Portuguese Evangelical Lutheran Church

We're moving!

2009-01-13T17:06:00.002Z

We are moving definitively to other places. You can find us on:

IELP's new website: http://www.ielp.pt

Congregation Consolação (Mercês/Lisbon)'s blog: http://ielpmerces.blogspot.com

Parish Emanuel (Maia/Porto)'s blog: http://ielpmaia.blogspot.com

Congregation Bom Pastor (Terceira Island/Azores)'s blog: http://ielpbompastor.blogspot.com

Thank you and keep visiting our new sites!

Getting a bit famous!

2008-04-24T04:00:00.007Z

Monday, April 21st 2008
Wedding at Póvoa do Varzim, which was celebrated by Pastor Jonas. The Emanuel Congregation's Youth played and sang during the cerimony.

(click in the photos to enlarge)

Emanuel Congregation - 16th Anniversary Service

2008-04-01T20:54:00.005Z

Sunday, March 30th 2008
Especial service to celebrate Emanuel Congregation's 16th Anniversary, with Youth and children's special participation.

Easter Sunday Service, Emanuel Congregation

2008-03-24T20:44:00.008Z

Easter Sunday, March 23rd 2008
Easter special service at Emanuel Congregation and celebration of the Pastor's birthday

Christmas, Consolação Congregation

2007-12-24T12:32:00.000Z

Sunday, December 23rd 2007
Christmas program, Consolação Congregation (Mem Martins - Lisbon)

Christmas, Emanuel Congregation

2007-12-23T23:11:00.000Z

Saturday, December 22nd 2007
Christmas program, Emanuel Congregation (Maia - Porto)

Confirmation, Emanuel Congregation

2007-11-08T20:59:00.001Z

Sunday, November 11th 2007
Confirmation of Cláudia Teixeira, from Emanuel Congregation (Maia - Porto)

Reformation Service, Emanuel Congregation

2007-10-29T20:03:00.004Z

Sunday, October 28th 2007
Reformation special service, Emanuel Congregation (Maia - Porto)

We received special visitors, Pastor Lienhard Krüger and his wife, Mrs Angelica, from Germany. Pastor Krüger was invited to preach, and his sermon was translated by Pastor Hiller, from Ponte de Lima mission.

Pic-nic with Congregation

2007-09-10T19:02:00.000Z

Sunday, September 9th 2007
Pic-nic with members of Emanuel Congregation, in Maia - Porto

Wedding - Consolação Congregation

2007-08-20T22:10:00.000Z

Saturday, August 18th 2007

Wedding of Márcio and Fabiana Ferraz.

Youth Rally - Portugal/England

2007-08-08T21:12:00.000Z

Youth from Maia

First Communion (Emanuel Congregation)

2007-07-08T18:55:00.000Z

Sunday, July 7th 2007
First Communion of Beatriz Lima and Breno Landmeier, from Emanuel Congregation, in Maia - Porto.

Free booklets through the Internet

2007-05-29T20:57:00.000Z

The Portuguese Evangelical Lutheran Church is launching a project for delivering literature through the Internet.

We are offering free booklets, in PDF format, about Stress, Depression, Loneliness, Drugs and other subjects.

Our first step was print 10.000 flyers to advertise our website and the booklets available. To print these flyers, we had the support of Concordia Lutheran Church of San Antonio, Texas, to whom we want to say thank you very much. We also would like to thank Raquel Figur, from CAN-DO Missions, for doing the flyer's design.

These flyers were first distributed by the college students from Florida, USA, who came to Portugal beginning of May on a CAN-DO Mission's Trip.

On the Pentecost Sunday, the Emanuel congregation of Maia started the flyer distribution among its members, including the youth.

Next Sunday, June 3rd, the flyers will be distributed to the Consolação congregation members in Lisbon.

Thank You!!

