critical time. Thank God for His awesome move of healing, salvation and grace that only seems to grow every day here in the Amazon! Now follow along each night through these pictures and be inspired and blessed by all that God is doing.

Congresso 2010: Sunday Night

Friday, July 4 | Santarém Brazil | Photos: Micah Gregory

One of the things we always pray for during Congresso time is that there would be good weather. That way people are encouraged to come. Also, our huge sets sit outside the whole week before the Congresso, so rain and storms can easily damage them. Sunday night, just a few minutes after the Congresso began, the skies opened up and started to pour down rain. In spite of the rain, praise and worship continued on with even more determination and focus! It was as if God’s grace poured down from above and everyone was soaked in the presence of God. After the rain stopped, it was much cooler and the whole support team had time to touch-up the set before it went out. And the stadium was still jam packed.

Click to see more photos from Saturday and Friday on the following pages.

Leave a comment (5)

View our latest 4-page letter featuring the story of Cídia and the new base plant in the strategic city of Sinop. Want to help with the one-time start-up costs of this new base in Sinop? Donate to PAZ’s Sinop Base Start fund.

DonateView Letter

Recently, PAZ has been busy investing in Sinop — a strategic city located several hundred kilometers south of Santarém along the muddy Cuiabá/Santarém Highway. We recently sent out a letter detailing the exciting and challenging venture of starting a new base there, our 12th in the Amazon Basin. These bases are the launching points for church-planting in the unreached areas around them (read more about how this works and see an interactive map of our bases). We’ve sent some of our best and most fruitful pastors to be missionaries in another critical area of Brazil that has yet to hear a clear presentation of the Gospel!

In this letter you will read the testimony of team member Cídia, who — in-spite of making a blood pact with the devil — had a powerful encounter with God that changed her life and the lives of people around her forever. You’ll also read about the work starting in Sinop and how the new base is already moving forward, seeing fruit from their efforts. We also present a great Kingdom-opportunity to you: to give to the one-time start-up costs of this base plant. Praise God, His Kingdom of Light continues to expand in the darkness!

Leave a comment