UNITED - UNIDOS / PERTH - AUSTRALIA

Robert and Simone we both born in Brazil. Robert was brought up in London, England until he was eighteen. Simone had always lived in Brazil where they met and were married in 1986. Two years later, they moved to London, England, where most of Robert's family lives and where he spent most of his life.

In 1991 they were saved while in London, England, by the efforts of Julio Marcelo Ferreira dos Santos a Brazilian missionary who along with his family were attending language school. It was then that Robert was called to preach. Shortly afterward, Robert resigned from his job as a manager with Sheraton Hotels, left England, and, believing it was God's calling, went to live on the mission field in Huelva, Spain with that same missionary family(Julio Dos Santos).

However it was not God's timing, and in 1992, a little confused, they returned to Brazil where they spent the next four years. Robert went into business, setting up a computer technology business. It was during this time that their daughters, Gabriela and Michelle were born.

In 1996, still convinced that God had indeed called him to preach and not to be in business, Robert and Simone sold their home and their business and left for England with their two young daughters, determined to seek training for the ministry and to serve God wherever He may call them. A year of trials followed until they met missionary Dave Solt, in 1997. Once they joined Park View Baptist Church, they knew they were on the path God had for them.

Robert is a Microsoft certified systems engineer, trainer and network and computer specialist. Until April 2003, Robert held a computer and network systems engineer position in London, training engineers in countries throughout Europe, the Middle East and the Far East for an American company based in Atlanta, Georgia.

In 2003 Robert graduated from Baptist College of America in Kokomo, Indiana. In Febuary 2003 Robert was accepted by FBMI a missionary to Brazil and in April of the same year was ordained by Park View Baptist Church.

Robert and Simone have served in many capacities, such as Sunday School teacher, bus captain and driver, treasurer, youth leader and choir member. The whole family speaks fluent English and Portuguese; Robert can speak Spanish also.

Tirado com permissao do site do Roberto Tully - www.tullys.org.uk

It may be the greatest story ever told but Bible literacy is slipping and not just among atheists. Churchgoers, especially Catholic, are losing touch with the scriptures of their faith.

Of those Australians who go to church, 21% read the Bible daily, another 14 % opened the Bible a few times a week and 6% once a week.

But 24 per cent said they read their Bibles only occasionally, 18 per cent rarely and 17 per cent never read the Bible on their own, according to research

Based on the 2006 National church Life Survey of 500,000 church attendees from 22 denominations.

The biggest Bible readers are Pentecostals, with 72 per cent saying they read it daily or a few times a week, followed by Baptists (62 per cent), Anglicans (46 per cent), Lutherans (41 per cent) and Uniting (43 per cent). Of Catholics, 59 per cent said they rarely consulted their Bibles.

“This is a private devotional activity that some faith traditions strongly affirm,” NCSL director Ruth Powell said. “Personal Bible reading I seen by many churchgoers, particularly Protestants, as part o f a core set of devotional practices including prayer and personal reflection.

“By comparison…the Catholic Church rationally has had a greater role in interpreting the scriptures for individual believers.

The research has prompt the NSW Bible Society to consider testing a self-help guided reading program for the Bible over the next three years.

The trend away from Bible reading can be attributed in part to the busyness of people’s lives, according to the Bible Society, which commissioned the research. Chief executive Daniel Willis said people were not only spending less time reading the Bible, they were generally not reading at all an taking their information from sources other than the written word.

Our Testimony - Conversao

Tirado com permissao do site do Roberto Tully - www.tullys.org.uk