Edgar John Lieb, Jr., was born in Illinois on March 18, 1927. His mother led him to the Lord at a young age, and he attended Edgemont Bible Church. Jane Sutton was born in Butler County on November 7, 1927. She was raised in Evans City and was a member of our church (then First Baptist Church of Evans City). In her youth there were many missionary speakers in the church, and some of Pastor Hirschy’s children left for the mission field while Jane was in high school. All of those events led to her desire to be a missionary. Jane and Ed met at Bryan College and in December 1947. They were engaged and were accepted as missionary candidates by Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission. Jane graduated in 1949, and a month later, on July 7, they were married at First Baptist Church in Evans City. After a week-long honeymoon they began deputation work to raise support. They then headed to Brazil in January 1950 to plant churches.
All activities of Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission were aimed at establishment and growth of the local church. In their first year, 1950, they lived in the city of Sobral to study the Portuguese language. In March 1951, they chose to serve in a city called Granja, then a county seat of about 6,000 residents. There were few missionaries and almost no local churches in the interior towns of the state of E. But during the 16 years they lived there, from 1951-1967, they helped establish a local church. This was pioneer missionary work: evangelizing and then teaching believers before eventually forming an organized church. When the Lieb family left for furlough in 1967, the church had about 40 members and over 100 in attendance at Sunday school classes. At the time it was almost impossible to find Brazilian pastors to lead the churches, so another missionary took over the work while they were back in the United States.
Returning from furlough in 1968 the Lieb family moved to Fortaleza, then a city of about 700,000 residents. The mission had acquired land to build a Bible camp and a dormitory facility for missionary kids who were studying at the Fortaleza Academy. It also became the mission headquarters with offices, housing, and a radio recording studio, etc. Since Ed had more experience overseeing building projects than most of the rest of the group, it became his responsibility to do this project.
Since the BGFM had no local churches in Fortaleza at that time, Ed and Jane worked with a collection of gospel films, Moody Science films, etc., showing them in schools and churches. After about a year they became involved in the planting of a church in a section of the city called Sitio Boatã. The church, Sitio Boatã Bible Church, developed well over the years and was left in the care of a Brazilian pastor named Francisco Pompeu (Chico) in 1980.
In 1970 Ed became involved in mission administration as treasurer and legal representative before the Brazilian government. While not a direct church planting job, without infrastructure it is impossible to maintain missionaries on the field doing the job to which they were called. “It was rewarding to see how we were able to build a working relationship with many in key places. During a time when few missionaries were allowed to enter Brazil, the BGFM was never turned down when a visa application was made.” In 1969, Jane headed a committee to begin the Escola Priscila (Priscilla School) where she organized the work and created a curriculum. The object of the school, which met for one week each January, was to train women and girls to be effective workers for the Lord. Her daughter Lucy eventually took over the work when Ed and Jane retired. In addition to the work at the Priscilla School, Jane was always a Sunday school teacher.
Ed was invited to teach Theological Education by Extension classes in a church in Fortaleza in 1981. Within three years he became part of a group that was studying the possibility of beginning a Bible college in Fortaleza. Another mission, of like doctrine, had begun such a school, but they lacked personnel for operation. The two groups were able to work out an agreement that led to the school called “SIBIMA” Maranatha Seminary and Bible Institute. The school became a vital tool in the preparation of workers for the field, and it continues to this day (https://sibima.com.br).
Jane taught English as a foreign language at a local cultural institute from 1981 to 1993. This opened the door for many valuable contacts. Over the years many of her former students testified that they had since become saved and credited Jane with giving them first contact with the gospel. Ed’s primary ministry from 1984 to 1995 was teaching in the SIBIMA. His area of teaching was New Testament survey and analytical studies of individual books of the New Testament. Jane eventually taught English at SIBIMA as well. This was a valuable tool for the students as there was much more Bible study material in print in English than in Portuguese. Many of the students later went into full-time ministries and it was hard for Ed and Jane to imagine a more rewarding ministry.
In 1987 they also became involved in planting a church in a housing project near Fortaleza called “Nova Metropole.” Within 3 years they realized that the work was too much to handle alone since they were both teaching nights at SIBIMA. In 1991, Pastor Francisco Pompeu joined the Brazilian mission board and helped organize the church, now known as Igreja Bíblica de Nova Metrópole (Nova Metrópole Bible Church). Both Lucy and Nancy helped Jane with Escola Priscila and by 1996 the church had been registered with the Brazilian government.
Ed and Jane served one final term and after 50 years with Brazil Gospel Fellowship Mission they officially retired in December 1997. A service in their honor was held at our church to commemorate their faithful service. Upon returning to the United States they made their home in Crestview, Florida to be near their son, John, and their daughter, Celia. Jane soon began teaching and tutoring for an adult literacy program at the local community college, and both were active members at Woodlawn Baptist Church. Ed served as a substitute Sunday school teacher, did substitute preaching, and worked with a disaster relief group. Jane taught lessons at a nursing home and taught Sunday school classes as well. They also made a few return trips back to Brazil (1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008) to visit their churches and friends, their daughters, Lucy and Nancy, and to maintain their Brazilian visas. Ed passed away at age 85 on September 3, 2012. Jane moved back to the Evans City, Pennsylvania, area in 2016 to be near her sister, Ruth, and her brother, Bruce. We enjoyed her fellowship for several more years before the Lord called her home on June 8, 2019.