Craig and Mary DeLille are tangible expressions of Christ’s love to the vulnerable and marginalized. Since 2008, Brazil has been their home where they’ve lived out their calling as part of South America Mission. In Brazil, South America Mission is known as Missão SAIM.
Craig and Mary’s passion is for the church to be the church— “the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way.” They believe that the people of God assume a proactive role in God’s redemptive plan. Meeting felt, physical needs, and encouraging the spread of salt and light are catalysts for spiritual transformation. The church’s role in society is to proclaim and demonstrate the gospel through an outpouring of grace and mercy. The DeLille’s work in Brazil has been about accentuating the beauty of the Bride of Christ as they encourage local churches to embody the Kingdom of God to a watching world.
The SAM Center will be based in the city of Recife, an urban hub of 4 million in Brazil’s northeast corner. Cities like Recife, which are growing rapidly across Latin America, need dedicated efforts to shape gospel influencers for the masses as they swell beyond the capacity of the church to reach them.
While based in Recife and poised for impact on this urban area, the Center’s work of developing church leaders and missionaries will also emphasize the need to go to the isolated, rural places of Brazil that are home to millions. Brazil—the 7th largest country on earth by population, the 5th largest by land mass—boasts more than 340 distinct indigenous people groups in its jungles and dry forests, millions of descendants of African slaves, large Gypsy populations, and marginalized rural peoples.
The Center’s vision is shaped by a strategy to train and develop the most leaders to reach the most people. We maximize this potential by locating the Center in a major urban area that is also a launching point out into Brazil’s remote northeastern region.
The ultimate words of Jesus before he ascended into heaven were an exhortation, known as the Great Commission, for his followers to “go into all the world and make disciples of all nations”. This work of going and making implies presence and pro-active engagement of the world around us. Unfortunately, and at times to the detriment of the true gospel, churches have chosen to be isolated, inwardly-focused and without accountability. This is true of churches in the US as well as in Latin America, where the logical progression of this posture has resulted in at least appearances of greed and the spread of harmful doctrines like the prosperity gospel.
The hope of the Center is in wholistic, gospel transformation as leaders are developed “to go”, be present in communities, and radiate the beauty of Christ through word and deed. Churches are the protagonists of God’s redemptive action in the world.
Also, the COVID pandemic has brought us into an era of thinking anew about how the church, today, can most effectively awaken people to Christ’s love for the world. The gospel compels us to respond to exacerbated societal injustices, deeper levels of poverty and felt, physical needs that are now more prevalent and chronic to daily life. The Mission Center will partner with churches to cultivate an effective and gospel-centered response to suffering that enhances the church’s witness. It’s a response that reminds us that first, Christ loves us, and cares about the hardships we endure as a result of the world’s brokenness.
Last but not least, individualism, tribalism and material scarcity have forced the leadership of too many churches to prioritize activity that self-preserves and protects turfs. This has been done to the detriment of the advance of the Kingdom of God. The Center will be known for its “We’re better together!” approach and work that facilitates necessary cooperation and collaboration across ministries and denominations.
Our response is to be “on mission” in Brazil, for the good of the world and the glory of God. Gospel transformation in the hearts and lives of our neighbors is the hope of our mission. And we believe that presence, action, and the testimony of God’s redemptive work in our own lives are the most effective means God utilizes to bring redemption to the lives of others.
Our dedicated space on 7.5 acres, located 30 minutes north of Recife in Igarassu, will focus on training intensives and special events, gospel-centered outreach ideation, and modules geared around the strategic implementation of outreach efforts. We will also focus on soul care through retreats and counseling services. The Center will be known for promoting Christ-centered engagement of communities throughout the northeastern region of Brazil for which Recife is a strategic hub.
♦ Vision
To see wholistic, gospel transformation in Recife and beyond, in the isolated communities of indigenous, of migrant Gypsies, slave descendants, and millions of marginalized rural peoples. Leaders will be developed to engage these communities as the body of Christ.
♦ Ethos
The Center will be known for advancing ministry that engages communities in truth, love and mercy. We’ll also collaborate closely with other organizations and ministries to accomplish our purposes. A few of our partners are: City to City Latin America, Disciple Nations Alliance (DNA), Stephen Ministry, Pioneers, Igreja Batista Sião and Projeto Amanajé.
♦ Strategy/Outcomes
We’re developing leaders—ones on staff at local churches, lay people within, youth who want to make a difference for good and justice, professionals who see a need for transformation in the marketplace. We estimate that the Center will enable us to develop more than 3x the number we have in recent years, jumping from 200 trained and equipped in 2018-19 to 640+ in the Center’s first full year.
♦ Funding
First round funding goal is $250,000. A target purchase price of $135,000 will acquire 7.5 fenced acres already developed with facilities (a main building for events which can also sleep 30, outdoor covered chapel, pool). We will allocate $115,000 for additional construction, including 30 suites used for counseling and care. Estimated annual maintenance and overhead costs are $6,000, with projected annual revenues of $30,000.
