God has graciously blessed the FIEL ministry (reformed literature translated into Portuguese). Today there are many pastors in the Reformed constituency in Brazil who a few years ago were ignorant of the doctrines of grace.
The real growth began 20 years ago, with the first FIEL Conference held in Atibaia, when Prof. Edgar Andrews and the late Bill Clark were speakers. Book publications, together with our magazine Fé para Hoje, have played a large part in the reformation that is taking place in Brazil.
We are pressing on with the construction of a FIEL headquarters building. Hopefully, we will be able to move into part of the unfinished building in a year’s time. Please pray with us about this new venture, still in the planning stage.
Challenged with the need to place the gospel on the streets of Brazil, and sickened to see that the enemy is seemingly more alert to using the available means of reaching the people (see picture below), we are studying the possibility of placing gospel bookstands in the streets.
Strategic areas
We are hoping to bring together sister Reformed churches, foreign and national, to resource stands in strategic areas near the participating churches. A foreign church would finance the stand and a Brazilian sister-church would stock and manage it using FIEL as literature supplier.
Tracts with the address of the local co-operating church would be given away. Other churches in the town as well as neighbouring churches would be kept informed through circular letters.
Thirty years ago, seeing a Spiritist stand in front of the city hall in the city in which we were living, we were spurred to action. Three gospel stands were built.
At that time, however, we didn’t have churches with a Reformed vision to man them, nor did we have a solid supply base of operation. The stands served for several years in the hands of sincere believers, but floundered for want of vision and support on our part.
Spiritism
When walking this year in the small park in front of our conference hotel, I spotted a Spiritist stand. The feelings of 30 years ago came flooding back.
At the conference meeting that night I spoke of the renewed challenge. A number of people came up to me afterward expressing interest. Since then we have received several letters and phone calls.
