By Kelli Cottrell

In a city with 40 percent of the city’s population living in slums, there is a congregation bringing hope.

The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit in Jaboatao dos Guararapes, Brazil, desires to provide hope through the five purposes as they develop ministries to meet the needs of the surrounding communities and teach them through discipleship and loving them.

“We are trying to be a lighthouse for that community by shining the light of Jesus' love on them,” said Pastor Miguel Ochoa, 49, who started the Anglican congregation nine years ago.

“We cannot represent Christ without serving the poor” said Ochoa, because the country has a huge gap between social classes. “Service is our number one purpose in this community.”

Ten minutes from the church is a large slum area with 10,000 people living under the “standard of misery,” according to Ochoa.

The purpose driven church of about 1,000 members is in the process of building a ministry called The House of Hope and an orphanage for 50 children. The House of Hope facility will include daycare, professional classes, a medical and dental clinic, computer courses, help for pregnant women, elderly, and a new church plant.

Five years ago, Ochoa attended the Purpose Driven Church conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and decided to adopt the five purposes.

Each of the five purposes is now overseen by a lay minister.

The worship is focused on seekers with a lay minister overseeing the different bands and other aspects of the worship purpose.

Fellowship is part of the church life and the structure of cell groups and more than 45 different ministries gives a good level of fellowship to the community, Ochoa said.

But evangelism is the heart of this church.

“Our evangelistic programs and events have reached out to lots of people who never would be comfortable to come to regular, traditional church services,” he said. “First we transformed the church service in a very welcoming environment, and then the preaching is driven to feed the flock and reach theunchurched. I would say that 65 percent of the people we have now came to faith after we turned into a purpose driven church.”

Before becoming purpose driven, the attendance was 600 weekly and is now more than 1,000.

“We can see and feel the effect in the way the sisters and brothers are running their own lives and ministries as a result of the campaign,” said Maria Piedade Marcal, church member. “The campaign helped us to be more effective in the managing of time, human, and financial resources in order to spread the Good News into the community. All new ideas are filtered by our purpose statement and whether or not they're going to bring people to membership in Jesus’ family, develop them in knowing Christ, and serve the community to glorify Jesus’ name then they're good enough and it deserve to be done.”

Marcal knows her purpose better now, also.

“I, myself, have been changed in my relationship with Jesus, my family, and in the ministry knowing the purposes I'm in the world for,” she said.

The40 Days of Purpose campaign brought in 150 newcomers, increased offerings by 20 percent, Sunday school attendance increased by 25 percent, and small groups doubled.

“It was a special moment for the whole church,” said Ochoa, who planted the church in 1996 with 30 people. “The church was affected deeply by it.”

The Anglican Church of the Holy Spirit encourages discipleship with the four Purpose Driven (101, 201, 301, and 401) classes and Sunday school curriculum. They also offer a two-year Institute of Theology to train leaders.

“Our calendar is a balance of the five purposes, and for 2006 we have almost the equal balance of this,” Ochoa said. “Everywhere (around the church) has a sign that shows we are a purpose driven church.

The church plans to participate in the first national Brazil 40 Days of Community campaign in June. They have hosted local Purpose Driven seminars at their church, and Ochoa consistently leads other pastors through the Purpose Driven model.

“We are working hard to fulfill the five purposes of the church,” Ochoa said.

All 2006 Church Health Award winner information is correct as of Jan. 1, 2006.