Carmen and Spencer

Ministry location

Philadelphia, USA; headed towards SE Asia

How long have you been serving in your ministry?

5 years

Tell us a bit about your ministry and any new initiatives.

By God’s grace, He has enabled us to help plant a church reaching and serving Portuguese-speaking immigrants and refugees in the greater Philadelphia region. Spencer will step down from his full-time pastoral role in April 2021 but still continue to train up the team of indigenous church leaders, a process which will hopefully be completed by Fall 2021.

In the meantime, our family will start to prepare for a big transition to move to SE Asia and serve in that region as long-term workers, supporting the growth and development of local churches.

What excites you most in your ministry?

The multitude of opportunities to share the love of Christ in word (preaching/teaching) and deed (acts of mercy & service) with so many who have never had a chance to hear & experience such grace before! Seeing lives changed by the Spirit as a result of the seeds He plants through us!

How can we pray for you and your ministry?

• That we will finish this leg of the race well in getting this church planted (we’re very tired but almost there!)

• That details for our transition and preparation for moving overseas will fall in line; there’s so much to think about and plan for, it can be overwhelming

• In praise for a new family addition that we should get to meet in August! That the rest of the pregnancy and delivery would go smoothly.

What’s an interesting fact about yourself?

Spencer and Carmen met while they were both working at the library circulation desk of the seminary where they were students. However, they weren’t really keen on getting to know each other until one day, Carmen asked Spencer to help edit a theological statement she had written. That was the beginning of their romance… wait, is that interesting or just nerdy?