Matthew 20:28 “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”
The Ordination Service
On Sabbath 27th of March 2021, our dear brother Jacob de Souza was ordained to the gospel ministry, at our church in Somerton Park, Adelaide.
We were privileged to have three active ministers present for the service, as well as retired minister Brian Jaksic. Brother Friedrich Staudinger, minister from Germany, led in prayer to begin, and the children presented an item.
Brother Ben Thiel, minister and GC Pacific Regional Secretary, addressed the church with the message “Called to Minister.” Following the sermon, Brother Miguel Mendoza, minister and Australasian Union Vice President, shared a short biography of Brother Jacob de Souza. Then Brother Ben Thiel asked questions of Brother Jacob and his dear family, Sister Sandra de Souza and their children Lucas and Isabella, in regards to this new endeavour and their willingness to serve in such capacity.
After taking the pledge from Jacob and his family, Brother Miguel Mendoza together with brethren Ben Thiel and Friedrich Staudinger ordained Brother Jacob as a minister, laying their hands on him and offering a prayer of dedication. Finally, there was the charge of the new responsibilities and privileges of a minister and the welcoming of Brother Jacob to the gospel ministry.
As Brother Nathan Tyler, AUC President, couldn’t make it to this event, he sent an important and encouraging message to Brother Jacob and his family. One of the sentiments shared was, “Ministry is a sacrifice, but also a great reward. We have the privilege of working for souls, and the Lord often gives us the joy of seeing the fruits of our labours. At other times we are merely sowing seed, which may not bear fruit for years. But always we work for Him—not for ourselves, not for the church, but for Christ.”
Brother Jacob addressed the church with words of praise and thanksgiving to the Lord, and, after a closing hymn, pronounced the benediction.
If you missed it, this service can be watched online on the AUC Youtube channel.
Brother Jacob’s Biography
Born in Brazil as a Catholic, Jacob became an Evangelical at the age of 19. His younger brother, who is now a minister in the SDA church, invited him to his baptism in Brazil, where he himself was a member for about 10 years. He started visiting the SDARM church in Brazil for a while, then moved over to New Zealand and visited our church in Auckland, where in 2006 he became a member together with his wife.
Jacob invited his dear mother to visit our church in Brazil, and she started having Bible studies and eventually became a member of our church. This brought much joy to his life. His mother invited her husband to come to church, and he also got baptised years later. Today he is a deacon in the church.
About 13 years ago during the missionary school in Sydney, Jacob’s beloved mother passed away. It was a very difficult time in his life. But the Lord helped him to continue and complete the missionary training. He worked at his trade of hairdressing in New Zealand until he received the call to work for the Lord in 2008. He was ordained as an elder in 2016.
Brother Jacob’s passion is for teaching the truth. He enjoys giving Bible studies, sharing the precious truth we have. He enjoys very much his Sabbath School class, which he looks forward to every Sabbath.
Brother Jacob also loves spending time with his family and doing different activities with his children whenever possible.
Welcome to the Ministering Team
We want to give thanks to our merciful God and pray for the De Souza family in this new stage in their lives. And as we contemplate the need of people to step up and serve in the Lord’s cause, remember these words:
“Workers are needed all over the world. The truth of God is to be carried to foreign lands, that those in darkness may be enlightened by it. God requires that a zeal be shown in this direction infinitely greater than has hitherto been manifested. As a people, we are almost paralyzed. We are not doing one-twentieth part of the good we might, because selfishness prevails to a large extent among us. Cultivated intellect is now needed in the cause of God, for novices cannot do the work acceptably. God has devised our college as an instrumentality for developing workers of whom He will not be ashamed. The height man may reach by proper culture has not hitherto been realized. We have among us more than an average of men of ability. If their talents were brought into use, we should have twenty ministers where we now have one.” Testimonies, vol. 4, p. 426.
To our dear Brother Jacob and family: on behalf of the Australasian Union Conference, our staff and membership, we offer you all our support and encouragement and look forward to serving together.
~ Miguel Mendoza and GT editors