multiply summer 2011 - pca mna · led by renato bernardo, ccp has striven to share christ with the...

Darcy’s wife Cristina also works among many nationalities in her role as Global Network

Development Director for Parakaleo, MNA Church Planting Spouses Ministry. Parakaleo, which is Greek for “coming alongside,” was founded to support church planting spouses throughout North America; the organization has also responded to requests from missionaries and nationals in other countries who desire support. “We want to have a local presence anywhere church planting is taking place—helping wives connect with one another so they have the resources they need,” says Director Shari Thomas.

Church planting can be a tough business—pastors and their wives often struggle with loneliness, self-doubt and even culture shock as their families begin work in new, unfamiliar regions. Through local networks and regular seminars, Parakaleo coaches women to discover their identity in Christ and to allow God to use their unique talents and abilities to love and serve the people groups of their communities.

Cristina, who serves as contact person for women who want to begin a network in their region, says her desire is to be a bridge among church planting spouses, connecting the growing number of ethnic groups represented in the PCA. “Through our connection with one another, we

realize that even though we may comefrom different backgrounds and cultures, we are equally broken and in need of God’s Word and His amazing Grace,” she says. “One way we help women grow and learn is by connecting them with different ethnicities, particularly when they’re planting in a city where a lot of diversity exists—it helps us understand our broadercommunities,” adds Shari.

Cristina and Shari are leading English and Portuguese speaking networks in the New York City area. Other networks exist across North America, with four new ones being launched this year. “Investing in church planting spouses is vital,” Cristina stresses. “By valuing the important contribution of the church planter’s spouse, the husband, the pastoral family and the church will be strengthened, which will directly affect the work of the church plant in the community.”

Multiply • Summer 2011

Comunidade Cristã:Seeking to Reach Their Parish for Christ

Crosscultural Leadership Among Church Planting Spouses

In this issue... “Through our connection with one another, we realize that even though we may come from different cultures, we are equally broken and in need of God’s Word and His amazing Grace.”

Portuguese Language Immigrants:Becoming Active Participants

From the Coordinator

1700 North Brown Road, Suite 101 Lawrenceville, GA 30043

Address Service Requested

In this Issue of Multiply:

• Comunidade Cristã: Seeking to Reach Their Parish for Christ

• Portuguese Language Immigrants: Becoming Active Participants • Crosscultural Leadership Among Church Planting Spouses

{NON-PROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMONTGOMERY, AL

PERMIT NO. 312

Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Matthew 25:40

DEAR FRIEND, Beginning with this issue of Multiply, we’re introducing a series of church stories that we hope will encourage PCA churches to answer Jesus’ call to share the light of the Gospel by serving the needs of their parishes. In this issue you’ll read the story of Comunidade Cristã Presbiteriana (CCP) in Newark NJ, a church that began with Portuguese-speaking immigrants.

Led by Renato Bernardo, CCP has striven to share Christ with the community around them, made up of African Americans, Anglos and Hispanics. The church currently holds worship services in English, Portuguese and Spanish. The English language ministries include African Americans and Anglos, along with many other ethnic groups.

You’ll also read how Darcy and Cristina Caires are serving in New York City, one of the most diverse cities of North America. Darcy is executive pastor at Queens Presbyterian and volunteers

time as MNA Network of Portuguese Speaking Churches Coordinator. Cristina is Global Network Development Director of Parakaleo, MNA Church Planting Spouses Ministry.

Darcy primarily served the Brazilian immigrant community as a church planter for over a decade, with Cristina working closely alongside him in ministry as they nurtured their family together. Both Darcy and Cristina now work to advance the Gospel among many different ethnic groups.

Your vital contributions support our MNA staff in encouraging and equipping our churches to fulfill the Great Commission by ministering among the many nations of the world right here in North America, right here in our communities and neighborhoods. As you read their stories, please pray for their ministries and the people they serve—and prayerfully consider the opportunities you and your church might have to share Jesus with all the people groups in your parish.

