Paula Contente Garcia, a 26 year-old pharmacist from Belém, capital of the state of Pará, Brazil, was symbolically the 2 millionth person to become a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South America.
Paula Contente Garcia, a 26-year-old pharmacist from Belém, capital of the state of Pará, Brazil, was symbolically the 2 millionth person to become a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in South America. The baptism took place on Saturday, or Sabbath, August 10, during a convention sponsored by the Adventist women of northern Brazil, which brought together some 2,500 people.
Also baptized the same day was Marcela Araújo, 21, from Castanhal, Pará. Both young women learned about the Adventist Church through evangelism work carried out by Adventist women.
“The church in that region has strong programs for discipling new members,” said Ardis Stenbakken, women’s ministries director for the world church, who attended the convention. “We’re encouraging women to do personal and public ministry, and this is the result of that.”
The president of the Adventist Church in South America, Pastor Ruy Nagel, spoke at the event, saying that north Brazil is a region where the church is rapidly growing: some 35 percent of church members in Brazil live in this area. Nagel said the work of Adventist women has contributed greatly to this growth.
