Muniz, Eurico (1952–2020)

Eurico Muniz, son of João Benedito Muniz and Adelaide Afonso Muniz, was born on November 15, 1952, city of Maués, in the heart of Amazonas.¹ Muniz grew up in an Adventist family. His parents, before his birth, came to know and accepted the gospel message through the social missionary work carried out by Pastor Leo Halliwell in northern Brazil.² His mother was baptized in 1937,³ and his father in 1938,⁴ both by Pastor Halliwell.

Early Life

Since he was born into a family of farmers and ranchers, from his childhood, Eurico worked on the far, alongside his brothers and his father’s employees in the rural area of Maués. Muniz attended school for the first time at the age of 14, and it was at the State School of Maués. Because he stood out in his first year of study, he was transferred from the 1st to the 4th grade. The following year he did not stud, because, at his father’s wish, he stayed at home to help with the farm work. Eurico continued his student journey, dividing his time between studies and work; one year he studied, the other he worked. Because of this, at age 20, he still needed to attend the eighth grade.⁵

In his free time, tEurico liked to play soccer, and he was even part of the city’s team. Pastor Derly Gorski, who had been recently assigned to his church’s district, heard about the participation of young Adventists in the sport’s competition, talked to Eurico and proposed that the boy studied at the current Brazil Adventist University, today known as UNASP, São Paulo campus. Eurico gladly accepted the idea, and Pastor Derly promptly got him a scholarship to the school. Eurico then went to the city of São Paulo to study, and his brother, Benedito, also went the following year.⁶

When boarding for São Paulo at the Manaus airport, Eurico was prevented from traveling because he did not have an identification document (RG), only a birth certificate. Due to this obstacle, the young man needed to stay an extra week in the city to sort out the situation. On that occasion, Eurico took his first photo so it could be integrated into that document.⁷

Studies and Family

Upon arriving in São Paulo in 1972, he attended the eighth grade and, from 1973 to 1975, high school and a technical course in Accounting. Eurico was a dedicated industrial student (full-scholarship student, who paid for his studies through working at the educational institution). At that time, a great desire to study Theology and become an Adventist pastor awakened in the young man. There, between 1976 and 1977, he enrolled in the Theology program but, for family reasons, had to stop the course, resuming it in 1980.⁸ In 1983, he graduated, being part of the 62nd class of Theology graduates, whose motto was “Pastors after God’s heart.”⁹

At UNASP, Eurico met a young pedagogy student, Eliane Rosa Cidral, who would become his wife. Eliane and Eurico were married on July 15, 1978, in São Francisco do Sul, Santa Catarina.¹⁰ The couple soon had three children, including two girls--Queive and Evelin Cidral Muniz, and a boy--Eurico Cidral Muniz.¹¹

Ministry

After graduating in Theology, Eurico did not receive an immediate call, which led him and his family to move to his wife’s home state of Santa Catarina, where he was hired as a religious education teacher at the Adventist School of Lageado Baixo.¹²

In 1984, he received a call from the Central Brazil Conference to work as a pastor in Aruanã, Goiás, headquarters of the social and missionary project Lancha Luzeiro do Araguaia.¹³ Pastor Eurico, who was their pastor and boat pilot,¹⁴ together with a team made up of a nursing technician and a dentist, traveled the region along the Araguaia River, approaching riverside communities, providing health care services and evangelizing these populations.¹⁵ They traveled once a year, when the tide was high, since the boat weighed around 45 tons.¹⁶

One of the missions carried out by Eurico through Luzeiro was the evangelization of indigenous communities on the island of Bananal, Tocantins (at the time, part of the state of Goiás). On the island, he faced many difficulties, including death threats. A memorable moment happened while he was preparing for an evangelistic campaign. When he was about to turn on the projector and start his preaching, a drunk indigenous man pointed an arrow at his chest and said that if the pastor turned on the projector, he would be killed. At that moment, Eurico closed his eyes and prayed to God. Without fear, even under the threat of the man, he turned on the projector. Then, the indigenous man, who was known for not missing a shot, lowered his bow and withdrew, neither stopping nor injuring Pastor Muniz.¹⁷

