Contact Jorge de Campos
Búzios, Rio de Janeiro
Registration for this site will begin at 12 p.m. EDT on March 30.
God has opened the doors for a second year in beautiful Búzios, Rio de Janeiro, after a very successful Feast there in 2021. This site will accommodate Brazilian brethren who are young in the faith, and a few prospective members. We will have services in English with translation into Portuguese.
This is our opportunity to fellowship at church services, meals and during activities with other Feast goers. It is our opportunity to set an example of true Christian behavior to brethren and prospective members by making an effort to talk with them.
Remember: We get out of the Feast what we put into the Feast as we give of ourselves.
This site at Búzios Beach Resort is about 100 miles from the capital, Rio de Janeiro (approximately a 2-3-hour drive from Rio’s main international airport, Galeão, airport code GIG). The Búzios region is one of the best quality and most sought-after areas in Brazil, while far enough from the populous Rio de Janeiro city. The resort itself is 15 minutes from the town of Búzios and its main tourist attractions of the city with local shops and restaurants, such as Rua das Pedras and Orla Bardot.
The resort consists of condominiums or little villas spread out around a set of swimming pools, with various sporting activities available on-site such as tennis courts, beach volleyball, archery, minigolf, etc. Most major sports activities are included in the price, except for a few activities, such as ten-pin bowling, spa/massages and tours that you may want to book. For more details search for ‘Buzios Beach Resort’ on YouTube.
Services:
The opening service will be Sunday evening, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. Services will be held every morning at 10 a.m. except on the High Days, in which there will be two services or one service and one Bible study. The messages will be in English with simultaneous translation into Portuguese.
Prices:
The Brazilian currency is Reais (R$) and as per current exchange rate, divide Reais by 5 to get the approximate U.S. dollar equivalent. The prices negotiated for a limited number of rooms are U.S. $200 for an apartment for 2 people per night with up to 2 children under 13 for free, including three buffet meals a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and non-alcoholic drinks or juices provided by the restaurant during the meals. The negotiated hotel rates are for nine nights with a check-in on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 9, and check-out on Tuesday morning, Oct. 18. Payment of 50 percent is due at the time of registration, by credit card or via a check in favor of United Church of God with a reference FOT-Brazil. This reference must be mentioned on your check for it to be allocated for this specific purpose. All payments and communications with the hotel are specifically requested by the hotel to be made though one central person, and in this case it will be the Festival coordinator, Jorge de Campos.
Should the exchange rate change noticeably we will update the prices on the website accordingly. Therefore, early payment will fix your price, in case there is a dollar devaluation. A required 50 percent deposit is made at the time of registration and the full payment must be received by UCG, before Monday Aug. 1. Credit card payments will automatically charged for the remaining balance on August 1st. After Aug. 1 no cancellations with full refund will be permitted.
As the Church had to financially commit in advance to a certain number of rooms, availability is on a first-come, first-serve basis. Should our room allotment need to be increased, we may be able to increase it, subject to availability.
Dietary restrictions & health
The hotel caters for gluten-free and lactose concerns. A dietitian is also available for additional personal dietary restrictions. Dietary restrictions or any other special needs will also need to be supplied to the festival coordinator to be included in his communication to the hotel.
For latest travel information to Brazil visit https://br.usembassy.gov/covid-19-information/. Go to section “Entry and Exit Requirements for travel to Brazil.” The informational below is valid at the moment, but please check this website before traveling in case requirements change at short notice.
Travelers to Brazil must present the following to the airline before boarding. These requirements are the ones applicable at the time of this posting on the web:
1) Traveler’s Health Declaration filled out (in print or digitally) agreeing compliance to Brazilian sanitary measures. The form is available at
https://formulario.anvisa.gov.br/?lang=en. The form asks you to enter your name and e-mail. In a minute or two you will be provided a link to enter your declaration that you will comply to Brazil health laws (listed in the link), your personal details (eg., name, gender, passport number) and flight details. This declaration must be made within 72 hours prior to the moment of boarding. This Health Declaration document (not the receipt that you have made this declaration) must be presented when you check-in for your international flight and must be presented when you go through passport control at your arrival in Brazil.
2) Negative COVID-19 (RT-PCR) test with a negative/non-reactive result, performed within 72 hours prior to the moment of boarding.
Returning to USA negative PCR tests are required within one day from the moment of boarding. PCR tests may be done in Rio or São Paulo’s international airports (airport code names GIG or GRU). Results are available within 4 hours.
3) Proof of Covid-19 vaccination with the last dose or only dose (as applicable) performed at least 14 days before departure.
There are no visa requirements for U.S. passport holders.
Electricity
Electricity at this Buzios Beach Resort is 220V. Typically cell phone and PC chargers are dual voltage. Brazil/US adaptors are available at Amazon or electrical stores for about US$10. The rooms have a hairdryer and a small refrigerator. An iron may be loaned from reception for a few hours.
Registration and Reservation:
Register through the UCG website. The UCG website will then send you an email with a confirmation. Your 50 percent deposit is now due and should be sent to UCG as a check made out to United Church of God and with the reference code, FOT-Brazil. The full payment must be received by UCG before Monday Aug. 1. After that date, no cancelations will be allowed. Please inform the Festival coordinator Jorge de Campos at jorge_decampos@ucg.org.
When the deposit and the full payment has been sent to UCG, please ensure the Festival coordinator is informed. This is an important step to ensure that the funds have been properly allocated for the FOT-Brazil account. For additional questions please e-mail the Festival coordinator.
Traveling to Búzios:
Various car hire companies are available at the airport. Taxis, private courtesy vehicles and bus services also run from the Rio de Janeiro’s Galeão (GIG) airport to Búzios. Use a search engine with the following keywords to make your choices: “transfer from galeao airport to Buzios beach resort”.
Festival Coordinator
Jorge_decampos@ucg.org
Mobile: (513) 907-9774
