South São Paulo Conference

The South São Paulo Conference is an administrative unit of the Seventh-day Adventist Church located in the territory of the Central Brazil Union Conference (União Central Brasileira or UCB). It is headquartered at 333 Paulino Vital de Morais St. with a Zip Code of 05855-000 in the Brooklin neighborhood in the city of São Paulo in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.¹

The South São Paulo Conference (Associação Paulista Sul or APS) involves the southern region of the city of São Paulo and Ribeira River Valley in addition to 22 other cities.² This territory has 3,130,462 inhabitants with approximately 39,430 Adventist members distributed in 53 pastoral districts and 201 congregations. In this region, there is approximately 1 Adventist per 79 inhabitants.³

The APS manages 15 school units in the Adventist Educational Network: Taboão da Serra Adventist Academy, in the city of Taboão da Serra, with 2,316 students enrolled; Campo Limpo Adventist Academy, in the city of São Paulo, with 1,074 students; Ellen G. White Adventist Academy, in the city of São Paulo, with 1,165 students; Embu das Artes Adventist Academy, in Embu das Artes, with 603 alunos; Itapecerica da Serra Adventist Academy, in Itapecerica da Serra, with 735 students; Registro Adventist Academy, in Registro, with 508 students; Pirajuçara Adventist Academy, in Embu das Artes, with 1,342 students; Alvorada Adventist Academy, in São Paulo, with 736 students; Vila das Belezas Adventist Academy, in São Paulo, with 887 students; Campo de Fora Adventist Academy, in São Paulo, with 946 students; Jardim Lilah Adventist Academy, in São Paulo, with 774 students; Tiago White Adventist Academy, in São Paulo, with 702 students enrolled; Pariquera-Açu Adventist Academy, in Pariquera-Açu, with 198 students; Jardim das Palmeiras Adventist Academy, in São Paulo, with 385 students; and Adventist Children's Academy Prof. Noemi Berger, in São Paulo, with 97 students. Together, these educational institutions serve 12,468 students.⁴

In addition, in the territory covered by South São Paulo Conference, the following SDA institutions operate: Centro Adventista de Treinamento, Recreação e Eventos (CATRE) [Adventist Training, Recreation and Events Center]; Clínica e SPA Vida Natural [Adventist Natural Life Clinic and SPA]; Espaço Comunidade Esperança (ECOE) [Community Hope Space]; South Zone Unit of São Paulo Adventist Hospital (Hospital Adventista de São Paulo or HASP); Brazil Adventist University, campus São Paulo (Universitario Adventista de Sao Paulo – San Paulo or UNASP-SP); and Superbom [Brazil Food Factory]. All of them are institutions operating in the city of São Paulo, some managed directly by the Central Brazil Union Conference (União Central Brasileira or UCB).⁵

To meet the Adventist demand in the region, the APS has 1,240 staff members.⁶

The Origin of the SDA Church Work in the Conference Territory

In 1906, the South American Union Conference (presently the Argentine Union Conference) was created to manage the work of the SDA Church in South America.⁷ Under the care of that Union, four church administrative units were established in Brazil: Rio Grande Conference (nowadays the Rio Grande do Sul Conference), Santa Catarina-Paraná Conference (presently the Santa Catarina Conference), North Brazil Mission (today the Rio de Janeiro Conference) and São Paulo Mission (nowadays the São Paulo Conference). At that time, selling Christian literature through canvassing⁸ became a strong agent of preaching the Gospel throughout the Brazilian territory, including São Paulo. Still in 1906, the São Paulo Mission already had an organized church (the first in the state of São Paulo) with 23 baptized members in the city of Rio Claro.⁹

Many missionaries were involved in the evangelization of that region. Thus, other places were visited and other congregations were established in cities such as São Bernardo, Itararé, and Itapetininga. Due to the growing population related to the great number of immigrants, the location chosen for the construction of the SDA church in the state of São Paulo in 1914 was in the neighborhood of Santo Amaro in the capital of São Paulo. This church was inaugurated on January 17, 1915.¹⁰

To recall a little bit of the work done by the pioneers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the region that is currently part of South São Paulo Conference mission field, it is worth mentioning the stories of creation and development of church institutions in that area. Among these institutions are Brazil College (Colégio Adventista Boqueirão or CAB, nowadays Brazil Adventist University, São Paulo campus); Superbom [Brazil Food Factory]; Asilo de Velhos, Desamparados e Órfãos [Asylum for the Old, Helpless and Orphans]; Samaritan Missionary Launch; Centro Educacional Ilustrado (CEI) [Illustrated Educational Center]; Creche Mãezinha [Mommy Daycare]; and CATRE-SP.

