Parceria Igreja para Igreja

Stories of Fruitful Church-to-Church Partnerships”

I’d love to share three stories that show what happens when churches walk together in true partnership. All three of them involve our friends from Clear Creek Community Church in Houston — and all of them demonstrate how mutual encouragement shapes both sides of the relationship.

1. The Church in Itajubá – Gospel roots in a traditional region

The first story is from Itajubá, a small city in the southeast of Brazil. I serve as pastor of the Redentor Church in Rio de Janeiro, and some years ago, one of our members — Matheus Mohalem — felt called to return to his hometown to plant a church there.

At that time, our church was very young and had only about 30% of the budget needed to start the new plant. Through partnership with Clear Creek, and with contributions from local believers, we were able to complete the funds and plant a gospel-centered church in a region deeply marked by religious tradition.

Today, this church is self-sustaining, established, and growing rapidly — and they are already preparing to plant another church next year.

This partnership was not just financial; it was relational, full of prayer, visits, and shared encouragement.

2. The Pipipã Tribe – The gospel reaches an indigenous people

The second story comes from the northeast of Brazil, in the state of Paraíba. There, the Presbyterian Church in Bairro dos Estados, part of Acts 29, had a couple willing to serve as missionaries among the Pipipã tribe — an indigenous community that had never heard the gospel.

Through partnership with Clear Creek, that couple was fully supported, and the first church building in the history of that tribe was built. It’s incredible to think that people who once had no access to the good news of Jesus now have a local community of believers worshiping Christ together.

3. One Conference, Thirteen Churches, and Countless Friendships

The third story happened during our last Acts 29 Brazil Conference. We had the joy of welcoming 130 members from Clear Creek who traveled to Brazil to attend the event. After the conference, they divided into 13 mission teams, visiting 13 different churches across four of the five regions of Brazil.

Each local church was deeply impacted by this experience. Hosting brothers and sisters from another culture created friendship, exchange, and new possibilities for ongoing partnerships.

We received 13 testimonies, one from each church, describing how they were blessed simply by having those teams among them. Sometimes, the greatest impact doesn’t come from what we bring, but from being present, listening, praying, and encouraging one another in Christ.

Closing Thought

These stories remind us that partnership is not about projects — it’s about people. When we walk together as churches, across cultures and continents, we see the beauty of the gospel displayed — not only in what we do, but in who we become through one another’s faith.