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Ministry Stories :: Portuguese Ministry
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BTGMI Announces New Portuguese Ministry Leader
February 01, 2010 | Portuguese Ministry
Hernandes Lopes' mother consecrated him to the Lord even before he was born. The Lord honored that commitment by calling her son to preach the Gospel as a pastor in the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. And at the recent January meeting of Back to God Ministries International Board, this call to communicate Christ took an exciting new direction, as Rev. Lopes was approved as the new ministry leader for BTGMI Portuguese language evangelism and discipleship outreach.
In the fall of 2009, Rev. Celsino Gama stepped down as Portuguese ministry leader after thirty years of service. The board's search for a new leader led them to Rev. Lopes, who has been involved in the production of BTGMI's Portuguese TV program Verdade e Vida (Truth and Life) since 2006. Rev. Lopes' name was submitted to BTGMI by the Board of the Portuguese Ministry (LPC) and final approval is pending ratification by the Presbyterian Church of Brazil (IPB) at its March 2010 meeting.
In his testimony, Rev. Lopes told the board, "I grew up in a Christian family in Brazil, learning God's Word since my childhood. Before I was born, my mother was given two choices: preserve her life or sacrifice mine. She decided to pray for a miracle and dedicated my life to the Lord. God heard her prayer and spared both her life and mine."
Rev. Lopes originally planned to enter politics and run for government office, but felt God's call to attend seminary. Following his 1981 graduation from Seminário Presbiteriano do Sul in Campinas, Brazil, he has served two different Presbyterian congregations in Brazil. Both of these congregations had a heart for missions and helped plant several new churches throughout Brazil.
In 2000, Rev. Lopes earned a Doctor of Ministry degree from Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, MS, where his dissertation focused on expository preaching as a model for church growth. He is a popular conference speaker in Brazil and has authored seventy-eight books, including expository commentaries on many of the books of the Bible. His personal ministry website-which offers pastoral messages, a 24/7 web radio broadcast of Christian music, and podcasts of Verdade e Vida-receives more than 35,000 hits each month.
BTGMI director Rev. Bob Heerspink noted, "With his heart for missions and a wealth of theological and media experience, Rev. Lopes is an ideal choice to give leadership to our Portuguese media outreach. We are grateful to God for leading him to Back to God Ministries International."
Rev. Lopes will oversee LPC Media, the joint media ministry of Back to God Ministries International and the Presbyterian Church of Brazil. LPC Media not only works in the Portuguese language, but also produces and distributes BTGMI Spanish programs, working closely with Rev. Guillermo Serrano, Spanish Ministry Leader of BTGMI.
LPC Media is scheduled to move into new facilities in Campinas, Brazil the middle of February. The ministry produces four radio/audio programs, four TV/video productions (including one for children), and a unique telephone ministry that provides a devotional message for an average of 244,000 callers each month. The Campinas staff also prints and distributes 24,000 monthly devotionals, as well as maintains four discipleship websites, reaching Portuguese-speaking people worldwide.