Ministry Profile
Craig Weyandt came to know and trust Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior as an adolescent at the Arlington Heights Evangelical Free Church near Chicago. His family is one of the founding families of the Mount Laurel Evangelical Free Church in NJ, Craig’s sending church where he is currently a member. This is where Craig began his outreach and discipleship ministry as a hi
gh‐school student and continued making disciples at Taylor University were Craig was floor chaplain and participated in Young Life ministry at one of the local High‐Schools. After College Craig moved to western Connecticut and immediately began discipling High‐School students through his local church youth ministry. He was called into full time youth ministry at Black Rock Church in Fairfield, CT and graduated from Gordon‐Conwell Seminary. It was through short‐term mission trips that Craig experienced an irresistible call to full time cross‐ cultural missions. He is ordained in the EFCA, has served with EFCA‐ReachGlobal for the past 16 years in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Married to Alessandra and blessed with their daughter, Alyssia, Craig combines his passion for family and life and compassion for the lost to make disciples of Jesus Christ in community, life on life, learning and doing together! Alessandra Juliao Weyandt was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She came to know Jesus as her Lord and Savior at the EFCA church‐plant in Rio’s west zone by Craig’s EFCA colleagues. Alessandra led many of her colleagues and friends to the Lord faithfully serving in leadership roles at the local Evangelical Free Church in Rio. She is a veterinarian and has her doctorate in Food Sciences. She did much of her doctoral research related to fisheries in Lisbon, Portugal and Spain, and has led Brazilian share‐holders in the fishing industry to consensus toward best practice norms for various species of indigenous and fresh water fish. She serves evangelical ministries by writing technical projects helping them to raise needed ministry funds. Alessandra’s consecrated work both for the government and
for evangelical agencies reveals God’s deep compassion for the vulnerable and needy
and stimulates Christ followers to engage in kingdom advancement. Her love for her family and gracious hospitality makes for a home that invites disciple‐making, life on life, learning and doing together.