2007-05-21T22:55:00.000Z

Dear Aaron, Amy, Beth, Brian, Chris, Christine, Dan, Leah, Liisa, Luke, Kelly, Mark, Mary, Matt, Mike, Scott, Todd, Travis, Vicki, Landon and Pastor Nilo,

It’s already been a week since you are gone, but the mark you left is still here. Each of us keeps the memory of the beauty of your smile, the sound of your songs, the hard work you’ve done, the care with the seniors, the strength of the youth, the effort to overcome the language obstacles, the emotion of every hug you left.

Our church has grown with your presence. Our Congregations had the privilege of being served, more than being a servant.

The Portuguese Evangelical Lutheran Church wants to say thank you to each one of you for coming to Portugal, and for the blessed days we have lived together. In every possible ways, through the power of God, we’ll do all we can to make the seeds you’ve planted grow and produce many fruits.

Special thanks to Ron for leading Can-Do to Portugal! Your vision and support made possible the presence of this fabulous group with us, last week. Your Portuguese brothers and sisters wish you all the blessings on your new ministry at the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, in Saint Louis, MO. Come back to visit us!

Ron Scherch, Pastor Nilo Figur and Pastor Jonas Flor in Lisbon (January 2006)

May the grace of God be with every one of you in your home, study and work.

Thank you very much! Come back soon!

All of your brothers from IELP

See you later!

2007-05-13T23:41:00.000Z

The last day has, unfortunately, arrived. Everyone woke up very early in the morning, so that we could leave to Lisbon at 6 am. (Which turned to 7 am, because of some delayers), but we still had time for a last picture in front of Porto's Church. The trip was fine, almost everyone sleeped for a while (except our two kind-of-nerds), and we were all fresh when we arrived in Lisbon.

The service was a very beautiful moment. Vicar Landon played guitar with the Church's band, and our American choir sang one more time one of their beautiful songs. The was also something that most of us were not expecting: a little girl was Baptized, which someone said was the most beautiful way to end the mission trip. After the service, we took some time to take pictures with the Congregation and people who hosted them in Porto, and then we had luch with the Lutheran Lisboetas.

After lunch, we all went for a walk around Lisbon, for some sightseeing, and some had even decided to try some local pastry.

Saying goodbye has never been easy. In between many people crying, promises of visits, picture taking and hugs, we all could see how important this mission trip was for everyone.

Thank you very much, our friends! May God bless you in everything you do, and help you spreading His Gospel wherever you go.

Oh, Portugal!

2007-05-12T23:55:00.000Z

This time, the day started in a very different way: with the smell of french toast and fried bacon. Thanks to some volunteers, they were able to bring to the Portuguese some of the American culture, and at the same time miss no more (or ... not so much!) home.

After that, we went to the beach. Although the sun did not show up too much, it was a wonderful morning. We had a worship moment, with a smal message from Vicar Landon (we should built our faith in stone, not in sand like there) and communion. Then, we spend some time enjoying the beautiful place there.

Baywatch

For lunch, we went to Mrs Tania's home, where a magnific barbecue was waiting for us. Once again, we sang for Mary and Mike's birthdays, with another chocolate cake.

We spent some time with the children in the afternoon (we will post that as soon as we get the photos), and the service was at 8 pm. CAN DO choir also sang, and in the end they had opportunity to take pictures with all the congregation and, finally, enjoy a delicious hot dog.

This was a bit of their last full day of contact with Lutherans from Portugal. Get ready for looooooooots of photos of their last day with us, that we will post as soon as possible.

Getting famous

2007-05-11T23:38:00.001Z

Hello! Today was another wonderful day! Early in the morning, we got separated into three groups which delivered the pamphlets to the neighbourhood houses. Then, we went to a nursing home in the city, Santa Casa da Misericórdia (Holy House of Mercy), where we knew how some old people lived while helped by these charity institution. The group visited the building, talked to the eldest and sang some songs to entertain them.

Later, after coming back home for lunch, we were taken to the Metro station, to go to a city mall. There we were able to buy some souvenirs and know a bit more of the Portuguese habits on their freetime.

This night was a very especial one. We took part in a concert organized by the Congregation, which also counted on a musical play and some hip hip songs. We couldn't forget our friends that got older that week, so we sang "Happy Birthday To You!" to Mike and Mary.

