Our Mission And Values

Shores of Grace exists to prevent sex-trafficking and cycles of abuse,

rescue the vulnerable, equip the church for lifelong service,

and restore hearts through the love of Christ.

The mission of Shores of Grace Ministries is to love God with our whole selves, and by his love, to rescue and restore individuals and families who have been wounded by prostitution, abuse, abandonment, and poverty in Recife, in Brazil and in the World.

Shores of Grace exists to see revival among the poor and reformation in the areas of prevention, intervention and restoration of individuals and families through the revolutionary love of God expressed in fellowship, discipleship, education, shelter care, adoption, and
cultural transformation.

Our Core Values

“Who is Shores of Grace?” These values represent both who we are as a staff and why we do what we do. Most of all, each core value is based on principles found in Scripture.

These five core values are considered vital to the life, growth

and vision of our ministry. Each staff member must purpose to know them by heart and to live by them daily. God has given us direction to “simplify and expand.” The mission and vision of Shores of Grace represent the expansion of God’s Kingdom through our ministry. They are the branches that grow and produce good fruits by his Spirit. Our core values are essential to who we are as a ministry; they are how we keep it simple. For healthy branches and good fruits, we need humble hearts and deep roots. Before we are missionaries, we are sons and daughters who are rooted and grounded in His love (Eph. 3:17).

Intimacy
with God

“Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” — Matthew 22:37-40

“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

The original position of man was face to face with Father God (Gen 2:7) and we were created for his pleasure. Before the foundations of the world we were chosen to be to holy, blameless, abiding in love and adopted as sons and through the cross we have been redeemed to that identity (Eph. 1:4-5). Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus we can experience intimacy, communication and companionship with Him, if we share His love for righteousness. We do not seek heaven as though it were hidden in the clouds, rather, we recognize that we are temples of the Holy Spirit and ambassadors of our Father’s Kingdom (1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 5:20). We know that without truly finding God, in fulfillment of Jer. 29:13, we cannot do what we do. We cannot love with supernatural, unstoppable love unless we actually experience the love of the Father for ourselves first. Our first purpose is to know Jesus in a passionate relationship with a love that is stronger than death (Song 8:6). Our first priority is not strategies, methods, projects or fundraising, but living the life with the Father that the world is so desperately longing for (Romans 8:19). When we find Him, we find and gain everything....Without Him, we can do nothing of real value. Our love of God is revealed in our love of others. We see the Great Commandment as our primary pursuit in life and as the ultimate measuring stick of success in our ministry. As we love God with our whole beings his love in us will empower and compel us to love others as we love ourselves (Mark 12:29-31). As 1 John 4:12 says, “No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God lives in us, and his love is perfected in us.” John Wesley saw true holiness as love perfected in believers. If God’s love is perfected in us there is no room for sin, pride, selfishness, or arrogance. Therefore, we seek holiness in Christ that is evident in our love of God and love of others. Worship and intimacy with the Father is and will always be the foundational element of Shores of Grace. We consider it not only a great joy but also priority number one with the life of our ministry and the lives of our staff. As Paul said in Romans 12:2, a life surrendered, or a living sacrifice is our spiritual act of worship. Worship is a lifestyle.

Dependency on
the Father

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” — John 15:4-5

We are totally dependent on Him for everything, and we need and expect miracles of all kinds to sustain us and confirm the Gospel in our ministry. When facing great human need with our human frailties, we rapidly reach the limits of our resources, wisdom and love.

We face overwhelming poverty, sickness, demonic attacks and every kind of evil. But with excitement and joy we aim beyond what we can imagine doing in our own strength. We value hard work, honesty and good stewardship, we will always be willing to do our part, but we know that all good things come from the Father and that he will provide far beyond the fruits of our labors (James 1:17, Eph. 3:20). Therefore, as we work hard and love much, we devote ourselves to prayer and intercession trusting that God will do what only he can do. Like Jesus, we seek to be one with the Father and so dependent on him that we can do nothing without him (John 5:19). He is the vine, we are the branches, and apart from him we can not produce good fruits (John 15:5). In Christ, We are walking adoption agents full of good news inviting all of the lost and broken to come to the banqueting table of the Father (Romans 8:15). As we often pray, "show me how to love, teach me how to see", we understand that he is the source of love and grace and we are merely joyful and humble vessels. Our goal is to be the smallest jars of clay filled with the fullness of Him to show the world that this amazing power belongs to Him (2 Corinthians 4:7). We believe we experience miracles because we value them and ask for them. We will always seek the combination of love and power; we do not have to choose between them, but can look forward to doing even greater works than Jesus, while remaining in His love (John 14:12).

