Harold JfoB&rland Box 968

Joliet, 111.

JANUARY, 1957
SEEN A

BRAZIL

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BRAZIL

CHRISTIAN

M ISS I

WHAT IS THE BRAZIL CHRISTIAN MISSION?

Purpose

Brazil

The Brazil Christian Mission is an af

sionaries of administi-ative duties in the

Christian Mission
Entered In Post Office at Denver. Colo,, as

filiation of direct support missionaries and their representatives for the purpose of evangelizing Brazil. Its purpose is

United States and free them for the sav ing of souls in Brazil.

second class matter under Act of March 8,

Office of Publication

3GCt Poplar, Denver, Colorado

Published Monthly

completely Biblical and spiritual the purpose of Jesus, "to seek and to save the lost"; "that they all might be one"; "that they might have life abundant". . , aim ing to accomplish this through the Holy Spirit by faith, prayer and works.
Plan

inception, without salary, to receive and

A mission agent has served from the

forward funds to the field. He acts for both the field association and the board of representatives.
History

Subscription rate25c per year

Field Editor, Cnrolce Ewlng Send all contributions to:

The plan of action is through evangel

ism in every possible realm, the estab lishment of New Testament churches and
Christian institutes where young men Wm. A. Cook, Box 409, Gurmon, Oklaliomc.

In March, 1948, Lloyd David and Ruth

Sanders arrived in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as their first step in opening the first work of the Churches of Christ and Chris tian churches in Brazil. Choosing Goiania on the frontier as their field of labor,

and women may prepare themselves for Christian leadership through Bible train ing and spiritual development.
Operation The Brazil Christian Mission consists

four room, rented home they lived three studies and making acquaintances in the
city.

they moved there in June, 1948. In their

more months continuing their language

Missionaries in BrnKil: Caixa Postal 201

Golania, Coins, Brazil Jj. David ami Ruth Sanders J. Richard and Carolee Ewing
Ruth M. Spurgeon

of a group of affiliated missionaries, co

more effective and extensive work and in
fore these governments.

operating under self-imposed rules for

In September the first Sunday School was begun with two children attending.
In three months the attendance had in creased to an average of 15. In January,

Missionaries in Language School:

Escolu de Portuguese Orientacao
Caixa Postal 15

corporated in both the United States and Brazil so as to provide a trusteeship be

1949, a five room house was rented in the

Vila Nova suburb where Sunday school,

Campinas, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Edwin C. and Lula Knowles

Christian day school, Christian^Endeavor

and preaching services were initiated. By

the end of their first year five converts

Kenneth L. and Clarice Mathis

Recruits:

were baptized into Christ. Evangelism

was increased in 1949 with Sunday School

Merlin L. and Gertrude Shields

Box 3"). Wasco, Oregon If vou are not sure to whom your corre-

and preaching services opened in Botafogo, another adjoining suburb. House meetings and street meetings were held
in various villages and an intensive effort
was made to distribute tracts and Bibles.

SDoniience should lie directed send it to Mr. Cook and ho will forward it to the correct
address.

A radio ministry was also begun.

This study booklet was prepared by the mis sionaries on the Held under the direction of the Held editor and proof read by Dale McAfee. Regular subscribers to the Brazil (.hristian Mission receive the booklet as the September

J. Richard Ewing and family and Ruth Spurgeon arrived in Brazil in 1950. At

expanded in the several locations of the

this time the work was strengthened and work and further survey-preaching trips were made. In October, 1951, Miss Ellen
Case arrived in Brazil to work with the mission. With the increased growth of

ing is considerably more than tlie regular

Cook. Box 409. Gnynion, Oklabomii.

issue of that publicntion, but the cost of print

cost of printing and handling will be grate fully received bv mission treasurer, Wm. A. Support
BOARD OF REPRESENTATIVES:

montlilv Issue. 25 cent contributions to cover

the Vila Nova congregation to some 75 members the first church building was

W. O. French. Scottsbliiff, Neb., Chairman

Ting R. Champic, Wichita, Kans., 1st ViceChairman

support among interested brethren and

churches for the purpose of salaries, spe
several churches.
Work

These missionaries individually seek

Floyd M. Strnter, Enid, Okia., 2nd VlceChairmau

cial projects and enlarged work. The missinoaries receive link support from one or

completed in March, 1953. This same year work was opened in the highly Roman Catholic city of Silvania sixty miles away. The gospel message was taken to
Silvania through preaching services and

Dale H. McAfee. Enid, Okla., Secretary

a Sunday school. Although a difficult field, there are eight members of the Silvania
church and a Sunday school there aver ages 30 in attendance.

