A Response To An Urgent Need In Fort Myers
Meet Niel
My name is Neil Anderson Silva Ribeiro, I am married to Juliana Sousa Oliveira Ribeiro, and we have two children, Davi, 19 years old, and Tito, 11 years old. We are a Brazilian family, and we moved to the United States four years ago. I come from a Presbyterian background, and during my time in Brazil, I had the privilege of working on several church revitalization projects. When we arrived in the United States in 2020, I started a new church revitalization project, and today, together with my family, we are planting a church in Fort Myers in partnership with Esperança Bible Presbyterian Church. I was called by Pastor Samuel Vitalino to plant this church in Fort Myers. Our deepest desire is that God will use us there to spread the Gospel and that many people will be reached and saved for the glory of the Lord.
My name is Neil Anderson S. Ribeiro. I have been married for over 20 years to my wife, Juliana, and together we are blessed to be parents to Davi, 19, and Tito, 12. Twenty-two years ago, God called me into pastoral ministry, and since then, I have faithfully served Christ, pastoring churches in Brazil and the United States, with a particular focus on revitalizing churches. Over the years, I have pastored four churches—three in Brazil and one in Connecticut—all with the desire to see churches grow firmly in God’s Word, grounded in the solid, faithful tradition of the Reformed faith.
Today, with the same heart to serve the Kingdom, God has led me to take a new step: the planting of a church in Fort Myers, Florida. This project is not born from personal ambition but from a clear conviction that this is God’s will for my life at this moment. Fort Myers is in need of a church that is grounded in the Bible and the Reformed tradition, and I believe God has prepared me for this mission.
This church plant is a continuation of the organic growth of Igreja Esperança BPC in Orlando, where Pastor Samuel Vitalino began the church plant three years ago. Some families from Fort Myers started making the long drive—about three hours each way—every week to worship in Orlando, which made it clear that there was a pressing need for a church in Fort Myers to serve the Brazilian community in the area. Therefore, we felt that it was time to take the step to plant a church there.
I am convinced that this church plant is a response to the urgent need for a faithful, Bible-centered church where people can grow in their faith, learn more deeply from God’s Word, and live out the principles of the gospel in practical and transformative ways. Our initial focus will be on reaching the Brazilian community in the Fort Myers area, but our hearts are open to all who seek to be discipled according to Scripture.
I am grateful to God for the opportunity to take on this new challenge, and I ask for your prayers and support as we take the necessary steps to establish this work. I am fully confident that, as Paul says in Romans 1:16, the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, and it is with that power that we will move forward, trusting that God will equip us to fulfill the mission He has entrusted to us.