Iris Ministries: New Work in Brazilian Favellas
Our ministry in Brazil has been a result of the vision and purpose of Iris Ministries to reach the hurting and lost wherever they can be found. Iris Ministries, headed by Rolland and Heidi Baker, started their work in Mozambique by loving and caring for the street children. God has continually blessed and expanded their ministry to the point where they now have over six thousand churches in Mozambique and neighboring countries, and several children’s centers and Bible schools where children and pastors are built up and equipped for the work of the Lord.
Pastor Dirceu is the director of Iris Ministries in Brazil (Comunidade de Jesus), where the same passion to love the needy is being demonstrated. With this heart, the ministry is moving toward reaching out to the favellas, or slums, of Sao Paulo. They are beginning with one of the largest, called Heliopolis, where they have already purchased two shack-like buildings. One of these is in the process of becoming the church for the families and the other is to become an outreach center for the youth, where a missions school can also be developed in the heart of this desperate area. People will be raised up within the favella, as well as those in other areas of Brazil, to be part of this upcoming training opportunity. There are many children and families here that can be reached by practical demonstrations of the love of Jesus- and they are already feeling this love. FMI has the privilege of being part of the first efforts of spear-heading this new move of God in Sao Paulo, confirmed prophetically by Pastor Dirceu.