Igreja União da Fé

Did three churches merge to create one? The Igreja União da Fé in São Paulo has a unique origin story. Unlike churches born from disagreements, Igreja União da Fé arose from a union of three distinct congregations in the early 1960s. These were the Igreja Cristã Pentecostal de Evangelização e Cura Divina “Maravilha de Jesus”, the Igreja Evangélica do Povo, and the Igreja Cristã Evangélica Unida. They found common ground in their shared goals and doctrines. The Igreja União da Fé’s formation required countless meetings, fervent prayers, and difficult compromises. Leaders from each church meticulously navigated points of agreement and divergence. Even the church’s name, Igreja União da Fé, was carefully chosen to reflect this unity. On July 12, 1963, at 8:30 PM, history was made. The founding ceremony took place at the Salão das Classes Laboriosas in downtown São Paulo. Pastor Luiz Schiliró presided over the event. Representatives and members from all three merging churches attended. That same night, an executive board was elected, solidifying the Igreja União da Fé’s official establishment. The church’s first location was on Rua Treze de Maio in the Bela Vista neighborhood. However, the roots of Igreja União da Fé trace back further, to the early 1950s. American missionaries, William Schaffer and Harold Willians, ignited a spiritual revival in São Paulo. They erected the “Tenda de Deus para a Salvação e Cura Divina” on Avenida Celso Garcia. The founding pastors of the three churches, except for Missionary Luiz Schiliró, gathered there. This shared experience planted the seed for the unification that would later give birth to the Igreja União da Fé. Pastors José Spassapan and José Maria Ayres first proposed the idea of merging the churches around 1962. Their vision gained momentum and consensus, ultimately leading to the founding of the Igreja União da Fé.