Adventist TV Network Employees Go to the Amazon for Volunteer Service

Project connects them with frontline activities in an isolated community in northern Brazil.

June 30, 2024 | Brazil | Gabriela Frontini, South American Division, and Adventist Review

The goal of the Novo Tempo Communication Network is to preach about the Bible on various media channels such as television, radio, and the internet. But there is another option by which the network employees can engage directly with people: through an initiative called Novo Tempo in Mission.

This initiative is responsible for promoting projects on different fronts to serve the local community and also with mission trips. Novo Tempo’s headquarters are in Jacareí, in the interior of São Paulo, Brazil. Since the beginning of 2024, a group of volunteers from the network has visited children’s homes, set up prayer tents, visited a prison, and delivered donations in the city and surrounding municipalities, Novo Tempo leaders recently reported.

A group of 32 Novo Tempo employees recently traveled to an isolated riverside community in the Amazonas region of northern Brazil to do volunteer work. [Photo: South American Division News]

The group of Novo Tempo employees was made up of representatives from various departments such as TV, Radio, Web, Marketing, Bible School, and Technology. The 32 people arrived on Friday, June 7, and sailed for 12 hours by boat on the Mipindiaú Creek, which is a branch of the Rio Negro, toward the Nova Jerusalem community, where other mission initiatives have already taken place.

Community Service in the Area

Volunteers carried out several projects, including the manufacturing of 550 concrete blocks for the expansion of the local church building. They put coats of paint on both the inside and outside of the church. The group organized a health fair, evangelism meetings for adults, and another series of meetings for children.

Organizers also reported that Novo Tempo volunteers distributed food baskets and made mission visits to the community, among other initiatives.

William Silvestre (right) led the group of Novo Tempo volunteers who worked on the Salva Vidas Amazonia project. [Photo: South American Division News]

For mission group leader William Silvestre, “it was a dream come true to be part of the team and live this experience of service.” According to him, actions like this reinforce the sense of mission of those who participate.“This project helped me to relearn the value of gratitude for the small details, which often go unnoticed in our daily lives,” Novo Tempo TV producer Jocemara Mai said. “I was able to see up close, in practice, that happiness can be found in the little things. Now, returning home, I bring with me a lot of learning and the feeling that the mission continues, right here, in my home, in my community, in my church … bringing a message of hope in the soon second coming of Jesus.”

Jeferson Queiroz da Silva works in the One for Christ project at the Northwest Missions Institute. He spoke about the satisfaction of hosting the group for this special project. “For us it was very good to welcome the people of Novo Tempo here in our community,” da Silva said. “They came with a strong desire to serve. Residents will never forget these days.”

The group returned from the trip on June 16 and are already dreaming of their next mission.

The original version of this story was posted on the South American Division Portuguese-language news site.