When Pastor Ricardo Duarte helped start the Martha’s Vineyard chapter of Lagoinha church in 2023, it was just a few people worshiping in living rooms across the Island.

Now, the Brazilian Baptist church is finishing up major renovations at its location on Church street in Vineyard Haven that will help accommodate its growing 150-person congregation.

Reverend Duarte said the Lagoinha community has been hard at work since August to expand the space, which now includes indoor bathrooms, a front lobby and double the space for worship.

“It’s amazing work that we’re doing here,” Reverend Duarte said. “It might look small to some, but for us, it is a huge victory.”

New building is on Church street in Vineyard Haven, next to the Martha's Vineyard Playhouse.

Ray Ewing

New building is on Church street in Vineyard Haven, next to the Martha's Vineyard Playhouse.

Ray Ewing

The first Lagoinha church formed in 1957 in Belo Horizonto, Minas Gerais, in Brazil. Now, there are hundreds of Lagoinha campuses throughout Brazil and around the world. The network of churches even has its own television and radio station, Rede Super, where services are broadcast worldwide.

The Vineyard Haven branch of Lagoinha is one of about 20 different Brazilian churches on the Island. Many of these churches are small, operating out of living rooms or backyards.

Lagoinha services are high-energy affairs anchored by live rock music. Reverend Duarte said small-group intimacy can coexist with colorful lights and a band that gets congregants on their feet.

“We have electric guitar, bass, keyboard, acoustic guitar... and then three to four singers,” he said.

Before moving to the Vineyard in 2023, Reverend Duarte headed a Lagoinha congregation in the United Kingdom. He said the kinds of worship he was exposed to before joining Lagoinha didn’t resonate with him, but once he found Lagoinha, he was all in.

“I like to express myself. I like to jump and sing loud,” he said.

Reverend Duarte said the new renovations will help Lagoinha execute its vision of lively community worship. Before the renovations, Lagoinha didn’t have the space to accommodate all its congregants and needed to split worship into two sessions. Because Lagoinha now has double the previous chair space, all congregants can worship at once.

Additionally, the building now has dedicated space for lighting and audio equipment and is soundproofed.

“We don’t want to disturb anyone,” Reverend Duarte said.

A new front lobby greets guests with colorful, eye-catching walls. Attached to the lobby are two new single-stall restrooms. Previously, Lagoinha rented trailer bathrooms for services, which Reverend Duarte said was both inconvenient and costly.

“One of our members is in interior design, so you can see the touches,” he said of the new bathrooms.

Reverend Duarte said the vast majority of the renovations were accomplished with volunteer labor from members of the congregation and local businesses. The congregation thanks those who helped out by praying for them at services.

“People donated labor, donated materials and money too,” he said. “This is a community building.”

Though the renovations are cause for celebration, Reverend Duarte noted that it’s been a difficult year for the Brazilian community Lagoinha serves. He said his congregation was affected deeply by May’s ICE raids, and many stopped coming to services for fear of their safety. Reverend Duarte said he is only now starting to see his congregation’s numbers rise back to normal.

He emphasized that he wants Lagoinha to be a place where anyone can worship without fear.

“You don’t go around the congregation asking, what’s your immigration status,” he said.

With renovations nearing completion, Lagoinha is looking to the future. Right now, services are in Portuguese, but guests who would prefer to hear the service in English can borrow a headset for real-time translation. Reverend Duarte hopes to offer services entirely in English soon in addition to Portuguese services.

For him, expanding the church means expanding the boundaries of belonging.

“It’s not a church for Brazilians,” he said. “It’s a Brazilian church for everyone.”

Lagoinha services are at 10 a.m., Sundays, 14 Church street, Vineyard Haven.