Rui is from Coimbra, a city in the central region of Portugal. It was there that, at the age of 23, he turned from atheism to Christ during his nursing degree. He is married to Raquel and they have two daughters: Miriam (3) and Ester (1). Rui and Raquel moved to the UK in 2019 where Rui attended the Cornhill Training Course, receiving ministry training to serve the Lord in Portugal. During this time, Raquel started her career as a nurse at St. George’s Hospital. They were at Emmanuel Church Wimbledon where Rui first served as a ministry trainee and later as the youth worker. In September 2025, they return to Coimbra to join the church they were originally attending where Rui will serve as a church worker while Raquel continues her nursing career. 

“I dream of a future where people all over Coimbra call upon the name of the Lord Jesus and are saved.”

As a whole, Portugal is a Roman Catholic country with many people not knowing what the actual gospel is. Many hold to a belief that God exists but can’t articulate their views from the Bible due to a widespread biblical illiteracy. When it comes to evangelical churches, there aren’t many of them and they tend to be small and lacking in people trained to teach and preach the Bible. This is why there is a big need for full-time gospel workers who can also train others to do Bible-based ministry. To that end, Rui will seek to serve the local church through word ministry and discipleship, while also looking to cooperate with others in Coimbra and further afield to offer training on how to handle and teach the Bible. 

Find out more about Rui or connect with him here.

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