The Toronto Project
There are four reasons that missions-minded Christians, seeking to win Canada for Christ, should invest in a Portuguese-speaking church plant in Toronto, Canada.
The imperative of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ which compels His followers to make disciples of every ethnic group.
The reality of a large and growing community of Portuguese-speaking people scattered across Canada but concentrated in large numbers in the Metropolitan Toronto area.
The availability of a capable evangelist, José Ignácio Fernandes, who speaks Portuguese, English, and French fluently.
The resource of the Hisportic Christian Mission which has focused exclusively on evangelizing Portuguese-speaking people since 1984.
The Need: Canada's Growing Portuguese-speaking Communities
Toronto, Ontario's capital and largest city, is the target for the proposed Portuguese-speaking church plant. The city with its suburbs has the nation's largest concentration of Portuguese-speaking people.
Portuguese people began moving into the city in the 1950s. By 2001, according to the national census, the Portuguese and their descendents comprised 1.2% (357,690) of Canada's population, with 46% of these people living in Toronto. By 2007, the estimated number of Portuguese-speaking people in Canada is over 600,000.
Immigration Settlement Locations (2000-2001)
In the 1980s, Portuguese-speaking Brazilians began moving into the city. This population is growing because of the “open arms” policy toward immigration in Canada. According to some estimates, they currently number over 25,000.
Brazilians face difficulties due to the differences in climate, culture, and lifestyle. Many settle in “Little Portugal” in Toronto to have the benefits of social services and local businesses and to network with Portuguese-speaking people.1
Statistics confirm that within the Portuguese-speaking community in Toronto:
20.4% do not speak English, compared to 6.1% of general population
59.8% do not speak one of the official languages of Canada in their homes, compared to 28.8% of the general public
51.4% have no High School education, compared to 14.1% of the general public
15.4% graduate from High School, compared to 22% of the general public
Most families earn below the median income, due to lack of people in professions and managerial positions, both less than one-third of the Toronto average2
Less than 10% of Portuguese-speaking people living in Toronto are involved in the community's evangelical churches. Ninety-five percent of Portuguese-speaking people are Roman Catholic. Among the Portuguese-speaking people in the Province of Ontario, there are about 4200 businesses, 105 social clubs and associations, and 40 schools, but only 26 Portuguese language churches. There is no Portuguese-speaking Christian Church/Church of Christ in Canada.
The Proposal: A Church Planting Partnership
The partnership would be composed of Impact Canada, Toronto, Canada; East 91st Street Christian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana; the Hisportic Christian Mission, Friendswood, Texas; and other interested churches and individuals, with the goal to plant a Portuguese-speaking church in four years. At the completion of the partnership, the new church will be self-governing, self-sustaining and self-propagating.
Fáttima and José FernandesThe Evangelist: José Ignácio Fernandes
José Ignácio Fernandes is well qualified to be the Church Planter and Lead Pastor of the church plant in Toronto. He is a committed Christian, well acquainted with the Restoration Movement Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in Brazil and the United States. An experienced church planter, he launched and ministered with the El Shaddai Christian Church, Orlando, Florida, for six years. He speaks Portuguese, as well as English and French, the languages of Canada. As an entrepreneur, José learned how to launch and develop a project from inception to operation. Working for Air France and Varig Air Lines, he learned marketing and promotion.
The Church Planting Team
José's wife, Regina Fáttima, whom he married in 1976, supports his ministry and complements it through her ministries of service and prayer. She would be the Prayer Team Coordinator and Children’s Director.
Completing the Church Planting Team will be Simone Fernandes as the Worship Leader and Events Coordinator, and Guilherme Fernandes as Worship Team member and Financial Administrator.
Left to right: Simone, Guilherme, Fáttima, José
The Goals and Objectives
To establish culturally familiar setting where Portuguese-speaking people can worship God and express their cultural and family traditions
To develop a ministry of pastoral and social service in the community
To develop an outreach ministry around individual talents, the arts and special events
To train leaders
To aid new immigrants to integrate into the larger Canadian population and culture
The Church Planting Strategy
The project's goals and objectives will be achieved in six stages:
Team formation and establishment in Toronto
Community research and core group development
Preparation and completion of "Official Launch"
Establishment of an on-going evangelism and discipleship program (self-propagating)
Leadership selection, training, and inauguration (self-governing)
Financial Independence (self-sustaining)
The Financial Need
A complete financial budget is beyond the scope of this executive summary. A completed financial plan will include the church planter’s personal expenses, ministry expenses, and one-time expenses (travel, set-up and equipment purchases). However, the estimated financial support needed for the church plant will be $300,000 over a four-year period. The support would be
First Year
$ 150,000
Second Year
$ 75,000
Third Year
$ 50,000
Fourth Year
$ 25,000
Impact Canada, Toronto, and East 91st Street Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN, will partner to raise up to one-half of the cost. Hisportic Christian Mission and its supporting partners will raise up the other half.
Sources of Statistics:1 A Canadian Profile: Toronto’s Portuguese and Brazilian Communities, Portuguese Speaking Interagency Network, 11th International Metropolis Conference 20062 Ethno-Racial Inequality in the City of Toronto: An analysis of the 1996 Census, Portuguese Speaking Interagency Network, 11th International Metropolis Conference 2006
There are four reasons that missions-minded Christians, seeking to win Canada for Christ, should invest in a Portuguese-speaking church plant in Toronto, Canada.
