Praying for Brazil
- Many regions of Brazil still lack an evangelical presence. The poor and less-developed northeast region has the lowest percentage of evangelicals, especially Piauí and Ceará. Pray for greater response to Pentecostal outreach there. Cities have many churches, but many needs. Up to one-third of the populations of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo live in crime-filled slums. The rich and powerful, and the ethnic minorities often have few evangelicals. The battles between ganglords and police often make victims of the innocent. Brazil has 8 million children at risk, 7 million child labourers, and 600,000 girls in prostitution. Some churches and agencies help children through orphanages and job training ministries, but it is not enough. Pray for Christian ministry to every area of need.
- Poverty still affects tens of millions. A significant proportion of city-dwellers still live in poverty-stricken, crime-ridden favelas, and the education and health care sectors are in serious need of improvement. The poor, especially street children and indigenous peoples, often suffer terrible discrimination and exploitation. Debt slavery affects up to 250,000 people (the official number is 25,000), especially in the Amazon.
- Crime is a serious problem - so much so that a populist right-wing President was elected at least in part on the back of a campaign promising to be tougher on crime and to prioritise the safety of ordinary Brazilians. Brazil is the world's second-highest consumer of illicit drugs and has the world's highest rate of firearm homicides. Nearly 120 people a day were murdered in Brazil in 2022; a rate that, while still alarmingly high, is the lowest in 15 years. The police response has been brutally heavy-handed and rife with corruption, and the nation's prisons are notoriously overcrowded and violent. Unprecedented breakthrough, spiritual and social, is needed to turn this around.
- University students face many pressures, from educational to moral to financial. There are more than 8 million undergraduate students in Brazil, a number nearly double that of 20 years ago. Pray for more workers to minister to them. There are many dynamic Brazilian-originated ministries for students and youth. Most are connected with specific churches or denominations, but others, such as Tribal Generation, work across all such boundaries. US-originated ministries such as ABUB(IFES), Cru and Navigators are also active in helping students come to the Lord, building them up in the Word and encouraging missionary vision. ABUB has a significant publishing organization.
- Brazil became a leading mission-sending nation in one generation. Almost 2,000 Protestant, Independent, and Anglican missionaries went out. Brazilian faith, energy, adaptability, and talent (sport, music, dance) opens doors! Unfortunately, poor preparation and lack of support sometimes hinder their efforts. Pray for more churches to have a vision for missions. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out and provide for Brazilian missionaries. Pray that they persevere and bear fruit.