TOURIST CITY STILL "NOT THE SAME" SINCE EVANGELISTIC CAMPAIGN

THE SPIRITUAL TIDE continues to rise at a popular beach resort following an unprecedented display of unity by local churches, according to organizers of a citywide evangelism campaign.

Some churches are still running double services to cope with increased attendance, six months after Operation Window saw more than 40,000 recorded decisions for Christ in Fortaleza, on the northern coast.

More than 100 congregations have asked the Youth With A Mission team in the city for help in discipling their new members and training them for missionary service, said YWAM director Tony Lima.

He first suggested the large-scale outreach, which saw around 360 churches working together in the three-week outreach that culminated a year's planning, prayer and preparation. Teams presented the gospel in schools, military bases, universities and open spaces, as well as at a three-day evangelistic rally at a city sports stadium.

"God is still doing great things," said Lima. "Pastors are calling us to help train their new people. We simply cannot meet the demand, so we are starting with night schools in ten churches first," he said. "Three new churches have been started, and some have doubled their numbers because of what God did. God has opened the mind of the churches to realize that they can do big things for God."

Among the special events resulting from Operation Window was a recent citywide prayer day which saw hundreds of Christians gather for prayer and praise on the sea front. Skydivers jumped from a helicopter to symbolically anoint the city with oil to declare Christ's lordship.

"For the first time people from many denominations came together, singing and worshipping God," said Lima. "One pastor told me that since Operation Window the city has just not been the same."

The impact has spread along the coast, too, to a fishing community where couples who have became Christians are lining up to get married. YWAM workers started a church there during the lead-up to Operation Window, and in the past year its numbers have grown from four to 105.

"I had the privilege of performing four weddings there recently, and have 12 more scheduled," said Lima. "It's just the power of the gospel. People there have the tradition of not getting married, but now they know Jesus they want to get their lives straight before God."

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