Learning Church

Ella taking a break at a local house.

Josh and Ella taking an excursion

Ella and I (Josh) just got back from a trip where we visited some of the work on the river. We went with Bud, Keith (another missionary here) and Clenildo (a Brazilian pastor from Altamira) on a river trip. On the way to the community we were visiting we stopped at a few houses and invited people (at one point one of the guys with us was yelling to people on the shore, inviting them as we cruised by).

We pulled up to a group of houses as the sun was just dropping below the horizon. The other boats out front indicated people had already begun to arrive. Normally they meet in a house, but a larger crowd had gathered, so we met outside. This group of believers usually meets about 2 times a month. A pastor or church worker from another church usually visits at least once or twice a month. The only leaders they have otherwise is a man and his wife who have been believers for less than 2 years. They are hoping to build a church building, and can do so for as little as $1000.

The "Church" service

The church service began with some worship songs lead by a young man who had just learned to play guitar. It appeared as though the congregation, as well, had just learned to worship, when someone began clapping along with the music everyone clapped along in their own rhythm. Ella asked me “are they trying to clap like that or do they not know how to clap?” It made me think how bad they are at doing “church” as we know it. No worship band, no pastor, no building. And yet I had to think that God was pleased looking down on this group of young believers. I saw in them a genuine desire to learn about God. And yet for them to learn, it was almost completely dependant on other people, they have no means to learn themselves. It was a good glimpse of why we are here in Brazil. Bringing the Gospel to “the least of these”, who have very little means and yet possess a great desire to learn about their Creator.