New Planter Spotlight: Antonio Nascimento

Antonio Nascimento

How have you seen God working in your life?

In addition to salvation itself through Christ Jesus, I have seen God change my entire way of seeing the reality of life as a whole. The gospel, from Creation, Fall, Redemption and Restoration, has marked me deeply in recent years and has really transformed the way I see all things from the gospel. This is a process that has been ongoing and will continue in the coming years. I began to see everything through the logic of God's creation, knowing the severe consequences that sin caused, the process of redemption through Jesus, and the final restoration we long awaited. Living in a big city like São Paulo requires a mature outlook based on the complete gospel of Jesus Christ narrated in the Scriptures from Genesis to Revelation. The central points of the gospel have been an essential guide for an effective and differentiated presence in the city. Without the complete gospel, I run the risk of using other conflicting views, which is why the Gospel has deeply impacted me not only in the certainty of salvation but also in the world view to live and witness in the city.

How have you seen god working in your family?

When I felt called to plant the church, I went through the entire process of training, studies and alignment with the leadership and my wife. I believed that in planting a local church, many things would happen in a more organic and natural way; however, with the time dedicated, I was able to realize that in practice, dedication to the church in its initial stage requires an enormous amount of time. Therefore, I often found myself dedicating a huge amount of time to conducting the processes, teaching, and pastoring. Which required more time than I was thinking, which led to a reduction in time with my own family. These last few months, I have dedicated myself to planning and setting aside quality time with my wife and children. I have understood that ministry, even during the planting of a church, is not necessarily what generates results but rather God's will. We dedicate ourselves with all zeal, but the accomplishment comes from the Lord, as growth comes from him. Therefore, even though he works hard, I rest in the certainty that he himself is taking care of all things.

How have you seen god working in your church?

A situation that really impacted me is the fact that during worship, we have a moment of prayer or confession, and during the first several months, I found myself confessing to the Lord about my lack of complete trust in His care, provision, and conduct of my life. Church. In the end, the deepest feeling, even if unconscious, was that somehow the result would depend on my effort itself as if it depended on me and not on the Lord. For weeks I prayed to the Lord repenting of this mistake, but it was a long process in which God himself treated my heart to completely trust him for the entire church plant. This has been a continuous learning experience, and the Lord has dealt with my heart on this topic. Learning to trust Him in all things has marked my life and has generated practical effects in sermons, teachings, discipleship and counseling.

church Name

Igreja Presbiteriana Nova Cidade

church Email

tony_gn@hotmail.com

church Website

https://www.instagram.com/nova.cidade/

What is your church’s mission/Vision?

Our vision is to be a church centered on Jesus that loves people and serves the city. Our mission is to lead people to an authentic relationship with Jesus and live God's mission in the city. And with this vision and mission in mind, we hope to impact the entire region in which the church is located. We are doing our best to present, explain, demonstrate, share, and apply the gospel in everything we do as individuals and as a local church in the neighborhood. In the neighborhood, there is a disparity of groups in completely different financial situations, some with a lot of resources while others with very little; however, all have a deep need for the gospel of Jesus. We want to reach all of them so that they can have this fundamental relationship with Jesus and become participants in God's mission in the city together with us. In five years, we intend to see a larger and more active church in various aspects of the city, whether in arts, culture, work, relationships, practicing justice, counseling, and genuinely sharing the gospel with friends, family, and as many other people as possible in the neighborhood. And in the city as a whole.

The Nascimento Family

New Planter Spotlight: Efrain Garcia

Efrain Garcia

How have you seen God working in your life?

I believe that the maximum expression of God's work in my life can be seen through the Salvation that he gave me in Christ. But even after that I can see how God has been transforming my heart by changing my character and being able to fulfill the call that he has given me.

How have you seen god working in your family?

The work of God in my family, can be seen through the restoration of our personal relationships and being able to have better communication between us, but above all, God has made it possible to help one another to know Christ more.

How have you seen god working in your church?

As I start this new church plant, I can see firsthand the way in which God works in the lives of the seekers and nonbelievers. I have seen people who have been in church for a long time but who don’t understand the gospel. I also get to see new believers growing in the knowledge of Christ and can witness how the good news of the Gospel transforms them. It is wonderful to see God at work!

church Name

Comunidad Zona Oriente

church Email

efragarcas14@gmail.com

What is your church’s mission/Vision?

Mission: To be a church that shares the gospel with the people around it, but also to work for the well-being of the eastern part of the metropolitan area of Mexico City, through serving it with the gifts that God has provided us. For this we seek to train and find ways to partner with individuals, churches, and different ministries that are already working for the good of the city.

Vision: We want to be a church that reflects the hope we can find in the gospel, using the gifts that God has provided to each person, so that we can see a transformation in people’s lives, and in the culture of the community that surrounds us. We also long to see future church plants that are gospel-centered and mindful of the nonbeliever so that we can exalt our God in all areas of life.

 

New Planter Spotlight: Evani Vazquez

Evani Vazquez

How have you seen God working in your life?

The Lord has worked in my life, giving me salvation and his promise of eternal life. I can see how God is transforming my character every day and has awakened in me the desire to be more like Christ.

How have you seen god working in your family?

Showing us that we are sinners and that we need God's help everyday, to love us each other, despite our faults. The Lord works in our character helping us to be tolerant, loving and in turn gives us the strength to seek the sanctification of our lives.

