The worship center, with temporary pews, can hold about 100 people.  Services have been held there since January 2007, on Sunday mornings, nights and Wednesday nights.  The building can also be used to house medical teams to minister to the people.  Villagers from many neighboring villages are welcome to join Marimarituba in their services.

 

 

The fellowship room is ready to provide good fellowship meals, a special blessing for many who sometimes find food hard to come by.  The greatest aspect of the fellowships is the unity it encourages... a trademark for a healthy, growing church.

 

 

Flooding allows, and requires, that our large riverboats come close to the building.  A very familiar sight to the villagers is a new one to the visitors, fellow workers and fellow believers who come to assist, work and worship with the new congregation at Marimarituba.  The passanger boat can be seen through the front door of the building.

 

 

 

A view from a small boat gives the view common to the residents of the "waterworld" of Amazonia.  Children go to school on the "school boat."  Parents travel and work from their boats much of the year.  Now entire families can come to study God's Word and worship Him.  They will also have the opportunity for better health from services planned from these facilities.

 

 

 

Paul and Jan Scott have played a major part in coordinating the work of Bloomington Baptist. They faithfully assist BBC and other churches of America as we work with the churches of Santarem, Brazil in various projects in the area.  We are thankful for their love and leadership among the churches there.

 

 

A room (behind doorway) is available as sleeping quarters for those who visit for ministry from the sister church Esperanca Baptist Church in Santarem.  The hallway leads to a fellowship room where all good Baptist enjoy "pitch-in dinners."

 

 

Because the Amazon River floods the village much of the year, the buildings, encluding the new church building, is built on stilts.  During the flooding, the villagers travel by boat from one buiding to another.  During the dry season, most travel on the island can be accomplished by foot.

 

 

 

 

Prayers of thanksgiving flow from North America to South America to the little church on the Amazon River...not only prayers of thanksgiving, but prayers for wisdom.  The next step is to establish the Amazonia Ministry Development Center to equip the churches and individual believers of Santarem to ministry in this and other new preaching points in Amazonia.