Fishermen's ministry reels in believers

By Rob Horsley  |  Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Photo courtesy of Marcio Garcia

Marcio Garcia is a storyteller, a man full of joy and enthusiasm for what he does. He's the kind of person who could talk for days and never seem longwinded. Garcia is also a man of vision and action.

Garcia, a native of Santos, Brazil, is the founder of the Evangelical Mission for Assistance to Fishermen (EMAF). He recently toured Canada to promote his organization and to share about the work EMAF is doing to take the gospel to residents of isolated fishing villages along the Brazilian coastline.

It's difficult work, and Garcia is no stranger to encounters with challenges such as voodoo culture and substance abuse. He recalls ones village so steeped in darkness that he refers to it as "the hole of the pagans."

However, just a few short hours after an encounter with EMAF personnel, seven people, and eventually their families, came to know Christ. Garcia gives credit to the power of sharing God's word.

Garcia estimates that EMAF has reached more than 1,500 communities with the gospel since the organization's founding in 1986. What began as a small project with only a dozen men has since developed into an outreach network that includes 93 field workers, more than 1,600 annual volunteers, 24 boats, nine bases and seven estates.

Despite EMAF's success, Garcia was originally unsure whether his dream was simply youthful boldness, or if it was in fact a vision from God. After seeking mentorship from various ministry leaders in Brazil, Garcia received affirmation and launched his ministry.

EMAF seeks to provide both spiritual and practical resources to communities. Projects include church planting, education and children's services, medical care and rehabilitation, poverty outreach and digging drinking wells, among others.

In addition to its coastal projects, EMAF is now turning its attention towards expansion into the Amazon communities in Brazil.

In addition to the sheer size of the Amazon and its natural dangers such as wildlife and malaria, Garcia cites the massive costs required to keep projects in these communities operating as perhaps the biggest challenge.

"No one pays to be evangelized," says Garcia, describing the ongoing push to create sustainable mission projects, a key factor in continuing EMAF's work.

"Success with no successor is failure," Garcia says, speaking to the need for follow-up and continued care for established initiatives.

Garcia has held many positions with EMAF over the years, from church planter to field director to member of the EMAF board. Currently, he is involved in mobilizing workers from Sao Paulo, as well as plans for expansion, part of which includes sharing stories of his experience with international audiences, including Canadians.

He humbly describes himself as the spark for igniting other people into action through the work at EMAF, though he is quick to point out an often-forgotten principle for evangelism. Garcia says he doesn't evangelize for the sake of salvation through his own works, but instead preaches for the glory of God, through which people are saved.

Talking about God's glory is easy, Garcia says, and it is through Him, not ourselves, that the work of the gospel is accomplished.

For more about Marcio Garcia and his work with EMAF, and to find out how you can help, contact Partners International at partnersinternational.ca..

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