THE CHILEAN CONNECTION (Pato's article published in Moore Matters)

MOORE COLLEGE AND ITS CHILEAN CONEXTION

What does a country that has to play against Brazil and Argentina to get into the Soccer World Cup have in common with one that has to play Tonga and the Solomon Islands? How could a country where wedding receptions finish at 5.30 am (because of the dancing) be linked to a country where there are church services at 7.30 am!!!? Why would Australian Christian interest in a country where Christians are normally very legalistic and it is really hard to find a upper-middle class Christian?

We mention these differences to illustrate that we are talking about two different and distant countries: Australia and Chile. At the end of the day, however, what really matters is that these two countries have something in common that easily overshadows the many differences. In both of them, God has decided to call people to His service.

Continued from page 6

The Church of England in Chile began in the mid 19th century with chaplaincies for English speakers. In the 1890s missionaries from the UK began to preach the gospel in the south of Chile among the Mapuche Indians. Finally, in the 1960s both branches blended to form the Iglesia Anglicana de Chile (IACH) or, if you prefer, the Anglican Church of Chile. The IACH began to reach the urban Chilean population and, by God's mercy, nowadays the IACH is a growing and enthusiastic church with about 100 congregations. Nevertheless, she is quite fragile due to the lack of trained leaders: only a few among the 40 clergy have had the opportunty to be trained full time, and only two of them have a training equivalent to a typical Sydney Anglican minister. Her fragility is also seen her lack of resources, arising from the fact that half of the congregations are among the indigenous people and most of the urban congregations are among ihe poor.

However, our God is not short of resources at all and, in His wisdom, He has decided to help to equip His church in Chile by means of His Sydney saints. In doings so, Moore Theological College in partnership with CMS have been vital. Chile, and now many other countries in Latin-American, has been abundantly blessed by the PTC courses (Moore College’s correspondence program) which were translated to the Spanish by Moore College graduate and a missionary to Chile for 20 years, Grahame Scarratt. The PTC impact was such that when the IACH, under the leadership of Bishop Tito Zavala, began to plan for setting up a Bible College, to look towards Sydney was quite natural.

Now, what do you need for setting up a Bible College? Fist let us begin with the easiest part: you need a name: Cento de Estudios Pastorates (CEP) or Centre for Pastoral Studies. Secondly, you need a soundly trained faculty, in this area Moore College has been crucial by offering scholarships for Cesar Guzman, the actual CEP principal (B. Th. and M. A. (Theology)) and for Pato Oyarzún (BD and currently completing the M. A. (Theology)). The rest of the faculty are CMS missionaries who are Moore College graduates (Mke Charles, Tim Swan and, in a short time, Stephen Shead). Thirdly, you need students. There are many keen godly people who would love to be trained for Christian ministry, but there are no financial resources for them to do so (The Chilean welfare system does not provide for people studying in a Bible college, the IACH doesn't have resources, the wages aren't high so it is really hard to save, etc.). Many of the 15 or so current full time students are able to study thanks to scholarships from Sydney. The part time students support themselves. Finally, you need suitable premises, which God has provided through Australian support.

We praise God for his loving care through His saints in Sydney, we praise God for the essential role that Moore College has played, is playing and, we hope, will keep on playing in the extension of the kingdom of God h Chile and in the 300 million strong world of Spanish speakers. It is our prayer that God will persuade more Moore College graduates to leave beautiful Sydney, their extended family, their language, their culture, their cricket, the strong Sydney dioceses and the general comfort of the Australian way of living behind. Why someone would do so? Why leave Australia when it seems people from all over the world just want to emigrate to Australia? Well, there are several Australians living in Chile because of well paid mining jobs and the adventure of living in a beautiful part of the word. But there is a much better reason to live in Chile: To do so for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Those who choose to leave, and those in Australia who support them, will have the amazing privilege of being involved in preaching the gospel where it has never being preached before and in teaching the whole counsel of God to many Christians who are trapped in legalism. Five years ago our bishop asked CMS to send people to help us plant churches among the most unreached group, the upper-middle class, and to work among the 400,000 Chilean university students. The IACH is eager to receive Australian missionaries; CMS is eager to send people to Chile; Moore College is eager to train them ... there is only one detail missing: people eager to leave Australia behind and embrace the opportunities God is creating in Chile and in all Latin America, We know the God in whom we have believed. We will keep prayerfully waiting upon Him.