How have you seen god working in your church?

Adding to the church, those who are to be saved. I believe that the greatest sign of God working in "Zion Church" has been seeing new converts, people being discipled and baptized.

church name

Iglesia Cristiana Zion

church email

iglesiazion10@gmail.com

church Website

https://www.facebook.com/I.C.Zionn

What is your church’s mission/Vision?

MISSION: Go to the places where society needs to know the Gospel, disciple and integrate a congregation that does acts of love and does every good deed by the grace of God.

VISION: Help the people of Tláhuac to know God and come to have a deep and personal relationship with him. To be the first church that impacts our community through mercy and justice ministries.

 

New Planter Spotlight: Steven Gilchrist

Steven Gilchrist

The Gilchrist Family

How have you seen God working in your life?

I have watched God soften my heart to his mission as revealed in the Scriptures. Now my understanding is to keep the great commission in the forefront and be a faithful disciple who obeys.

How have you seen god working in your family?

I have watched God give my wife and kids, at different points, a fire and zeal for the mission of God that they all, at different points, have verbally expressed to me and others. Now they would rather see people walk alongside one another in following Jesus more than just showing up once a week.

How have you seen god working in your church?

I have watched God put the hunger and thirst for this new kingdom work on the hearts of those willing to pray and those willing to give. We have leaned on prayer heavily since landing on a target area, and to have faithful prayer warriors of God lifting up this work is nothing short of wonderful. Those who give have been giving cheerfully, so no question the Lord is pleased.

church name

Jubilee Fellowship Church

church email

okcgilchrist@gmail.com

church Website

https://www.jubileefellowshipatl.com

What is your church’s mission/Vision?

Jubilee's mission - {Jubilee Fellowship exists} to be a joyful reflection of Jesus’ work in our lives so that we can build bridges of hope into yours!

 

New Planter Spotlight: Daniel Naberezhny

Daniel Naberezhny

The Naberezhny Family

How have you seen God working in your life?

I was born into a large Christian family in the Soviet Union. My father was a pastor, and all our family was actively involved in ministry. When I was 16, God touched me in a very special way, and I consciously gave my life to Jesus. Soon after, I was baptized and became a church member. Since then, I've always been involved in ministry in Ukraine and Russia.In 2014, God brought me to Florida, where I graduated from Palm Beach Atlantic University with an M.Div. In 2020, Istarted the ministry to Eastern Europeans in Boca Raton. My main goal is to bring people to Christ through sharing the gospel and relief work. Since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine, I've been heavily involved in relief ministry to hundreds of refugees in South Florida. We distribute food and assist with documents, housing, transportation, and other things for the neediest. We see that God is working on the hearts of people during these difficult times in their lives, and we're excited to witness new salvations!

How have you seen god working in your family?

I thank God for my family - my wife Galina, Ariella, 11, and Aaron, 9. Galina has been in ministry since she was a child and has fully supported me in my studies and ministry work. I think we are a perfect pair, as we both come from large families and our fathers were pastors. We have a common vision to serve the Eastern European and Slavic community in South Florida. Galina is our worship leader, and she heads the women’s ministry. We do many things together, and we also pray and read the Bible together every day. We are very happy with our children, who are both active in Sunday school and go to a Christian school. We gather every night to read the Bible and pray before bed.

How have you seen god working in your church?

I learned that the church belongs to God, and he is the lead church planter. He does the work and I assist. I would never be able to do even a small part of the work that was done since we started the ministry. God brings the right people who share your vision, he builds the team, and he guides you during the times of storm and spiritual warfare. We started our church from three families and this number multiplied many times. We see regularly how people who have no Christian background are being transformed by the power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit. Also, we came to the obvious conclusion that God wants us not only to preach the gospel but also to be practically involved in the ministry of the poor and refugees. Since the beginning of the war between Russia and Ukraine we have helped thousands of Ukrainian refugees in South Florida through food distributions and other ways of providing help. We have seen how God was beautifully working in the hearts of the people during these difficult circumstances.

church name

International Bible Church

church email

daniel@ibcnow.org

church Website

http://ibcnow.org

What is your church’s mission/Vision?

Mission: Our church exists to share the good news of Jesus Christ with the Eastern European people in South Florida, and to serve them with compassion and love as they face the challenges of displacement, poverty, and integration. We partner with local and international organizations to provide practical and spiritual assistance to the refugees and to advocate for their rights and dignity.

Vision: Our vision is to see the Eastern European community in South Florida transformed by the power of the gospel and the Holy Spirit, and to become a vibrant and diverse part of the body of Christ. We envision a church that is growing in faith, love, and service, and that is reaching out to other people groups with the same grace and mercy that we have received from God. Based on our community needs assessment, the population of Eastern European and Russian-speaking people is estimated at over 400,000. Despite this large population, there is a significant lack of evangelical churches and ministries specifically serving this group. Many individuals who relocated from post-Soviet countries do not have a Christian background, making them one of the least reached groups by the Gospel, according to multiple reports. My goals as a church planter extend beyond planting individual churches. I also hope to train leaders who can continue this vital work, empowering them to reach their own communities with the Gospel.

Looking five years ahead, our vision is to establish three local churches – in West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Miami– each serving the Eastern European population. These churches would operate as a unified force, sharing a common vision, mission, and commitment to relief work.