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| The congregation in 1946 (artificially coloured) |
In 1937, Francisco Ferreira da Rocha, a member of the Baptist church of Liberdade in São Paulo city, rented a house in the town of Pindamonhangaba at 6, Frederico Machado st. (downtown) and he started using the living room for the first meetings of the baptist congregation there. The group was formalised on April 4, 1937 and it was managed by the Baptist church of Liberdade which would send preachers and its senior pastor Erodice Fontes de Queiroz to Pindamonhangaba once a month. This distant management happened until 1939.
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| Façade of the church in 2025 |
On November 28, 1937, the congregation moved to 96, Travessa Marquês do Herval (downtown), a lot of land donated by Colonel Antonio Ernesto da Silva who was its first pastor (as of 2025 the church is still at the address).
On May 26, 1939, the Baptist Church in Pindamonhangaba was formalised, with its first baptisms by immersion performed in 1938 in Ribeirão Água Preta. Maria Leontina Juliano Cundari, an example of perseverance and faith, was one of the founding members.
In 1946, the congregation built and inaugurated its first temple, designed according to the architectural characteristic of a Baptist church of the 1940s. Over the years, increments, expansions and renovations were made to the temple, including the purchase of neighboring properties. The temple was then demolished in the 1990s, making way for a newer structure, but remaining at the same address.
Complete List of Pastors (Primeira Igreja Batista em Pindamonhangaba)
Notes: Pastor Silas Rivelle served as Senior Pastor and President, rebuilding the entire church and contributing significantly to the Work of God, resulting in significant growth. Pastor Abner Cerqueira led the pastorate for 33 long years, the longest the congregation has ever had. Pastor João Marcos is actually a missionary for YWAM Brasil and decided to accept the position as pastor until God showed his next move. Pastor Ésio Moreira da Silva whose life and ministry are guided by the motto "A Living Church, for a Living God," worked to promote family values and restore moral and ethical values. Pastor Ésio believes that hope and peace we so much long for, reside in God so the proclamation of the Gospel can be a transformative instrument for society.
Throughout its history, the Baptist Church in Pindamonhangaba has also established other Baptist churches in the municipality, such as: Ebenézer Baptist Church (Jardim Rezende); First Baptist Church in Moreira César; Baptist Church in Crispim; Baptist Church in Cidade Jardim, in addition to the First Baptist Church in Guaratinguetá. At various times, the Baptist Church in Pindamonhangaba hosted the organization of three Baptist Associations affiliated with the Brazilian Baptist Convention (CBB) in the state of São Paulo. In Pindamonhangaba, São Paulo State, there are currently eight Baptist Churches organized and registered with the Brazilian Baptist Convention (CBB).
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| The logo of PIEB Pindamonhangaba |
In March 2017, the church re-affiliated to the Association of Baptist Churches of the Eastern Cone of the State of São Paulo (AIBACOLESP), contributing to the work of this Baptist Association alongside other Baptist churches throughout the region and since April 2017 the church has carried out a monthly social work in the village of Cruz Pequena in the rural side of Pindamonhangaba.
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| Façade of the church in a more artistic style (artificial) |
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