It is with a heavy heart that we announce that our long time friend, João Batista of São Goncalo, Brazil went home to be with the Lord.

Literally translated, his name is “John Baptist.” We always called him “John the Baptist” because of his zeal to win souls to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Since 1993, our brother served as the distributor and office manager of the Voice of God Recordings office located in Niterói, which is across the bay from Rio de Janeiro. He regularly traveled around the country, and even into the remote reaches of the Amazon, where he helped lay the foundation for Brazil to have one of the largest population of Message believers in the world.

In 2005, the VGR office moved to São José dos Campos while Brother John stayed at his post of duty as pastor of his church and also a trusted advisor to other churches. He was our faithful manager for almost 13 years, and after the office in Niterói closed, he continued to work closely with us in distributing the Message of the hour.

We appreciate the service of our dear friend. Please remember his family and the churches that he served in your prayers.