South American Missionary Society in Canada (SAMS Canada)

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South American Missionary Society in Canada
(SAMS Canada)

• Wycliffe College
• January 30, 2008

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Purpose

• SAMS Canada is a volunteer mission society of the
  Anglican Church
• To find and send those whom God is calling to the
  mission field
• To widen and deepen the missionary vision of
  Canadian Anglicans
• More recently, support of indigenous laity and
  pastors

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The Birth of SAMS

• Initial efforts to reach indigenous people in
  Patagonia apparently ended in failure in 1850
  when Capt. Allen Gardiner and five companions
  died of starvation.

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Brief History of SAMS 1867 - 1960

• SAMS founded in 1867
• Restarted efforts to reach indigenous peoples at
  the southern tip of South America
• Many become Christians
• Ultimately spread to Chile and Paraguay

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1960 Onwards Focus on the Major Cities

• Urban church planting program initiated in
  Valparaiso, Chile in 1960
• Grew from one to seventeen churches in 20 years
• By mid-1980s, evangelism and church planting had
  expanded to 20 cities in
• Argentina
• Bolivia
• Brazil
• Chile
• Paraguay
• Peru

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The Canadian Connection

• At least seven Canadians from Toronto and
  Manitoba helped in Chile, northern Argentina or
  Paraguay in 1895 to 1900
• First Canadian to respond was Charles Sadleir
• Worked among the Araucanian Indians from 1895 to
  1936, largely based in Temuco, Chile

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SAMS Canada

• Founded in 1979 Incorporated in 1981
• Dr. Tony Tyndale served as Executive Director
• 1982 -1994
• Solidly Anglican Council of Reference with
  seven Canadian Bishops
• Episcopal Visitor - Bishop Anthony Burton

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SAMS Canada

• First long term Mission Partners went to Paraguay
  in 1986 . . . Tom Jane Webster
• During the last 20 years
• From 2 - 5 MPs in South or Central America at any
  given time
• (primarily Chile, Peru, Paraguay Honduras)
• Over 35 short-term individuals have served
• Over 30 short-term teams have visited

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SAMS International

• SAMS Canada works together with three sister
  members of SAMS International
• SAMS GB
• SAMS Ireland
• SAMS USA
• to serve the Anglican Church in South America
  through its Bishops
• 140 MPs serving in 12 countries in South and
  Central America

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SAMS International
leaders
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Theological Foundations for Christian Mission

• Mission seeks Gods Glory
• The time will come when all the earth will be
  filled, as the waters fill the sea, with an
  awareness of the glory of God. (Hab. 214)

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Theological Foundations for Christian Mission

• Mission flows from Jesus Mandate
• Jesus told his disciples, I have been given
  complete authoritygo and make disciples of all
  the nations, baptizing them Teach these new
  disciples to obey all the commands I have given
  you. And be sure of this I am with you always,
  even to the end of the age. (Matt. 2818-20)

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Theological Foundations for Christian Mission

• Mission results in self-sustaining,
  self-propagating, indigenous communities of faith
• I left you on the island of Crete so you could
  complete our work there and appoint elders in
  each town as I instructed you. (Titus 15)

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SAMS Canada Focus

• Belize
• Honduras
• Peru
• Chile

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SAMS Canada typical projects

• Pastoring churches church growth
• Mentoring of national pastors
• Education
• Helping with evangelism, social programs, health
  programs, community development, and building
  projects
• Agricultural/water projects

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Serving always under episcopal authority

• All SAMS Canada Mission partners are invited to
  serve by the national Bishop
• His/her role is developed and approved by the
  national Bishop
• He/she reports ultimately to the national Bishop.

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Chile Tim Peti Webster

• Nurture key church plant
• Mentor national pastors
• Introduce specific programs (Cursillo and
  Marriage Encounter) within Diocese.

