
John Elliott: Early Missionary to Brazil
January 14, 2025
A United Mission
January 28, 2025By Ildeu Campos Gomes, BMA Brazil Pastor
Rufus and Mildred Crawford and their five children left the States in 1958 bound for Brazil. They left behind parents who loved their grandchildren but didn’t see them again once they left. Rufus’s parents had prayed for a boy who would surrender to the ministry but never told him their prayer. When Rufus told his mother about God’s plan for him, she praised the Lord for answering her prayer.
After high school and military service, Rufus and Mildred met. She had fifty dollars in her purse and a calling on her heart for missionary work. Together, they served the Lord in Brazil and Portugal for fifty-five years, always humbly thankful that God used them as His servants.
Here is a brief look at the story of Rufus Crawford, a life committed to faithful service, as told by Pastor Ildeu Campos Gomes, longtime leader in Brazil. This unique perspective gives us insight into what it was like to be directly influenced by Bro. Crawford’s ministry.
I was invited by Pastor Jarede to speak for a few minutes about Pastor Rufus Crawford, but I have already encountered a major problem: how to summarize, in so few words, the life of a great missionary? Nonetheless, let’s talk about some traits of Pastor Rufus and a little information about the great work he accomplished.
I believe that Pastor Rufus came to Brazil in the same year that I moved from Goiás to Campinas, in São Paulo. Pastor Rufus must have arrived in Brazil in 1960 or 61. Soon we were introduced to each other, and he shared about his plans to start a new missionary work. Learning that he was a new BMA missionary to BrazilI, I confided that I felt called to the ministry.
Shortly after arriving in Campinas, Brother Rufus enrolled in language school to learn Portuguese, and I helped him study and practice the language. He developed very quickly. He was thirsty to learn the language because he was eager to preach the Word. And I remember that soon he was getting ready to deliver his first sermon.
He asked me to help him. I remember that within the message I already heard a problem with his language; he should pronounce the word real. But he insisted on saying royal. And each time he said royal. I said, “No pastor, it is real.” He kept repeating the word royal. I told him, “Brother, it’s real.” He lost his patience and said, “Brother, even though royal, does not exist in Portuguese, it is still a beautiful word. I keep forgetting, but I won’t say the word anymore.” So he simply avoided the word
He did deliver his first Portuguese message. In fact, it turned out very well. Then, as time went by, Pastor Rufus became my teacher. At the seminary, he taught homiletics, and in fact, homiletics was a good subject for him because he was a great preacher and he helped me a lot. As a missionary, Brother Rufus was one of those who worked hardest in Brazil. His ministry was always blessed and he was a tireless worker.
In Campinas, he soon started a congregation. I helped preach in that congregation, and that congregation ended up becoming the Baptist church in the São Bernardo neighborhood, in Campinas, São Paulo. I remember that.
As soon as he was in the process of organizing the church, he began the construction of a large church building. And one day I told him, “you are building a great church building. But what if tomorrow this church leaves our association and joins another Baptist association? Would you take them to court to get the church property back?”
He said, “No way! I am building this church to be a place where the gospel is preached. If they stay in our association or choose to join another association, as long as they continue to preach the gospel I’m happy with that. No courts.”
The church is for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. Rufus Crawford was one of the most effective missionaries in the Lord’s work. In addition to starting Sao Bernardo Baptist Church, he helped greatly in the capital city of São Paulo.
While assisting the Baptist church in Parque do Boturussu, he would often visit and help the Baptist church of Vitória. Furthermore, he helped in the north of Minas (a different state). Every month he traveled to the north of Minas and preached a lot in those churches. I remember I once traveled with him, and on that trip he performed 27 baptisms. They were all the fruits of his work! Pastor Rufus played the harmonica, those small harmonicas, where the person blows the music.
One time, he arrived in one of those towns in the north of Minas and stopped in Buenópolis. He went near the river, where there were some rocks, and started playing. I remember one day when he finished playing a hymn, someone asked if it was a church hymn. He said it was and he explained the message of that hymn. If I recall correctly, it was “At The Cross.” I walked and explained that hymn, and he shared the gospel. Many of those who heard told him that they were going to the service at night and at night he preached the word and they became believers.
I want to say that our debt to the missionaries is very great! We want to extend our gratitude to the BMA for sending several good missionaries to our country. Our gratitude is very great. We cannot pay for everything they did for us, but we are preaching the word, proclaiming Jesus Christ, continuing the work that the BMA started in Brazil.
For this we thank the Lord and pray. May God bless you always, and when future missionaries come, may they come like those who have already gone to be with the Lord and do great work. May the Lord bless us all.