In His Name,

Jim Bland, MNA Coordinator


Many opportunities exist for ministering among the people groups of your parish. CONTACT MNA TO LEARN MORE.To launch a Portuguese-speaking community group in your area, contact Darcy Caires at 718-721-3440.

PARAKALEO CONTACT INFO:

Shari Thomas, Director, email: [email protected] • Tami Resch, Associate Director, emai: [email protected] Cristina Caires, Global Network Development Director, email: [email protected] • Maria Garriott, Special Projects, email: [email protected]

– Cristina Caires

“Through our connection with one another, we realize that even though we may come from different cultures, we are equally broken and in need of God’s Word and His amazing Grace.” – Cristina Caires

Cristina Caires; Shari Thomas

Darcy’s wife Cristina also works among many nationalities in her role as Global Network

Development Director for Parakaleo, MNA Church Planting Spouses Ministry. Parakaleo, which is Greek for “coming alongside,” was founded to support church planting spouses throughout North America; the organization has also responded to requests from missionaries and nationals in other countries who desire support. “We want to have a local presence anywhere church planting is taking place—helping wives connect with one another so they have the resources they need,” says Director Shari Thomas.

Church planting can be a tough business—pastors and their wives often struggle with loneliness, self-doubt and even culture shock as their families begin work in new, unfamiliar regions. Through local networks and regular seminars, Parakaleo coaches women to discover their identity in Christ and to allow God to use their unique talents and abilities to love and serve the people groups of their communities.

Cristina, who serves as contact person for women who want to begin a network in their region, says her desire is to be a bridge among church planting spouses, connecting the growing number of ethnic groups represented in the PCA. “Through our connection with one another, we

realize that even though we may comefrom different backgrounds and cultures, we are equally broken and in need of God’s Word and His amazing Grace,” she says. “One way we help women grow and learn is by connecting them with different ethnicities, particularly when they’re planting in a city where a lot of diversity exists—it helps us understand our broadercommunities,” adds Shari.

Cristina and Shari are leading English and Portuguese speaking networks in the New York City area. Other networks exist across North America, with four new ones being launched this year. “Investing in church planting spouses is vital,” Cristina stresses. “By valuing the important contribution of the church planter’s spouse, the husband, the pastoral family and the church will be strengthened, which will directly affect the work of the church plant in the community.”

Multiply • Summer 2011

Comunidade Cristã:Seeking to Reach Their Parish for Christ


In this issue... “Through our connection with one another, we realize that even though we may come from different cultures, we are equally broken and in need of God’s Word and His amazing Grace.”


From the Coordinator

1700 North Brown Road, Suite 101 Lawrenceville, GA 30043

Address Service Requested

In this Issue of Multiply:

• Comunidade Cristã: Seeking to Reach Their Parish for Christ

• Portuguese Language Immigrants: Becoming Active Participants • Crosscultural Leadership Among Church Planting Spouses

{NON-PROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDMONTGOMERY, AL

PERMIT NO. 312

Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. Matthew 25:40

DEAR FRIEND, Beginning with this issue of Multiply, we’re introducing a series of church stories that we hope will encourage PCA churches to answer Jesus’ call to share the light of the Gospel by serving the needs of their parishes. In this issue you’ll read the story of Comunidade Cristã Presbiteriana (CCP) in Newark NJ, a church that began with Portuguese-speaking immigrants.

Led by Renato Bernardo, CCP has striven to share Christ with the community around them, made up of African Americans, Anglos and Hispanics. The church currently holds worship services in English, Portuguese and Spanish. The English language ministries include African Americans and Anglos, along with many other ethnic groups.

You’ll also read how Darcy and Cristina Caires are serving in New York City, one of the most diverse cities of North America. Darcy is executive pastor at Queens Presbyterian and volunteers

time as MNA Network of Portuguese Speaking Churches Coordinator. Cristina is Global Network Development Director of Parakaleo, MNA Church Planting Spouses Ministry.

