Our story

In mid-2007, while pursuing his doctorate degree at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in the United States, Pastor Paulo Brasil felt the desire to plant a Reformed congregation in an area of Recife where there was no Presbyterian church. In that same year, in September, he shared what was in his heart with his fellow seminarians. Encouraged by those brothers, he decided to undertake the work to which God was calling him—not as a visionary leader in particular but as the organizer of a group that longed for the edification and expansion of Christ's Kingdom.
 

However, it was only some time later, in the first semester of 2010, with the participation of Presbyterian brethren from Recife in the project, that a series of more regular and organized meetings began to plan the opening of the congregation.
 

From the beginning, the Lord blessed us with the support of faithful and exemplary men, including Elder Manoel Canuto, a figure of great influence in the formation and consolidation of the church, as well as a personal advisor to Pastor Paulo. Working with a group of sincere Christians ensured that God was working in the gathering process, and there were reasons to believe that a new church could be established. During one of these meetings, Rev. Samuel Vitaliano suggested the name "Presbyterian Congregation of the Covenant," an idea that was promptly accepted by all. The name ultimately certified the essential foundations of Reformed faith, whose backbone lies in the doctrine of the Covenant, and reaffirmed the public confession adopted by that group of believers in their mission to proclaim the truths of the Gospel of Christ.
 

After defining the key details, Pastor Paulo met with the Presbytery of Recife, which unanimously supported the planting of the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant. At this point, the Ibura Presbyterian Church offered to assist in the establishment of the new congregation.
 

It was exactly on the Lord's Day morning of August 22, 2010, less than two months after Pastor Paulo Brasil's definitive return to Recife, that the first worship service of the Presbyterian Congregation of the Covenant was held in one of the classrooms of the Culture Inglesa in the Casa Forte neighborhood. After a few weeks, in October 2010, the Congregation moved to house number 22 on Ricardo Hardman Street in the Jaqueira neighborhood. At the end of that month, on October 31, Reformation Day, the leadership decided to officially open the community during the evening service, so that the date of the Reformation would be recorded in the annals of our church as the congregation's anniversary reference.
 

Not long after, facing leasing issues and due to significant growth in the number of congregants, the leadership identified the need for a larger space. Thus, by the grace and mercy of God, on June 26, 2011, our congregation was relocated to the Rosarinho neighborhood, at 232 Dr. Enéas de Lucena Street, where it remains to this day.
 

About to complete three years of planting and pastoral supervision, and already with a reputable leadership and a substantial membership, the Congregation was ready to become an official local church. This transition took place on November 3, 2013. With growth, the congregation received some men with potential for office, two of them as ruling elders, and some others as deacons.
 

Almost 7 years later, the Lord opened the doors for the purchase of the space on Dr. Enéas de Lucena Street, previously rented, making it the permanent address of the church starting on June 16 of that year. The following months were filled with challenges in paying off the purchase installments and planning the construction of the new church building, as the number of members was growing exponentially. However, even before construction began, the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, with the local government implementing various mandatory social distancing measures throughout 2020, necessitating a temporary place for the worship of God's people, as the existing building could no longer accommodate the number of congregants. This phase of the pandemic, followed by the construction of the new temple, lasted about 2 and a half years, during which we gathered at Fazer Crescer School, the Theological Seminary of the Northeast Pentecostal, the Soli Deo Gloria Project (Aldeia), and finally, Agnes Erskine School.
 

Surpassing the first decade since our official establishment, we worshipped the Lord for the first time in our new building on June 4, 2023, where we remain to this day, with the presence of the brethren from the Berea Presbyterian Congregation, a project to plant a new local church led by Pastors Rodrigo Castro and Eduardo Montarroyos in the South Zone of Recife.
 

The history of the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant is a journey of challenges, blessings, and growth. The church went through different stages but always heeded the whole counsel of God through expository sermons, studying the Westminster Standards, demonstrating its biblical conformity, Presbyterian consistency, Reformed character, simplicity in operation, and remained steadfast in its purpose to grow in holiness, character, and communion with God and fellow believers. The sincere desire of the church council is that the Lord be glorified within this community.