Network of Portuguese Speaking Churches

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Greetings!

My name is Renato Bernardes and I am the Network of Portuguese Speaking Churches Coordinator. In this capacity, my primary responsibility is to initiate and oversee the planting and nurturing of Portuguese speaking PCA churches in the US. Please allow me to tell you about our recent activities as well as give you a little background on this ministry.

Through evangelism, the PCA is committed to reaching the multitudes in North America for Jesus Christ, and Portuguese speaking people are a key segment of this great number. A growing population of Brazilians has been immigrating to the US in recent years. Many have settled in the Northeast. Metropolitan New York, including New York City and parts of New Jersey and Connecticut have an estimated 230,000 Brazilians living in the area. Greater Boston has 150,000, while about 150,000 live in south Florida. Over the last two decades, there has been an explosion of Brazilians and other Portuguese speaking people coming to Christ. Today, there are thirteen Portuguese speaking PCA churches and mission churches in the US, located in Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, and south Florida. I am working with other Brazilian pastors and key lay leaders in the PCA to plant additional churches in areas of the US and Canada where the population of Brazilian and other Portuguese speaking immigrants is strong. Their vision is to serve the spiritual needs of Portuguese speaking immigrants, change lives, and see communities of people transformed as they come to Christ.

Objectives:

• Raise awareness in the PCA of the ministry among members of Brazilian and Portuguese speaking churches and missions.
• Identify potential areas for church plants, lay plans for these new works, and assist in selecting church planters.
• Meet regularly and share resources with pastors and others focused on planting new PCA churches to assist in vision casting, planning, and evaluation.
• Champion fund raising and supervise progress.
• Interface with key people in locations where Portuguese speaking works might be needed.
• Develop partnerships with other PCA churches, individuals, and institutions with shared interests.

Biographical Sketch
My wife Claudia and I came to the United States in 1973. After earning degrees from Montclair State College and Princeton Theological Seminary, I was ordained in the Presbyterian Church USA in 1985 and joined the PCA in 1989. That same year, I began serving as assistant pastor of Comunidade Crista Presbiteriana in Newark, New Jersey and in 1994, I became senior pastor of this church, where I continue to serve today. My leadership of the MNA Network of Portuguese Speaking Churches began in 2003.

We Invite Your Participation
Please join with us in praying that many people will find hope in Jesus Christ and that lives will be changed through this ministry. Pray that a growing number of Brazilians and Portuguese speaking people will be called to serve as PCA leaders. We ask that you prayerfully consider participating with us through your financial support. You can make a tax-deductible contribution to this ministry online. You can also mail contributions, made payable to Mission to North America, to:

Mission to North America
1700 North Brown Rd., Suite 101
Lawrenceville, GA 30043-8122
Designate: Network of Portuguese Speaking Churches


For additional information, contact Renato Bernardes:

Office: 973-465-2126
Email: revrb@aol.com

Renato Bernardes
Network of Portuguese Speaking Churches Coordinator