The Spinos family, Missionaries to Macapá,

Rick, Sandra, Brian & Erich

Rick Spinos born on June 19th, 1959 in Phoenix Arizona gave his life to the Lord Jesus Christ on January 1, 1974 and was baptized by immersion and added as a member of the Whitton Avenue Bible Church on March 10th, 1974. Ten years latter while working on his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at Arizona State University, Rick was called to full time mission work in Brazil. After receiving approval by his home church in Phoenix and the Apostolic Christian Church Missionary Committee in Tremont Illinois Rick left for Brazil as a two-year short-term missionary of the Apostolic Christian Church. After arriving in Brazil on December 2, 1984 Rick began studying the Portuguese language and Brazilian Culture in the state of Goiás, Central Brazil.

Two months later Rick moved to the city of Santarém in the state of Pará in the Amazon River basin and began working with Project Amazon, a church planting ministry. For the next 5 years Rick worked as the overseer and nautical engineer of a steel boat factory while continuing his Portuguese studies. Rick designed and supervised the construction of more than 30 steel houseboats, yachts and catamaran style floating medical clinics.

Soon after Rick arrived in Santarém he met Sandra Costa who was at the time the worship leader of the central church of Project Amazon. Sandra is a very talented singer, songwriter and musician. At the end of 1984 Rick asked Sandra's hand in marriage, and Luke Huber married them on July 16, 1985 with the full blessing of Rick's parents and Sandra's widowed mother. Their first son Brian was born on October 16th 1988 and two years later Erich was born on October 24th. Sandra's birthday comes between the birthdays of Brian and Erich on October 20th.

During his last year as the administrator of the boat factory in 1989 Rick and Sandra accepted the challenge to pastor a local church. This was Rick and Sandra's first pastoral experience. Rick and Sandra were also challenged to start a new mission base in the state of Amapá on the northeast corner of Brazil since pastoring a church in Santarém would be a good preparation for starting a new base. The Lord was very gracious and blessed Rick and Sandra's efforts. Under their leadership the church in the bairro of Santana grew from approximately 15 people to 150 over the space of two years.

In mid 1991 Rick made a survey trip to Macapá the capital of the State of Amapá and felt the Lord's confirmation to move his family there to start a new group of churches. Not having any prior church planting experience combined with low level of financial support and no church planting team proved to be factors that contributed to a very humbling and trying experience, however a very valuable learning experience.

After several years with meager results and several false starts the relationships that Sandra and Rick had established finally began showing results. After many months of moving from one borrowed location to another, a rented facility was finally secured in early 1994 and the church began to grow. A second church was planted in early 1995 and a third in 1997. In late 1999 Rick and Sandra turned over the leadership of the three churches to Brazilians pastors having reached a total of 48 cell groups and approximately 500 worshipers in the three congregations. Shortly afterward another two congregations were begun.

After a few months promoting the work of these churches in the United States Rick and Sandra returned to Macapá to further assist the churches until the end of the year 2000. At the beginning of 2001 after receiving the blessing of the Apostolic Christian Church Missionary Committee Rick and Sandra started a new work in Macapá called Fruit of the Vine Ministries. This new church plant was also started with almost no money and no people. The first meeting was held in Rick and Sandra's living room with three other families. In March of 2001 a property was rented with the help of the ACCMC and by September of 2001 the new church grew to over 100 worshipers organized in 5 cell groups.

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