Steps of the Called

One of the many blessings I’ve experienced since being on the island has been the English speaking community at Azorean Baptist Church. ABC is a small congregation made up mostly of American families who are stationed at Lajes Air Force Base. It has been an incredible blessing for me to be able to worship alongside these families, make new friends, and be encouraged on a weekly basis. The congregation is small, but has been growing in a new and challenging way over the last several weeks.

For the last few weeks we have had several Portuguese families attending ABC. These families don’t speak English, but were drawn to the church because Pastor Art showed them the love of Christ in a way that they’d never experienced before. It started with an 11 year old little girl knocking on the door asking for bread and it has progressed to four Portuguese families attending worship on a regular basis, hearing the gospel preached and seeing it lived out in a way that means more to them than I can comprehend.

James 2: 15-16 says: “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?”  Putting these verses into action has changed some things at ABC. For the first time in recent history (possibly ever) the congregation is working together to provide for the basic nutritional needs of these families. More importantly, they are seizing the opportunity to share God’s love and salvation with their neighbors in a very tangible way. For the last three weeks during the sermon portion of the worship service, Antonío (a native Azorean who speaks both Portuguese and English) has been sharing the gospel with them (in Portuguese) by teaching from the book of John.  

These families came seeking physical sustenance, but now they are walking away with something so much more valuable. Mark 8:36 says, “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?” Yes, they need food, and we’re doing what we can to provide that for them. But the truth is that no matter how much food they get, it’s all worthless if they walk away without knowing Christ. I’m thankful that we have the ability to share both physical food and spiritual nourishment with these families. We don’t do it because we have to, but because it’s an outpouring of the love that God has lavished on us. Please pray for us as we minister to these families.

If you’re reading this, and you have questions or want to know more about why the gospel is so important, please email me at ansley.caldwell@gmail.com I would love to talk with you more about what it means to know Christ!