Pray For
- the continued growth of both the Brazilian and Nikkei Conferences through evangelism, discipleship and church planting
- the wise and courageous leadership of each conference as they navigate the increasingly secular ideologies
- the fledgling new churches, which are fully functioning throughout Brazil, including the cities of Manaus, Campo Grande and Aracajú
- continued creative ministry of the Nikkei Conference churches to the Japanese and Brazilian communities
- the church-planting training base started in March 2022 in the city of São Paulo through a partnership with the Free Methodist seminary
- missionaries Dan and Hope Owsley as they oversee the program and teach classes at the FM seminary (Seminário Bíblico Wesleyano) in São Paulo
PRESENT MINISTRIES
Brazilian General Conference
The Brazilian General Conference of the FMC has seen significant growth in recent years. Previously centered in the state of São Paulo, it has become a general conference with five regional conferences, including West-Central and Northeast Brazil. There are new church planting initiatives throughout the country. In addition, the general conference oversees the Free Methodist Church in Angola. Missionaries who began their ministry in the Brazilian conference are serving overseas.
Nikkei Provisional General Conference
FM ministry in Brazil began among the large population of immigrants from Japan. The provisional general conference (begun in 2019) is organized in five districts in the state of São Paulo. It also helps to oversee mission districts in Japan, Argentina and Paraguay. The conference supports Brazilian missionaries serving the FMC in Japan and Europe. In 2021, the Nikkei-Brazil Provisional General Conference took on the responsibility to support and oversee a new church plant of Venezuelan immigrants in the Amazonian city of Manaus.
OUTREACHES TO THE WORLD
The two Brazilian conferences have sent missionaries to Portugal, Italy, Japan, Hungary, two creative access countries, East Timor (Indonesia), Equatorial Guinea and the Suruwahá tribe in the Amazon Rainforest. Furthermore, the general conference oversees a mission district in Angola. The Nikkei Conference connects with Japanese-descendent churches in Paraguay, Peru and Argentina.
ORIGINS
In 1928 Daniel Nishizumi, a Free Methodist minister, traveled from Japan to Brazil at his own expense to do missionary work among the Japanese living there. He was followed by other Japanese laymen and ministers in an influx of Japanese immigration. The first FM church was organized in 1936. (Brazil, and particularly the Saõ Paulo metro area, is home to the largest Japanese community outside of Japan – 1.5 million.)
Ten years later the first board-appointed missionaries arrived, Misses Lucile Damon and Helen Voller. They, and those who followed, worked with both the Japanese and the Brazilians. A seminary was built in Mairipora and later relocated in 1965 in the city of São Paulo. Because of the differences in language and culture, the churches separated into two conferences in 1966: the Nikkei (or Japanese) and the Brazilian.
Country LeaderS
Bishop José Ildo Swartele de Mello
Bishop, Brazilian General Conference
Superintendent Daniel Seiji Abe
Brazil Nikkei Provisional General Conference
Missionaries
Dan & Hope Owsley
Dan and Hope Owsley have served in four major regions of Brazil over the past three decades, helping to start churches and organize conferences. Their ministry has included teaching Bible and theology to church leaders, mentoring men and women in ministry, sharing the...
Prayercast | Brazil
A Few Extra
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Recent Heartbeat Articles
Following God’s Plan
Like many before and after him, José Carrasquel left Creative Access Country X in search of a better life. He planned to travel to Chile, where his brother-in-law had already settled, but Jóse only had enough money to reach the first town across the border in Brazil. He soon realized God had a different plan.
COUNTRY STATISTICS
- Population: 210,727,000 (86% urban)
- Evangelical Christians: 24.56%
Brazilian General Conference
- FM Work Opened: 1946
- FM Churches: 75
- FM Membership: 7,702
- Ordained Ministers: 116
- Ministerial Candidates: 35
- Bishop: José Ildo Swartelle de Mello
- Ecclesiastical Accountability: Free Methodist World Conference
Nikkei Provisional General Conference
- FM Work Opened: 1936
- FM Churches: 37
- FM Membership: 2,792
- Ordained Ministers: 30
- Ministerial Candidates: 4
- Bishop: Daniel Seiji Abe
Photo Credit: TUBS, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Church Planting & Development
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