Where the Money Goes - Did You Know?

S.A.M.S. South American Missionary Society. This is another of the main charities our Church supports through its outward giving.

S.A.M.S was founded in Brighton in 1844 as the Patagonian Mission. Captain Allen Gardiner R.N was the first secretary. Capt Gardiner led the first Mission to convert the Yaghan Indians of Tierra del Fuego. The first mission was not a success as after the Yaghans had pilfered their supplies, Capt Gardiner and his 6 companions had to withdraw to an uninhabited island, where they starved to death awaiting an overdue supply ship.

The next mission started tragically when the missionary and his 7 companions were speared to death on the beach as they landed, the remainder of the mission returned to England, but left behind a youth of 17yrs who had asked to remain behind. His name was Thomas Bridges who had been found abandoned as a baby on a London bridge and brought up in the family of the field director of S.A.M.S.

Thomas lived among the Indians where unthreatened by his vulnerability the Yaghans were finally able to hear the GOOD NEWS. In fact Thomas baptised many of the same people who had killed his friends. Some time later when an Italian ship was wrecked on the islands, the Yaghans risked their lives to save complete strangers who in the past they would have probably killed. These people who had been called the lowest form of life by Charles Darwin had been transformed through the Gospel.

Today S.A.M.S GB and its partners from Canada, Ireland and the USA continue the work of the early missionaries throughout South America.

Our link to SAMS was Mrs Sheila Naylor through Carol in Brazil who gave us interesting talks; the link was broken when Sheila left to live in Nantwich. Wouldn't it be good if a member of our church could renew the link!

John Molloy Vice Chair PCC

Learn more about SAMS at http://www.samsgb.org/index.html