In 1988, Pastor Eurico Muniz was ordained to the pastoral ministry. The ceremony took place at the pastors’ council of the Central Brazil Conference, from February 2nd to the 5th, in Aruanã, on the banks of the Araguaia River,¹⁸ with Pastor Nevil Gorski as the ordination godfather.¹⁹ On that same occasion, he had the opportunity to baptize his eldest daughter, Queive.²⁰ From 1988 to 1990, Muniz was a pastor in the district of Uruaçu, Goiás, which covered more than 1,500 km, and included cities in the states of Goiás, Tocantins, and Mato Grosso. This district was the headquarters of the Riachão Adventist Camp, which received around 5,000 visitors from all over Brazil in its camps yearly. Many times, after his arduous effort to carry out and structure the camp, Eurico would become ill and be hospitalized.²¹ In 1991, he was transferred to the District of Planaltina, where he stayed for just one year,²² but he dedicated himself to the work of opening new churches and groups.²³

On April 2, 1992, the boat Luzeiro do Araguaia II was launched. The event was coordinated by Pastor Homero Reis, president of the Central Brazil Conference, and was attended by local authorities and church leaders. Pastor Muniz was one of those present and a crew member on the first trip of the new boat along the Araguaia River.²⁴ Still in 1992, Muniz arrived in Goiânia, capital of the State of Goiás, where he took over the district of Setor Pedro Ludovico, which contained 13 churches. In this district, Pastor Eurico sought to establish a Pathfinder Club in each Church. The district used to bring together more than 500 pathfinders from the 13 clubs in a camp called Campori Distrital.²⁵

In 1994, he received a call to serve as pastor of the Central Brazil Adventist Academy Church (IABC), where he remained for just one year. In the short period he worked at IABC, he dedicated himself to evangelistic work with the institution's students, especially those who were considered “rebels.”²⁶

In 1995, he was transferred to the heart of the state of São Paulo, where he worked in the districts of Itapeva (1995-1998) and Pirassununga (1999-2000).²⁷ During this period, together with other fellow pastors, he organized and led youth congresses in the region.²⁸ Some of these congresses were the Third Regional Youth Congress, in Itararé, June 1995²⁹; and the 5th Regional Youth Congress, in Capão Bonito, August 1998, which included a pro-health march and the presence of young people from the cities of Capão Bonito, Apiaí, Itapeva, Itararé, Itapetininga, and Ribeira.³⁰

In 1995, Pastor Eurico Muniz was one of the delegates who participated in the study A Música na Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia (Music in the Seventh-day Adventist Church) carried out by the Music Commission of the Pastoral Council of the Central São Paulo Conference, which took place in April 1995.³¹ In 2000, Pastor Eurico was invited to be a preceptor at the current Brazil Adventist University Hortolândia campus, where he worked from 2000 to 2002, when he requested to return to pastoral work.³²

Last Years

In August 2002, he moved to Cuiabá, Mato Grosso. By 2010, he had led two districts: Bosque da Saúde and Pedra 90. In 2011 and 2012, he was responsible for the district of Jardim Glória, in Várzea Grande, Mato Grosso, which was his last place of work as a pastor. In the following years he had to be withdrawn from work due to health problems. In 2017, he received retirement.³³

Pastor Eurico’s works in the State of Mato Grosso was awarded publicly on two occasions by local authorities. In 2008, he received the title of “Citizen of Mato Grosso,” by the Legislative Assembly of the Mato Grosso State,³⁴ in commendation for the donation of an X-ray machine that was housed in a room in the Church of Barão Melgaço. The donation was destined to the Faculty of Physics of the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT).³⁵ In 2009, Eurico was one of the pastors honored with a congratulatory motion (clapping), in the special session of the Legislative Assembly of the Mato Grosso State, held in Cuiabá, on December 1, 2009, in celebration of 113 years of Adventist education in Brazil.³⁶

On July 7, 2020,³⁷ in Joinville, Santa Catarina, Pastor Muniz died from COVID-19.³⁸ In his more than 30 years of service as a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, he influenced hundreds of people to give their lives to Christ. Coming from a humble childhood and facing several difficulties, he managed to study, support his family, and become an honorable Adventist minister. His legacy is perpetuated by family and friends, inspiring all who wish to dedicate their lives to the service of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Sources

“A música na Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia: Estudo feito pela Comissão de Música do Concílio Pastoral da Associação Paulista Central em abril de 1995.” April 1995. Accessed on February 29, 2024, https://musicaeadoracao.com.br/29006/a-musica-na-igreja-adventista-do-setimo-dia/.

“ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASIL CENTRAL: Campo Realiza Concílio e Ordenação de Pastores.” Revista Adventista 84, no. 5 (May 1988).

“Dormiram no Senhor.” Revista Adventista 86, no. 7 (July 1990).

