Culto do Infantil
Literally translated: Service of Children (Children’s Church)
In Brazil, the Wesleyan church has historically rejected the use of the church calendar because it is strongly associated with Catholicism. As a result the church has often neglected some key events of the Christian faith such as Easter and Christmas. Although this has been the reality things are slowly beginning to change. This change was especially apparent at Jaapim where for four weeks leading up to Christmas, from November 23 to December 14, Grace Ensz and I led Children’s Church every Sunday night. During those four services we taught the children the 4 names of Christ in Isaiah 9:6 and what each name means.
Preparing for and participating in Children’s Church was tremendous cross-cultural experience. One of the most enjoyable aspects was colaborating with Grace. She has cultural insight that I cannot hope to attain in only five months. The chocolate cake and other treats were also pretty enjoyable.
Children’s church is a little different in Brazil from my previous experiences. It’s certainly is not a misnomer. Children lead the music, pray, share testimonies and prayer requests, and recite memory verses. It was so wonderful to see children actively involved in ministering to each other!
Below Left: Some kids sharing what the Lord had done that week. Below Right: Singing happy birthday.
One of the distinct challenges that we faced when preparing for Children’s Church was the language barrier, most notably when it came to music. There are so many songs to choose from in English but either they have not or would not translate into Portuguese. Here is one that did.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do
Tau grande e meu Deus, meu Deus e tau grande, que todas as coisas crioux.
The mountains are His, the rivers are His, the stars are His handiwork too.
Os montes sau deles, os rios sau deles, os estrelas sau dele tambem.
My God is so big, so strong and so mighty, there’s nothing my God cannot do
Tau grande e meu Deus, meu Deus e tau Grande que todas as coisas crioux.
Below Left: Working on a craft. Below Right: Grace translating for me
On the last night that Grace and I were leading children’s church, she presented the Gospel and asked the kids to respond. I was elsewhere addressing a problem but afterwards Grace said that she heard one child pray with her. Praise the Lord!
Helping to lead Children’s Church was an amazing opportunity and I am anticipating all the other opportunities we will have while we are here in Brazil.
