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This second half of 2022 has been invested in specific ways in our ministry, our team, our church and our family (more on this post). Over the entire network of Campus Outreach the emphasis on "strengthening" has been repeated and encouraged. Seeing how the book of Acts clearly states this as an emphasis in the early church has been very encouraging. Here are just a few examples:
Acts 15:32 - "strengthen the brothers" was the focus of the Jerusalem leaders in visiting Antioch.
Acts 15:41 - "strengthen the churches" was the focus for Paul and Silas.
Acts 16:5 - "the churches were strengthened" was the result of Paul and Silas' ministry.
Acts 18:23 - "strengthen the disciples" was the focus of Paul's missionary team.
I want to highlight a few ways we are focused on STRENGTHENING on the following fronts:
CAMPUS MINISTRY
The first half of 2022 was our initial return to the campus after 2 years of pandemic hiatus. UFMG returned to in-person classes, and we were trying to find our bearings and also make new connections with the 50% turnover in the past two pandemic years. The second semester of this year provided us with more opportunity to organize our staff and think strategically about how and where to invest in relationships. God has really opened doors for us. Specifically, our team has made significant relationships and been able to engage in spiritual and significant conversations at the Physical Education/Physical Therapy college and the Engineering school. With so much unknown at the beginning of 2022, God has STRENGTHENED our initiatives and our impact on the campus.
COBH TEAM
Earlier in October, we had what used to be an annual Staff Retreat and Training that we call Staff Stimulus. The last one we had was in 2019. This year was a time to get away from the routine, spend quality time together and STRENGTHEN our interaction with training presentations and discussions about community and contextualization. Our church pastoral staff and our Brazilian Advisory Board joined us this year and God used it to open up some important conversations about how we think about the culture and context in which we are inserted on the campus and also about our fellowship as part of the body of Christ and a ministry team.
CH CHURCH
Campus Outreach has a rock solid commitment to the local church, and our tenure in Brazil has had a lot of investment to STRENGTHEN our hub church. I have served as an elder since 2007, Tathiana spent 10+ years as the volunteer children's director and more recently I have walked side-by-side with our new pastor who was confirmed right at the beginning of the pandemic in March of 2020.
A memorable event in the past weeks is Pedro Albuquerque - my friend, former discipleship brother, my co-laborer and now my boss! - was confirmed as an elder in our hub church, Comunidade Horizonte. It was a celebration of God's desire to see this ministry and this church be led by godly men who are committed to the local church.
Also, Tathiana and I have had a drive to STRENGTHEN some of the marriages of leaders in our church. From opening up some impactful counseling tools that have helped us with some couples with young families to pre-marital counseling with one girl from Tathiana's last discipleship group. It isn't easy, it requires a lot of personal energy and spiritual warfare. Our desire is to see these couples have an impact because of their spiritual and emotional maturity in their homes.
God is moving and active in our midst, please pray that we would be used as agents for His love here in Belo Horizonte.