Sharing the good news of the gospel and of God’s amazing love in São Paulo, Brazil through evangelism, prayer, preaching and teaching, pastoral care, family ministry, mentoring young pastors and leaders, and ministering to those with disabilities and their families.
The Durands directly partner with Restoration Ministries—an exciting, innovative, and fruitful ministry that has been serving and ministering to underprivileged children, youth, and families in São Paulo since 1991. Restoration Ministries is seeing God transform lives and raise up a new generation of young leaders through weekly evangelism programs in specific favela communities, home visitations, leadership and discipleship trainings, Bible studies, camp ministry, music and arts programs, exercise programs, computer training, language classes, and more. These young leaders are discovering God’s purposes and calling for their lives while developing their spiritual gifts and taking the gospel to their local neighborhoods, and now even to the nations. Visit Restoration Ministries to learn more about how God is at work every day through this wonderful ministry!
Pray for a great awakening in Brazil, and that the Lord would soften and prepare the hearts of the people there. Pray that they will see God’s love lived out through the Durands and would be compelled to follow Jesus.
About us:
Steve and Shannon Durand have been serving together in ministry since first meeting through the college department of their church in Waco, Texas while attending Baylor University as undergrads. Since then, Steve has held a variety of leadership roles in churches in the U.S., including most recently serving as a Teaching Pastor and Pastor of Compassion & Family Ministries at Bridges Community Church in Los Altos, California for almost 15 years. Shannon has also been very involved in local church ministry, especially working with children, and has used her years of experience as a BCBA Behavior Analyst to lead special needs ministries and events as well as to help train churches to become more welcoming to the disability community.
Brazil has always been close to the Durands’ hearts. They have both sensed a divine calling to serve either short-term or long-term in Latin America since high school and college. They even took a “scouting trip” to São Paulo in 2003 to explore potentially relocating there, but the timing was just never right. Over the years, though, as they’ve prayed together for direction and discernment, the Lord has continued to burden their hearts to serve in Brazil. They have witnessed firsthand the many ways that God is at work in São Paulo, and they consider it a great privilege to now be called to serve there full-time!