After the inauguration of the fifth church in the state of São Paulo, missionary investments were made on several fronts that characterize SDA church evangelism. On May 5, 1915, 120 hectares of land were purchased in the Capão Redondo region – with funds donated by John and Augusta Boehm – to establish Brazil College (CAB). CAB's educational activities began on June 4, 1915, with only 12 students enrolled. Later, on April 21, 1917, the first Adventist group in that college was organized with 25 members. However, although this group was organized as a church as early as January 13, 1923, the college’s Adventist temple was not established until about 61 years later on June 16, 1984.¹¹

The number of students enrolled in CAB grew considerably until the mid-1920s. In 1925, the Industrial Department was created, aiming to assist the students linked to the institution and their educational expenses. This department produced grape juice and jam for sale and reserved the income obtained for students. Ten years later, in 1935, the manufacture of juices was expanded to provide financial assistance to CAB itself. But it was only in 1936 that this department was given a name: Superbom. In 1944, the construction of the food factory was approved, and the brand was formalized as a company. After 40 years, Superbom was legally disconnected from the college. Currently, this factory is one of the main companies in the field of natural products aimed at the vegan and vegetarian public in Brazil.¹²

Still in the 1940s, the construction plan for “Asilo de Velhos, Desamparados e Órfãos” [“Asylum for the Old, Helpless, and Orphans”] was approved in the South region of São Paulo as it had been conceived by Pastor Germano G. Ritter and his wife, Irma. The land where the asylum would be built was located next to CAB and was acquired with money received through donations. Construction began in 1945 and was paid for with funds acquired through internal campaigns with amounts from the Dorcas Society¹³ and profits from Casa de Saúde Liberdade [São Paulo Clinic] (nowadays the São Paulo Adventist Hospital). The Asylum opened on February 27, 1950. At the time, the site was able to serve at least 25 people. About six years later, the humanitarian institution started to be recognized as “Lar Adventista da Velhice” [“Adventist Old Age Home”] and was already receiving citizens from all over Brazil. This asylum operated for 58 years and ended in 2009.¹⁴

The history of the Samaritan Missionary Launch is closely related to medical missionary work. The purpose of this work carried out by boats that sail on many rivers of Brazil was always to reach the riverside regions that are difficult to access. The idea was put into practice on November 10, 1954, when the first boat, named “Lancha Samaritana” [“Samaritan Launch”], was acquired. This launch sailed for the first time on April 17, 1955, along the Ribeira River on the south coastline of São Paulo. In the first two months of operation, under the care of Pastor Benito Raymundo and his wife, Adair, more than 1,642 people were served. The service included treatments against malaria, ulcers, wounds, and worm infestations. Missionary work through navigation also helped with donations of clothing, lecture performances, exhibition of films on health and hygiene, and the preaching of the Gospel. In 1980, the “Lancha Samaritana” became known as “Lancha Ambulatório Luzeiro Paulista” [“São Paulo Light Bearer Medical Launch”]. This project continued to function until the mid-1990s.¹⁵

In the 1960s, about 45 percent of the Brazilian population was illiterate.¹⁶ Faced with such educational instability and the lack of creative audiovisual biblical material for evangelism, in 1968, the Centro Educacional Ilustrado (CEI) [Illustrated Educational Center] was founded. The institution was located near CAB in the Itapecerica da Serra region. At CEI, Bible courses, children's stories, and health and hygiene programs were produced as well as other educational materials used by the SDA Church throughout South America. The first series of slides prepared by the institution was entitled “Acaba-se o Tempo” [“Time is Over”], and the material had 15 complete studies on evangelism in Portuguese and Spanish.¹⁷

In the face of the population's demand and in response to a request from the Dorcas Society, in 1969, the plan to build an Adventist daycare center in the South Region of São Paulo was approved. The daycare center was named “Creche Mãezinha - Assistência Social Adventista” [“Mommy Daycare - Adventist Social Assistance”] and was established in the first half of 1971. The daycare was a non-profit institution maintained by the São Paulo Conference with resources from voluntary contributions and promotional campaigns. The services offered involved cultural, social, and religious education. Later, with the growth and development of the work, Creche Mãezinha started to develop partnerships with city hall and some philanthropic organizations. Thus, the daycare center began to receive technical and financial assistance from these institutions to improve the development of activities carried out with children.¹⁸

CATRE-SP was inaugurated in a context of an increased number of the SDA Church members and the search for a place for training sessions and recreational activities for the Adventist community. In 1971, the purchase of Fazenda de Itaipava [Itaipava Farm] on the south coastline of the state of São Paulo was approved and, about a year later, that farm started to house the Centro Adventista de Recreação Fazenda de Itaipava [Itaipava Farm Adventist Recreation Center]. Approximately 40 years later (in 2012), Fazenda Itaipava had its name changed to Centro Adventista de Treinamento, Recreação e Eventos [Adventist Training, Recreation and Events Center].¹⁹

The many evangelistic fronts at work in the churches and institutions mentioned boosted the growth of SDA Church in São Paulo. By the end of the 1970s, the state of São Paulo already had more than 10 million inhabitants including around 55 thousand Adventists. In order to better respond to the demands of preaching the Gospel in the region, on April 4, 1977, it was voted to reorganize the São Paulo Conference mission field into two administrative units: East São Paulo Conference (presently the São Paulo Conference) and West São Paulo Conference (now the Central São Paulo Conference).²⁰ Later, on January 19, 1983, the East São Paulo Conference field was reorganized one more time, giving rise to South São Paulo Conference (presently the São Paulo Conference) and the East São Paulo Conference.²¹ Thanks to divine blessings, the number of Adventists in the subregions served by these institutions has increased greatly, and due to this fact, a new administrative reorganization was needed at the beginning of the following decade.

