Baptist Mid-Missions of Brazil
75th Anniversary: 1935 - 2010
Missionaries with last names starting with the letter
"E"
Last updated on November 9, 2009
- - - - - -
Karis Elliott
Karis Elliott taught as a short-term missionary at the Fortaleza Academy from September 1993 until May 1995. Karis was then accepted for full-time service with Baptist Mid-Missions in 2000 and returned to Brazil to teach at the Academy for the 2000-2001 school year.
Karis returned to the United States to visit churches and raise her support. She returned on January 26, 2005. Entering Brazil through the city of São Paulo, she traveled to Fortaleza for her language studies. Having been in and out of Brazil for nearly a decade, she was able to complete her formal language studies at the BMM Fortaleza language school in about four months, May 2005.
Since then, Karis has been active in teaching at Fortaleza Academy, Baptist Mid-Mission’s school for missionaries’ children, and served as the Academy director for one year.
During this time, Karis also served at the First Regular Baptist Church of Aquiraz (Primeira Igreja Batista Regular de Aquiraz,) located in the city of Aquiraz, Ceará. Karis joined BMM missionary Betty Luytjes in this church helping the national pastor. Karis´ ministries at this church have included being the music department director, choir director, pianist, vocalist, children's church teacher, and VBS director/worker.
Erwin and Edna Evans
Erwin and Edna Evans were accepted by Baptist Mid-Missions in the fall of 1963. They arrived in Brazil on March 29th, 1967. They entered Brazil through Rio de Janeiro and then studied the Portuguese language in the Baptist Mid-Missions Fortaleza Language School. While they were in language school, they helped start the congregation in Aquiraz, Ceará, which is the former capital of Ceará. The church was located in the center of town, and they were able to later buy that building. They used some young people from Neal Smith's church in Fortaleza, Tevelândia Batist Church (Igreja Batista de Tevelândia (now the Igreja Batista Manancial), to do the preaching. They also had the help of Grace (Trimble) Kintner. Other BMM missionaries took over the work when they moved to São Paulo.
In July 1968, the Evans moved to South Brazil and lived at Camp Maranatha. For almost two years they worked in the Central Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Central) in Taubaté, São Paulo. This church was started by Billy Griffin, but the attendance had dwindled to almost nothing before they arrived. While the Evans were at the Taubaté church, they bought a parsonage, and the church called Pastor José Goncalves (Zuza). Sueli, the secretary of the seminary in Curitiba, was formerly from the Taubate Sunday School. She was about 8 years old when the Evans were there.
In the second half of their first term, after turning the Taubate church over to a national pastor, they started the First Baptist Church (Primeira Igreja Batista) in Caçapava, São Paulo, in August 1970. They built a 6 by 14 meter church building. Upon their return from furlough, they built a home in Caçapava and continued to work there for a total of over 14 years. In their third term, they built the present church buildings.
In Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, the Evans began the Faith Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Fé) using several of the families who moved from Caçapava to Cuibá, Mato Grosso. The Evans remained in Cacapava but gave as much orientation and help as possible to the new work in Cuiabá. Monty and Gloria Moore took the Cacapava work while the Evans took a short furlough. In June 1984, Pastor Alceu Ferreira took the church in Cacapava when the Evans moved to Fortaleza. Following Alceu’s ministry, Pastor Cleiton pastored the church, then Pastor Ricardo (a product of that ministry) pastored for a short time. Pastor Jefferson Soares (also a product of the Caçapava church) was called next to pastor the church. Currently Pastor Joao is the pastor there.
Many others came out of the Caçapava church and are in the ministry: Pastor Citrí in Pinda; Celestino Simão (manager of BBN radio station in Taubaté and one of the directors of BBN of Brazil); Pastor Rodinelli (church planter in São Roque de Minas, MG); Pastor Ulisses, pastoring the Bethel Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Betel) in Parque Residencial Cocaia, São Paulo, São Paulo; and Pastor Alceu's son-in-law, Adiel de Souza Brito.
In 1984, the Evans moved to Fortaleza and worked in the New Jerusalem Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Nova Jerusalem) in Conjunto Ceará. The Evans spent two and one-half years there. God blessed, and they left the church with a new building and a seminary graduate, Orivaldo Pacheco, as their pastor. He is still there and the church is flourishing. The church has started two more churches and is involved in a recently built camp.
