Lagoinha Church, Baptist megachurch in Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Lagoinha Church occupies a hall in the Lagoinha district of Belo Horizonte with a sunken floor ringed by a curved balcony level, its solid front rail backed by rows of seating. A rectangular screen hangs centered on the back wall beneath the balcony, and rows of small round lights sit in the dark ceiling above white and magenta spotlights rigged below it. On the right, a raised red-carpeted stage carries black speaker cabinets, with more cabinets on the floor in front.
Founded on 20 December 1957 by pastor José Rego do Nascimento as the Sixth Baptist Church of Belo Horizonte, on Formiga street 322 in the Lagoinha district, from which it took its name. Rego led it until 1966. In 1970, for adopting the charismatic movement, it was expelled from the Brazilian Baptist Convention and joined the National Baptist Convention. Márcio Valadão took over on 31 July 1972, when the church had 300 members; he resigned on 11 December 2022, passing the presidency to André Valadão.
The worship group Diante do Trono was formed here in 1997 under Ana Paula Valadão, daughter of then-pastor Márcio Valadão. Its first album, recorded at the church on 31 January 1998 to fund a mission project in India, brought the congregation national recognition. Singers including André Valadão, Mariana Valadão, Nívea Soares and Thalles Roberto began their careers in this church.
The main temple is in the Lagoinha district of Belo Horizonte, on Rua Formiga, 322, where the church was founded in 1957. Services are held in a hall with a curved balcony and a sunken floor, plus a raised red-carpeted stage; the balcony seats look down on the floor below. Main services are broadcast live on the internet, Rede Super TV and Super FM radio.
The Belvedere campus, opened in 2024, closed on 15 March 2026, days after pastor Fabiano Zettel was arrested in the second phase of Operation Compliance Zero; the church stated the unit had its own leadership and administration.
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