Conference Organizational History

On November 21, 1991, a study was approved to evaluate the possibility of reconfiguring the South São Paulo Conference mission field.²² Soon, this measure was implemented, and the São Paulo Conference (Associação Paulista or AP, formerly known as South São Paulo Conference) and the South São Paulo Conference (a new administrative unit) emerged. The first headquarters of the new conference was located on 96 Felipe Carrillo Puerto Ave. in the Jardim IAE neighborhood of the city of São Paulo.²³ The first leaders were pastors Osmar Domingos dos Reis as president, Ítalo Manzolli as secretary, and Alcides Coimbra as treasurer.²⁴ At the beginning of the activities, the employee team of the new South São Paulo Conference was responsible for taking care of the Adventist work progress throughout the South Region of São Paulo and the Ribeira River Valley region with 28 districts, 122 congregations, 13 educational units, and about 21,300 members.²⁵

This administrative unit was created with the mission of motivating and empowering church members to use their spiritual talents and gifts "so that they can testify of Jesus in their daily lives and commit themselves to experiencing His character."²⁶ In the year following that inauguration, the APS leadership launched its evangelistic strategy focused on this mission. This strategy was designed to encourage the engagement of members in the missionary movement to be carried out that year. The slogan used was: “Turn a friend into your brother.” Each member was encouraged to choose a friend, present him or her with some Adventist literature, offer Bible studies, and thus prepare him or her for the Holy Week²⁷ and “Projeto REVIVE” [“REVIVE Project”] evangelism²⁸ that would happen within May 25 and 29, 1993.²⁹

In 1993, the APS mission field already had 62 Pathfinders Clubs with almost 1,800 young people in addition to eight Adventurers Clubs with about 200 participants.³⁰ The church was growing on all fronts, and the Central Brazil Union Conference, seeking to meet the educational and spiritual needs of the population, launched a program entitled “Prioridades Educacionais” [“Educational Priorities”] in connection with the Global Mission ideals.³¹ Through this project, schools were created in places that still had little or no Adventist presence. Several new congregations were inaugurated on the premises of the schools, and around 450 people were baptized (among students and family members).³²

Still in relation to those places with little or no Adventist presence, it is interesting to note that, until the early 1990s, there were at least 400 cities in the UCB field in these conditions. Especially in the APS mission field, in at least six cities there was no Adventist presence. However, in November 1993, five of these cities were reached with the message of the everlasting Gospel. The work of lay brothers and volunteer workers, in connection with the work carried out by the Conference leaders, has shown how the creation of this institution has been useful for the fulfillment of the mission in preaching the Gospel in the region in which it is placed.³³

The APS final headquarters was built on land donated to the SDA Church by the Targas and Hoyler families. Construction started in November 2000, and the new headquarters was inaugurated on April 28, 2002, on 333 Paulino Vital de Moraes St. in the Parque Maria Helena neighborhood in São Paulo.³⁴ In the year of the inauguration of the new headquarters, the Capão Redondo region was home to around 242,000 inhabitants, with approximately 13,000 of them being Adventists. There was about one Adventist per 18 inhabitants. At that time, the South São Paulo Conference already managed 42 districts, 211 congregations with about 35 thousand baptized members, and 18 educational institutions with approximately 7,600 students.³⁵

In the APS field, efforts have also been devoted to assistance and humanitarian work. As part of such initiatives, in 2006, the Espaço Comunidade Esperança [Community Hope Space] (ECOE) was created, and it was located on 96 Felipe Carrillo Puerto Ave. in Jardim IAE (the address of the first APS headquarters). ECOE works as “a promoter of professional activities,” offering courses and projects in the area of social assistance, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and income generation. Around 400 people are served monthly in the project, which also offers school reinforcement for elementary school, lectures on health, and free psychological care.³⁶

In view of the constant growth in the number of members and churches in the state of São Paulo, in 2014, the need to reorganize two mission fields was recognized. Thus, at the end of that year (2014), the fields of South São Paulo Conference and São Paulo Conference were reconfigured, giving rise to the Southeast São Paulo Conference. At that time, the AP served 160 churches with approximately 38,000 members, and the APS, which served 173 congregations with approximately 44,000 members.³⁷ After the change, the São Paulo Conference started serving 142 churches with approximately 34,000 members, and the South São Paulo Conference had 130 churches, with approximately 35,000 members. The new administrative unit was responsible for 78 churches with about 17,000 members, in the ABC Paulista region and on the south coast of the state.³⁸