Darcy primarily served the Brazilian immigrant community as a church planter for over a decade, with Cristina working closely alongside him in ministry as they nurtured their family together. Both Darcy and Cristina now work to advance the Gospel among many different ethnic groups.

Your vital contributions support our MNA staff in encouraging and equipping our churches to fulfill the Great Commission by ministering among the many nations of the world right here in North America, right here in our communities and neighborhoods. As you read their stories, please pray for their ministries and the people they serve—and prayerfully consider the opportunities you and your church might have to share Jesus with all the people groups in your parish.

In His Name,

Jim Bland, MNA Coordinator


Many opportunities exist for ministering among the people groups of your parish. CONTACT MNA TO LEARN MORE.To launch a Portuguese-speaking community group in your area, contact Darcy Caires at 718-721-3440.

PARAKALEO CONTACT INFO:

Shari Thomas, Director, email: [email protected] • Tami Resch, Associate Director, email: [email protected] Cristina Caires, Global Network Development Director, email: [email protected] • Maria Garriott, Special Projects, email: [email protected]

– Cristina Caires

“Through our connection with one another, we realize that even though we may come from different cultures, we are equally broken and in need of God’s Word and His amazing Grace.” – Cristina Caires

Cristina Caires; Shari Thomas

Each service follows the same content and message, but is adjusted to fit the different cultures. The English-speaking service is attended by a younger crowd, including college students from nearby Rutgers University. “Rutgers has a large campus, and our church didn’t have the resources to do outreach there alone,” explains Renato. “So we partnered with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IV). Several of our young people who attend Rutgers, including Jessica Almeida, have been very active serving through IV.” Last year, CCP provided the music and equipment for many of the InterVarsity outreach functions.

CCP has also partnered with two nearby African American churches, Calvary Gospel and Trinity Reformed. Once a month, the leaders of the churches meet for prayer and strategizing. “We get together to think of ways we can help each other to reach our community for Christ,” says Renato. Last Christmas, a joint service was held among the three congregations.

Every Wednesday, nearly 100 children from a nearby housing project, about 60 of whom are African American and are not congregants of CCP, attend “Kid’s Quest” and “Break Out,” groups held by CCP. And Congregants pitch in to help. “Many of our parents aren’t fluent in English—but they drive our bus to pick up kids, help cook meals and clean and organize for the events,” says Renato. The clubs have also become a vehicle for getting to know the kids’ parents. At the end of 2010, CCP invited the entire housing project for a Christmas party; over 300 people attended.

A day care center that serves about 70 African American, Anglo, Portuguese and Spanish neighborhood children and their families is open on weekdays in the church building to provide low-cost, Christian care. The teachers speak Portuguese, Spanish and English. Says Renato, “It’s a great way to develop relationships with families and then invite them to come to church. We’ve had about

five or six families from the day care who’ve joined.”

In addition to his work in Newark, Renato has also served as Coordinator for the Network of Portuguese Speaking Churches (NPSC). “The PCA has about a dozen or so Portuguese-speaking pastors,” says Renato, “but we had no formal connection. We wanted to enter a covenant together where we’d share our resources and make an impact on our parishes.”

As in any people group, prejudice and reservations can exist. “People are wary of

those not like them,” admits Renato. “Butthe Kingdom of God is a picture of all ethnicities and people groups. Through NPSC, Portuguese immigrants and their families can serve outside our community. We cannot focus only on ourselves—we are here to share the Gospel with the least and the lost.”

Newark NJ is a city long afflicted with poverty and violence. Part of metro New

York City, Newark has experienced problems with racial tensions, drugs and political corruption. “Some of the largest corporations in America have their headquarters here,” says Renato Bernardes, pastor of Comunidade Cristã Presbiteriana (CCP). “But all their buildings are connected by inside pathways and are completely self-contained—the joke is that none of the professionals will have to set foot in Newark!”

But CCP is determined to take just the opposite approach—rather than keeping to themselves, the congregants decided to make a change for Christ in their community by loving and serving their neighbors. CCP was launched nearly 25 years ago to serve the large concentration of Portuguese immigrants in the city, many of whom had left Brazil in search of greater opportunity.

