Reborn in Christ Church (Portuguese: ''Igreja Renascer em Cristo''), is a
Evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide Interdenominationalism, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being "bor ...
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is a distinct religious body within Christianity that comprises all church congregations of the same kind, identifiable by traits such as a name, particular history, organization, leadership, theological doctrine, worsh ...
headquartered in
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
. The church was founded in 1986 by the couple Apostle Estevam Hernandes and Bishop Sônia Hernandes.
History
It was founded in
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
in 1986 by
Estevam Hernandes and
Sônia Hernandes. As of 2007, the church has over 2,000,000 members and more than 1,500 temples in
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and around the world.
As of 2011, the number of church temples dropped to 315, the vast majority in the Brazilian state of
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, in addition to a tiny presence in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
Angola
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.
Despite not being among the largest Protestant denominations in Brazil, the church attracts a large evangelical audience of large denominations at major events such as the
March for Jesus
March for Jesus is an annual interdenominational event in which Christians march through towns and cities.
History
The March for Jesus began as a ''City March'' in London, United Kingdom, in 1987. It emerged from the friendship of three churc ...
, which has been held annually in São Paulo since 1993. The Church Renascer em Cristo also has several media outlets, such as the television network
Rede Gospel, the radio network
Gospel FM, the publisher Editora Gospel, the clothing brand Gospel Wear and the record label Gospel Records.
The founding couple,
Estevam Hernandes and Sônia Hernandes, and their organization are under investigation on the basis of money laundering, perjury, libel, exploitation of non-profit status, tax evasion and a number of other criminal actions. In January 2007, both founders were arrested at
Miami International Airport
Miami International Airport , also known as MIA and historically as Wilcox Field, is the primary airport serving the greater Miami metropolitan area with over 1,000 daily flights to 167 domestic and international destinations, including most co ...
by the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
for failure to declare over $56,000 in cash brought into the United States.
The couple were sentenced to five months in prison. Sonia and Estevam Hernandes lived temporarily under court order in their own house in
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
. After leaving the American prison, the couple returned to
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
.
On January 18, 2009, the main temple of Reborn in Christ Church, in
Cambuci,
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
, collapsed. The
roof
A roof ( : roofs or rooves) is the top covering of a building, including all materials and constructions necessary to support it on the walls of the building or on uprights, providing protection against rain, snow, sunlight, extremes of temper ...
fell down, killing 9 people and injuring over 115.
Donation by Kaká
In September 2007, prosecutor
Marcelo Mendroni announced that he was investigating Brazilian football star
Kaká
Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite (; born 22 April 1982), commonly known as Kaká () or Ricardo Kaká, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder. In his prime as a playmaker at AC Milan, a period marke ...
's relationship with the imprisoned founding couple. On January 3, 2008, Kaká announced that his 2007
FIFA World Player of the Year
The FIFA World Player of the Year was an association football award presented annually by the sport's governing body, FIFA, between 1991 and 2015 at the FIFA World Player Gala. Coaches and captains of international teams and media representativ ...
trophy would be held for display in the church's main temple in Cambuci,
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaWC a ...
. On January 14, 2008, the church released a statement expressing its intent to sue prosecutor
Marcelo Mendroni for "persecution" in relation to his attempts to question Kaká. Kaká, a member of the church, has allegedly made
donation
A donation is a gift for charity, humanitarian aid, or to benefit a cause. A donation may take various forms, including money, alms, services, or goods such as clothing, toys, food, or vehicles. A donation may satisfy medical needs such as blo ...
s of 2 million
reais
The Brazilian real ( pl. '; sign: R$; code: BRL) is the official currency of Brazil. It is subdivided into 100 centavos. The Central Bank of Brazil is the central bank and the issuing authority. The real replaced the cruzeiro real in 1994.
...
to the church. He is respected throughout the world as a Christian sporting role model who has been invited to read the
Bible
The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
along with
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
and other celebrities in the 2008 24-hour Bible reading marathon. In December 2010 Kaká and his wife left the Renascer Church because of the leadership mishandling of money.
Kaka and wife leave Renascer
/ref>
See also
*Believers' Church The believers' Church is a theological doctrine of Evangelical Christianity that teaches that one becomes a member of the Church by new birth and profession of faith. Adherence to this doctrine is a common feature of defining an Evangelical Christia ...
*Worship service (evangelicalism)
A church service (or a service of worship) is a formalized period of Christian communal worship, often held in a church building. It often but not exclusively occurs on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sa ...
References
External links
Official page
(in Portuguese)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Igreja Renascer Em Cristo
Protestantism in Brazil
Christian new religious movements
Evangelical megachurches in Brazil
Christian organizations established in 1986
1986 establishments in Brazil
Pentecostal denominations