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Otago Daily Times
12-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Seeking out diversity moving from Brazil
Beneath the surface of Michelle Silva and Evandro Santos's success story is a tale of hard work and overcoming familial separation. The married couple are originally from the town of Minas Gerais in Brazil where they were married and had two children. Mr Santos and Ms Silva came to New Zealand at the beginning of 2020 under a work visa, leaving their children with family members in Brazil to see what life was like in this country. Ms Silva, who was trained as a materials engineer, had a galvanizing job in Christchurch and not long after the move Mr Santos, a civil engineer, got a job as a tiler in Wānaka. The couple were then not only separated from their children but from each other too. 'This is the immigrant life," Ms Silva said. 'Sometimes we don't have a choice, we don't have other options." It was diversity that drew them to uproot their comfortable life in Brazil. Ms Silva wanted her children to experience a spectrum of cultures and learn different languages. 'I decided I want to go to a country where my kids, they can learn English and they can learn about another country,'' Ms Silva said. She was confident about the idea, but Mr Santos needed some convincing. He said their life in Minas Gerais, unlike other parts of Brazil, was very safe. 'For me, I feel homesick a lot because our life here it's harder. "You need to work more than we worked in Brazil," Mr Santos said, explaining that New Zealand's higher cost of living had meant more financial stress at times. Once Ms Silva found a job in Wānaka the two were reunited, but their son and daughter remained oceans away. Due to the Covid-19 lockdowns, it took the couple two years to bring their their family back together. Their daughter, Ana Ribeiro, is now 9 years old and their son, Lucas Souza, is 16, both of whom have been able to immerse themselves in learning a second language and meeting people from all over the world. 'To be honest, they love to live here," Ms Silva said. 'Ana has friends from Canada, from London and she has friends from Qatar. And she learned gymnastics here and how to swim." Seeing their children benefit from the move was the first success, next was building a business from nothing. Mr Santos worked for a company in Wānaka to start with but quickly felt he wanted to do more. 'Evandro never wanted to work for someone. 'He always wanted to work for himself," Ms Silva said. Three years ago, Mr Santos became self-employed and after one year the couple set up their business, VIP Tiling. Mr Santos tiled and Ms Silva managed the business and the pair were to growing their enterprise, slowly expanding their team. In addition to building a business they also built a life in Wānaka with a supportive Brazilian community by their side. "What I love about New Zealand, it is like communities are open," Ms Silva said. 'We go to the New Life Church and we have a big community there. "But at the same time, we support the Calvary International Church as well, because it's a Brazilian church." Although the couple experienced periods of homesickness from time to time, they said they could not imagine living anywhere else and felt fulfilled with the life they had worked hard to set up in Wānaka.
The Citizen
17-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
eMalahleni business is growing over the breakfast table
eMalahleni business is growing over the breakfast table Three guests shared their stories, trials, and experiences in the Christian Business Breakfast hosted by New Life Church. Set in a comfortable lounge, the guest speakers, Zithobile Kolweni, Monica Joao, and Mthoko Mdaba, shared with the attendees their highs and lows and how God led them to a place of peace, where they realised that He is in control. WITBANK NEWS also had a slot, and news editor Zita Goldswain and advertising representative Annatjie du Toit shared some insight into successful advertising. The next New Life Business Breakfast is on August 1 – Do not miss out on this opportunity to mingle with business-minded people. Breaking news at your fingertips … Follow WITBANK NEWS on our website, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or TikTok Chat to us: info@ At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Times
14-06-2025
- General
- Times
A beer and a baptism at the pub with a mobile christening pool
If you walk into the Mosley Arms as soon as it opens at midday on a Sunday, you might notice that a few of your fellow drinkers look a little damp. This might be because they have just been baptised in a mobile christening pool by a priest who leads a Church of England congregation that calls the Bolton pub its home. The priest and worshippers at New Life Church, Breightmet, do not have a traditional church building to call home, leading them to choose the Mosley Arms, a pub to the east of the city, as their literal and spiritual home for services and also for baptisms of people of all ages once per year. Their services start at 10.30am on Sundays and wrap up as the pub opens its doors at noon, just in time for worshippers to pop in for a pint if they fancy.
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
'It was absolutely wonderful': Royal Navy veteran gets baptised at Bolton boozer
You've probably heard of communion wine - but what about baptism beer? Going to the pub can be quite the spiritual experience — as Mike McGarry has discovered, after undergoing a church baptism at his local, the Mosley Arms in Breightmet. The watering hole, owned by the Joseph Holt brewery, doubles as a place of worship. It holds weekly services as part of the Church of England's New Life Church initiative, which includes baptisms — making it possibly the only pub in the UK where you can be born again. More: More: More: Mike, 83, a former teacher and Royal Navy veteran, has been attending services at the pub since they began three years ago. 'I also read a lot about faith, and when Ben asked if I wanted to be baptised, I immediately said yes,' he said. 'It was absolutely wonderful — a real family affair with my wife, Joan, our children and grandchildren there, as well as members of the church. "I was christened C of E over 80 years ago, and now I was being born again. It felt brilliant.' Mike was baptised by Reverend Ben Woodfield, a Church of England vicar who co-leads the Antioch Network — a Diocese of Manchester initiative focused on establishing Anglican churches in what he calls 'harder to reach places,' including council estates, urban communities and inner cities. 'For us as Christians, Jesus went to where people gathered,' said Rev. Woodfield. 'A lovely pub like The Mosley is an example of this. Pubs are where people experience life's big moments — weddings, birthdays, wakes — so holding services and baptisms here is a perfect fit. It's informal, people feel relaxed, they sing and pray. To have a church here is just beautiful.' Baptism, which symbolises Christ's burial and resurrection, is marked by the pouring of water on the head of the baptised — and at the Mosley Arms, these ceremonies have included people in their twenties right up to octogenarians like Mike. The church at the Mosley Arms came into being when landlady Bernadette Bates was approached by a friend about using her pub as a worship space. 'I thought it was a wonderful idea,' she said. 'I'm C of E and really enjoy my religion, but some people may be reluctant to go into a traditional church.' The Joseph Holt brewery was established in Manchester 175 years ago by weaver`s son Joseph Holt. It has been in the same family for six generations and the company owns 127 pubs across the North West. As such, says Bernadette, the idea of a church in a Joseph Holt pub very much mirrors the ethos of the independent family business, with their pubs central to the communities where they are located. 'Our pub provides an informal alternative to a traditional church yet we are still in the heart of the community,' she added. 'Joseph Holt pubs are so much more than places to eat and drink. We really are a place where people come together.' Mike said: 'This has been a wonderful initiative by Joseph Holt. 'The church has a lovely atmosphere at The Mosley — it's a place people can really relate to.'
