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Dedication of the Porto Alegre (Brazil) Chapel

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Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Jul 3, 1913

FromReview and Herald, Vol. 90, No. 27.

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Dedication of the Porto Alegre (Brazil) Chapel

By F. W. Spies

On the evening of February 18, at the beginning of the eighth annual session of the Rio Grande do Sul Conference, the new chapel at Porto Alegre was dedicated. Although a plain building, the chapel is a very neat place of worship, and on the evening of its dedication it was crowded to its utmost capacity. Perhaps one hundred sixty persons can conveniently find sitting room in it, but on the evening of the dedication there were over two hundred present.
The chapel has been constructed in such a place that it faces a large, open public ground, enabling it to be seen from quite a distance. It is like a light set on a candlestick, and, situated as it is, will be a constant reminder to the one hundred thirty thousand inhabitants of Porto Alegre that the Lord is today preparing a people to stand fast for his truth, even in the midst of trials and difficulties.
Brother Waldemar Ehlers, the president of the conference, being still very weak from his long and severe illness, could not enjoy the privilege of having a part in the dedicatory services of the chapel which he had worked so hard to erect. Brethren August Rockel, Emmanuel C. Ehlers, and Frank Belz, and the writer officiated in the services, which were based on 1 Kings 8:38-42. May it indeed be granted that this place of worship may be to all the people in Porto Alegre a witness that there is a God in heaven who hears prayer, and may many learn to fear, love, and serve him as a result of its influence and also of the influence of the lives of the Lord’s people as they hold aloft the banner of truth.
The work is also prospering in this large city. About ten days before the conference began, eleven believers were buried with their Lord in baptism. May the Lord richly bless the workers and people as they unitedly put forth efforts to save souls, and may the Porto Alegre church grow rapidly.
The chapel and ground upon which it was built cost about six thousand dollars, and when all the pledges are paid, the indebtedness will be a little over eight hundred dollars. We were much pleased to see this new witness to the truth. May the Lord cause it to redound to his glory. F. W. SPIES.