When our church was born 14 years ago as a Small Group and then a Presbyterian Congregation, through the efforts of Rev. Marcelo Carnaval, his family, and a few brothers, such as: Cyro, Sandra, Fernanda and Juliana, Mr. Alberto, his wife and Shirley, she started to have a motto: We are a Different Church!

That small community of brothers, had little intention, but idealized simple, compact, flexible and low-cost meetings, especially focused on cellular activities, where weekly Bible studies, prayers and times of communion were held. Sunday services began to develop, with the arrival of brothers like Rômulo, Aline and Pedrinho, Pedro and Darlene, Suse, Patrícia Gerreiro, Patrícia Silva, Luciane, Anderson and Priscila, Viviane and others, so that the group of brothers decided to meet at the residence of Rev. Marcelo and Martha. With the growth of the group, a larger space became necessary.

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Then, on February 17, 2008, the first public service took place in the rented hall of the Hotel Glória Garden, with the assistance of 26 adults and 6 children. Subsequently, the church also met for a while at the Hotel Mércure, today Samba Hotel, then moving on to the rented property, which we said goodbye to this month, after eight years. The CCP was organized in the Fourth Presbyterian Church of Macaé on March 19, 2011.

But our church is not only different from many others because of the way it was born, since most churches try to have their own property first, and then to be organized. The Fourth IPB in Macaé was born with a different perspective from the majority - It would be a church that would value the faithful teaching of the Scriptures, dedication to the family, quality time in the congregation, healthy communion between the brothers and the missions, challenging the traditional ecclesiastical model weekly activities, which were more centralized in temple schedules, than in the GO of the Lord Jesus. I fondly remember Rev. Marcelo saying that “if Sunday is the Lord's Day, Saturday is the wife's Day!”.

It was being a different church that our church was established and grew rapidly, reaching hundreds of people. We understand that God has a church model for each local situation, considering cultural, social, economic and religious events. For example, a church in the interior of Serra Macaense, will not have the same agenda as a church planted in the context of a high-risk community. Like a church planted in the neighborhood of high economic and social level will not have the same agenda as that same needy society. The Word of God will remain the same, but the presentation of your message must be clear and accessible to that target population.

In this sense, the Fourth IPB of Macaé had as its initial objective, to reach its target audience in Praia dos Cavaleiros and surroundings, contextualizing its agenda and teaching to the local reality and needs. We understand, therefore, that the initial vision of “A Different Church”, should always guide the projects of our church, since this was the vision approved by the Lord of this Work!

The Fourth IPB was not born to reproduce ecclesiastical models packaged, plastered and attached to traditionalism. It is thus a reformed church, always reforming itself. She has the mind of Christ to think and rethink her trajectory. It did not arise to conform to the philosophy of life of this world, but to be a church transformed to transform! Therefore, she never had and will not be afraid to change, to grow, to transform and to worship the Lord, whether in a house, in a rented hall or in a temple of her own, wherever the “cloud of the Lord” takes her. Let us do everything for the glory of God!