Portuguese pastoral visit by moderator

Presbyterian moderator the Rev Dr David Bruce is in Portugal this weekend to see at first hand work being undertaken by his church’s global mission workers in the northern city of Porto.
Rev Dr David bruceRev Dr David bruce
Rev Dr David bruce

Portugal is one of 11 countries across four continents where Irish Presbyterianism directly supports 27 global mission workers.

These include James and Heather Cochrane, from Comber, Co Down, and Chris and Rachel Humphries, from Tartaraghan, Co Armagh, who work in collaboration with the Igreja Christa Presbiteriana de Portugal – the Christian Presbyterian church of Portugal.

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The couples have planted Comunidade Pedras Vivas (CPV), a church in Senhora da Hora in the greater Porto area. Its name translates as “Living Stones”.

Dr Bruce said: “A moderator seeks to be an encourager to the church. In my two years in office I have had the privilege of seeing and encouraging the work done by many of our congregations. Due to the covid pandemic, I was unable to undertake an overseas tour like my predecessors. I hope this visit to Portugal will be an encouragement.”

Church planting is a broad term that encompasses prayer, planning, team-building, evangelism, discipling, pastoring, building relationships and training future leaders.

The Cochranes, who lead the CPV team, say building of relationships in the local community is important. The couple served as church planters in Brazil for seven years, before moving to Portuguese Bible Institute. Five years later, they relocated with their two daughters to Porto, to establish Comunidade Pedras Vivas with the Christian Presbyterian Church of Portugal. Chris and Rachel Humphries, with their young son and daughter, joined the team in 2019.

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James Cochrane says: “The moderator’s visit will be a time of fellowship and personal encouragement for us and the church family. We are a vibrant multi-generational congregation of 80 people who gather on a Sunday morning to worship. We look forward to Dr Bruce’s attendance at our Sunday service.”

“We also see the moderator’s visit as an opportunity to raise awareness of the challenging mission context in western Europe. Portugal, predominantly Roman Catholic, is a religious nation with symbols of Christianity on every corner. Yet, few would claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus. In this context, there is a great need to make disciples through the planting of Christ-centred, Bible-focused churches,” James Cochrane adds.

Dr Bruce will also travel to the capital Lisbon, to meet the president of the Christian Presbyterian Church of Portugal, to hear of the challenges faced by that denomination. He will also meet a representative of Grupos Biblicos Unidos, the Portuguese movement within the international fellowship of evangelical students (IFES). For three years in the 1980s, Dr Bruce was the IFES travelling secretary in Ireland.

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