Get to Know Our Missionaries (3)

30 September 2009 by Wes Bredenhof

Our next stop is north-eastern Brazil where Rev. Ken Wieske and Rev. Julius VanSpronsen are labouring.  They have been sent out by the Maranatha church in Surrey, BC, and their work is supported by all the Canadian Reformed churches in western Canada and the USA.  The Maranatha church has been doing mission work in Brazil since 1970.  Former missionaries include Rev. Cornelius VanSpronsen (the father of Julius), Rev. Ralph Boersema, Rev. Piet Meijer, and Rev. Elso Venema.  As a result of their labours (and others from the Netherlands and Hamilton, ON), there is now a small federation of Reformed Churches in Brazil (Igregas Reformadas do Brasil — IRB).  Today, Rev. Wieske and Rev. VanSpronsen are concentrating on helping this small federation to grow and develop further.  The Aldeia Training Centre (in the Recife area) is an important part of this work, giving the missionaries an excellent teaching facility.  Although it does not appear to have been updated recently, the Maranatha Mission Board has a website here.

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