Here's the story...
1984-August. Darrel and Jean rented a house in Lagoa Seca, Juazeiro do Norte. They began making friends with
the neighbors.
December. Dr. Lacerda invited them to participate in a neighborhood Christmas celebration by inviting the
neighbors to their house on Christmas night. He requested that Darrel tell why Christmas is important to
them and Jean prepare a snack of typical Christmas foods. 50 neighbors came.
1985 -
February. Joy
celebrated her fifteenth birthday on February 14...
This is a very special birthday in Brazil,
the coming out party for a young lady. Friends and neighbors were invited to the celebration.
August. Dr. Lacerda asked Darrel to begin a community choir. He did with the goal of putting
together a Christmas musical.
December. The choir sang, presenting a Christmas program in the patio. It was a success.
The deaf children participated doing a drama.
1986 – August. The neighbors wanted to have the choir again.
December. Once again the choir sang for Christmas. Jean did a chalk drawing. Everyone liked
the program so well that they requested that the choir prepare another program, before the next Christmas.
1987 – February. The choir began rehearsals for an Easter program.
April. After the Easter presentation, many were impressed with the need to study the Bible.
Darrel began neighborhood Bible study in Lagoa Seca…
Thursday evening, every week in a different home.
1988 – February. Darrel tried to begin a Sunday School on the pátio of his house. Doctor Mary of Heaven
and her children came...the only ones.
March.
AWANA
Club
was directed by Bible College students Joadan, Genuan e Aila.
The weekly
Bible studies continued, growing. Missionary Mark Willson participated and taught when Darrel
was not able to be there.
July. The Sunday School had not worked, so Darrel announced that he would be beginning an
English Club…Sunday mornings at 9:00.
August 21st. The first Sunday we had 63 people. That semester English Club included...
Dona
Aldenora, Davi, Cel. ZeLi, Wilson, Ivaldirene, Jaime Ferreira, Homero, Gilberto e Telma,
Dr. Eudes e Terezinha Oliveira, Ostal e Marce Layton, Tony Frank and Bible College student,
Joadan.
Joy e Jonathan participated. Their friends, children and young people came.
They brought their parents. All heard the Gospel.
AWANA Club continued. The Club offered unforgettable moments. Ten years later the
clubbers, now young adults, still remember and talk about the good times they had.
October. We celebrated Darrel and Jean’s 25th Wedding Anniversary.
December. Josué and Fátima were invited to English Club. Josué remembers that the Bible lesson
was on Micah, and that he gave R$1,00 in the offering, not really wanting to do so.
Fátima prayed to accept Christ as Savior, but waited for Josué to make his decision before
telling anyone.
1989 - January. Josué accepted Christ at First Baptist Church in
Juazeiro.
Ostal and Marce Layton on left
February. English Club continued. Ostal e Marce Layton, short term missionaries, gave English
lessons during the first half hour.
Aila, Glynn (another short term missionary), and Wilson also
participated.
March. The neighborhood Bible studies were growing. We decided to divide. Mark Willson took one
group and Darrel took the other. All who were interested attended Sunday evening services at
Zion Baptist Church.
April – December. Darrel and Jean went to the States for furlough. Josué and Fátima moved into
the house. Everything continued. Bible College students, Sérgio e Sintique directed AWANA Club.
November. Mark and Becki Lounsbrough began helping with the neighborhood Bible studies.
Josué e Fátima Mesquita were baptized at Zion Baptist Church.
1990 - April. English Club moved to the library of the Bible College (Seminário Batista
em Juazeiro). Mark and Becki directed the work. The
name, Hope Baptist Church, was chosen. Sunday evening services were
begun. Feijoada
is always delicious! Some who helped at this time were: Ostal
and Marce, Petinha, Gordon Lee and Cindy, Paul and Debora, Cel. Zeli and
Aldenora, Wilson and Ivaldirene,Petinha, Sérgio and Sintique,
Denis, Aíla, Sheron, Chagas, Iara, Symone and others.
Filomena, Karen, Dan, ,Glenn and Josimar
September. Dan and Karen, short term missionaries began helping. Dan told the Bible
story in English, using flannel graph. Jô started attending.
1991 - February. The neighborhood Bible studies continued with missionaries Mark Willson and Mark Lounsbrough
helping. Carlene began attending, invited by Ivete, our faithful co-worker.
March. Carlene accepted Christ at the Municiple Hotel during one of the Bible studies.
Cindy Wyant and her twin daughters helped us in Sunday School, teaching the children’s classes…partly
in English. Jô accepted Christ.
June – Darrel and Jean returned to Juazeiro after a year in Fortaleza. Mark and Becki left, going
to another ministry.
1992 – We were praying for land to buy, asking God for a the land belonging to the Baptist
Seminary…for our church.
