They also have embraced the ministry full-time to help others. On gaining more experience, Pastors may then be chosen to serve as Bishops.Īssistant Pastors will also be present in the services and their role is to assist the Pastor or Bishop. They do not have other employment and their only aim is to serve God by serving and helping the congregation and others in the community that need assistance. These are men of God (and in some countries also women) who have embraced the ministry on a full time basis. The meetings and conferences are conducted by a fully trained Pastor or Bishop. All are welcome to attend the UCKG services regardless of their religious affiliations. UCKG is a registered UK charity and Christian spiritual centre with an active membership of approximately over 10000. UCKG continues to expand its activities in the UK under the leadership of Bishop James Marques, who is supported by a team of senior pastors plus administrative and pastoral support staff. The UCKG then embarked on a major renovation programme and associated fund-raising to restore the Grade II* listed 1930s cinema to its former glory. Initially no heat or light was available in the building, but that did not deter the growing congregation from attending daily services. In 1996, the UCKG acquired the derelict Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park. A ‘special work’ is a centre that opens once or twice a week instead of daily. So many people were regularly travelling from Birmingham to attend the services that UCKG set up a ‘special work’ in Birmingham at this time. Interest grew and attendances rose so that within the year the first dedicated UCKG church opened in Brixton. Initially he held two services a week in St Matthews Church of England in Brixton. Pastor Renato Cardoso – now Bishop – came to the UK in 1995 to introduce UCKG to this country, which then turned into a UK registered charity (no. The UCKG is currently in over 100 countries and is still expanding. In Asia, the UCKG is established in India, the Philippines and Japan, where the first 24-hour church is based. It is now active in South Africa, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Kenya, Lesotho, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Uganda and many other countries on the continent. The first UCKG church in Africa opened in Angola in 1992. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the UCKG opened its doors in Germany and the end of communism enabled the church to provide churches for Russian and Romanian people. In Europe, it is established in England, Portugal, Spain, France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland and Poland. There are also churches in Jamaica, Trinidad and Guyana. UCKG then developed its presence in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Guatemala and Ecuador. Today there are churches in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Miami, Los Angeles and many other US cities. Today there are approximately 5,000 UCKG churches in Brazil, with the headquarters in Rio de Janeiro holding up to 12,000 people at a time.įollowing an exploratory visit to the USA, the UCKG was established in New York in 1986. Shortly afterwards the UCKG officially opened its first church inside a funeral parlour.įurther church openings followed and the movement expanded nationally across Brazil. As Pastor Macedo’s services grew in popularity, he used cinemas and local halls to accommodate growing congregations, attracting people from the streets to the expanding movement. His passion was to reach out to needy, less privileged people who were often excluded by established religions. With the blessing of Bishop McAlister, he started to hold services under a small park shelter in Rio de Janeiro. It owes its origins to a successful evangelistic programme conducted by Bishop Robert McAlister, a Canadian missionary in the Pentecostal tradition.Įdir Macedo – who went on to found UCKG – was one of the early converts. The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) was formed in 1977, in Brazil.
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