Elaine Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 27, 2024.

“Marcha pela saúde: Jovens paulistas participam de passeata internacional.” Revista Adventista 84, no. 10 (October 1998).

“MÉMORIA.” Revista Adventista 113, no. 1337 (September 2018).

“MÉMORIA.” Revista Adventista 115, no. 1361 (September 2020).

“Nova Luzeiro singra o Araguaia.” Revista Adventista 88, no. 6 (June 1992).

“Pastor é condecorado no Mato Grosso.” Revista Adventista 104, no. 1207 (January 2009).

“Pastores se unem para realizar congresso.” Revista Adventista 91, no. 8 (August 1995).

“Resolução nº 896 de 18 de junho de 2008.” Assembleia Legislativa do Estado de Mato Grosso - Secretaria de Serviços Legislativos, 2008. Accessed on June 26, 2024.

“Sessão especial marca os 113 anos da Educação Adventista no Brasil.” Assembleia Legislativa do Estado de Mato Grosso, 2009. Accessed on February 29, 2024.https://www.al.mt.gov.br/midia/texto/sessao-especial-marca-os-113-anos-da-educacao-adventista-no-brasil-24317/visualizar.

Stencel, Renato; William Eduardo Timm. “Histórico da Faculdade Adventista de Teologia no Brasil.” Centro Nacional da Memória Adventista, Engenheiro Coelho, 2015.

Notes

1. Eurico Cidral Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 19, 2024.↩

2. Ibid.↩

3. “MÉMORIA,” Revista Adventista 113, no. 1337 (September 2018): 43.↩

4. “Dormiram no Senhor,” Revista Adventista 86, no. 7 (July 1990): 34.↩

5. Elaine Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 27, 2024.↩

6. Ibid.↩

7. Ibid.↩

8. Ibid.↩

9. Renato Stencel; William Eduardo Timm. “Histórico da Faculdade Adventista de Teologia no Brasil,” (Centro Nacional da Memória Adventista, Engenheiro Coelho, 2015): 43.↩

10. Elaine Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 27, 2024.↩

11. Eurico Cidral Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 19, 2024.↩

12. Ibid.↩

13. Ibid.↩

14. Ibid.↩

15. Elaine Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 27, 2024.↩

16. “Nova Luzeiro singra o Araguaia,” Revista Adventista 88, no. 6 (June 1992): 20.↩

17. Eurico Cidral Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 19, 2024.↩

18. “ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASIL CENTRAL: Campo Realiza Concílio e Ordenação de Pastores,” Revista Adventista 84, no. 5 (May 1988): 24.↩

19. Elaine Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 27, 2024.↩

20. “ASSOCIAÇÃO BRASIL CENTRAL: Campo Realiza Concílio e Ordenação de Pastores,” Revista Adventista 84, no. 5 (May 1988): 24.↩

21. Eurico Cidral Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 19, 2024.↩

22. Ibid.↩

23. Elaine Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 27, 2024.↩

24. “Nova Luzeiro singra o Araguaia,” Revista Adventista 88, no. 6 (June 1992): 20.↩

25. Eurico Cidral Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 19, 2024.↩

26. Ibid.↩

27. Elaine Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 27, 2024.↩

28. “Pastores se unem para realizar congresso,” Revista Adventista 91, no. 8 (August 1995): 24.↩

29. Ibid.↩

30. “Marcha pela saúde: Jovens paulistas participam de passeata internacional,” Revista Adventista, 84, no. 10 (October 1998): 34.↩

31.  “A música na Igreja Adventista do Sétimo Dia: Estudo feito pela Comissão de Música do Concílio Pastoral da Associação Paulista Central em abril de 1995,” April 1995.↩

32. Elaine Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 27, 2024.↩

33. Ibid.↩

34. “Resolução nº 896 de 18 de junho de 2008,” Assembleia Legislativa do Estado de Mato Grosso - Secretaria de Serviços Legislativos, 2008.↩

35. “Pastor é condecorado no Mato Grosso,” Revista Adventista 104, no. 1207 (January 2009): 36.↩

36. “Sessão especial marca os 113 anos da Educação Adventista no Brasil,” Assembleia Legislativa do Estado de Mato Grosso, 2009.↩

37. Elaine Muniz, interviewed by Melissa Querido Batista, Centro de Pesquisas Ellen G. White: UNASP campus Engenheiro Coelho, São Paulo, June 27, 2024.↩

38. “MÉMORIA,” Revista Adventista 115, no. 1361 (September 2020): 40-41.↩