Faith in Action: Nazarene Pastors respond to Brazil’s Worst Natural Disaster.
The floods in south Brazil that made international news in early. May are already considered the largest natural disaster in Brazilian history. Over 500,000 people were forced to leave their homes as the waters rose above one-story homes from one day to the next.
In the picture, you can see that the water level is almost covering the windows at the Church of the Nazarene in Canoas, where 180,000 people were affected by the flooding. That represents 60% of the total population of the city.
On the night of May 3rd Pastor Felipe (young man on the left in this picture took his family to his brother’s home on the coast and began to receive messages on his phone from families requesting help because they were stranded in their homes or on the rooftops.
Pr. Felipe then proceeded to attempt to secure a boat from a local fisherman so that he could go back and help rescue families that were stranded on the second floor or roof of homes. He couldn’t buy the boat, but he did convince the fisherman to drive back to the city with him and spend all day Saturday and Sunday rescuing people.
Pr. Felipe, Pr. Fernando (far right in picture), the fisherman and his helper rescued more than 200 people during those two days.
This picture to the right I took inside the Nazarene Church in Canoas on June 6th, a little over a month after the initial flooding. The same church that appears in the picture from May 4th at the top of this page.
I was visiting the area with a group of 35 pastors from the city where I live that went to help clean homes, pray with pastors and church members and simply try to bring some hope to the hearts of a population devastated by this unimaginable tragedy.
Christians from many denominations have been sending teams of workers to the region to help clean-up and share the love of Christ in a region where historically the church has had a hard time growing. The gauchos, name of the local people in the region, seem more open to talking with Christians than ever before.
The waters have lowered and what has been left behind is thousands of homes covered in mud and the loss of what for many families was their lifesavings.
I took the picture below of a street that is representative of street after street in Mathias Velho (Old Matthew), a neighborhood that runs 7 miles long and about a mile wide. This neighborhood and two others that have Nazarene churches were affected by the flooding are now facing the challenge of providing food and shelter for their members and many others in the community.
In the picture to the left we are standing in front of another Nazarene Church that was not flooded but has been serving as a distribution location for food and basic needs of members that had their homes flooded.
On the far right is the District Superintendent, Pastor Romero, and next to him is the local pastor, Luiz. Pr. Felipe and Pr. Fernando foresee a long period of time before their members can go back to their homes and many may never return.
The local government has informed them that the water from the city will not be drinkable until December because of the contamination that has affected all the reserves and pipelines. Many that were renting homes have chosen to give up on their deposit and simply start renting somewhere else.
So, how do these pastors dream about the future of the church in their city?
Their dream now is to plant a new congregation on the other side of town where flooding is less likely and maintain the current location of the church as a mission outreach.
They believe that there will always be a need for the presence of the Church of the Nazarene where it is currently located but that a strong church in a new neighborhood may help grow their presence in both locations.
Has this story challenged you to think about how to help?
- You can certainly pray for the pastors and their families in the region. A total of 31 Nazarene pastoral families serve on the Gaucho District.
- You can also contribute financially through H.E.AP. Ministry. We have identified three basic financial needs currently:
a. Funds to help the pastors that will see significant reductions in tithes and offerings as their church members become unemployed and need to rebuild their own homes. It cost about U$1,000 per month for a pastoral family to live in this region of Brazil and probably will need some supplemental income for the next 12 months.
b. Purchase of a vehicle that the district can use to transport food and other critical items that are being donated to the homes of those that have no access to a vehicle. An appropriate vehicle will cost approximately U$6,000.
c. Rental of a new location for the Church of the Nazarene during a period of approximately one year while they can build a membership that can sustain the ongoing rent. The estimated cost per month is about U$4,000 so the total would be almost U$50,000.
H.E.A.P. Ministry is a 501c3 organization so you can receive tax deductions for any donations. We are also a Nazarene Approved Mission Project (#136839).
Here you can donate and help Rio Grande do Sul’s people.
Greetings from Steve and Brenda Heap, retired missionaries serving in Brazil, South America!!!