Since the beginning of the APS history, Adventist members from the southern region of São Paulo have been involved in several projects led by the South American Division (Divisão Sul-Americana or DSA), such as “Missão Calebe” [“Caleb Mission”],³⁹ “Escola Cristã de Férias” [“Christian Summer School for Children”],⁴⁰ “Quebrando o Silêncio” [“Breaking the Silence”],⁴¹ “10 dias de oração e 10 horas de jejum” [“10 days of prayer and 10 hours of fasting”],⁴² and “Impacto Esperança” [“Hope Impact”].⁴³ In addition, APS members have been involved in several social actions such as the project “Anjos do Metrô” [“Subway Angels”],⁴⁴ the marches against dengue⁴⁵ and H1N1,⁴⁶ Health Fairs, the project “Gol de Esperança” [“Goal of Hope”],⁴⁷ the “Projeto Amor” [“Love Project”],⁴⁸ and the “Brechó da Esperança” [“Hope Thrift Store”].⁴⁹ During the project “Impacto Esperança” [“Hope Impact”] in 2019, more than 400,000 copies of the book “Esperança Para a Família” [“Hope for the Family”] were distributed. For this purpose, Adventist members and students from the Adventist Educational Network were engaged in the evangelistic initiative.⁵⁰ A total of 130 Pathfinders Clubs⁵¹ and 112 Adventurers Clubs⁵² from the APS missionary field were also actively involved.⁵³

Although the evangelistic advances done up to now are noteworthy, the leaders and members of South São Paulo Conference recognize the challenges still to be faced in their mission field as they aim to fulfill their mission. It includes the complex geographic aspects, since there are urban and rural areas with very different characteristics, challenging the service and the development of the work due to the particularities of each location in the field. In addition, there is the financial challenge caused mainly by recurring economic crises in Brazil, a scenario aggravated by the low socioeconomic index of the region covered by the APS. These two factors make it increasingly challenging to raise funds and distribute them satisfactorily in the face of many local needs. Another challenge is related to the need for maintenance and structural reform of the church buildings since most of them were built a long time ago and, even the newer ones, have little space for regular and evangelistic meetings.⁵⁴

To respond to such challenges, among the many plans for the future, the APS leadership intends to encourage and motivate members and church workers to become more involved in the “Desafio 1 + 1” [“Challenge 1 + 1”] project⁵⁵, aiming to reach 11,000 new converts. This quest to evangelize the region more intensely will go hand in hand with the efforts that will continue to be made to keep members active in the church with righteous and qualified leaders to serve and represent the SDA Church in its mission. In order to achieve this, the objectives of the field are: to create a discipleship plan to expand the class of the school of evangelists, aiming to enable the largest amount of people to carry out public evangelism; and to expand support and training for Urban Mission actions.⁵⁶

In the structural sphere, they will focus on the need for reforms and the construction of new temples. This includes actions such as the completion of the construction of the Capão Redondo church; the planting of a new church in Butantã region, which is in the South zone of the city of São Paulo; and the inauguration of four new pastoral districts.⁵⁷

In the educational area, it is planned to reach 14,000 new enrolled students as well as the building of a new Adventist school in addition to the expansion and adaptation of the existing school units, as in the case of Tiago White Adventist Academy and Taboão da Serra Adventist Academy. And so, in the midst of challenges, plans, efforts, and achievements, the APS will continue its missionary journey with the certainty that, by the grace of God, more and more people will continue to be reached for the eternal kingdom.

Chronology of Administrative Leaders⁵⁸

Presidents: Osmar Domingos dos Reis (1992-1994); Ítalo Manzolli (1995-2001); Domingos José de Souza (2001-2003); Ronaldo de Oliveira (2004-2008); Luiz Carlos Araújo (2009-Present).

Secretaries: Ítalo Manzolli (1992-1994); Edson Rosa (1995-1998); Orlando Mário Ritter (2000-2002); Sérgio Octaviano (2003-2005); Ivo Suedekum (2006-2014); Elieder F. da Silva (2015-2018); Alexandre Garcia Martins (2018-Present).

Treasurers: Alcides Coimbra (1992-1994); Domingos J. de Sousa (1995-1997); Sérgio Octaviano (1998-2002); Adamir Alberto (2003-2008); Oseias Pereira (2009-2014); Gilvan Santos Correa (2015-2019); Marcos José de Souza (2019-Present).⁵⁹

Sources

Agenda de Planejamento da Associação Paulista Sul [Planning Agenda of South São Paulo Conference]. São Paulo, SP: Paulista Sul Adv7sp.

Associação Paulistana [São Paulo Conference]. https://ap.adventistas.org/.

“Aulas extras” [“Extra lessons”]. Revista Adventista, September 2011.

Bernardes, Alessandra. “Gripe (influenza): causas, sintomas, tratamento, diagnóstico e prevenção” [“Flu (influenza): causes, symptoms, treatment, diagnosis and prevention”]. Ministry of Health (Online), August 29, 2019.

