The Criciúma Project
City
Criciúma is a city in the Brazilian State of Santa Catarina, which is one of three States in Southern Brazil. It lies 15 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean and around 25 miles from the Serra Catarinense Mountain Range. The greater Criciúma metropolitan area is home to approximately 250,000 people. There are a total of 1 million people living in Southern Santa Catarina.
PEOPLE
Criciúma was founded on January 6, 1880 by Italian immigrants. The people of Criciúma are primarily of European descent. The largest segment of the population is of Italian descent and the rest are from German, Slavic, and Polish descent, among others. There has been a recent wave of immigration from West Africa and the Middle-East. Portuguese is the common, primary language of the people. On average, the people from this region have a higher level of education and affluence than the rest of Brazil. A vast majority of the population is Roman Catholic. The Roman Catholicism practiced in this region has very strong ties to Italian cultural roots. The more recent wave of immigrants has brought Islam to Criciúma. The Palestinians recently built a mosque in the city. There are several Evangelical churches in Criciuma, but very few Gospel centered churches. The non-religious of the region are agnostics, atheists and skeptics. Within the context of South America, the people of this region are considered to be least-reached.
NEED
People are lost, without hope, and separated from the life of God in Jesus Christ. What God demands, these people can never provide in and of themselves through their empty religious practices. What God demands, He provides in Christ. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel needs to be preached. Disciples need to be made and multiplied. Churches need to be established. It is as simple as that.
RESPONSE
Our response to this need will be to preach the gospel, make disciple-makers, raise up leaders, and plant churches in the greater Criciúma metropolitan area. Our goal is to build up the church-plant we are a part of, and plant 3 churches in the region by 2023.
“We believe that God delights in doing the unexpected when we least expect it. we are excited to see what God is going to do!”
TIME
There is nothing like opportunity. It comes and it goes. In our experience of leading five church-plants over the years, we have come to value time; but more importantly we have come to value the moment. Our plans have been changed by greater circumstances outside of our control. We can sit around mulling it over; or we can pivot and move on with the opportunities that are right in front of us right now. The gospel demands this kinds of urgency from those who carry and proclaim its message. The same circumstances that are leading us to pivot, are the same circumstances that God is using to soften the hearts of people in our City.
“We can’t circle back around to what God is doing now. He is working now. We must work now.”
OBJECTIVES
This is a simple overview of our objectives and not a presentation of our strategy. Using the models and methods that we have developed over the years, we will:
YEAR 1: Consolidate the Criciúma Church-Plant around the Vision, Mission, and Practice of being and making disciples for the glory of God.
YEAR 2/3: Raise up and send leaders out to reproduce the Vision, Mission, and Practice in the cities of Içara, Forquilhinha, and Tubarão.
Our next step - $36,000
This is our seed-money goal for the Criciúma Project. It will take more than this to plant 3 churches, but this will give us the needed traction to move forward and gain momentum now.
There is a need. The time is now. We are working. Our team is working. Will you prayerfully consider what God would have you give to help us reach our goal?
To Give:
Designate your contribution to “The Criciuma Project” and submit with your regular missionary support, donate below, or contact us HERE for more giving options.
Write us note confirming your contribution or to find out how you can be more involved in this project.