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Chile Church of our Saviour, Santiago
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Youth Centre, San Joaquin
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Chile Going Forward

• Interim support of replacement pastor
• Continued development of youth centre
• Training support of youth centre personnel
• Assistance for sending out Chilean national to
  minister to Muslim communities.

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Peru Peter Barb Williams

• Chaplain of the Cathedral church of the Good
  Shepherd
• Training of national pastors
• Prison and other social ministries.

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Peru Garth Neel

• To pastor and build a small church, capable of
  planting others
• To run an Anglican school for the children of
  that community
• To assist the Bishop in training national clergy,
  (theological and community development.)

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Peru John Susan Park

• John Dean of Cathedral, Lima
• John Mentors growing number of national pastors
• Susan Leads womens groups.

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Honduras Kara Thompson Nelson Mejia
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Honduras Kara Thompson Nelson Mejia

• Mandate
• establish a new deanery of five parishes on the
  Bay Islands from one young parish
• build ministry amongst mariners English
  residents
• develop native ministry and lay leadership.

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Support of national pastors in rural Honduras
Outgrowth of previous SAMS Canada mission Seven
pastors serving seventeen communities
Completion of academic schooling and
theological training Pastoral care, health care,
community development and church planting within
their communities.
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A new church and a lay pastor
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South American Christianity

• How do these churches spread? They preach new
  testament Christianity, with none of the
  vacillations which trouble Western Christians. .
  . . they are not committed to buildings but to
  people, and they start new churches with nothing
  but rented buildings. They are not too bothered
  by liturgy, still less by pomp and ceremony. It
  is a hands-on, earthy, fearless, natural
  Christianity. And it grows!
• Michael Green

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Belize . . . a new door opens
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Belize . . . the opportunity

• English speaking
• Receptive diocese with clear needs in education,
  health care, theological training, church
  community development.
• Reasonable infrastructure for receiving visitors
• Lower cost of ministry.

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Serving short-term

• Heather Leslie Nursing in Belize
• Anne Campbell Teaching in Honduras
• Dick Eva Breadner

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Serving short-term The Breadners

• Dick Eva Breadner
• 14 trips over 12 years
• Chile, Peru, Honduras
• Dick Logistics, carpentry, bookkeeping
• Eva TESL, sewing classes, sewing for orphanage.
• Promotion communications within Canada.

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Short-term Teams

• Construction, evangelism,
• pilgrimage, medical
• One to two weeks
• Honduras,Chile,Peru,Belize
• Three distinct opportunities
• Planning teambuilding
• Experience abroad
• Ongoing relationship impact

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Testimonials re Short-term teams

• Before I went there, I had the uneasy feeling
  that I had been wasting my life. Going there
  proved it. I wish I had done this 15 years ago. I
  would work for half the money I am now making if
  my present job had the same meaning, value and
  reward that you get when you go down there and
  get involved. Im going back, and this time Im
  taking my kids.
• Ken Arbeau, Moncton, NB

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Testimonials re Short-term teams

• This was the beginning of my march towards
  accepting Jesus Christ. It was there that I
  realized that there was something that God has
  for us to do, and it wasnt long before I really
  wanted to do Christs work with these people. It
  made me aware of the true message that Christ had
  for us, to really love our neighbours, and it
  helped me to understand what that really means. I
  had never really seen poverty, hunger, or need,
  the way I did there.
• Bob Bell, Vancouver, BC

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Review . . . SAMS Canada at work

• Challenging Canadian parishes individuals to
  broaden their vision of mission
• Assisting Canadian groups to explore hands-on
  mission
• Encouraging, enabling and supporting Canadian
  Anglicans individuals who wish to serve abroad,
  longer term
• Partnering effectively with Latin American
  nationals and host dioceses to develop and
  sustain long-term ministry.

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Internship program

• Objective provide opportunity to test ones call
  to mission in a real, supervised field experience
  
• One-year time frame . . . Three months
  preparation three months linguistic training
  six months field assignment with mentorship
• Small bursary available.

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www.samscanada.ca