Adapted from Congratulations to Alfredo Abreu, winner of the 2023 Kenn Allen Award

Each year, the International Association for Volunteer Effort (IAVE) recognizes an individual for their leadership as a volunteer, and in 2023, they awarded Charis Ministry Partner, Alfredo Abreu!

Alfredo and his wife, Rita, co-pastor a Charis Alliance church in Lisbon, Portugal. In 2015, Alfredo founded Serve the City Portugal, which mobilizes volunteers to spend time with marginalized individuals such as isolated seniors, vulnerable children, immigrants, and the homeless. He has also served as chairman of Serve the City International from 2020–2023, which has local chapters in 80 cities around the world.

It’s so amazing to see Jesus shining so brightly through Alfredo that he earned the attention of the world and is awarded with recognition. The person who nominated Alfredo for this award said, “Alfredo is the person with the greatest volunteer spirit I know, always assuming an attitude of humility and service,” which also perfectly describes Jesus’s spirit!

Under Alfredo’s leadership, Serve the City Portugal has now grown into a network of 8,000 volunteers who have collectively spent over 45,000 hours pouring Jesus’s love into the Lisbon community.

We celebrate everything that God is doing through Alfredo and Rita, and we’re so honored and grateful to partner with such amazing followers of Jesus!