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The Cocó Park” Project began it’s activities exactly ten years ago, in August 1993. It all began when a group of young people from the 1st Baptist Church of Fortaleza (N.E Brazil) attended a National Youth Conference, Despertar93 (Awake93), which took place in Brasilia, They participated in a number of workshops; the one that touched them the most was the social work workshop. When they returned to Fortaleza, with much enthusiasm and knowledge acquired at the conference, they decided to begin some social work with street kids and the needy in the city. As our Church is situated in the smarter part of town, Aldeota suburb, the young people decided to go further out to an area of the town with more needy people. One Sunday at 3.00pm, armed with a football, some of the youth group went to a local Park, where they met a number of street children who were playing there. The young people took their football and started playing footie till one by one the kids joined in and by the end of the match they were arranging to meet again, at the park, the next Sunday at the same time. To the young peoples surprise as they arrived at the Park, there were the kids, and so every Sunday there they were waiting. They started with the football match, then they received an item of clothing each. The kids would go to a spring in the Park to wash with soap and shampoo, things they never possessed during the week, as those first kids were real street kids. Every Sunday we looked after their hygiene, recreation and began working in the Spiritual area, presenting Jesus Christ as their Saviour. After a while, we managed to return some kids to their homes, and the work continued with those remaining. As the Park was near a Favela (shanty town) a number of children from there began approaching us. Thus began our work with these children and needy teenagers too. The work that started with twelve street kids went on to more than 50 children of different age groups. A planning meeting took place, and the group who worked with the children were divided into different teams. The next Sunday the children were divided into age groups, and under each tree, with a teacher and assistant a Sunday school took place. As well as studying the Bible them was recreation, as the Park had sports grounds and a childrens playground. At the end of the programme, a tea was served for the children. Initially it was difficult, as in the year the Project began our Church was without a Minister, but guided by the Moderator who gave us much support. Until the work was recognised at Church, each Sunday, Church members were asked to supply the tea for the children in the Park. Ten years have passed and now we receive a monthly financial contribution from the Church, though this has not covered all our needs. Even being a great help, they have had to resort to the Social Action Ministry of the Church who have helped with some requests. Even though conditions werent great, the meetings under the trees in the groups lasted more than two years in the Park. As the Project grew, the childrens mothers started attending, to check on what their kids were doing in the Park every Sunday afternoon. Therefore, a class was created for them, a lady from the Church began working with these ladies. The Project team then had classes for tots, juniors, teenagers, and ladies. During the first year of the project there wasnt a Pastor, but then the Lord sent us Pastor Marcos Vieira Monteiro from Minas Gerais (state in S.E. Brazil). When he arrived, out of all the ministries in the Church, the one he identified with the most was this Project Cocó Park. From when he first visited and shared with the groups under the trees up to now, Pastor Marcos has supported our ministry in Cocó Park. After two years under the trees, the Church hired two buses, which took people each Sunday from the Park to Church for their Sunday school then back to the Park afterwards. Sometime later a brother from the Church (Francisco Erick Veloso), the owner of a garage (0 Espumão), allowed us to use the facilities of his garage on Sunday afternoons for Project activities. The garage location was within the community we were working in. At this time, an English missionary couple (Andrew and Linda Eaves) arrived to work at our Church. Andrew, as well as being a missionary, was an engineer and carpenter, and offered to work with us at the Project. He began renovating the premises; adapting lounges, toilets and a medical consulting room. By doing this, activities during the week were also possible; Adult literacy, school help for children, work skills and medical assistance. The Project remained at those premises for 4½years, until the owner needed to expand his business and asked the Church to find a different location. Three months passed with no adequate location for us to continue the Projects activities. The people remained faithful and we kept in contact with them whilst we searched for new premises, so they could be reunited once more. The owner of the garage then offered a house the Church could rent as the Projects base. This is where we still conduct our activities. At present, the activities we have include: music classes; card making; work skills classes; Bible classes for children, teenagers, young people and adults; Pastoral and psychological care; also there are 75 young people and teenagers who are part of a team of Futsal (Five-a-side football teams). Our brother Vicente Figueiredo from our Church, is their trainer and does a marvellous job with these youngsters (many ex addicts). Today, the best player of Futsal for the State of Ceara is a teenager from our project. As we complete ten years of our Project, we can say Thus far the Lord has helped us. We have 60 mothers, 30 young peoplel/teenagers, 25 juniors, 15 babies and 75 football players Also a young peoples musical group who play the flute, organ and violin each Sunday at the Church.

 

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