Origins & Call

The story of the São Luís Mission Team really begins long before anyone packed a suitcase or learned a word of Portuguese. It started with a few families at Northside Church of Christ in San Antonio—ordinary people who loved God, loved their church, and wanted to help others do the same.

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In the early 2000s, the Hills, Gibbins, and Dyes all ended up at Northside, not because of some grand plan, but because God quietly drew their paths together. They served side-by-side in youth ministry, building a culture of discipleship through a program called NEON, where high schoolers learned that faith wasn’t something you inherited—it was something you lived out together.

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Out of that grew SERVEiVOR, a creative, high-energy retreat designed to help people discover their gifts, grow in community, and encounter God in unexpected ways. What started as a local youth retreat in Texas began spreading to churches, Christian schools, and eventually across borders. And that’s when God started tugging on their hearts for something more.

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The Decision to Go to Brazil / São Luís

In 2015, the SERVEiVOR team took an invitation from missionary David Ingram to bring their retreat to Fortaleza, Brazil. They expected to teach, but instead, they were deeply moved by what they found—the openness, joy, and deep hunger for God among Brazilian believers.

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That trip lit a spark. When Great Cities Missions began exploring where to plant a new church, the Dyes, Hills, and Gibbins joined a vision trip with David and others to consider Teresina and São Luís. After walking the streets, praying over the city, and meeting locals, they felt an unmistakable sense of calling toward São Luís.

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They came home changed. Over the next year, the families prayed, sold homes, left careers, and entered missionary training. In partnership with Great Cities Missions and Northside Church of Christ, the São Luís Mission Team was officially born.

Transition, Trials & Team Structure

Everything seemed ready for launch in late 2017—flights booked, bags packed, hearts set on Brazil. But just weeks before departure, tragedy struck. Troy Gibbins suffered a sudden, life-threatening aneurysm that left him fighting for his life in the hospital.

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It was devastating. Months of uncertainty followed. The team prayed, wrestled, and waited. Eventually, the Gibbins family made the heartbreaking decision to remain in the U.S. for recovery and family stability.

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Ministry in São Luís & Approach

When the Dyes and Hills arrived in São Luís, they didn’t start with a building or a campaign. They started with people—neighbors, shop owners, English students, friends. The goal wasn’t to “launch” a church overnight, but to learn as much as they could about a new culture and language while being intentional one relationship at a time.

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Over the years, that simple, relational approach has grown into a community known as Família em Cristo (“Family in Christ”). Worship looks more like a family meal than a formal service—people gathered around tables sharing stories, praying, learning, and breaking bread together.

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From English + Bible study nights to discipleship groups, to events and retreats, every gathering is designed to help people connect more deeply—to God, to one another, and to the mission of Christ. It’s slow, intentional work, but it’s the kind that lasts.

Current Team Composition & Partnerships

Today, the São Luís team is led by Mark and Melynda Dye alongside Lucas and Natália Cavalcanti, who joined as local partners in ministry. Together, they’re training emerging leaders, guiding discipleship groups, while continuing to learn what it means to live as a spiritual family.

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They’re supported by a network of churches and friends who have walked with them through every high and low. Northside Church of Christ was the original sending church. Over time, others like Brentwood Oaks Church of Christ in Austin and Kerrville Church of Christ and Western Hills Church of Christ in Temple joined hands to sustain the mission through prayer, encouragement, and financial partnership.

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What began with a few families in Texas has now become a shared work between nations, cultures, and churches—an example of how God builds His kingdom through simple obedience.

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Impact, Lessons & Challenges

This mission has never been a straight line. There have been health scares, transitions, funding shifts, and countless cultural adjustments. Yet through it all, one truth has stayed constant: God is faithful.

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In São Luís, lives are being changed—not through programs or performances, but through presence. Families have been restored. Leaders have been raised up. Worship has become more authentic. People who once felt unseen are finding belonging in the family of Christ.

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The story is still being written, but its heartbeat is clear: the church is not a program—it’s a people.

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And as this family in Christ keeps growing in São Luís, they continue to remind us all that the gospel still travels best on the road of relationship—one meal, one conversation, one act of love at a time.