Under the leadership of Pastor Sandro Rebenic, the team hosting the Summit in Diadema, Brazil, took it to a whole new level. Not only are people from the church community on board, but the mayor and city council have recognized the Summit as a way to bring about the transformation they hope to see.

Pastor Sandro has been intentional about building a relationship with the mayor of Diadema. In keeping with the Summit’s value as being a “catalyst for change” and a “resource to be leveraged,” the mayor, and eventually the entire city council soon became huge fans and began to see this event as a gift to the city.

The mayor and city council have recognized the Summit as a way to bring about the transformation they hope to see.

As of two years ago, the Summit had become fully embraced as a city event. It is held in a city owned auditorium provided at no charge to the Summit organizers. The city also began to pay for several billboards to promote the Summit.

Each year, for the past two years, an official proclamation of the mayor declares the opening day of the Summit as “Leadership Day in Diadema.”

But this year, they took it even further.

To commemorate “Leadership Day in Diadema” this year, the mayor and city council decided to further celebrate leadership and its importance in their city by awarding five “Leaders of the Year.” The city officials received nominations from across the city and ultimately chose one winner from industry, two from education, one from commerce. Pastor Sandro was also awarded for his leadership contributions to the city.

The awards were presented during a special presentation during the Summit.

One of the award winners, a teacher, brought 100 students with her to celebrate the occasion.

This story highlights the many good things happening in Brazil!