“Campo lança estratégia para 93” [“The Field launches strategy for 93”]. Revista Adventista, February 1993.

CATRE. http://www.catresaopaulo.com.br/.

Centro Nacional da Memória Adventista [National Center of Adventist History]. http://www.memoriaadventista.com.br/wikiasd/index.php?title=Centro_Nacional_da_Mem%C3%B3ria_Adventista.

Costa, Jhenifer. “Paulistas distribuem 3 milhões de livros pelo projeto Impacto Esperança” [“People from São Paulo distribute 3 million books through the Hope Impact project”]. Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News] (Online), May 26, 2019.

ECOE. https://www.ecoe.org.br/.

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“Educação cumpre objetivos na missão global” [“Education achieves objectives in global mission”]. Revista Adventista, July 1993, 15.

França, Danúbia. “Anjos do Metrô entram em ação na região do Capão Redondo” [“Metro Angels come into action in Capão Redondo region”]. Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News] (Online), March 26, 2015.

França, Danúbia. “Crianças e adolescentes atendidos pelo Gol de Esperança fazem passeio educativo em São Paulo” [“Children and teenagers served by Goal of Hope take an educational tour in São Paulo”]. Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News] (Online), July 7, 2016.

França, Danúbia. “Escola Cristã de Férias – Nada mais justo que descansar e se divertir durante as férias” [“Christian Summer School for Children – Nothing is more fair than to rest and have fun during vacation”]. Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News] (Online), July 13, 2012.

França, Danúbia. “Projeto Amor acolhe e resgata dignidade de moradores de rua” [“Love Project welcomes and restores the dignity of homeless people”]. Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News] (Online), December 22, 2016.

França, Danúbia. “Voluntários saem às ruas no combate ao abuso e exploração sexual infantil” [“Volunteers take to the streets to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation”]. Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News] (Online), September 1, 2014.

Hospital Adventista de São Paulo [São Paulo Adventist Hospital]. https://hasp.org.br/.

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“Jovens e desbravadores fazem retiro” [“Youth and Pathfinders Make Retreat”]. Revista Adventista, April 1993.

Luzeiro [Light Bearer]. https://www.luzeiro.org/.

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Ministério da Saúde [Ministry of Health]. http://www.saude.gov.br/.

“Notícias da Associação Leste” [“East São Paulo Conference News”]. Revista Adventista, June 1981.

Passos, Stephanie. “Brechó da Esperança comercializa produtos feitos em aulas de artesanato” [“Thrift Store of Hope sells products made in craft classes”]. Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News] (Online), September 3, 2017.

“Presidentes avaliam a missão global” [“Presidents assess global mission”]. Revista Adventista, November 1993.

Quebrando o Silêncio [Breaking the Silence]. http://quebrandoosilencio.org/.

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Silveira, Nelton. “Adventistas no sul de São Paulo iniciam programa de oração intercessória” [“Adventists in southern São Paulo begin intercessory prayer program”]. Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News] (Online), February 21, 2014.

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South São Paulo Conference Minutes, November 1991, vote no. 91-329.

South São Paulo Conference Minutes, November 1991, vote no. 91-330.

Stehling, Priscilla. “Projeto Missão Calebe já está com inscrições abertas” [“The Caleb Mission Project is now open for registration”]. Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News] (Online), May 30, 2012.

“Sucesso marca segundo REVIVE na APS” [“Success marks the second REVIVE at APS”]. Revista Adventista, July 1994.

Superbom [Brazil Food Factory]. https://www.superbom.com.br/.

Tavares, Stephanie. “Desbravadores realizam passeata contra Dengue e H1N1 na zona sul de São Paulo” [“Pathfinders hold a march against Dengue and H1N1 in the south zone of São Paulo”]. Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News] (Online), May 4, 2016.

Tavares, Stephanie. “Feira de Saúde reúne 300 pessoas no Vale do Ribeira” [“Health Fair gathers 300 people in Ribeira River Valley”]. Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News] (Online), May 18, 2016.

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Vida Natural [Natural Life]. https://www.vidanatural.org.br/.

Notes

1. Seventh-day Adventist Online Yearbook, “South Sao Paulo Conference,” accessed July 30, 2019, http://bit.ly/2KbNavM.↩

2. “Território da Associação Paulista Sul” [“South São Paulo Conference Territory”], Agenda de Planejamento da Associação Paulista Sul [Planning Agenda of South São Paulo Conference], São Paulo, SP: Paulista Sul Adv7sp, 2019, 6.↩

3. “South São Paulo Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, ID.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2018), 232; Thania Moura Paschalis (UCB secretary), e-mail message to Renato Ferreira (ESDA writing assistant), June 5, 2019.↩

4. Danúbia França (APS journalist), email message to Carlos Flavio Teixeira (ESDA associate editor), July 29, 2019; Educação Adventista [Adventist Education], “Unidades” [Units], accessed November 11, 2016, http://bit.ly/2MUSlVF.↩

