Portuguese speaking church in Norwich celebrates

It is seven years since a Portuguese speaking congregation was established at Norwich Central Baptist Church (NCBC) and its leaders are grateful for its growth over the years.

Originally from Brazil, baptist minister Paulo Mussi and his wife Claudia settled in Norwich and formed a connection with the local baptist church. Paulo said, "It feels like just yesterday that we started meeting in our living room."  In January 2019, Paulo led the first service in Portuguese at the church premises at Mousehold Hub. After things started to reopen after Covid, but Mousehold Hub had closed down, the Portuguese speaking congregation started meeting on Duke Street in Norwich. Paulo said, "It is a great privilege to have a place to praise the Lord in our own language. It's wonderful that we have a sense of belonging here. This is not just a rental. We are one church and feel that we are loved and part of this church along with our English speaking brothers and sisters. It is always a blessing when we can worship together."

The Portuguese speaking church welcomes 35 - 40 people every Sunday, and Paulo says its gatherings are marked with joy, happiness and certainty of who Jesus is. 

A special service of celebration was held at NCBC on January 25 to mark the seven year anniversary. The worship band comprised Portuguese and English speakers, and everybody worshipped together in both languages. The sermon, given by Ian Charles, was translated from English to Portuguese, and focused on the first verses of encouragement in the book of Colossians. Representatives from other Portuguese speaking churches in the Eastern region were present, including from Great Yarmouth, Dereham and Cambridge. 

In the coming year, the church will focus on Isaiah 41 v 10 as their verse for the year. Paulo is grateful for God's provision for the church. He said, "God has been transforming lives in this place. He has taught us to live for him."

A challenge to Paulo is to work towards a strong legacy for the future, and he puts his efforts into identifying, developing and equipping new leaders to take on responsibility within the church.

The church meets every Sunday at 5pm at Norwich Central Baptist Church, Duke Street, Norwich NR3 3AP
https://www.norwichcentral.org/portuguese-speaking-church

Pictured above: Paulo and Claudia Mussi