Wm, A. Cook, Gnymon. Okla.. Mission Agent

and Treasurer

Earl Henld, Grand Junction, Colo.

Warren F. Mathi.s. Indianapolis, Ind,

Russell Blowers, Indianapolis. Ind.

centered Goiania there it areas of

city.

ing done and planned. Work is currently

Each missionary chooses his own field of labor within the scope of the work be

in the new state capital city of on the western frontier. From reaches out to embrace several endeavor some distance from the
Board

In July, 1953, the first preacher train ing session was held with twelve eni'oUed.
The first full year of preacher training
institute was held in 1954 with twenty-

Serving with the missionaries is a board of representatives who aid the work by holding in trust property, giving an accounting of funds, representing the

four students enrolled. Realizing the need for Christian leaders, much prayer and effort has gone toward the establishment of this school for evangelists and work
ers.

This same year a two acre tract of land was given to the mission by Jeronimo
Coimbro Bueno (former governor of the

mission in the U. S., helping form the pol icies of the mission and assisting in the selection of new workers for the field. The Board of Representatives is nominat

ed by the missionaries and is responsible

for such duties as will relieve the mis

state and present senator, owner of large land ti-acts and designer of the city of Goiania). The foundation was soon laid for the first building and in 1955, under the direction of Dick Ewing, the first

BRAZIL

CHRISTIAN

MISSION

THE WORK First Step

Of the nine missionaries now on the

NOW AND IMMEDIATE FUTURE

The southern part of Botafogo has now been designated as the university area and already two of the college buildings are well on their way to completion. Sunday school was begun in the north ern section of this suburb in early 1949 as an auxiliary to the Vila Nova work. However, as the Vila Nova work acquired
land and constructed almost on the divi sion between the two suburbs, the Bota-

young men like him, the mission preacher

training institute was founded and his

field, four are currently engaged in lan guage and orientation study in Campinas,
Sao Paulo. The Mathis and Knowles fam

student ministry in Botafogo has proved

him apt in handling the Word of God. All for Christ

ilies should complete their work there in

March of 1957 and will then move to

Goiania to begin actual missionary en

deavor.

Too much importance cannot be given to this important phase of missionary

preparation for the field. Without an ade

She has taken an active part in the Sun day school there not only because she has dedicated her life to teaching children about Jesus, but because she hopes to

Dorvalina's family lives in Botafogo.

quate and well founded knowledge of the Portuguese language a missionary can never reach the Brazilian people. It is
only in a school such as the one in Cam

she first went to work as a helper in the

win her own loved ones to Him. She re members how difficult it was for her when

pinas (the only one of its kind in Brazil) where an American can get the benefit of language specialists trained to teach the language to adults.

Ewing home in 1953. She heard "Dona Cay" talk often of Jesus and she could

of Roman Catholics and while she found

overhear "Senhor Ricax'do" praying for her soul. But she came from a long line

Nurse-sEvangelist
The only single missionary of the B. C. M., Miss Ruth Spurgeon, R.N., is current ly occupying one room of the Institute apartment and acting as house mother
to the four girl students. In addition to a

large medical "practice" which averages

over three treatments a day (first aid, injections, instruction for care of sick and

infants, dressings, attending deliveries and operations, etc.) Rutinha (pro nounced "Hoocheenya") supervises and teaches in Botafogo and Setor Bueno Sunday Schools, teaches two hours a clay,
five days a week at the Bible Institute as

Dorvollna gives an iniecfion.

fogo Sunday school was transfen-ed far

ther south. Not officially organized as a congregation, the group continued to

meet in the home of Vila Nova members who lived in that section of town with services held on Sunday afternoons and

