Ministry - Annual Report for 2008

Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, Inc.

Name:  BILL AND SUE SPOELHOF                                            Field:  BAURU, SÃO PAULO, BRAZIL

Give a one or two sentence summary of your ministry assignment.

We are involved in a church planting ministry in the city of Bauru, interior of the state of São Paulo. Ministries include administration, preaching, small group Bible studies leader, discipleship, youth programs, evangelism, English as a Second Language program, and special events.

What special blessings and highlights did you experience in ministry during the past year?

1. People we have seen come to have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as Savior and helping them with spiritual growth in their lives; baptizing twenty-five new believers.

2. Merger of the two ABWE church plants.

3. Getting to know new families/individuals within the church.

4. Gifts that continue to come in for the church building program.

What difficulties did you encounter in the ministry during the past year?

1. Fund raising to purchase a building for the church.

2. Merger of the two ABWE church plants.

3. Commitment of our people to be faithful and motivation for them to invite others out to services                     

List at least 5 key short range ministry goals for the past year and rate your progress for each (A=accomplished, S=some progress, N=no progress, D=dropped). Comment about factors that contributed to progress for each goal, or identify reasons why no progress was made or the goal was dropped.

1. Continue to raise funds for buying a building. = S                                                                              

Comments: There have been fund raising campaigns in the church here as well as gifts given by individuals and churches in the states. We have just over R$100,000 (US$50,000) of our goal, but there are concerns because of the volatile world economy. We continue to be dependent on God to supply what we need in His time.

2. Continue to search for someone to lead the teen program. = N                                                                   

Comments: We have good rapport with the teens in our youth group, but we will continue to look for someone younger to lead the program. 

3. Continue to give more emphasis to evangelism and establishing presence in the community. = S

Comments: A new evangelistic outreach has begun in the neighborhoods around the new church building.

4. Initiate a new visitation program. = S

Comments: We are making personal visits and are inviting people in to our home for meals to get to know folks who are new to us or to the church family.

List four or five short range goals for the coming year:

1. Continue to raise funds for buying a building/land.

2. Continue to search for someone to lead the teen program. Begin using Word of Life materials in Portuguese for teens.

3. Continue to work at finding balance in ministries with the new church coming from the merger.

4. Complete the legalization and registration of new church.

5. Organize the church Discipleship programs at all levels, and train Brazilians to take over programs.

 

Signature: Bill & Sue Spoelhof     Date: December 30, 2008

Website:  http://spoelhof.dutchgirl.net/