The imperative of the Great Commission of Jesus Christ which compels His followers to make disciples of every ethnic group.
The reality of a large and growing community of Portuguese-speaking people scattered across Canada but concentrated in large numbers in the Metropolitan Toronto area.
The availability of a capable evangelist, José Ignácio Fernandes, who speaks Portuguese, English, and French fluently.
The resource of the Hisportic Christian Mission which has focused exclusively on evangelizing Portuguese-speaking people since 1984.
The Need: Canada's Growing Portuguese-speaking Communities
Toronto, Ontario's capital and largest city, is the target for the proposed Portuguese-speaking church plant. The city with its suburbs has the nation's largest concentration of Portuguese-speaking people.
Portuguese people began moving into the city in the 1950s. By 2001, according to the national census, the Portuguese and their descendents comprised 1.2% (357,690) of Canada's population, with 46% of these people living in Toronto. By 2007, the estimated number of Portuguese-speaking people in Canada is over 600,000.
Immigration Settlement Locations (2000-2001)
In the 1980s, Portuguese-speaking Brazilians began moving into the city. This population is growing because of the “open arms” policy toward immigration in Canada. According to some estimates, they currently number over 25,000.
Brazilians face difficulties due to the differences in climate, culture, and lifestyle. Many settle in “Little Portugal” in Toronto to have the benefits of social services and local businesses and to network with Portuguese-speaking people.1
Statistics confirm that within the Portuguese-speaking community in Toronto:
20.4% do not speak English, compared to 6.1% of general population
59.8% do not speak one of the official languages of Canada in their homes, compared to 28.8% of the general public
51.4% have no High School education, compared to 14.1% of the general public
15.4% graduate from High School, compared to 22% of the general public
Most families earn below the median income, due to lack of people in professions and managerial positions, both less than one-third of the Toronto average2
Less than 10% of Portuguese-speaking people living in Toronto are involved in the community's evangelical churches. Ninety-five percent of Portuguese-speaking people are Roman Catholic. Among the Portuguese-speaking people in the Province of Ontario, there are about 4200 businesses, 105 social clubs and associations, and 40 schools, but only 26 Portuguese language churches. There is no Portuguese-speaking Christian Church/Church of Christ in Canada.
The Proposal: A Church Planting Partnership
The partnership would be composed of Impact Canada, Toronto, Canada; East 91st Street Christian Church, Indianapolis, Indiana; the Hisportic Christian Mission, Friendswood, Texas; and other interested churches and individuals, with the goal to plant a Portuguese-speaking church in four years. At the completion of the partnership, the new church will be self-governing, self-sustaining and self-propagating.
Fáttima and José FernandesThe Evangelist: José Ignácio Fernandes
José Ignácio Fernandes is well qualified to be the Church Planter and Lead Pastor of the church plant in Toronto. He is a committed Christian, well acquainted with the Restoration Movement Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in Brazil and the United States. An experienced church planter, he launched and ministered with the El Shaddai Christian Church, Orlando, Florida, for six years. He speaks Portuguese, as well as English and French, the languages of Canada. As an entrepreneur, José learned how to launch and develop a project from inception to operation. Working for Air France and Varig Air Lines, he learned marketing and promotion.
The Church Planting Team
José's wife, Regina Fáttima, whom he married in 1976, supports his ministry and complements it through her ministries of service and prayer. She would be the Prayer Team Coordinator and Children’s Director.
Completing the Church Planting Team will be Simone Fernandes as the Worship Leader and Events Coordinator, and Guilherme Fernandes as Worship Team member and Financial Administrator.
Left to right: Simone, Guilherme, Fáttima, José
The Goals and Objectives
To establish culturally familiar setting where Portuguese-speaking people can worship God and express their cultural and family traditions
To develop a ministry of pastoral and social service in the community
To develop an outreach ministry around individual talents, the arts and special events
To train leaders
To aid new immigrants to integrate into the larger Canadian population and culture
The Church Planting Strategy
The project's goals and objectives will be achieved in six stages:
Team formation and establishment in Toronto
Community research and core group development
Preparation and completion of "Official Launch"
Establishment of an on-going evangelism and discipleship program (self-propagating)
Leadership selection, training, and inauguration (self-governing)
Financial Independence (self-sustaining)
The Financial Need
A complete financial budget is beyond the scope of this executive summary. A completed financial plan will include the church planter’s personal expenses, ministry expenses, and one-time expenses (travel, set-up and equipment purchases). However, the estimated financial support needed for the church plant will be $300,000 over a four-year period. The support would be
First Year
$ 150,000
Second Year
$ 75,000
Third Year
$ 50,000
Fourth Year
$ 25,000
Impact Canada, Toronto, and East 91st Street Christian Church, Indianapolis, IN, will partner to raise up to one-half of the cost. Hisportic Christian Mission and its supporting partners will raise up the other half.
Sources of Statistics:1 A Canadian Profile: Toronto’s Portuguese and Brazilian Communities, Portuguese Speaking Interagency Network, 11th International Metropolis Conference 20062 Ethno-Racial Inequality in the City of Toronto: An analysis of the 1996 Census, Portuguese Speaking Interagency Network, 11th International Metropolis Conference 2006
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