Bernardes, Elzira Mendes (1928–2012)

By The Brazilian White Center – UNASP

The Brazilian White Center – UNASP is a team of teachers and students at the Brazilian Ellen G. White Research Center – UNASP at the Brazilian Adventist University, Campus Engenheiro, Coelho, SP. The team was supervised by Drs. Adolfo Semo Suárez, Renato Stencel, and Carlos Flávio Teixeira. Bruno Sales Gomes Ferreira provided technical support. The following names are of team members: Adriane Ferrari Silva, Álan Gracioto Alexandre, Allen Jair Urcia Santa Cruz, Camila Chede Amaral Lucena, Camilla Rodrigues Seixas, Daniel Fernandes Teodoro, Danillo Alfredo Rios Junior, Danilo Fauster de Souza, Débora Arana Mayer, Elvis Eli Martins Filho, Felipe Cardoso do Nascimento, Fernanda Nascimento Oliveira, Gabriel Pilon Galvani, Giovana de Castro Vaz, Guilherme Cardoso Ricardo Martins, Gustavo Costa Vieira Novaes, Ingrid Sthéfane Santos Andrade, Isabela Pimenta Gravina, Ivo Ribeiro de Carvalho, Jhoseyr Davison Voos dos Santos, João Lucas Moraes Pereira, Kalline Meira Rocha Santos, Larissa Menegazzo Nunes, Letícia Miola Figueiredo, Luan Alves Cota Mól, Lucas Almeida dos Santos, Lucas Arteaga Aquino, Lucas Dias de Melo, Matheus Brabo Peres, Mayla Magaieski Graepp, Milena Guimarães Silva, Natália Padilha Corrêa, Rafaela Lima Gouvêa, Rogel Maio Nogueira Tavares Filho, Ryan Matheus do Ouro Medeiros, Samara Souza Santos, Sergio Henrique Micael Santos, Suelen Alves de Almeida, Talita Paim Veloso de Castro, Thais Cristina Benedetti, Thaís Caroline de Almeida Lima, Vanessa Stehling Belgd, Victor Alves Pereira, Vinicios Fernandes Alencar, Vinícius Pereira Nascimento, Vitória Regina Boita da Silva, William Edward Timm, Julio Cesar Ribeiro, Ellen Deó Bortolotte, Maria Júlia dos Santos Galvani, Giovana Souto Pereira, Victor Hugo Vaz Storch, and Dinely Luana Pereira.

First Published: January 28, 2020

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Elzira Mendes Bernardes, a volunteer Bible instructor, was born January 1, 1928, in Veadinho do Porto, Riolândia, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. She was a woman of faith and trust in God, who along with her husband made an important contribution to the preaching of the Adventist message in the north and northeast of Brazil. She married Geraldo Bernardes (1920-2016), on September 13, 1947, in Barretos, São Paulo. Geraldo was directly involved in the founding of several churches, most notably in Peixoto de Azevedo, in the state of Mato Grosso, and Placas, in the state of Pará. Elzira and Geraldo had three children: Maria José, Sergio Renato, and Eloíza (Huaringa).¹ In addition, the couple adopted Moisés Batista de Souza when his parents died. Batista de Souza currently serves as president of the Pará Amapá Mission.²

Elzira learned of the Adventist message through her husband, who was previously a faithful Catholic, known in his neighborhood for the religion he professed. Geraldo learned of Adventists through Mesário, an Adventist mechanic in the Presidente Vargas region in the interior of the state of São Paulo. Geraldo studied the Bible with Mesário and then shared what he learned with Elzira. She was initially reluctant to learn, but was convinced at last of the biblical truth, and both Elzira and Geraldo were baptized 1956 in the Presidente Vargas district.³

Elzira did not officially work for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. However, following her baptism she was dedicated to preaching the gospel as a volunteer Bible instructor until she died. She worked in Teresina, in the state of Piauí, and São Luís, in the state of Maranhão.⁴ Her efforts to preach the gospel often resulted in 20 people per year being baptized. Elzira stood out for her pious and compassionate personality, always trying to help the less fortunate. She died at the age of 84, on January 21, 2012, in the city of Planalmira, in the state of Goiás.⁵ She made a significant contribution to the Adventist Church through her deep commitment to preaching the gospel as a lay member.

Sources

“Elzira Mendes Bernardes.” Revista Adventista, year 107, n. 1246, March 2012, 37. Accessed September 20, 2016, http://acervo.revistaadventista.com.br/.

“Pr. Moisés Batista – Presidente.” Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia – Missão Pará Amapá (Online), 2013.

Notes

Moisés Batista, email message to the author, September 28, 2016.↩
“Pr. Moisés Batista – Presidente.” Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia – Missão Pará Amapá, 2013, accessed September 29, 2016, http://mpa.adventistas.org/blog/lider/pr-moises-batista/.↩
Moisés Batista, email message to the author, September 28, 2016.↩
“Elzira Mendes Bernardes,” Revista Adventista, year 107, n. 1246, March 2012, 37.↩
Moisés Batista, email message to the author, September 28, 2016.↩