Sao Paolo, Brazil – The personal warmth and the inspirational energy of their shared vision were palpable when Bishop Manoel Ferreira and GPFF chair, Dr. Hyun Jin Moon met in Sao Paolo, Monday.

The two men first met in 2008 and the rapport was immediate. Bishop Ferreira was so inspired by the GPF vision that he organized and hosted a Global Peace Festival in Brazil in December 2008. It had concluded with a rally of 20,000 at the Nelson Nilson stadium in Brasilia where Bishop Ferreira told the crowd that despite Brazil’s many social and economic challenges its most urgent problems were moral and spiritual.

The bishop is life president of the nine-million-member Assemblies of God in Brazil as well as being an elected member of the country’s Congress. Back in 2008 he introduced GPF and Dr. Moon to the Assemblies of God leadership and helped organize a meeting at the National Congress.

Since that time Bishop Ferreira’s enthusiasm and commitment has not waned. Rather the opposite. At Monday’s meeting he declared, “The vision of “One Family under God” is God’s vision and I am totally aligned with this vision. I will fully support the activities of Dr Hyun Jin Moon.”

In practical terms, the bishop agreed to organize and host another Global Peace Festival in Brazil to be held in January 2011. He will also take part in the Global Peace Convention this fall in Nairobi, Kenya, that will wrap up the 2010 cycle of Global Peace Festivals. Moving forward, he wants to help establish a World Summit for top religious leaders.

During the one hour meeting, Dr. Charles Phillips briefed the bishop on the activities of the Global Peace Service Alliance (GPSA), the service arm of GPFF. He highlighted GPSA’s focus on social entrepreneurship.

Bishop Ferreira, who is passionate about tackling social problems, poverty in particular, discussed ways of working together on community development initiatives led by local social entrepreneurs. He would also like to see the 600 ministers of his church become involved in GPSA social programs in Brazil.

The bishop and Dr. Moon discussed a wide range of other issues, including serious threats to world peace such as the tension between North and South Korea. They talked at length about character education and its importance for developing the type of engaged and responsible citizens necessary for creating a vibrant civil society.

Before they parted Dr. Moon presented Bishop Ferreira with a copy of his father, Reverend Sun Myung Moon’s autobiography, newly translated into Portuguese. The bishop said he wanted to give copies to all Brazil’s senators and congressman, to the government ministers and even to President Lula.