Revival, Reformation,
Revolution

“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” — 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

We recognize that the key to the nation is the one (Isaiah 60:22).

We see and encounter Jesus among the least of these and the closer we are to them the closer we are to His heart (Matthew 25). We go to the neglected, the forgotten, the lonely. Not because it is our duty, but because it is our privilege and honor.

The thought of reconciling the lost to the Father was the joy that was set before Christ as He endured the cross (Heb. 12:2, Col. 1:20). Likewise, we see the restoration of the lost and the broken as the joy of Christ and we share in that joy as His body. We serve the broken, poor and needy, not in pity or sorrow but with holy compassion and the expectation of revival. As we have often seen, one life transformed by the power of God can break generational cycles of abuse, neglect, and sinfulness. Therefore, we see the least of these as history makers, reformers, leaders and lovers in waiting. We meet them in their current state of suffering and pain, but we choose to see them through the holes in Jesus’ hands, and he has already paid the price for their freedom, restoration, and wholeness. We believe that the biblical model for revival is the book of Acts. Not just Acts 2, with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, but the entire book. We seek to be like those early Christians, filled with the Spirit as we go proclaiming the Gospel in word and deed. We recognize the fruits of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit as evidence of the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit. We never want to be a people who operate in the gifts of the Spirit without the fruits of the Spirit being evident in our lives. We earnestly pursue love and the gifts, as Paul commanded (1 Cor. 14:1), but we also recognize that Christ is being formed in us and that he is constantly sanctifying us by His Spirit (Gal. 4:19). The fruits of the Spirit are evidence that Christ is alive in us and that His character is being formed in us. We believe that being a people of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, makes us more effective to minister through the Word and the gifts of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-24). We believe that true revival should produce cultural reformation. Those who have been reconciled have also received the message and ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18). True revival is when those who have been revived begin to revive others in the name of Jesus. Likewise, those who have been revived should be overflowing with hope and creativity. Having been filled with the Holy Spirit and being children of the Creator, Christians should be most creative people on earth. The results of revival should flow into all aspects of society (families, communities, streets, marketplaces, schools, businesses, the arts, judicial systems). We do not measure reformation by human metrics, because it is God who revives and God who reforms. We merely seek to be vessels of revival and reformation in small acts of obedience, knowing that, in the hand’s of Jesus, our little obedient “yes” can be multiplied to the masses. When revival leads to reformation, we see a revolution of love. Jesus preached a revolutionary message of love; “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength...love your neighbor as yourself” (Mk. 12:30-31). Jesus taught that true love is sacrificial, selfless love- in giving one’s life for others (Jn. 15:13). As we pray for revival and reformation we seek to live this revolutionary love daily in the smallest of acts and in the greatest.

Joy in
the Journey

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” — Romans 8:17

We believe that were created for the journey and that the Father is with us every step of the way. God is eternally good. The circumstances of life do not determine his faithfulness and he will use

all things for our good (Romans 8:28). In storms we learn that he is our peace, in battles we learn that he is our refuge and when the arrows of the enemy are descending upon us we learn that he is our shield. We define radical faith as keeping your eyes on Jesus amidst the storms and battles of life.

We do not seek out suffering but when it comes we rejoice knowing that Immanuel- God with us- never misses even one step of our journey. With Paul, we rejoice in our weaknesses, for when we are weak we are strong (2 Cor. 12:9). Discipline and testing are necessary in the Christian faith to produce holiness and maturity so we fix our eyes on Jesus, we come under his yoke, and we serve in rhythm with his grace. We ask the Father daily to break our hearts for the things that break his, but also that he would fill our hearts with joy for things that bring him joy. We recognize that the world needs hope and we are the bearers of hope (Col. 1:27). We choose to rejoice in suffering which produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope, and His hope does not disappoint (Rom. 5:3-5). In Christ, there is joy even in times of sufferings. The joy of the Lord is not optional, and it far outweighs our suffering! It is a defining pillar of the Kingdom of God which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). In Jesus, joy becomes our motivation, reward and spiritual weapon. In His Presence is fullness of joy (Ps. 16:11), and even in times of trouble our joy knows no bounds (2 Cor. 7:4). Therefore, day by day, we intentionally cultivate our joy in the Lord in the secret place, in prayer, in studying his Word, and in communion with his church.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” — Hebrews 12:1-2

We choose to come under the yoke of Jesus and find rest, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30). The work that we do is first his work and his heart’s desire. Therefore, we work in rhythm with Jesus, under his yoke.

