A History of the Mennonite Brethren Church, Ja Toews

on" in Brazil. Missions of North America. The vision for this work was born in the heart of Jacob Unruh of Shafter, California. The local M.B. churches gave their wholehearted support to the Unruhs, and later to the Erven Thiessens, in their dedicated and sacrificial ministry to Brazilian orphans. The work done at Lar das Criancas (official name of the orphanage) gained the recognition and respect not only of the people in the community, but also of high-ranking government officials. This ministry of love and compassion prepared the way for evangelism and church extension. One of the first orphans to be received into Lar das Criancas was Carmen Pombeiro. Carmen became a Christian and is now the wife of Walter Rempel, a pastor and leader in the Convention, former members of the orphanage and graduates of the mission school were among the charter members of the first national Mennonite Brethren church in Brazil which organized in 1954. This church, located in Uberaba, a sub- urb of Curitiba, had a baptized membership of ninety-six in 1963, and an average attendance of 180. Due to increasing difficulties with Brazilian legal authorities the Board of Missions in 1966 decided to close the home for orphans and return the children to relatives and guardians. Thus a very fruitful experiment in missions came to an end. The influence of this ministry, however, is still being felt throughout the area. According to Henry Esau, a Mennonite Brethren teacher in Brazil, "Lar das Criancas was the first to make an outreach into the interior and helped to establish the churches." 36 Of primary significance for the growth and expansion of the Mennonite Brethren Church among the Portuguese-speaking people was the establishment in 1964 of the Parana Bible Institute. Located 420 HISTORY OF THE MENNONITE BRETHREN CHURCH adjacent to the orphanage, it was designed to train national workers. With John Klassen as first teacher, classes began with eight students. Thus it happened that two Bible institutes were built at Curitiba, only eight miles apart, one offering instruction in Portuguese and one in German, both receiving aid from North America. In the interests of good stewardship and a more coordinated thrust in missionary outreach, the two schools are now being merged. From Uberaba the light of the gospel penetrated into the interior. In San Mateus a church was organized in 1960. Uberaba members had relatives in Palmas, 250 miles away, and in due time a church was organized there. A church was also founded at Clevelandia where an earlier attempt to establish a Mennonite colony had failed. Of special interest in this program of church extension is the work of Linda Banman from Winkler, Manitoba — one of the first missionaries to Brazil. After doing pioneer work in San Mateus and Clevelandia, Miss Banman went to Francisco Beltrao, where she was able to start a small fellowship. By 1966 the Convention of M