5. Danúbia França (APS journalist), email message to Carlos Flavio Teixeira (ESDA associate editor), July 29, 2019.↩

6. Ibid.↩

7. “South American Union Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1907. 94.↩

8. Canvassing work is a “voluntary distribution activity and independent of religious publishing and themes related to health and family quality of life.” Those who work in canvassing works are known as canvassers. Seventh-day Adventist Church (Brazil) website, “Colportagem” [“Canvassing Work”], accessed February 14, 2020, https://bit.ly/2RQirbB.↩

9. Associação Paulistana [São Paulo Conference], “História da Associação Paulistana” [“São Paulo Conference History”], accessed May 23, 2019, https://bit.ly/30SffQq.↩

10. Ibid.↩

11. UNASP, “Nossa História” [“Our History”], accessed June 17, 2019, https://bit.ly/2wstHUT.↩

12. Superbom, “A Superbom” [“Brazil Food Factory”], accessed June 17, 2019, https://bit.ly/2QKUpz0.↩

13. “The Dorcas Society was a charitable organization established by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 1874, with the goal of ‘ministering on behalf of the poor and needy’ in local churches. The name derives from the biblical character Tabita, or Dorcas, a Christian believer who helped the poor (Acts 9:36). Currently, it’s called Ação Solidária Adventista (ASA).” “A Beneficência Social e o Cristianismo” [“Social Beneficence and Christianity”], in Manual da Ação Solidária Adventista [Adventist Solidarity Action Manual] (Brasília, DF: South American Division, 2016), 13.↩

14. Centro Nacional da Memória Adventista [National Center of Adventist History], “Centro Adventista de Convivência para Idosos” [“Adventist Community Center for the Elderly”], accessed January 30, 2020, https://bit.ly/38T7ug5.↩

15. Danúbia França (APS journalist), email message to Carlos Flavio Teixeira (ESDA associate editor), July 29, 2019.↩

16. INEP, “Estatísticas da Educação Básica no Brasil” [“Basic Education Statistics in Brazil”], accessed June 17, 2019, https://bit.ly/3dodZux.↩

17. Centro Nacional da Memória Adventista [National Center of Adventist History], “Centro Educacional Ilustrado (CEI)” [“Illustrated Educational Center (CEI)”], accessed January 30, 2020, https://bit.ly/315IQpY.↩

18. Centro Nacional da Memória Adventista [National Center of Adventist History], “Creche Mãezinha” [Mommy Daycare], accessed January 30, 2020, https://bit.ly/2OemvkR.↩

19. Danúbia França (APS journalist), email message to Carlos Flavio Teixeira (ESDA associate editor), July 29, 2019.↩

20. Associação Paulistana [São Paulo Conference], “História da Associação Paulistana” [“São Paulo Conference History”], accessed May 23, 2019, https://bit.ly/30SffQq.↩

21. “East Sao Paulo Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Washington, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1983), 304.↩

22. South São Paulo Conference Minutes, November 1991, vote no. 91-328.↩

23. South São Paulo Conference Minutes, November 1991, vote no. 91-329.↩

24. South São Paulo Conference Minutes, January 1992, vote no. 92-002.↩

25. South São Paulo Conference Minutes, November 1991, vote no. 91-330.↩

26. Danúbia França (APS journalist), email message to Carlos Flavio Teixeira (ESDA associate editor), July 29, 2019.↩

27. “Holy Week harvest evangelism is a very special time to present Jesus and the life we find in Him through the Word of God. The purpose of this evangelism is to remember the sacrifice, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ on behalf of humanity.” Seventh-day Adventist Church (Brazil) website, “Semana Santa Evangelismo de Colheita e Semeadura” [“Holy Week Harvest and Sowing Evangelism”], accessed February 4, 2020, https://bit.ly/2uMWoue.↩

28. “Evangelization model, appropriate for big cities” in which “church members participate directly in the campaign, inviting and taking friends to the meeting place,” which took place in large gymnasiums. “Sucesso marca segundo REVIVE na APS” [“Success marks the second REVIVE at APS”], Revista Adventista, July 1994, 14.↩

29. “Campo lança estratégia para 93” [“The Field launches strategy for 93”], Revista Adventista, February 1993, 20.↩

30. “Jovens e desbravadores fazem retiro” [“Youth and Pathfinders Make Retreat”], Revista Adventista, April 1993, 16.↩

31. “Global Mission is a branch of the Adventist Mission front line, a department of the world Seventh-day Adventist headquarters. The projects of the Global Mission start as local initiatives. The Global Mission supports the frontline ministry local initiatives in unreached areas [by the Adventist Church] and helps to integrate all church departments in this task.” Seventh-day Adventist Church (Brazil) website, “O que é Missão Global” [“What is Global Mission”], accessed February 4, 2020, http://bit.ly/35Wz9e0. ↩

32. “Educação cumpre objetivos na missão global” [“Education achieves objectives in global mission”], Revista Adventista, July 1993, 15.↩

