{"id":66403,"date":"2025-09-11T08:00:22","date_gmt":"2025-09-11T12:00:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/?p=50713"},"modified":"2025-11-04T16:26:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T21:26:06","slug":"young-church-plant-reaches-growing-brazilian-population-in-florida","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/young-church-plant-reaches-growing-brazilian-population-in-florida\/","title":{"rendered":"Young church plant reaches growing Brazilian population in Florida"},"content":{"rendered":"

Editor\u2019s Note: Wilson Cordeiro Jr. is one of the featured church planters in 2025\u00a0<\/em>Maguire State Mission Offering<\/em><\/a>\u00a0resources. The statewide 2025 offering goal of $1 million is earmarked to help reach the 16.7 million Florida residents who do not have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ, with 100% of all receipts designated to help launch church plants in the state.<\/em><\/p>\n

CLERMONT\u2014<\/strong>\u00a0On February 10, Primeira Igreja Batista em Clermont<\/a> (First Baptist Church of Clermont \u2013 Brazilian) celebrated its one-year anniversary with a moment of unforgettable joy: the baptism of a man named Marcelo, whose story of salvation has already begun to ripple into his family, the community and the nations.<\/p>\n

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When Marcelo arrived in the United States from Brazil, he had no prior contact with Christianity and had never stepped foot inside a Christian church before. But on Marcelo\u2019s first Sunday in America, a mother from the young Brazilian congregation invited his son to attend a church gathering taking place in the community clubhouse. Marcelo, his wife and his young son, and little daughter went to the gathering\u2014and they stayed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThey came for breakfast,\u201d said church planter Wilson Cordeiro Jr., \u201cand they never stopped coming.\u201d<\/p>\n

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As the family became increasingly involved in Sunday services and small group meetings, Marcelo said that God began to stir his heart. He professed faith in Christ, began a discipleship journey and was ultimately baptized on the day the church marked one year of ministry.<\/p>\n

But the story doesn\u2019t end there.<\/p>\n

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\u201cAs Marcelo was being baptized, his mother who lives in Brazil, watched his baptism through the streaming, called to him and said, \u2018I want to be baptized too,\u2019\u201d said Cordeiro. \u201cShe had also come to faith in Christ, and one month later travelled to the United States, and we had the opportunity to baptize her as well at Clermont Lakefront Park.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Now, Marcelo is growing in his faith and even leading a Bible study with his mother-in-law, father and father-in-law, who still lives in S\u00e3o Paulo State, Brazil.<\/p>\n

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“By opening their doors to multicultural Baptist church planters whom God is bringing to this nation, they have a unique opportunity to participate in His mission.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Wilson Cordeiro Jr.<\/strong>
church planter, Primeira Igreja Batista em Clermont, expressing gratefulness to First Baptist Church Clermont for allowing the new Brazilian church plant he leads to meet in its buildings<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

A new church with a clear vision<\/strong><\/p>\n

The launch of Primeira Igreja Batista em Clermont began as a whisper from God, said Cordeiro, in September 2023. After sensing a burden for the large Brazilian population in the Oakland\/Clermont area, Cordeiro and his wife began to pray.<\/p>\n

That burden reflects a growing reality. According to the U.S. Census Bureau\u2019s American Community Survey, nearly 130,000 Brazilians now call Florida home. The Brazilian immigrant population in the U.S. rose nearly 50% from 2010 to 2019, reaching more than half a million. The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford metropolitan area, which includes Clermont, is among the top five metro areas for Brazilians nationwide, with an estimated 34,000 Brazilian immigrants\u2014about 1.24% of the total local population. This demographic growth underscores the strategic need for gospel-centered, culturally attuned churches like Primeira Igreja Batista em Clermont.<\/p>\n

This burden and this prayer led to a February 10, 2024, launch, but the journey wasn\u2019t without its challenges.<\/p>\n

