Tomorrow morning the Church of Christ on Pennsylvania Avenue in Newark, NJ will be having its monthly joint worship service.  This brings together the two congregations that share the building, one of which is Brazilian and the other which is Hispanic.  We had drifted into allowing these monthly gatherings to be almost entirely in Spanish, but this isn’t a truly “united” experience in my opinion.  So, instead of hymns in both languages (Portuguese and Spanish) and everything else in Spanish only, we’ll be mixing things up a bit.  Worthy of note may be our approach to the sermon.  Instead of one message in Spanish, there will be two devotionals of no more than 10 minutes in each language.  The shared theme is to be unity in Christ, and I will be giving the Portuguese-language talk.

Thanks to any and all who are praying for this work.

This morning one of the men brought a packet of information from a camp we may be able to rent for our annual church retreat.  Last year we didn’t have our retreat because we were looking for a better location than the camp in eastern Pennsylvania that we had been renting.  The quality of food served and the grudging access we were given to amenities like the pool when compared to the price we were paying made us want something better.  Unfortunately, we didn’t find anything in time and had to go without.  The information we looked at this morning looks promising, and everyone is looking and praying for a good camp for our retreat this year.  In case you’re curious, the one we had rented before is already unavailable this year.

The sermon for the Brazilian church this morning, delivered by yours truly, was regarding evangelism, benevolence and the mission of God.

Keep the Brazilian/Hispanic Church of Christ in Newark, NJ in your prayers, especially for our retreat location search and for us to grow in understanding and living the mission we have in all of its dimensions and aspects.

It’s my turn to preach tomorrow for the Brazilian Church of Christ in Newark, NJ.  I currently take a turn every other Sunday.  Although my Portuguese is “fluent,” it’s still a second language to me.  Sermon prep and delivery thus faces some obstacles because I’m not preaching in my native language.  What really makes it a challenge, though, is a busy work week.  My “paying job” is with an Internet startup in New York.  During the week day I don’t have time to even think about what I’ll say on Sunday, and in the evenings I’m occupied with family and just plain tired.  So, despite having two weeks to prepare every time, my sermon usually doesn’t get written until the Saturday before the day I’ll be preaching.

From what I hear, I’m in good company.  I’ve read recently in the Christian Chronicle that many Churches of Christ throughout the United States have services led entirely by members without a paid clergy.  Perhaps I have an advantage in that I have a ministry degree from Harding.  Still, it isn’t an easy path.

The truth of it is that I really wouldn’t want to be in paid ministry again.  My experience with that wasn’t altogether pleasant, and I love serving without a thought given to a paycheck.  There are a lot of very good “full-time” ministers out there on church payrolls who are doing an excellent job, but I can’t be a part of that.

This way of self-supporting ministry isn’t simple, but it’s the best way I can serve.

Thanks for your prayers, and have a great Sunday!

Last night my wife told me that the Brazilian women of the church in Newark, NJ will be getting together this Saturday for a late breakfast at a local diner.  That’s good to hear.  The women will have an opportunity to spend time together without their kids.

Starting the first Sunday in February our monthly joint worship service with the Hispanic congregation will be attempting to balance Portuguese and Spanish.  We had fallen into using only Spanish, except for a few hymns, but this hinders our ability to invite Brazilian visitors.  There will be equal time for hymns and two devotionals, limited to 10 minutes each.  One message in Spanish and the other, of course, in Portuguese.

There are plans for March as well, but I’ll save those to share another day.

Please keep the Brazilian/Hispanic church in Newark in your prayers, and please also remember to pray for the Brazilian diaspora throughout the world and those of us seeking to work with Brazilian immigrant communities.

Here are a couple of pictures from church:

The men in the photo above from both the Brazilian and the Hispanic congregations and are gathered before worship to finalize arrangements for worship and pray.

The Brazilian congregation.

Both of the pictures above are from the Brazilian and Hispanic congregations of the Church of Christ meeting in Newark, New Jersey

This blog is getting a complete overhaul as I take it in a new direction.  Out with the old theme and past posts, onward with a fresh focus on mission work among and through Brazilians in the United States and around the world.