In 1994, a project was born in the hearts of Marly Azevedo and her husband, Sérgio, to collect food parcels and deliver them to needy families during the Christmas period. The initiative began in Rio de Janeiro and took on great proportions. Today, it takes place all over Brazil and in other countries. To celebrate 30 years of Mutirão de Natal (“Christmas effort”), as the project is known, around 2,000 people attended a special event held on December 2, 2023.
The celebration was organized by the Southeast Brazil Union Conference (USeB) of Seventh-day Adventists, which covers the states of Rio de Janeiro, Espírito Santo, and Minas Gerais; they chose the capital of Rio de Janeiro, the birthplace of the project, for this great party. "The Rio Sul Conference and the Rio de Janeiro Conference joined together in this beautiful celebration, showing that our church is divided into different administrative regions but always has the same heart, the same cause, and the same intention, which is to do good to all people," explains Pastor Marcos Santiago, director of Adventist Solidarity Action (ASA) at the USeB.
The program included words of gratitude from Pastor Hiram Kalbermatter, USeB president, and from then on, many praises, testimonies, and surprises brightened up the special moment. "We thank God for the opportunity to represent Him and serve Him; for all the passionate leaders we have in our churches who mobilize people to represent Jesus and alleviate the suffering of so many people," says Pastor Kalbermatter. Present were pastors and leaders of the Adventist Church, public authorities, and thousands of project volunteers.
Marly benefited from ASA food parcels during her childhood. Once, as an adult, she came across a table full of food and felt the desire to repay the love she had received in the past and bless the Christmas of needy families.
To reach the goal of making food baskets, Marly and her husband created a gymkhana (an athletic meet) and divided their local church into teams to mobilize the collection of food. Sérgio was the one who suggested the name Mutirão de Natal; they started the campaign at the Adventist church in Botafogo, Rio de Janeiro. In all, 54,000 kilograms (approx. 119,000 pounds) were donated through the first effort in 1994.
[See more photos in the gallery below]
Photo: Paulo Donna
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In 2007, the Mutirão de Natal project officially reached almost 29,000 Adventist churches in the South American Division, and each year, the ASA has helped almost 2.5 million people. At this Sabbath's celebration, the Azevedos received a tribute for the idea that has become so great. "We praise God and dedicate this tribute to the thousands of anonymous people who are involved in the project," the couple said with thankfulness.
Lives Transformed
One of the remarkable aspects of the event was the stories shared of lives transformed by ASA. Francilena da Silva de Carvalho benefited from this ministry a few years ago. Today, she is also a volunteer and sealed her commitment to Jesus during the program. "I decided to give my life to Jesus because I love Him. As I love Him, I also love my neighbor. I know that there are people who are as I once was, so I'm willing to serve and save," she says. Francilena and her husband went through the baptismal ceremony together.
Just as Francilena received help from ASA, Hellen Nascimento received support to get back on her feet during a delicate situation and also gave her life to Jesus publicly at the celebration. [Check out the video below showing how ASA was a turning point in her life]
The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.