33. “Presidentes avaliam a missão global” [“Presidents assess global mission”], Revista Adventista, November 1993, 23.↩

34. Danúbia França (APS journalist), email message to Carlos Flavio Teixeira (ESDA associate editor), May 16, 2019.↩

35. “South Sao Paulo Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Hagerstown, D.C.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 2003), 250.↩

36. Willian Silvestre, personal knowledge for having participated in the missiology research project in Brazil Adventist University, campus Engenheiro Coelho (UNASP-EC), entitled “It’s Time, São Paulo,” in 2019.↩

37. “South Sao Paulo Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, ID.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2015), 277; “Sao Paulo Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, ID.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2015), 275.↩

38. “Sao Paulo Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, ID.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2016), 288; “South Sao Paulo Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, ID.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2016), 289; “Southeast Sao Paulo Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, ID.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2016), 290.↩

39. “Caleb Mission project is a volunteer program, social service, and a witnessing that challenges the Adventist youth to dedicate their vacations to evangelism in places where there’s no Adventist presence, to strengthen the small congregations and gain new people for the kingdom of God.” Seventh-day Adventist Church (Brazil) website, “Missão Calebe 2020” [“Caleb Mission 2020”], accessed February 4, 2020, http://bit.ly/2HRpvRi; Priscilla Stehling, “Projeto Missão Calebe já está com inscrições abertas” [“The Caleb Mission Project is now open for registration”], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], April 30, 2012, accessed June 17, 2019, http://bit.ly/2Xj20Jt.↩

40. “The Christian Summer School for Children is a very effective means of evangelism with children. They are attracted by the joyful and differentiated program, full of activities and participation.” Seventh-day Adventist Church (Brazil) website, “Escola Cristã de Férias” [“Christian Summer School for Children”], accessed February 4, 2020,https://bit.ly/2ty0XIS; Danúbia França, “Escola Cristã de Férias – Nada mais justo que descansar e se divertir durante as férias” [“Christian Summer School for Children – Nothing is more fair than to rest and have fun during vacation”], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], July 13, 2012, accessed June 17, 2019, http://bit.ly/2Kk7IVj.↩

41. “Breaking the Silence is an annual project, developed since 2002, by the Seventh-Day Adventist Church in eight countries of South America (Argentina, Brazi, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, and Uruguay) that aims to educate and prevent against the domestic abuse and violence.” Seventh-day Adventist Church (Brazil) website, “Quebrando o Silêncio” [“Breaking the Silence”], accessed February 4, 2020, https://bit.ly/2WoDfIW; Danúbia França, “Voluntários saem às ruas no combate ao abuso e exploração sexual infantil” [“Volunteers take to the streets to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation”], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], September 1, 2014, accessed June 17, 2019, http://bit.ly/2MS6iDE.↩

42. “The ‘Ten Days of Prayer and Ten Hours of Fast’ program is an invitation and an opportunity for people to devote more time to prayer for a specific reason.” Educação Adventista [Adventist Education], “10 Dias de Oração” [“10 Days of Prayer”], accessed March 3, 2020, http://bit.ly/38hpcsP; Nelton Silveira, “Adventistas no sul de São Paulo iniciam programa de oração intercessória” [“Adventists in southern São Paulo begin intercessory prayer program”], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], February 21, 2014, accessed June 17, 2019, http://bit.ly/2ZA2VTn.↩

43. The project “Hope Impact is a program that encourages the practice of reading and provides a mass annual distribution of books on the part of the Seventh-day Adventist in the South American territory.” Seventh-day Adventist Church (Brazil) website, “Impacto Esperança” [“Hope Impact”], accessed February 4, 2020, https://bit.ly/34dZROO.↩

44. “Group of volunteers who gather in front of the subway station to distribute hope, words of affection, hugs and books, in addition to offering prayers to anyone who wants.” Danúbia França, “Anjos do Metrô entram em ação na região do Capão Redondo” [“Metro Angels come into action in Capão Redondo region”], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], March 26, 2015, accessed June 17, 2019, http://bit.ly/2L1CHVw.↩

45. “Disease transmitted through the Aedes aegypti mosquito (an insect that needs standing water to proliferate), which can cause severe muscle pain, malaise, lack of appetite, red spots on the body, high fever, headache and pain when moving the eyes.” Ministério da Saúde [Ministry of Health], “Dengue, sintomas, causas, tratamento e prevenção” [“Dengue, symptoms, causes, treatment and prevention”], accessed June 17, 2019, http://bit.ly/2KloqUl.↩

46. “Acute infection of the respiratory system caused by a mutation of the influenza virus. The main symptoms include: fever, body pain, dry cough and fatigue.” Alessandra Bernardes, “Gripe (influenza): causas, sintomas, tratamento, diagnóstico e prevenção” [“Flu (influenza): causes, symptoms, treatment, diagnosis and prevention”], Ministry of Health, August 29, 2019, accessed June 17, 2019, http://bit.ly/2ZrsEgA.↩

