James and Heather Cochrane have been serving in Portugal since 2008. Initially they were involved in leadership training, Bible teaching and discipleship (with the Portuguese Bible Institute), but in July 2013 they moved from the Algarve to Porto in northern Portugal to begin a church-planting project in collaboration with the Christian Presbyterian Church of Portugal (ICPP) called ‘Comunidade Pedras Vivas’ (CPV) which translates as “Living Stones’ Community”. CPV is based in Senhora da Hora in Porto and is led by James and Heather. In March 2019 Chris & Rachel Humphries joined the church planting team.
Church planting is a broad term that encompasses many varied tasks: prayer, planning, team building, evangelism, discipling, pastoring, building relationships and training future leaders. The building of relationships is very important to gain the respect of the Portuguese and break down many prejudices and misconceptions about what it means to be a Bible-based church. Together with their colleagues, James and Heather reach out to all age groups (children, young people, men and women) through one to one contact on the streets, formation of small groups to explore faith and Christianity, youth activities and ministry to couples. The shaping of the church to have a missional vision occurs through preaching and teaching and short courses to equip the members to live as disciples and share their faith with others.
They write, “Portugal is a religious nation with symbols of Christianity on every corner. However, only 0.5% of the population would claim to have a personal relationship with Jesus. In this context of religious fervor, the task of church planting is steeped in prayer as we seek to live out our lives before those who do not know Jesus seeking opportunities to explain who Jesus really is, why he came and what this expression of God's love, grace and hope actually means here and now for the people of Portugal.”
During the Covid-19 pandemic, James and Heather have continued to serve in Portugal and adapted their work and witness to comply with local restrictions. At times, when in-person meetings couldn't take place, church services, Bible studies and other church meetings moved online.
From 1996 to 2003 James and Heather served as church planters in north-east Brazil with the Independent Presbyterian Church in Brazil (IPIB). They returned to Ireland and both completed degrees in theology, with James continuing to study as a ministerial student at Union Theological College, Belfast. He was ordained, after two years as assistant minister in Second Comber Presbyterian Church before leaving for Portugal in 2008. James later studied for an MA in Aspects and Implications of Biblical Interpretation with the London School of Theology. James and Heather have two daughters: Alana will complete her Masters degree at QUB in September 2022 and at the same time Lucy will begin her second year at QUB.
Prayer Points
- Pray for the people of Portugal who are surrounded by symbols of Christianity but with little or no knowledge of Jesus.
- Making contacts and building relationships is crucial to the ongoing work of church planting. Give thanks for contacts already made and pray that members of CPV would be good witnesses to their friends and colleagues.
- As CPV prepares to return to normal activities following lockdown, pray that there will be a tangible cohesion and sense of community among the church members and a desire to be actively involved in building relationships with the wider community.
- Continue to pray for the witness of ICPP in Portugal. Pray for the many challenges this small denomination faces (approx. 250 members in Portugal).
James and Heather have recorded a short and long film clip which can be downloaded and used in church services, prayer meetings or events to raise awareness and prayer for what God is doing across the world, as we seek to go deep and wide in global mission involvement.
(For previous Digital Dispatches video clips click here)
Latest Report
December 2023/January 2024
It is hard to believe that we have been in N. Ireland for over four months. Since September we have been involved in a period of deputation, which came to an end at the end of November. We very much enjoyed sharing the story of Pedras Vivas church (CPV) and the challenges and encouragements of church planting in Portugal. We also valued the opportunity to thank individuals and congregations for their prayer support and financial giving via the United Appeal, both of which sustained us during many years overseas. Deputation allowed us to reflect on the last 15 years in Portugal, to talk about it and to process the grief we felt after leaving the beloved church and ministry in Porto. In some ways deputation has helped us to “let go” and so enable us to focus on what comes next.
The process of “letting go” was made a little easier as we have been able to follow CPV from a distance and see how, by God’s grace, the church continues to grow with both new Portuguese and Brazilians arriving. On some Sundays the 100 chairs in the church are not enough to accommodate everyone!
In our last bulletin we communicated that the church interviewed a pastor. We are delighted to now report that, pending denominational approval, the church has expressed its desire to call him. Pastor Leonardo, aged 39, is from Brazil but is currently studying at Westminster Seminary in the U.S. He will complete this study in May/June 2024. In the meantime, he, along with his wife, hope to visit Portugal for 6 weeks over December/January. During this period, he will preach at CPV and meet with members of Presbytery who will, God willing, approve his call. It is an exciting time for CPV, and we rejoice with our brothers and sisters, that they have reached this important stage. The church is blessed with members who faithfully tithe but the appointment of a new pastor is an extra financial pressure. We are happy that PCI will continue to support CPV financially over a period of 3 years using gifts that we have received over the years for the work in Portugal.
We are now in a period of sabbatical for 2 to 3 months, which will be a time to focus on what comes next. Although we are uncertain about what lies ahead, the Lord has confirmed that we are not to return overseas. This has not been an easy decision, but we trust in the Lord who has always gone before us and who knows what is coming next.
Prayer Points
- Give thanks for the opportunities to share with many PCI congregations during deputation and for the encouragement we received.
- Give thanks for Pastor Leonardo and pray for his visit to Portugal during December and January.
- Pray for God’s leading for future ministry. We hope that by the end of our sabbatical (February/March 2024) we will be ready to move into our next phase of ministry.
To download a printable PDF version of this bulletin or for a previous bulletin visit the Mission Reports listing at the top or the Global Mission monthly bulletin archive.