Marcelo and Guilliana Viana began a second Portuguese-speaking congregation

They came from Brazil, arriving in Canada in 2019.

In February 2024, we celebrated the first year of official church registration with the government. We started as a small group in 2022, confronting considerable challenges during the pandemic. Initially, we faced difficulties with the bilingual programs and services; now, all our services and programs are in Portuguese, resulting in notable growth. Our church worship attendance has been consistent, with 40 to 50 participants, even when facing challenging conditions such as extreme climates. We have faced negative temperatures of –23 degrees, feeling like –29 degrees.

We partnered with another church; they have a whole summer at camp to evangelize, and the children who came had a lot of fun. Every year, we send our teenagers and friends to this camp; those in this program have not yet come to know the Lord.

Church fundraising has been challenging, and we are still looking for partnerships to support financially. We are in the process of partnering with a local church; this has taken a year and a half as we face a slow process involving annual planning. Learning about bureaucracy and how some churches function allows us an opportunity to grow in patience. Because of financial constraints in the congregation, I often must top up the offerings to cover the rental price in the space we use.

Please pray for our leadership. I am training a brother to be an elder, and we pray that God will send us more people committed to his Kingdom.

God has been kind to us. He blessed us with my mother-in-law’s arrival from Recife, Brazil. Her arrival has blessed our family, and we are very happy she is here.

We thank everyone who has supported us and prayed for us. May the Lord Jesus always bless your lives.

Please pray for us and the church-planting ministry in Winnipeg. Our prayer requests involve the following: 1) our family; 2) our church-planting ministry; 3) that lives may be reached by the Lord; 4) for adequate financial support; and 5) for healthy partnerships.