Imagine if there was only 1 Senior Staff Worker to work between the Christian groups at Sydney University, UTS and UNSW. Unimaginable for us in Sydney, but is the reality in Portugal, where there are only 5 Senior Staff Workers to work across all the university Christian groups in the whole country. Next year, we will be moving to Portugal to serve in university ministry, and we praise God for how he has used the EU and our training as Howies to get us to this point.
Emily was part of the EU from 2010 -2013 as a Pharmacy student, and it was at a Public Meeting in her first year of university that she heard grace preached clearly for the first time from Ephesians 2. Having grown up as a Catholic, the liberating truth that she is saved by faith in Jesus and not by her works was transformative in her relationship with Jesus. Through faithful bible teaching and her exposure to LRLR places as a student and later as a Howie, God used the EU to grow Emily’s burden for the lost in gospel-poor parts of the world and willingness to be a harvest-worker in these places.
While at bible college, Emily met and married Samuel, a Portuguese national who had come to Australia to be better equipped to serve in gospel ministry in Portugal. Samuel has been a Howie from 2020-2021 and has been particularly struck by the innovation and gospel vision of the EU and EU Graduates fund. The Evangelical church in Portugal is small and struggling, with many churches lacking vision and a confidence in the gospel, leading to 3 churches being closed for every 1 church opened. The wisdom of prayerful planning and casting a gospel-filled vision is something that Samuel has learnt as a Howie, and hopes will be a blessing to the church in Portugal.
Our training as Howies has equipped us with a toolbox full of transferable skills, ministry principles and pastoral wisdom that we can use to serve and disciple the next generation of Christian Leaders for the Portuguese church .
Our training as Howies has equipped us with a toolbox full of transferable skills, ministry principles and pastoral wisdom that we can use to serve and disciple the next generation of Christian Leaders for the Portuguese church . Although we will be serving in university ministry in a different context and culture, our time as Howies has convicted us that the centrality of God’s word and dependence on his Spirit to transform lives must remain the same.
The vision of the EU Graduates Fund to flood God’s church with Christian leaders has our undoubtedly bore fruit in our lives, and is having ripple effects in the nation of Portugal.
To read more about Samuel and Emily’s ministry in Portugal: ecmaustralia.org/loaferreira
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