Faced with language and cultural barriers, most first generation immigrant churches think only of ministering among their own language and cultural group. But by 1997, it was clear that CCP was being

used by God to make an impact in the city that would be different. Renato explains, “God gave us a building that is smack in the middle of downtown Newark—only one block from Newark Penn Station and the Prudential Center and four blocks from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Because of that, we knew we had to be a church for many different people. Our motto is ‘One church, many faces’—it provides the framework for everything we do.”

CCP realized that God had called them to love the people—all the people—of their community, their parish. That meant welcoming different people groups into their congregation. Today the church is closer to being a picture of their city, which is made up of about 56 percent African Americans, 27 percent Anglos and 30 percent Hispanics. Each Sunday, services are conducted in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Renato and assistant pastor Glauber Broges minister in all three languages.

“As Portuguese speaking pastors and laypeople, we want to encourage and strengthen our denomination and the communities around us,” agrees Darcy Caires. At the end of 2010, Darcy assumed leadership of the NPSC and is excited about what the future will bring. “The goals of the NPSC are to encourage our Portuguese speaking pastors and their churches to work together, to plant more Portuguese speaking churches, and to become active participants in the presbyteries to which our churches belong, making a positive influence on the PCA,” he says.

Since planting a new church can be costly, Darcy plans to train and equip lay leaders to launch Portuguese-speaking community groups, which will then join with established PCA churches. “This will conserve resources and will encourage a real fellowship and understanding between people groups,” he explains. Darcy hopes that other Portuguese speaking countries, such as Portugal, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Angola, will soon be served by the network, which is currently composed almost entirely of

Brazilian pastors and churches.

Out of over 20 years of church planting experience, Darcy spent the last nine planting and pastoring Astoria Community, now a worship site of Queens Presbyterian Church in New York. “In 2001, the Redeemer Church Planting Center (RCPC) approached me and DavidEllis about launching Astoria Community, an English speaking church in the northwest neighborhood of Queens,” says Darcy. “Nearly half of the 2.2 million people in Queens were born outside the United States. RCPC envisioned a crosscultural church that would serve our diverse community.” Darcy’s church ministry is not focused on Brazilian or Portuguese people; as one of the church pastors, he serves as any other pastor would, helping to lead a diverse church serving Christ in a diverse community.

Last year, after Grace Fellowship in Sunnyside was received as a worship site of Queens Presbyterian, Darcy became the moderator of the church session. “My oversight of the entire session frees up David Ellis and Jon Storck to spend more time pastoring their church sites,” he explains. Queens Presbyterian plans to call a Hispanic pastor this summer to plant a church in their NYC borough where over 600,000 Latinos live. Says Darcy, “It’s interesting to think that the America who sends missionaries to the nations of the world is now also called to share the Gospel with the many nations who live right here.”

MNA serves PCA churches and presbyteries as they advance God’s Kingdom in North America by planting, growing, and multiplying biblically healthy churches through the development of intentional evangelism and outreach ministries. For a list of MNA staff, visit our website at

www.pcamna.org. Material in Multiply may be reproduced with permission. Address comments to: Fred Marsh, Managing Editor/Photographer. Writing and design provided by Big Bridge, Asheville, NC (thebigbridge.com). Multiply is published by MNA.

1700 North Brown Rd. • Suite 101 • Lawrenceville, GA 30043 • P: 678.825.1200 • F: 678.825.1201 • [email protected] • www.pcamna.org

“Our motto is ‘One church, many faces’—it provides the framework for everything we do.” – Renato Bernardes

Newark Skyline

“It’s interesting to think that the America who sends missionaries to the nations of the world is now also called to share the Gospel with the many nations who live right here.”– Darcy Caires

Comunidade Cristã: Seeking to Reach Their Parish for Christ


“We cannot focus only on ourselves—we are here to share the Gospel with the least and the lost.” – Renato Bernardes

Jessica Almeida of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, on the Rugers University campusCCP Assistant Pastor Glauber Broges

Kid’s Quest kids at CCP

Above: clockwise from far left:, Darcy Caires; Jim Romaine; Jon Storck; David Ellis; Sobeyda Ellis; and Larrie Alinsunurin, from Queens Presbyterian Church. Left: CCP Spanish Language congregation. Below: CCP Portuguese Language congregation. Prior to his first church planting call, Darcy Caires served on the staff of CCP in Newark.