47. Project developed by the Adventist Development and Assistance Resources Agency that “aims to fill the downtime of children and young people of both sexes in our region, with the guidance, instruction and practice of soccer, respecting the biological individuality and the performance of each child.” ECOE, “Gol de Esperança” [“Goal of Hope”], accessed March 26, 2020, http://bit.ly/2IlDL4S.↩

48. “Volunteers who promote a special day for homeless people in order to recover their dignity, self-esteem and socialization.” Danúbia França, “Projeto Amor acolhe e resgata dignidade de moradores de rua” [“Love Project welcomes and restores the dignity of homeless people”], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], December 22, 2016, accessed June 17, 2019, https://bit.ly/2UhCCBj.↩

49. “Sale of products made in the craft courses offered by the Adventist Church of Rocio, in the city of Iguape, from recycled materials such as pet bottles, newspapers and scraps of donated clothes.” Stephanie Passos, “Brechó da Esperança comercializa produtos feitos em aulas de artesanato” [“Thrift Store of Hope sells products made in craft classes”], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], September 3, 2017, accessed June 17, 2019, https://bit.ly/2Ujq0Kk; Stephanie Tavares, “Desbravadores realizam passeata contra Dengue e H1N1 na zona sul de São Paulo” [“Pathfinders hold a march against Dengue and H1N1 in the south zone of São Paulo”], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], May 4, 2016, accessed on June 17, 2019, https://bit.ly/3ak9Ju4; Stephanie Tavares, “Feira de Saúde reúne 300 pessoas no Vale do Ribeira” [Health Fair gathers 300 people in Ribeira River Valley], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], May 18, 2016, accessed June 17, 2019, https://bit.ly/3amCIgE; Danúbia França, “Crianças e adolescentes atendidos pelo Gol de Esperança fazem passeio educativo em São Paulo” [“Children and teenagers served by Goal of Hope take an educational tour in São Paulo”], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], July 7, 2016, accessed June 17, 2019, https://bit.ly/2UCams5.↩

50. Jhenifer Costa, “Paulistas distribuem 3 milhões de livros pelo projeto Impacto Esperança” [“People from São Paulo distribute 3 million books through the Hope Impact project”], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], May 26, 2019, accessed March 19, 2020, http://bit.ly/2xMbW33.↩

51. The Pathfinders Club is made up of “boys and girls aged 10 to 15 years old, from different social classes, color, religion. They meet, in general, once a week to learn to develop talents, skills, perceptions and a taste for nature.” These boys and girls “are thrilled with outdoor activities. They like camping, hiking, climbing, exploring the woods and caves. They know how to cook outdoors, making a fire without matches.” Besides, they demonstrate “skill with discipline through drill commands and have their creativity awakened by manual arts. They also fight the use of tobacco, alcohol, and drugs.” Seventh-day Adventist Church (Brazil) website, “Quem somos” [“Who we are”], accessed February 4, 2020, http://bit.ly/2FDRqTh.↩

52. “The Adventurers Club is a program for children from 6 to 9 years old, created by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, in 1972. [...] At the meetings, children carry out activities with a focus on physical, mental and spiritual development.” Seventh Day Adventist Church – Central Caxias do Sul – RS, “Clube de Aventureiros: Duquinhos” [“Adventurers Club: Duquinhos”], accessed February 4, 2020, https://bit.ly/389AQGG.↩

53. Danúbia França (APS journalist), email message to Carlos Flavio Teixeira (ESDA associate editor), May 16, 2019.↩

54. Alexandre Garcia Martins (APS secretary), WhatsApp message to Carlos Flavio Teixeira (ESDA associate editor), December 19, 2019.↩

55. “The Challenge 1+1 project integrates actions that are already carried out by the church members. However, it goes beyond that, aligning such initiatives of members' actions with those promoted by the leaders of the institutions. The emphasis of this project are: communion, relationship and mission.” Gislaine Westphal and Lucas Rocha, “Desafio 1+1 envolverá todas as ações dos adventistas em São Paulo” [“Challenge 1+1 will involve all the actions of Adventists in São Paulo”], Notícias Adventistas [Adventist News], August 21, 2014, accessed June 7, 2019, http://bit.ly/2MykxgQ.↩

56. Ibid.↩

57. Alexandre Garcia Martins (APS secretary), WhatsApp message to Carlos Flavio Teixeira (ESDA associate editor), December 19, 2019.↩

58. “South São Paulo Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Hagerstown, MD.: Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1993), 256; “South São Paulo Conference,” Seventh-day Adventist Yearbook (Nampa, ID.: Pacific Press Publishing Association, 2018), 232. For more details about all administrative leaders of South São Paulo Conference, see the SDA Yearbooks from 1993 to 2018.↩

59. For more information about the South São Paulo Conference, you can access their website at https://aps.adventistas.org/ or their social media at Facebook: @associacaopaulistasul, Instagram and Twitter: @paulistasul, and Youtube: Paulistasul.↩