February 4 Today in OPC History

On this day in 2019, the Rev. Dr. Paulo Anglada entered the presence of his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Pastor Paulo, as he was known, was a ministerial member of the Igreja Presbiteriana do Brasil (IPB), a sister denomination of the OPC in Brazil. After retiring in 2012 from active ministry at the Central Presbyterian Church of Para (IPB) in the northern city of Belem, he and his wife Layse moved to North Carolina to be near their son and his family. While living in North Carolina, they attended Redeemer OPC in Charlotte. Pastor Paulo grew up attending a Presbyterian Church. According to his son, he would go to church every Sunday because his parents did and that's where most of his friends were. After the church service concluded, he and others from the church would go get drunk at a bar nearby the church. By God’s grace he was converted at the age of 24 and soon felt a call to the ministry. He attended the Presbyterian Seminary in Recife in northeastern Brazil. In 1983, after four years of study he was ordained to the gospel ministry and started the Central Presbyterian Church of Para in Belem. He later studied at a Dutch Reformed seminary in Potchefstroom, South Africa. During his studies in South Africa, he became more familiar with the Westminster Standards and a more thoroughly Reformed theology. Returning to Brazil, he resumed his ministry at the Central Presbyterian Church. During his 30 years of ministry in Belem, he was instrumental in promoting confessional Presbyterianism within the IPB. His book on the five points of Calvinism proved especially influential for many Brazilians. He was also involved in the Puritan Project of Brazil and helped with their annual Puritan Conference. He himself was a popular conference speaker among Brazilian evangelicals, which led to more requests for written materials. In his retirement, he devoted much of his time to writing theological books in Portuguese for the Brazilian church, including doctrinal works, practical volumes and commentaries. He was finishing a commentary on the book of Acts when he unexpectedly passed away. His death came as a shock to many in the Brazilian Presbyterian world, and his influence is sorely missed among confessional Presbyterians in Brazil.

The picture is courtesy of Brazilian artist Marcos Rodrigues, and is used by his kind permission.