Cubbies for CCP Day Care children CCP Pastor Renato Bernardes

Each service follows the same content and message, but is adjusted to fit the different cultures. The English-speaking service is attended by a younger crowd, including college students from nearby Rutgers University. “Rutgers has a large campus, and our church didn’t have the resources to do outreach there alone,” explains Renato. “So we partnered with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship (IV). Several of our young people who attend Rutgers, including Jessica Almeida, have been very active serving through IV.” Last year, CCP provided the music and equipment for many of the InterVarsity outreach functions.

CCP has also partnered with two nearby African American churches, Calvary Gospel and Trinity Reformed. Once a month, the leaders of the churches meet for prayer and strategizing. “We get together to think of ways we can help each other to reach our community for Christ,” says Renato. Last Christmas, a joint service was held among the three congregations.

Every Wednesday, nearly 100 children from a nearby housing project, about 60 of whom are African American and are not congregants of CCP, attend “Kid’s Quest” and “Break Out,” groups held by CCP. And Congregants pitch in to help. “Many of our parents aren’t fluent in English—but they drive our bus to pick up kids, help cook meals and clean and organize for the events,” says Renato. The clubs have also become a vehicle for getting to know the kids’ parents. At the end of 2010, CCP invited the entire housing project for a Christmas party; over 300 people attended.

A day care center that serves about 70 African American, Anglo, Portuguese and Spanish neighborhood children and their families is open on weekdays in the church building to provide low-cost, Christian care. The teachers speak Portuguese, Spanish and English. Says Renato, “It’s a great way to develop relationships with families and then invite them to come to church. We’ve had about

five or six families from the day care who’ve joined.”

In addition to his work in Newark, Renato has also served as Coordinator for the Network of Portuguese Speaking Churches (NPSC). “The PCA has about a dozen or so Portuguese-speaking pastors,” says Renato, “but we had no formal connection. We wanted to enter a covenant together where we’d share our resources and make an impact on our parishes.”

As in any people group, prejudice and reservations can exist. “People are wary of

those not like them,” admits Renato. “Butthe Kingdom of God is a picture of all ethnicities and people groups. Through NPSC, Portuguese immigrants and their families can serve outside our community. We cannot focus only on ourselves—we are here to share the Gospel with the least and the lost.”

Newark NJ is a city long afflicted with poverty and violence. Part of metro New

York City, Newark has experienced problems with racial tensions, drugs and political corruption. “Some of the largest corporations in America have their headquarters here,” says Renato Bernardes, pastor of Comunidade Cristã Presbiteriana (CCP). “But all their buildings are connected by inside pathways and are completely self-contained—the joke is that none of the professionals will have to set foot in Newark!”

But CCP is determined to take just the opposite approach—rather than keeping to themselves, the congregants decided to make a change for Christ in their community by loving and serving their neighbors. CCP was launched nearly 25 years ago to serve the large concentration of Portuguese immigrants in the city, many of whom had left Brazil in search of greater opportunity.

Faced with language and cultural barriers, most first generation immigrant churches think only of ministering among their own language and cultural group. But by 1997, it was clear that CCP was being

used by God to make an impact in the city that would be different. Renato explains, “God gave us a building that is smack in the middle of downtown Newark—only one block from Newark Penn Station and the Prudential Center and four blocks from the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Because of that, we knew we had to be a church for many different people. Our motto is ‘One church, many faces’—it provides the framework for everything we do.”