As it was Mike's birthday, the women in the Congregation decided to make a surprise for him. So, when we arrived home, there was a giant chocolate cake!

Tomorrow is another big day. We're going to work with children and have some more contact with the congregation. Don't miss the following chapter...

Time to know Oporto

2007-05-10T23:05:00.000Z

THE SISTERS ARE BACK! :D Thanks to God, Kelley recovered faster than we could have ever imagined, and fortunately she didn't miss any more than the hard-working day. Both sisters could finaly join the rest of the group in our adventures.

Our first stop was in a Port wine Cellar, Croft. We learnt a bit about how they make port wine and had the opportunity to try a nice Ruby wine. Muito bom!

Then we walked down to a place by the river Douro. After lots of individual pictures, we could finally gather everybody for a group photo.

Before lunchtime, we still had some time to go to Serra do Pilar, a high place near one of Oporto's bridges, to do some sightseeing, listen to Mr Reinaldo's explanations about the city and do more sightseeing.

Our lunch was a pic-nic in the City Park, but unfortunately our batteries were too low and we were not able to take pictures of that. However, we can say it was a very nice. :D

After lunch, we went to Fernando Pessoa University, where we visited the Communication and Health departments. We also had a surprise, as some of us appeared in the College's News on television, which we were not expecting. We will soon post the links to the website where you can find the videos.

Finaly, to finish our work day, we went to Bristol School Institute, where we took part in the students' classes. In between teaching English, learning new things about the country and playing some games, I think we all had lots of fun there.

It was a very blessed day. We hope that the good weather you've brought may come back soon, as we have lots of work outside. Check this blog later for some more information about the next chapter...

The painting day

2007-05-09T23:52:00.001Z

Hello world, the CAN DO remains among us!

Today the group dedicated the day for community service which deserved the best of our thanks. We gladly ensure everyone that the local church is now brighter than ever and even if we had a beautiful diploma expressing our deepest appreciation it perhaps would not suffice to reciprocate their caring love and interest.

The boys trying to learn English.

Lunch: Feijoada (with black beans)

Teaching English to the children.

Mrs Rosa said "Muito obrigada!"

We had dinner with the congregation, and so the ladies made some pizza. Some pizza means pizza-for-fourty-people. But... the fourty people did not ate it all. Well, it seems that tomorrow we will have a very nice meal for our tour in the city.

*Unfortunately, Kelley could not join us during the day, as she was not feeling good and she had to keep away from the sun and too much heat. We hope she can recover soon, and we are praying for it.

Going to festivals

2007-05-08T23:00:00.000Z

Before everything, we showed our gratitude for the excellent climate that they all brought from Florida which obviously helped to accomplish some difficult tasks, such as sightseeing Oporto’s city, the second largest town in Portugal.

Today they had the opportunity to enjoy the students’ parade in the City Hall among thousands of local people that were present in the event, which brings an unusual colour to the old granite grey city walls. Also some group members went down to see the river Douro, to see the narrow medieval streets and view a few monuments.

In the evening the group celebrated Mary’s 22nd birthday, in a very traditional Portuguese way, with soft white birthday cake!

They're here!

2007-05-07T22:47:00.000Z

It's true they have arrived.

They look tired but happy after nearly two days travelling to cross the Athlantic.

We hope that after a few hours sleeping they will be ready to join a weekly festival of the local university students and their yearly parade in Oporto, which usually is paralizing the city for a couple of hours.

The day after tomorrow there will be a surprise for them involving some community service to bring every happier. Paintings are expected therefore that will be an easy goal to accomplish.

In the end will they still be wanting to go back to the States or shall they prefer to stay living with us?

More news to follow in the next chapter...

Schedule - Part 1

2007-05-06T23:19:00.000Z

Tuesday

Morning
Enjoy a deserved rest.
Afternoon
Visit to Oporto's University Students Festival Parade.
Evening
Comprehensive explanations of local church activities and home welcoming.

