Biographical Information on Missionary Jim Johnson
I Personal Information
A. Name and Address
Jim and Lydia Johnson
Telephone: 011-55-88-3422-4793
E-mail: jimlydia@bgfmission.org
Ministry address: C.P. 19, 62.940 Morada Nova, Ceará, Brazil, S. Amer.
B. Marriage Status:
My wife and I have been married for 19 years. Neither one is divorced, nor do we believe that divorced persons should be serving in the capacity we are serving.
C. Children
We have two children. Anna age 14 as of March 9 2005 and Calvin age 12 as of February 16, 2005
D. Briefly state how you came to know Christ as Savior.
Jim: I was raised in a religious but not necessarily Christian home. At 8 years of age I attended a local Vacation Bible School, and heard for the first time God’s salvation plan. I realized that I was a sinner on my way to hell, and that my good works could not save me. At this time I placed my trust in Christ as my personal Savior, and He saved me for all eternity.
Lydia: Lydia was brought up in a Christian home and heard early God’s wonderful plan of salvation. She trusted Christ as her Savior through the ministry of Children’s church program at the early age of 5.
II. Education Information
A. Jim: I have a BA in missions and pastoral studies from Calvary Bible College
B. Lydia: Lydia has a BS in Missions from Calvary Bible College
III God’s leading in your ministry
We are involved in church planting ministry. We move to an area that has little or no Gospel witness. We began with home Bible studies, that soon join to become a Sunday service. As people accept the Lord, we take them through a discipleship course. As time goes we begin introducing other aspects of church ministry. (Sunday school, youth meetings, Evangelistic meetings, prayer meetings, etc.) We are involved in:
1) Helping the church into it's first building,
2) Bringing it to the point that it can financially support itself, and
3) Training lay leaders to the point of knowing how to select a doctrinally sound Brazilian Pastor.
After this, we will start all over again in another location that does not have a Gospel witness. Our daily work involves home evangelistic Bible studies, Individual and small group discipleship studies, pastoral work, (preparing for and preaching messages and Sunday School lessons, and shepherding the flock) evangelistic work, youth work, church construction, (building). We also must involve ourselves with committees, and support work with our mission. Most of this type of work is done in the capital city of Fortaleza, and we travel nearly monthly to the city for purchasing of supplies and mission business. We are also involved in beginning a camp ministry for the region in which we live.
We have worked in the city of Limoeiro do Norte for the last 10 years and brought it through all of the above-mentioned stages. This church is helping us plant a daughter work in the town of Quixeré, which is presently meeting in a home, and has all of the above mentioned stages yet to go through. We now live in the city of Morada Nova where we are beginning from scratch. We have been here only two months and are looking to begin Bible studies.
B. God’s Leading in Ministry
Realizing the blessed salvation that the Lord has given to me, I desired to share this Gospel message with those who have little or no opportunity to hear. I believe there is still a great need for evangelization here in America. At the same time I see that Americans have many opportunities to hear the Gospel message if they would just desire to listen. There are still thousands of villages and people groups who do not have a gospel witness in their community. It is to this type of people that the Lord has burdened me to reach, and thus the reason I am today in Northeast Brazil. This is a region where there are still many villages without a Gospel message.
IV Mission Board Information (Name, address and doctrinal statement)
We are serving as missionaries sent out through the local church, and working under the umbrella of the Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission 125 W. Ash, Springfield, IL 62704-3912. Tel. 217-523-7176. Doctrinal statement enclosed.