How have you seen God working in your life?
I grew up in an evangelical household, and consequently, I attended a local church throughout my childhood and adolescence. However, my genuine conversion happened when I was young. I decided to study Administration, but in the middle of the course, I received my calling to pastoral ministry. I left college and went to seminary in Atibaia/SP, where I spent four years dedicating myself to the study of the Word. During my theological training, I began working at the First Baptist Church of Campinas/SP, where I had various ministerial experiences. It was there that I became acquainted with CTPI and learned about church planting, sparking in me the desire to one day plant a church. With the work solidified and the church already having 400 people, God called and summoned us to participate in His church planting work in the city of Ipatinga/MG. There was no reason for me to make the decision to leave the church that welcomed me with so much love and interrupt the incredible partnership I formed with Pastor Pedro Galoza, except for the burning desire to plant a missional church, centered on the Gospel, and willing to manifest the love of Jesus in this generation.
How have you seen god working in your family?
Before realizing the dream of planting a church, I was blessed by God with a wonderful wife and an incredible son.Kíssila and I were led to pastor established churches, which we did for 11 years in three different cities and in four completely distinct churches. However, it was at Ser Amor Church that we received a more pronounced encouragement to also start a church. Upon our arrival, the church was in the process of being planted, providing us with the opportunity to experience and practice this unique endeavor.
When we decided to move to Ipatinga, God challenged us to take care of our emotional health. We invested in therapy, sought counseling and mentoring, and this self-care process has equipped us to handle ourselves and others at a higher level of proficiency.
How have you seen god working in your church?
Our connection with the city has always been present, as my wife Kíssila was born in the city, and we have lived most of our lives in the Vale do Aço region; our relatives are also from the area. Consequently, we began to observe the city's culture and analyze it in the light of the Christian worldview. Since then, God started moving our hearts and awakening us to the need to plant a missional church in the city. The Bible, in the Gospel of Luke 10:1-2, shows us the reality that cities are "ripe fields ready for harvest," requiring workers for the task. Despite the city being predominantly Catholic, followed by evangelicals in second place, like most cities in Brazil, the number of people without religion comes in third. Thus, we find a vast field for harvesting people who are not interested in religion in the city. As soon as we realized that God was guiding us to this project, my wife and I began to pray for a group that could share the dream of planting a church in Ipatinga/MG. Initially, we thought this process would take some time, but we were pleasantly surprised by an extraordinary move of God through connections between people who were already longing and praying for a missional church in the city. Today, our group consists of 25 people, after 6 months of Sunday meetings for group training and spiritual growth. We are now ready to hold our first public worship service.
church Name
Leve
church Email
igrejabatistaleve@gmail.com
church website
https://www.instagram.com/leve.igreja?igsh=MXIzdHlpN2dlOG9tNA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
What is your church’s mission/Vision?
Leve Mission: is to promote spirituality integrated into everyday life, experiencing the teachings of Jesus with practical attitudes similar to His, in a relational, mature, and service-oriented manner.
Leve Vision: We are a Christian church, centered on the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, committed to loving with the same love we have received, and communicating that love in contemporary culture in a Biblical and Simple.