Filomena and Josimar, Mauro and Elizabete, began to attend. Margarida accepted Christ through
the witness of Josué and Wilson.
Seminary student, Sharon, worked with us. We had a preaching point in Caririaçu.
Telma and Eugenia acepted Christ in a Bible study in Crato.
November 15. Jô, Carlene, Lucci e Cris were baptized in Arajara.
1993 - Iolanda and Daniel began to attend.
October. Shirley started coming.
1994 –
Paulo Roberto (seminary student) and family began working with us.
The Haworths went to the USA, and Paulo Roberto became interim pastor for six months, when
he became co-pastor until his graduation in 1998.
The Congregation moved to the old boy’s dorm when the seminary land was sold for the construction of a shopping center.
We felt the need to have our own “place.”
Thanks to the Lord and a foundation, land was purchased in the neighborhood, São José, near the
division between Juazeiro and Crato.
Construction began.
1998 –
February 7. We organized as a church.
December.
Pastor Paulo Roberto graduated from the Seminário Batista do Cariri.
He received a call to be pastor in Rio de Janeiro, na Ilha do Governador. It was
hard to say “Good-bye” to the family we had come to love.
1999 – Seminary student George Wellck and his wife, Zeneide came to work with us.
August 7.
Almost ready
Our dream came true when we moved to the Sítio São José and our new building.
One building was ready and the second under construction.
2000 -
A team of ten came from Ceres, California, to stay in our homes and to evangelize in the
English schools.
2001 – November 30. Co-pastor George Wellck graduated from the Seminary and the church called him
as pastor.
2002 – Construction continued. The second building with kitchen and patio above, bathrooms and
canteen below was finished. We dug a well 70 meters deep. It gave 55,000 liters of water per hour.
2003 – The third and fourth buildings, main floors were built.
2004 – January. We had our first camps for girls and then boys ages 9 – 12.
It rained all week. Several accepted Christ. We decided to have a Carnival Retreat.
February 2. Our pré-school, Educandário Recanto da Esperança pened under the
direction of Fátima Mesquita, with 23 students. We had three levels of pre-school.
English was taught in all three levels.
March. The school grew to 31 students.
December. We had our first kindergarten graduation. There were 9 graduates.
Our school would grow to include first grade.
2005 - January. We had our second camp for boys and girls, ages 9 – 12.
February. Two Brazilian missionaries spoke for our Carnival Retreat.
Francisco Bezerra told us about his work in São Luis, Maranhão. Missionary
Marli Gaviola shared about her work with the deaf and her trip around South América
learning and writing the deaf language of each country.
November.
Zeneide graduated from the Seminary. She is a missionary of the
church and one of the directors of our school.
December 10. We celebrated the second kindergarten graduation of our school. Eleven
children graduated into first grade.
2006 - January. We had our third annual camps for boys and girls ages 9 – 12.
Six children accepted Christ each week…a total of twelve.
February. Missionary Randy Pollard was our speaker for the third Carnival Retreat. He gave seven
power point lectures on Creation.
March. Classes began at the school, Educandário Recanto Esperança with 70 students...Pré-school up
to second grade. The third building was ready for three classrooms and school offices upstairs.
The pre-school was in three classrooms on the main floor.
2007 - January. We had our fourth annual camps for boys and girls ages 9 - 12. There were 98 boys
and 98 girls who attended.
Painting the Good News
February. Missionaries John Peterson and Darrel Haworth joined to present
various methods of evangelization at the fourth annual Carnaval Camp.
March. Classes began at the school, Educandário Recanto Esperança...Pre-school
up to fourth grade.
Music Class - Happy Time
During the three years that we have had the school, we have seen parents
receive Christ as Savior and join the church.
August. The Church celebrated it's Eighth Anniversary in Sitio São José.
ZION BAPTIST CHURCH
(IGREJA BATISTA
SIÃO)
1969 - At the end of the year, Missionary Jerry Leonard traded his ten year old
car on a piece of land at the corner of Primeiro do Maio and Dom Bosco, Juazeiro do
Norte.
Jerry and Frances Leonard with their family: Naomi, John, Jim, Elizabeth and
Rachel
1970 - Thus began a congregation of The Church of Peace (Igreja da Paz), with
meetings held beneath the mango trees on this piece of property. August. Pastor Manuel Silva,
along with several Bible College students held special meetings. The
Leonard Family went to the United States for furlough, but the work continued
beneath the mango trees.
1972 - July. The Leonards were back. The first room, a little chapel, was
built.
1973 - They had Sunday School and Evening services.
Meeting under the Mango Tree
1974 - March. Girls from the Bible College held a DVBS for neighborhood
children. They visited the families of the children in their homes. Francisco
Chagas, a Bible College student, was the pastor. There was persecution.
