J. C. Choate of World Evangelism ministries in Winona, Miss., sent an email last week to say that the first Brazilian edition of The Voice of Truth International has been published. Though published in English, the inside front cover has information we provided about churches and ministries in Brazil.

I have written for TVOTI, the last being the poem "The Man I Want to Be" published in the front inside cover of vol. 32. More of my articles ought to be forthcoming.

TVOTI is published in 23 different editions throughout the world. Our cooperative edition is the latest in a long line of good material for Christians and non-Christians alike.

At the National Christian Worker's Conference during Easter weekend we released Alvaro Pestana's new book, The Body of Christ: The Use of Gifts in the Church (my translation from Portuguese). The 63-page book has 13 chapters for a quarterly study, as well as two apendices that include a questionaire to discover one's gifts and suggestions to eliminate "dubious practices."

You can take a peek at his book here. But be warned: the text is in Portuguese.

During the first three weeks of May our preacher will be Wagner Miranda, from here in Sao Jose dos Campos. Otavio and I have been alternating the pulpit and adult Bible class. This quarter he preaches, but with his trip to Europe, Wagner will be filling in for him.

Vicki and I taught the gospel to Wagner and his wife Katia a few years back (four, five?). So it is gratifying to see this new Christian preaching this next month.

Wagner led singing yesterday, in spite of a voice that nearly left him during the worship hour. He has also been teaching an evangelistic group study in his home on Thursday evenings, with Otavio giving him encouragement.

As Otavio mentioned in his sermon yesterday, the church will grow as it should only when every person sees it is his job to work in the field, rather than concentrating in one person or small group of people.

That's a difficult vision for many people to see, surrounded as we are by religious groups that put the power, decision, and work in a pastor or priest, as they call them. Such groups often have the language of the "priesthood of believers," but out there you can be sure it isn't practiced. So the church of God swims against the cultural tide, as well as natural, carnal tendency, to hand over responsibility to some one else.

So, Wagner, study hard for your sermons this month, and God bless your efforts.