Ignite Life Center Moving Forward with Brazil Plans Amid Child Sexual Abuse Cases
SANTA CRUZ, CUIABÁ, BRAZIL. Brazilian Assemblies of God (AG) church Adna Central is almost done constructing the ministerial school they’re opening with Gainesville church Ignite Life Center (ILC).
Three people from ILC have been arrested for committing sex crimes against underaged children: (1) former volunteer and Ignite School of Ministry (ISM) student, convicted child molester Gabriel Hemenez; (2) head pastor Mark Vega’s son, alleged rapist Christian Vargas; and (3) former associate pastor Jose Cruz’s son, alleged statutory rapist Noel Cruz.
Pastor of Adna Central, Edvaldo Jose Gonzaga de Melo, announced Ignite Brazil on a YouTube video published December 10. Melo was speaking Portuguese, and the following is an English translation.
“We are here where we are going to carry out the great project of training and transforming people, which is our Ignite Brazil. I am bringing you images of the construction of our dormitory, classrooms, and bathrooms that we are working on so in a maximum of 30 days this environment is ready.
I also want to say that apart from this one, we also have a place for teachers' rooms, suites for teachers, a kitchen, and a cafeteria, so it is a great undertaking that you will see through the images.
I want to say that, first of all, this project will be for lives to be transformed, healed, so that they can receive ministerial guidance to have a healthy life, not only in the church but also outside the church. It is a life transformation; that is the message of the Gospel. It is that the Gospel transforms. The Gospel changes people, and the purpose of Ignite is for us to contribute to that so that this message and this idea of Jesus and the Gospel are complete in everyone's life. I want to thank you who are cooperating and understanding our goal, which is to transform lives. God bless you for your collaboration.”
Vega has had his eyes on Brazil for a long time. Back in February of this year, Adna Central hosted The Call Matters ministerial conference in collaboration with ISM. Vega also made a post promoting the event. Vega wrote on the caption, “Ignite opens up in Brazil - A prophecy fulfilled after 16 years.”
Shortly after the conference, video creator Elifaz Ismael De Souza posted a video on his Instagram in which he tagged ISM's Instagram account. The video is captioned “Future home of Ignite Brazil” and shows someone driving onto the location of the future ministerial school.
In June, Vega attended an Evangelical church conference in Barueri, Brazil, with three Brazilian AG pastors. Later that month, Vega announced Ignite Brazil would begin in January 2025.
ILC has been accused of handling the misconduct of all arrestees internally.
After Hemenez was sentenced to five years in prison, ILC was sued by three survivors for covering up his sexual offenses. ILC denied nearly all the allegations, but before the lawsuits were settled, they admitted, “Ignite Life [Center] did not report that Gabriel Hemenez was the subject of sexual abuse suspicions, rumors, reports, and/or complaints to law enforcement prior to February 2023.”
A Gainesville Police Department (GPD) Supplemental Report states that Vega and then-associate pastor Jose Cruz organized a private meeting between the victim in Noel Cruz's case, her father, and several ILC pastors after the victim reported sexual misconduct against her by Noel Cruz and Vargas.
The victim’s sister, Leslie Velazquez, said in an interview with GnvInfo that her sister didn’t get any say in this meeting.
Cruz is being charged in this case because he was 20 when the victim was 15. Vargas is not being charged in this case because he was 17 when the victim was 15. However, Vargas is facing charges for attempting to sexually coerce a 14-year-old girl and raping a 12-year-old girl.
An anonymous ILC whistleblower said in a previous interview that Vega is practicing heresy akin to the Shepherding Movement. The whistleblower said, “The gist of it is that everything you do has to go through the pastor. Every life decision, from who you date to marry to when you sell your house. The pastor has the right to say how your life is operated and governed. If you don’t do what the pastor sees as wisdom from God, then you are shunned and ostracized by that pastor, and you’re rebelling against God. That’s called the Shepherding Movement, with [Ignite Life Center] utilizing heavy shepherding tactics that are not found in scripture.”
More information about ILC can be found in the investigation below.