When our shoulders are heavy and our backs are weak, we surrender once again and re-align ourselves next to Jesus under his precious yoke. It is Jesus that guides, strengthens, and sustains us. Therefore, we work and serve in pace with him, with urgent and enduring hearts. The heartbeat of Father God is our metronome, he keeps the tempo of our walk and service. Jesus is our Good Shepherd who both leads us to walk through places of darkness and danger, and guides us to find rest in green pastures besides still waters (Psalm 23). The same Shepherd who says go also says stop. Therefore, we follow Jesus patiently and confidently, with our eyes fixed on him. We do not need to be constantly looking over our shoulder for fear of what may befall us, because his goodness and mercy follow us all of the days of our lives. It is his love that compels us, empowers us, and sustains us (2 Cor. 5:14). “His love led us here, and his love sustains us here.” We have an urgency to see women and children caught in prostitution, exploitation and abuse set free. We long to see the lost come home, broken families restored and new families created. We never want the stories of brokenness and abandonment to become “normal”, we must never become desensitized. We always want to have urgency in our hearts. However, we also understand that it is a marathon not a sprint and we desire to be consistent in love, commitment and service. We understand that consistency is one of the most powerful tools we have for reaching the lost and restoring the rescued. Many small steps make the journey, and many little victories win the battle. Therefore, we rejoice in each step of the journey, large or small. In great moves of God and in mundane daily acts of service, we seek to be full of the Holy Spirit who is our source of life, power, and strength. We want to live a life that is worthy of our calling in Jesus (Eph. 4:1). There is no task to small, no service too insignificant, all that we do is by Christ, in Christ, and for Christ (Col. 3:17). We fix our eyes on Jesus who walked the earth with both urgency and consistency. We choose to be like our Father who is more consistent and more faithful than the waves of the ocean and the morning sun. We rejoice that the steadfast love of the LORD never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is his faithfulness (Lam. 3:22-23).

Urgency and Consistency

Our Statement of Faith

Shores of Grace Ministries is an evangelical Christian ministry. Although we are an independent ministry we have been greatly influenced by the Wesleyan/Methodist tradition. We seek to uphold and proclaim the historic and apostolic witness to the core beliefs of Christian teaching. The following is a brief summary of our statement of faith; for more comprehensive language we affirm the Nicene and Apostles’ Creeds as foundational statements of Christian faith and doctrine.

God

We believe in one almighty God, who has existed for all eternity in three persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Jesus Christ

We believe that Jesus Christ is fully God, who became fully man, born through the virgin Mary. We believe Jesus lived a sinless life and died for the sins of all, taking on himself the punishment we deserved. We believe Jesus rose from the dead conquering sin and death and now reigns over heaven and earth at the right hand of God the Father.

Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit is living and active in the world. We believe the Holy Spirit convicts of sin, reveals God’s truth and power, equips believers with spiritual gifts, and works to transform the lives of those who choose to follow Jesus Christ.

Bible

We believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, is our primary authority, and contains all truth necessary for faith and practice. We believe that God continues to speak to Christians today through prophecy, words of knowledge and other means. These contemporary words from God must be measured against the Scriptures.

Humanity

We believe human beings were created good and in the image of God, but that sin and disobedience has broken human nature. We stand separated from a perfect God when left to our own merit, but all can respond to God’s love and be restored in relationship with God as a gift of his grace.

Church

We believe the Church is the body of Christ which has been reconciled to God in Christ and now carries the message and ministry of reconciliation. The church has been commissioned and charged to advance the Kingdom of God, to release captives, to heal the sick, to cast out demons, and to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations, both near and far, in order to make disciples of all peoples that they may be baptized into the family of God in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.