In the fall of 1989, the Evans moved to Brasilia where they spent eleven plus years. They worked in the city of Taguatinga, Distrito Federal, for nearly five years, two of those years with John and Dee Mitchell. Later they moved the church to Samambaia, Distrito Federal, where the Evans built a church building, an educational building, and later a parsonage. They left the Redeemer Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Redentor) with Pr. João and his wife Valmira.
At the same time they started the Lamb Baptist Church (Igreja Batista do Cordeiro) in Santa Maria, Distrito Federal, with Jose Rocha, a layman from Calvary Baptist Church (Igreja Batista do Calvário). They built a small building and helped put a seminary graduate there who was from Calvary Baptist. Pastor Paulo stayed a little over a year at the church in Santa Maria. There were a couple of brothers from the Cordeiro Congregation in Santa Maria that went on to seminary in Curitiba.
When Erwin and Edna returned from furlough in 1995, they took over a church plant that their son Mark had begun in 1992 - Heritage Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Herança) in Águas Lindas (de Goiás), Goiás. Pastor Paulo (who was in Santa Maria) went through some rough spots. He moved to Águas Lindas and was able to take over the church. When Mark returned, they worked together and were able to organize the church. Pr. Paulo stayed for 7-9 years and did a wonderful work. The Evans built the present structures that are being used today in the Santa Maria and Águas Lindas churches.
After Monty Moore was taken home to Heaven, the Evans moved to Mauá da Serra, Paraná, in answer to the call and need of a newly-started church, the Regular Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Regular) in the downtown area in Mauá da Serra, Paraná. After construction of the church and parsonage, Pastor Jefferson Soares and wife Epi stepped in to develop this work. Jefferson and his wife ministered at this church for seven years. Pastor Claudinei Piriles, one of the founding members, answered God's call to the ministry and started seminary as the Evans retired. Praise the Lord, he graduated and has just started (2008) the First Regular Baptist Church in Maringa, Paraná.
Evans finished their report by saying: “Oh! that we had another life or two to labor for the Lord!”
Mark and Robin Evans
Mark and Robin Evans joined Baptist Mid-Missions on July 27, 1989. (Mark is the oldest son of retired BMM missionaries Erwin and Edna Evans.) They arrived in Brasília, Distrito Federal, June 15, 1993, where Erwin and Edna were living at that time. They studied Portuguese in Fortaleza, Ceará, then continued their studies in Brasília, finishing in June 1994. In Portuguese, Mark was known as “Pastor Marcos”.
In January and February 1995, Mark and Robin filled in at the Hope Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Esperança) in Samambaia, Distrito Federal. From February 1995 to July 1998, Mark and Robin established the Heritage Baptist Church (Igreja Batista Herança) in “Cidade do Entorno,” a subdivision of Águas Lindas de Goiás, Goiás. While at this church, they bought 3 adjoining lots, 12 meters x 30 meters each. With the help of Ray Ronk, Mark built a large wooden structure to begin services. This was later expanded with Erwin Evans’ help just before Mark and Robin left for furlough. Erwin and Edna Evans (June 1996 - July 1997) served as replacements at this church during Mark and Robin’s furlough. During that year, Erwin built a permanent building for the church. After Mark and Robin returned from furlough, Erwin and Edna received a donation to buy a parsonage across the street from the church. They then organized the church and turned it over to its first Brazilian pastor, Paulo Freitas and his wife Janice.
From August 2000 to June 2001, Mark and Robin assumed leadership of the Lamb Baptist Church (Igreja Batista do Cordeiro) in Santa Maria, Distrito Federal. Mark took over the normal pastoral duties of preaching, teaching, evangelism, and discipleship at this church. In order for them to make an urgent return to the United States, the church was left in the hands of a Brazilian pastor. Mark and Robin resigned from Baptist Mid-Missions on March 01, 2002, and did not return to this ministry.
While Mark was in Brasilia, he also worked with two other missionaries, Jon Mitchell and Terry Craven, to establish a Bible Institute. He also served a brief term as South Region treasurer (1997). In 1999 - 2000, the Evans worked to establish a Christian school in Brasilia (English speaking), Brasilia International School (BIS).
Return to History of BMM in Brazil page