Children threw rocks into the chapel and up on the roof tiles during the
meetings. Men, often drunk and sometimes armed with knives, would barge in
yelling and fighting. It became necessary to have someone walking around
on the outside during the meetings. Many times the missionary couple would
park several blocks away and walk to the services, so that the boys would not
let the air out of their tires or beat on the car with sticks. In spite of
this, several children and adults accepted Christ as Savior. The Haworth's
first contact was when Jerry Leonard invited them to attend a service.
They observed that the local people stayed out on the street to listen but did
not wish to enter.
1975 - Mobral, a teaching reading program for adults, was offered in the
chapel. There were no services. 1976. - The Leonards were in the United
States.
1977 - Closed. Sr. Geraldo and Dona Carlota of Barbalha, lived on the property.
1978 - Closed. Sr. Geraldo and Dona Carlota continued living on the
property.
1979 - Closed.
1980 - Closed.
1981 - Darrel asked Jerry if he could use the property for a preaching point for
Bible College students. Darrel was in charge of their practical work. He
always had more students than places available for them to serve. Why not
use them to begin a Sunday School. Jerry was sorry. "I did not
know. I just sold it. But I have not received any money
yet." The next day the buyer came back with a counter offer of less
money. Jerry rejected his offer and told him that he had decided not to
sell. Darrel had his place to begin a Sunday School.
1982 - A second
room was built. Sr. Zacarias and his family lived on the property. Darrel,
with the help of several Bible College students maintained the work.
1983 - The Haworths were in the United States. Bible College students kept
the work open. Before returning to Brazil, Darrel was convinced that the Lord
wanted him to open a congregation. It was not an ideal place to
evangelize. The people were rooted in their traditional religion.
Perseverance would be the key. How would he fight discouragement? He
prayed, "Lord, I don't want to go alone. I only want to go if you go
with me." Each time he looked for a sign that the Holy Spirit was
present. That's how the ministry went forward.
Carlos and Augustino
1984 - Once again Sunday School and Evening services were held. Bible
College students Paulo Russ, Julio Pinto, Joia, Adriana and Marilene
participated.
1985 - Júlio Pinto continued working. Ronaldo began
helping. Two more rooms were built. Sr. Lorenzo was the brick layer.
1986 - The neighboring lot was purchased and the pastor's house was built for
Ronaldo and Adriana, the newlyweds. A pre-school was initiated. Geni was
the director.
1987 - Ronaldo and Adriana continued as pastor and wife.
1988 - Raimundo and Marlena took over the pastorate and lived in the pastor's
house.
Men's Meeting
1989 - Wilson and Ivalderene were the next couple to pastor. They lived in
the pastor's house. The pre-school continued.
February. Darrel
Haworth was able to raise the money and purchase the corner lot on the other
side of the street, Primeiro de Maio.
1990 - March 10th. The Congregation organized as Zion Baptist Church.
Construction continued, adding more rooms. The pre-school continued.
April.
English Club, being held at Darrel and Jean's house, was organized as Hope
Baptist Congregation...a congregation of Zion Baptist Church. The new
congregation held it's meetings in the library of the Cariri Baptist Seminary,
Padre Cicero Avenue, km 2, Juazeiro do Norte.
1991 - Luiz Bezerra was called as pastor. The pre-school continued.
1992 - Luiz Bezerra continued as pastor. The pre-school continued under Geni's
leadership.
1993 - August. The construction of a church auditorium was begun with a large
financial donation from William Bolthouse Farms in California. The pre-school
was closed.
1994 - August. The construction was stopped.
1995 - Setember. Luiz Bezerra was removed. Darrel assumed the pastorate.
1996 - January 6th. The construction of rooms, to be used as
classrooms/apartments, was begun. The construction on the auditorium was
reinitiated. Bible College students, Fernando and Eveline helped during the
first semester.
July 15th. Bible College students, Wagner e Yumi came as
pastor and wife. August 25th. The first service in the new auditorium was
celebrated.
1997 - February 15th. Bible College student, Marcos Glaison, came as pastor.
Construction continued. The property walls were built, sidewalks laid and
outside plastering done. November. Zion Baptist Church began a new work in the
Airport neighborhood.
1998 - The church began another new work in the Multirão. neighborhood. February
7th. The Congregation, Hope Baptist, became Hope Baptist Church, with
co-pastors: Bible College student Paulo Roberto and Darrel Haworth. 2000 -
March 8th. Zion Baptist Church celebrated ten years as an organized church, with
45 members.
2005 – March 11, 12, 13. Zion Baptist celebrated fifteen years as an organized
church. Pastor Roque Albuquerque and wife, Adriana, are currently leading the work.
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