CCP realized that God had called them to love the people—all the people—of their community, their parish. That meant welcoming different people groups into their congregation. Today the church is closer to being a picture of their city, which is made up of about 56 percent African Americans, 27 percent Anglos and 30 percent Hispanics. Each Sunday, services are conducted in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Renato and assistant pastor Glauber Broges minister in all three languages.

“As Portuguese speaking pastors and laypeople, we want to encourage and strengthen our denomination and the communities around us,” agrees Darcy Caires. At the end of 2010, Darcy assumed leadership of the NPSC and is excited about what the future will bring. “The goals of the NPSC are to encourage our Portuguese speaking pastors and their churches to work together, to plant more Portuguese speaking churches, and to become active participants in the presbyteries to which our churches belong, making a positive influence on the PCA,” he says.

Since planting a new church can be costly, Darcy plans to train and equip lay leaders to launch Portuguese-speaking community groups, which will then join with established PCA churches. “This will conserve resources and will encourage a real fellowship and understanding between people groups,” he explains. Darcy hopes that other Portuguese speaking countries, such as Portugal, Mozambique, Cape Verde and Angola, will soon be served by the network, which is currently composed almost entirely of

Brazilian pastors and churches.

Out of over 20 years of church planting experience, Darcy spent the last nine planting and pastoring Astoria Community, now a worship site of Queens Presbyterian Church in New York. “In 2001, the Redeemer Church Planting Center (RCPC) approached me and DavidEllis about launching Astoria Community, an English speaking church in the northwest neighborhood of Queens,” says Darcy. “Nearly half of the 2.2 million people in Queens were born outside the United States. RCPC envisioned a crosscultural church that would serve our diverse community.” Darcy’s church ministry is not focused on Brazilian or Portuguese people; as one of the church pastors, he serves as any other pastor would, helping to lead a diverse church serving Christ in a diverse community.

Last year, after Grace Fellowship in Sunnyside was received as a worship site of Queens Presbyterian, Darcy became the moderator of the church session. “My oversight of the entire session frees up David Ellis and Jon Storck to spend more time pastoring their church sites,” he explains. Queens Presbyterian plans to call a Hispanic pastor this summer to plant a church in their NYC borough where over 600,000 Latinos live. Says Darcy, “It’s interesting to think that the America who sends missionaries to the nations of the world is now also called to share the Gospel with the many nations who live right here.”

MNA serves PCA churches and presbyteries as they advance God’s Kingdom in North America by planting, growing, and multiplying biblically healthy churches through the development of intentional evangelism and outreach ministries. For a list of MNA staff, visit our website at

www.pcamna.org. Material in Multiply may be reproduced with permission. Address comments to: Fred Marsh, Managing Editor/Photographer. Writing and design provided by Big Bridge, Asheville, NC (thebigbridge.com). Multiply is published by MNA.

1700 North Brown Rd. • Suite 101 • Lawrenceville, GA 30043 • P: 678.825.1200 • F: 678.825.1201 • [email protected] • www.pcamna.org

“Our motto is ‘One church, many faces’—it provides the framework for everything we do.” – Renato Bernardes

Newark Skyline

“It’s interesting to think that the America who sends missionaries to the nations of the world is now also called to share the Gospel with the many nations who live right here.”– Darcy Caires

Comunidade Cristã: Seeking to Reach Their Parish for Christ


“We cannot focus only on ourselves—we are here to share the Gospel with the least and the lost.” – Renato Bernardes

Jessica Almeida of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, on the Rugers University campusCCP Assistant Pastor Glauber Broges

Kid’s Quest kids at CCP

Above, clockwise from far left: Darcy Caires; Jim Romaine; Jon Storck; David Ellis; Sobeyda Ellis; and Larrie Alinsunurin, from Queens Presbyterian Church. Left: CCP Spanish Language congregation. Below: CCP Portuguese Language congregation. Prior to his first church planting call, Darcy Caires served on the staff of CCP in Newark.

Cubbies for CCP Day Care children CCP Pastor Renato Bernardes

multiply summer 2011 - pca mna · led by renato bernardo, ccp has striven to share christ with the...

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