Brazilian churches online again in wake of aggressive virus strain

RECIFE, Brazil — Two dozen people per day are dying in this South American city of 1.6 million souls, said missionary Mike Pruitt.

An aggressive strain of COVID-19 has flooded intensive care units across Brazil, which has instituted a new round of lockdowns. Recife instituted a 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew on weekdays and all day on weekends.

“God can bring some good out of the worst situations.”

“This new curfew means that we’ll have to temporarily cancel church assemblies at the building just as they were beginning to return to normal,” Pruitt said. 

All services are now online. So are courses at the School of the Bible, a ministry directed by Pruitt’s son, Josh. As part of its online focus, the school has partnered with Let’s Start Talking, a ministry that helps non-native speakers improve their English using the Bible. The LST Connect program allows Christians to conduct online, one-on-one lessons with Brazilians.

“This provides an opportunity for students to practice their English,” Josh Pruitt said, “and for teachers to share their faith using lessons with biblical texts.”

A few weeks before the new lockdowns, church members gathered for worship during Carnival, the nationwide celebration that precedes Lent. Many church members usually leave the city to avoid the often-risqué celebrations, Mike Pruitt said. 

“However, this year there were none,” he added, “and we had good numbers attend. God can bring some good out of the worst situations.”

Filed under: Brazil Church of Christ COVID-19 International News Top Stories