Brazil (MNN) — Sammy Tippit Ministries has been ahead of the curve on digital Church presence; now, COVID-19 makes it more necessary than ever.
We have reported on Sammy Tippit Ministries’ efforts to create small groups over WhatsApp. This digital presence comes in handy as a pandemic has separated Christians around the globe. Read more about these programs here.
Health officials clean Brazil’s transport system. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Tippit says this vision for a digital connection between Christians was born in Brazil. “They use not only Facebook and YouTube and those outlets, but they also use WhatsApp. People [there] have broken down into small groups. And so they’re able to minister to people in a much more intimate way and help people know what’s happening in the lives of others . . . Through WhatsApp, they’re able to keep in touch with them, minister to them and help them.” Tippit says thousands of Christians in Brazil have joined these small groups.
This means the Church in Brazil will stay connected in the weeks ahead, even as Brazil has become an epicenter of COVID-19. The country recently recorded its highest day of deaths to date and has the 7th highest case count in the world, as well as the 6th highest death count.
Writing a book
The cover of Sammy Tippit’s new book. (Photo courtesy of Sammy Tippit Ministries on Facebook)
Many pastors and theologians have written books about the COVID-19 pandemic, and Sammy Tippit Ministries now has its own.
What makes this book unique? Sammy Tippit says, “This is the moment, this is the time to call for revival. I began to do that through our Facebook pages and our posts that we have in different languages. But [God] also put it on my heart to actually create and write a book calling for revival.”
The short book encourages Christians to see the pandemic and the ensuing uncertainty as an opportunity to lean ever more into the Holy Spirit.
Tippit says, “I think that we’re at a moment where this could be a very important moment in the history of the Church. This [already] is a unique moment in history because of the pandemic. But it could be a very strategic moment for the Church.”
São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil. (Photo courtesy of Luciano Teixeira from Pixabay)