What started with just two families gathering on Fridays quickly grew. By March, the small group reached 45 people\u2014too many for Cordeiro\u2019s two-bedroom apartment. The group visited more than 35 possible meeting places, before an unexpected door opened.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Worship at Primeira Igreja Batista em Clermont is passionate and enthusiastic.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cOne day during a house service, someone mentioned First Baptist Church Clermont<\/a>,\u201d Cordeiro recalled. \u201cWe connected with one of the deacons, who passed our contact info to the associate pastor, Pastor Randy. They welcomed us in.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Since May 2024, the young church plant, whose sending church is PIB Florida<\/a>, has met at First Baptist Clermont led by Pastor Ben Bond, which has embraced the Brazilian congregation as part of its wider missions vision. First Baptist Clermont is also home to Haitian and Spanish-language ministries and is known for its generosity and gospel focus.<\/p>\n

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The Brazilian church meets on\u00a0Family Fridays, beginning with fellowship and food at 8:00 p.m., followed by worship at 8:45 p.m. and Bible studies for every age group until midnight. On Sundays, the congregation gathers at 6:00 p.m. for worship and teaching. Average attendance is about 60, with peaks of 80 or more.<\/p>\n

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\u201cOur vision is centered on family and the next generation,\u201d Cordeiro said. \u201cWe\u2019re investing in children, youth and young adults\u2014and already we see fruit.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Codeiro is grateful for the generosity of Florida Baptists\u2019 giving to the Maguire State Mission Offering which has undergirded the planting of Primeira Igreja Batista em Clermont as it seeks to reach the growing number of Brazilians moving into his community.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sending and being sent<\/strong><\/p>\n

Even as a young church plant, Primeira Igreja Batista em Clermont has set its sights on the nations. The Brazilian congregation is already supporting missionaries in S\u00e3o Paulo, Brazil, and Guinea-Bissau, West Africa, reflecting the belief that a missions-minded church is a healthy church.<\/p>\n

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Cordeiro sees every step of the church-planting journey as God\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Church planter Wilson Cordeiro Jr. leads Primeira Igreja Batista em Clermont with a thankful heart for God\u2019s leadership in reaching Brazilians with the gospel and for the many partners coming alongside the church plant.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cMy only encouragement to other pastors is this: \u2018Rest in God; be obedient, and He will do what He needs to do. It\u2019s not because of us\u2014it\u2019s because of Him. I earnestly urge Baptist churches in the United States to embrace what God is doing among diverse cultures. By opening their doors to multicultural Baptist church planters whom God is bringing to this nation, they have a unique opportunity to participate in His mission. This is a chance to use the buildings God has already provided as a powerful tool for advancing His kingdom through cross-cultural ministry.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

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As the church continues to grow, Cordeiro asks for prayer for faithfulness, strength and continued unity between the Brazilian congregation and the English-speaking body at First Baptist Church Clermont.<\/p>\n

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\u201cFirst Baptist Clermont has been a phenomenal partner\u2014a true missionary church,\u201d Cordeiro said.<\/p>\n

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\u201cWe\u2019re grateful for the way they\u2019ve opened their doors and their hearts to what God is doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On February 10, Primeira Igreja Batista em Clermont (First Baptist Church of Clermont \u2013 Brazilian) celebrated its one-year anniversary with a moment of unforgettable joy: the baptism of a man named Marcelo, whose story of salvation has already begun to ripple into his family, the community and the nations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":82,"featured_media":50007,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[47,18,939,22,23,353,45,25],"tags":[2846,858,1096,832,2847,1098,2848],"class_list":["post-66403","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-region-central","category-multicultural","category-offerings","category-providing","category-sharing","category-state-mission-offering","category-statewide","category-stories","tag-ben-bond","tag-brazilian","tag-first-baptist-church-clermont","tag-msmo","tag-pib-florida","tag-primeira-igreja-batista-em-clermont","tag-wilson-cordeiro-jr"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66403","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/82"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66403"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66403\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67892,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66403\/revisions\/67892"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66403"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66403"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flbaptist.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66403"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}