Hopefully, by now, you’re somewhat familiar with the “resident” pastors of WRPC: Pastor Anderson, Pastor Dodds and Pastor Robbins. They’re fairly accessible and you see them (and their families) weekly in worship, classes, prayer meetings, meals, fellowship settings, and in the community.
But, you may not know that WRPC has not one, but TWO MORE ordained pastors on staff: Assistant Pastor Albert “Berti” Kona and Assistant Pastor Francisco Cardoso.
Both of these men have the exact same education and credentials as our resident pastors. Because of our deep commitment to missions and international church planting, we’ve sent these pastors out to plant churches and form presbyteries in their home regions.
Pastor Cardoso labors in Recife, Brazil, a modern city of almost 4 million people (i.e. larger than Chicago or Houston). Recife is on the beautiful beaches of northeast Brazil. The need is great in Recife, since much of the population is trapped in the ignorance and superstition of Roman Catholicism. Others are devotee’s of voodoo. Many more are enmeshed in the prosperity gospel taught by Pentecostalism.
Pastor Cardoso faithfully preaches the Scriptures and evangelizes in this context. He is also a husband to Soraia & dad to Bernardo and Clara (10 year old twins), Catharina (7) and Aurora (4).
Pastor Kona works in Durres, Albania, a port city on the Adriatic Sea. Durres is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world having been populated for almost 3,000 years! The Apostle Paul refers to it (in Romans 15:19) as “Illyricum”. It is the second largest city in the nation. Albania is dominated by Muslims, Roman Catholics, and Eastern Orthodox.
Berti is not only planting a church (they hope to particularize next year), he is also busy translating Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion into Albanian and teaching at a local Bible institute. He is joined in these labors by Jenny and Annabella (7), Miriam (4) and John “Hansee” Calvin (2).
If you have not yet done so you can catch up with the Kona’s and Cardoso’s THIS Sunday (Nov. 6). They will both be around.
- The Well-Ordered Home - May 16, 2017
- Grace-Based Parenting - March 8, 2017
- The Civil Government Has Asked Us to Pray - November 16, 2016