UCKG HelpCentre
1st floor 12 Tacket St
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) was formed in 1977, in Brazil. It owes its origins to a successful evangelistic programme conducted by Bishop Robert McAlister, a Canadian missionary in the Pentecostal tradition.
Edir Macedo – who went on to found UCKG – was one of the early converts. With the blessing of Bishop McAlister, he started to hold services under a small park shelter in Rio de Janeiro. His passion was to reach out to needy, less privileged people who were often excluded by established religions. As Pastor Macedo’s services grew in popularity, he used cinemas and local halls to accommodate growing congregations, attracting people from the streets to the expanding movement. Shortly afterwards the UCKG officially opened its first church inside a funeral parlour.
Further church openings followed and the movement expanded nationally across Brazil. Today there are approximately 5,000 UCKG churches in Brazil, with the headquarters in Rio de Janeiro holding up to 12,000 people at a time.
Following an exploratory visit to the USA, the UCKG was established in New York in 1986. Today there are churches in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Miami, Los Angeles and many other US cities. UCKG then developed its presence in Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, Venezuela, Colombia, Bolivia, Chile, Guatemala and Ecuador. There are also churches in Jamaica, Trinidad and Guyana.
In Europe, it is established in England, Portugal, Spain, France, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland and Poland. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall, the UCKG opened its doors in Germany and the end of communism enabled the church to provide churches for Russian and Romanian people.
The first UCKG church in Africa opened in Angola in 1992. It is now active in South Africa, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Kenya, Lesotho, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Uganda and many other countries on the continent. In Asia, the UCKG is established in India, the Philippines and Japan, where the first 24-hour church is based.
The UCKG is currently in over 100 countries and is still expanding.
Pastor Renato Cardoso – now Bishop – came to the UK in 1995 to introduce UCKG to this country, which then turned into a UK registered charity (no. 1043985). Initially he held two services a week in St Matthews Church of England in Brixton. Interest grew and attendances rose so that within the year the first dedicated UCKG church opened in Brixton.
So many people were regularly travelling from Birmingham to attend the services that UCKG set up a ‘special work’ in Birmingham at this time. A ‘special work’ is a centre that opens once or twice a week instead of daily.
In 1996, the UCKG acquired the derelict Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park. Initially no heat or light was available in the building, but that did not deter the growing congregation from attending daily services. The UCKG then embarked on a major renovation programme and associated fund-raising to restore the Grade II* listed 1930s cinema to its former glory.
UCKG continues to expand its activities in the UK under the leadership of Bishop James Marques, who is supported by a team of senior pastors plus administrative and pastoral support staff. UCKG is a registered UK charity and Christian spiritual centre with an active membership of approximately over 10000. All are welcome to attend the UCKG services regardless of their religious affiliations.