Wednesday

Morning & Afternoon
Socializing with paint. Great performances appreciated.
Evening
English language master degree is the key word. Teach the best you know.

Thursday

Morning
Walk around in Oporto. Sightseeing: the river and the city monuments.
LUNCH: Pic-nic at City Park. Sit, talk and sing.
Afternoon
Visit to Oporto’s Fernando Pessoa University.
Evening
ESL activity in Maia’s Bristol School Institute. Tell them about you.

Easter Sunday Service

2007-04-08T18:13:00.002Z

Easter Sunday, April 8th 2007

The children singing: Breno, Thainá, Júlia and Leopoldo.

Our Congregation.

The youth has also sung; we will post the photos as soon as possible.

CAN-DO

2007-04-07T17:12:00.000Z

Twenty Lutheran college students from Gainesville, Florida (USA) will be visiting and doing mission work with our church from May 6-14, 2007. They will be coming to Portugal through CAN-DO Missions, a short termmission trip organization part of Concordia University at Austin.

The activities of these college students will involve helping us topaint our church facilities, visiting elderly in nursing homes, handingout flyers about the Portuguese Lutheran Church, teaching English lessons, worshiping, and presenting a play to the community.

If you have any question, suggestion, or if you want to support ourmission work e-mail us! Send your message to luterana.portugal@gmail.com or to Pastor Jonas Flor at flor.jonas@gmail.com.

Holy Week

2007-04-02T16:25:00.000Z

Thursday, 5-Apr
14h Activities for Children - Painting eggs for Easter (Maia)
19h Devotional Service for the Holy Week (Maia)

Friday, 6-Apr
17h Service (Mem Martins)

Saturday, 7-Apr
18.30h Youth Meeting (Maia)

Easter Sunday, 8-Apr
10h Service (Maia)
10.30h Service (Mem Martins)

Palm Sunday / Lisbon Parish's Birthday

2007-04-01T22:25:00.001Z

Palm Sunday, April 1st 2007

Parish Consolação's 16th Birthday - the President's Speech

Bible School for Children - Rute, Luana and Cristiana.

Iberic Conference - Sunday

2007-03-26T19:33:00.000Z

Sunday, 25th March 2007

The participants: pastors Adalberto Hiller, Jonas Flor, Walter Ralli, Gustavo Lavia and Professor Marcos Kempff.

Pastor Walter Ralli preaching

The youth singing: Jenifer, Artur, Silas, Rebeca and Jonathan.

Professor Marcos Kempff's Lecture

Iberic Conference, March 2007

2007-03-26T17:44:00.000Z

22nd to 25th March 2007

The 1st Iberic Conference, taken part in Porto, has counted with the presence of pastors from IELP, Revd. Jonas Flor and Revd. Adalberto Hiller, pastors from IELE, Revd. Walter Ralli and Revd. Gustavo Lavia, and the missionary Brent Smith, the LCMS World Mission Regional Director for Eurasia. Our invited conferencist was Professor Marcos Kempff, from Panama.

We aimed to think over mission work and Christian family life. Our conferencist, Professor Kempff, made some lectures not only for the pastors but also for their families.

In the last day, Revd. Ralli preached in the Sunday Service in the morning, and Professor Kempff made another lecture about family life to the whole Congregation after we all have had lunch.

We were all much more strenghtened, encouraged to go on with our mission: to spread the Gospel and to live a righteous life in Christ.

Baptism and Profession of Faith

2007-03-11T23:15:00.000Z

Sunday, 11th March 2007

Baptism of Thainá and Guilherme.

Profession of Faith of João, Albino, Adriana and Terezinha.

The youth group: Nalu, Tuilly, Rebeca, Artur, Tó and Silas. (Jonathan playing the guitar)

Visit our Site!

2007-02-02T15:46:00.000Z

Portuguese Lutheran Church

Visitors: Nilo Figur and Ron Scherch

2006-01-14T22:44:00.000Z

Sunday, 8th January 2006

Visitors in Lisbon: Pastor Nilo Figur and Mr Ron Scherch.