Case. And then came the day when she found that four missionaries' prayer were too much for her. Believing on the Lord Jesus Christ as her only and personal Savior, she gave up the religion of her family and became a Christian, but not without much protest, weeping and wail

though they were far away. She stayed ^ work for Ruth Spurgeon and Ellen

the simple gospel attractive, she did not dare think seriously about the heretical religion. Then Dick and Cay left to retui-n to the U. S. on furlough and as they told her good-bye they reminded her that they would continue their prayers even

ing from her mother and a sound beating

from her older brother.

well as supervising the study period there. Her day begins at 5:30 each morn ing and "officially" ends at ten each night. She rides a motorized bicycle to take her about the city and suburbs to accomplish
her work.

occasional week nights until March of

this year when a vacant store buildinghome was made available free of rent. At

Since then Dorvalina has dedicated her life to teaching others of Christ and in constant prayer for her family, her younger sister has accepted Christ and would have been baptized some months
ago had her mother not threatened first

Botafogo
The Botafogo Sunday School, located
in a suburb to the south and east of

this time Sunday school was organized on a Sunday morning basis and I'Ogiilar Thursday night preaching begun. Ap
proximately 17 members of the Vila Nova congregation live in this area and it is hoped that within the vary near future

murder and then suicide. But lately, the mother has allowed the younger daughter
to attend gospel services and read the

Goiania separated from the city by a small creek, has received Miss Spurgeon's special attention for several years. Ap proximately three miles long by a half
mile wide, the suburb is one of the oldest parts of Goiania and was originally used

door of her own heart just a ci-ack! She

Bible and shows signs of opening the

the Botafogo work can be organized com pletely independent of the Vila Nova con
gregation. The most immediate need is

is burdened now with the grief of an

older son who recently took a common law wife because his mother would not

for a future building in this university

area.

as workers' struction of "shacks" are "lotted" and

housing area (luring con the city. Gradually the being torn down, the land small homes are going up.

allow him to marry her, then, in a jealous rage when she was found paying atten

"Send Me"

In addition to Miss Spurgeon, chief personalities in building the Botafogo

work are two students of the Bible Insti

tion to other men, murdered her. From prison bars the older brother told Dorva

lina, "This would not have happened if I

had been a Christian."

tute, Florisvaldo, a young man of 26, and

Dorvalina, a young lady of 19.
building was completed. This first build ing of the Goiania Christian Institute is being used to house boys' and girls' dorm itories, dining room and kitchen, a small

Dorvalina has not only helped in the

Florisvaldo came to Christ thi'ough the

efforts of one of our early converts and
soon afterward returned to his home town to work in the mines. "There he
found no other Christians with whom to

ings, but has been trained by Ruth Spur

Botafogo Bible School and women's meet

work, administering simple first-aid, giv ing injections and changing dressings.
Sefor Bueno

geon as a nurses' assistant. She helps Miss Spurgeon greatly in her medical

apartment, cTass rooms and office space.

It is extremely cx'owded but the mission aries know that it is only the beginning and they look forward eagerly to the ground breaking on the second building. In the year 1955 a chapel was built in

fellowship and sensing the terrible lack among his people, sent word to the mis

sionaries, "Come and start a work among

my people." Unhappily, the answer was a repeated, "Sorry, Florisvaldo, but then is no one to spare from the work here." Finally, sensing not. only tlie great need

The other Sunday School under Miss

Spurgeon's direction is at Setor Bueno. It meets at present in the Bible Institute

Vila Operaria where a Sunday school had

been in existence for several years and a house was purchased in Silvania for serv ices in that city.
For a further review of the work ac

complished by this mission since its in ception see page 6.

of his people, but his own inadequacy in presenting Christ to them, he packed his bags and headed out with what what he felt was the only solution: "If you won't send someone, make me a preacher so that I can take the gospel to my own peo^1^ ^4? T71* 0 ^ -4,1....

building on Sunday afternoons. This area is until now, sparsely populated and im mediate prospects of growth are small, but potentially the area has great pi'omise. Lots in the area are currently being
sold in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo for

more than $1,000.00 each (approximately