SAU PAULO, BRAZIL - James David Meadows, 68, who served as a missionary to Brazil for more than 30 years, died Oct. 1 after a months-long battle with cancer. Born in Detroit and raised in Dearborn, Mich., Meadows graduated from Harding University in Searcy, Ark. He was part of the Exodus Movement in the 1960s, involving groups of Christians from the South and Southwest moving to New England and Canada to establish churches.

Later he and his wife, Sara, joined a group of missionaries and moved to Brazil. The couple arrived in Rio de Janeiro on David Meadows’ 30th birthday in March 1969.

The couple later moved to Sao Paulo, and in 1974 the Western Hills church in Temple, Texas, began supporting their work, said elder Rex Baugh. The church continues to support the family.

David Meadows became an elder of the Guarulhos church, one of the largest in the Sao Paulo area.

Gordon Dabbs, missionary in Rio de Janeiro, described David Meadows as “a great man and an effective missionary.”

“His loss will be felt by churches all over Brazil,” Dabbs said.

David Meadows is survived by his wife and four married children: Mary Martha, David Jr., Rebecca and Miriam.