International Grace of God Church
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The International Church of God’s Grace (Portuguese: Igreja Internacional da Graça de Deus) is a Brazilian evangelical church founded by Romildo Ribeiro Soares (R.R. Soares) in 1980, at Rua Lauro Neiva, in the city of Rio de Janeiro. Romildo had made his own name soon after splitting with fellow Christian leader, Edir Macedo. The church currently has a television program called "Faith Show", which is broadcast during primetime on Rede Bandeirantes and in the mornings and afternoons on Rede TV.
Growth
Currently, R.R. Soares has more than 2,000 churches scattered throughout Brazil, from north to the south of the country. He also has churches in Lisbon, Pompano Beach, Miami, Orlando, Brandon, New Jersey, Corona, Somerville, Fall River, in the United States and has been planning a church in Paris, France.
Doctrine
The doctrine of the church includes the following activities:
- Preach that the word in the Bible is to perform healing through prayer.
- At the end of the worship service, the prayer of faith is performed, in which the missionary, with biblical basis, does a prayer in Jesus' name.
- Teaches that the ordaining is the key to receiving God's blessings.
Path of R. R. Soares
The International Church of God's Grace currently has a network of television stations called RIT (International Network Television) available in major cities in Brazil. They display a daily program on a prime-time network, Bandeirantes, and at night show a program with a musical ensemble on Rede TV entitled Faith Show. The preacher of the programs is Romildo Ribeiro Soares, better known as R.R. Soares. He preaches the Word of God (the Bible). The program of the Faith Show includes music and shows pictures as: "Novela da Vida Real" and "O Missionário Responde" and "Abrindo o Coração". The final activity is the prayer of faith, in which the missionary, with biblical basis, says a prayer in Jesus' name.
R.R. Soares had worked with the famous bishop Edir Macedo of the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, who broke off relations in 1978, after disagreements in theology. R.R. Soares did not agree with the way that Edir Macedo took the direction of Unreason. Then there was the division, and in 1980, he founded the International Church of God's Grace.
In the city of Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, he opened the first temple of the name, and it was later spread to all of Brazil and other countries. The International Church of God's Grace is accepted and recognized as a "Legitimate Christian Fellowship Church" by other denominations and their respective ministers.
Romildo was reared in the small town of Muniz Freire in Espírito Santo. One day, while visiting the nearby town of Cachoeiro do Itapemirim, the square Jerônimo Montero, he saw for the first time in his life, a television screen, above a shop.
According to his account, he noted that all who were there were fascinated with what was happening on the TV screen, and at that time made a vow to the Lord:
- "Nobody's talking about the Lord in that unit. Oh, Lord, if the Lord gives me conditions, one day I'll be there, speaking only of the Lord".
In April 1964, still young, he arrived in Rio de Janeiro and in 1968, began the ministry of R.R. Soares. Currently, the International Church of God's Grace has more than two thousand temples opened in the world. Of that number, over one hundred churches have met in Rio de Janeiro, where it all began. He also has the Official Show da Fé, with monthly circulation of 1.1 million copies and the magazine Graça Show da Fé, with monthly circulation of 180 thousand copies with music. There is also a magazine's comic, the Turminha da Graça, movement and monthly CD for free. It has the record label "Grace Music", which has launched gospel singers, among them Ana Beatriz Brandão, Sandrinha, Jeanne Mascarenhas, Dayane Damasceno and Carlinhos Félix. Through Grace Editorial, it has published numerous titles of Christian books: How to take possession of the blessing, When His Secret Sin Rips Your Heart, and the best-seller The Prophets of the Great Religions.
Recently the international headquarters of the International Church of God's Grace have been at Avenida Sao João, 791, City Center of Sao Paulo, where worship has been practiced daily. Even on weekends, the services have been performed by R.R. Soares.
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