Latin America: new mission manager

Give thanks for CMS’s new mission manager in Latin America, Alonso Silva. Based in Santiago, Chile, Alonso will be drawing on his 20 years of experience as a missional leader and pioneer practitioner to help lead CMS’s work and support CMS people in mission in the region.

Pray for God to use Alonso powerfully in this role to empower and encourage people in mission as well as drive CMS’s Latin America work forward.

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Chile: wildfires

Please pray for people in central and southern Chile, where wildfires have killed at least 20 people. Thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes and hundreds of houses have been destroyed. Give thanks for donations and the many volunteers working together to cook and distribute food, offer basic healthcare and clear debris. Pray for cooler weather and lower winds, for stamina for firefighters and rescue workers, and for this disaster to come to an end.

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Chile: theology training

Caroline and Dick Seed, usually based in Cape Town, South Africa, equip theological educators across Africa and beyond. Currently they are in Chile supporting leaders of the Centre for Pastoral Studies (CEP) to deliver teacher training. Please pray for good communication, for the CEP staff to have the confidence to deliver the teaching, and for a safe journey back to Cape Town for Caroline and Dick.

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Chile: Alf Cooper on Songs of Praise

We give thanks for long-time mission partner Alf Cooper’s appearance on Songs of Praise on 30 November (available to watch on BBC iPlayer). Pray that people who watched would have been impacted by his words and want to learn more about CMS. As Alf and Hilary retire, pray for their many years of service to continue to yield fruit and for others to carry on their legacy of faithful service.  

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If you tuned into Songs of Praise on 30 November, you would have been captivated by one of the most remarkable stories of faith and perseverance in recent memory: the 2010 Chilean miners’ rescue.

At the heart of the story was Bishop Alf Cooper, a British-Chilean chaplain and a dedicated CMS mission partner, who shared his powerful reflections on those 69 unforgettable days.

The man who led the nation’s prayers

The world remembers the dramatic moment 33 miners were pulled to safety after being trapped underground. But while the global focus was on the rescue, Bishop Alf Cooper was above ground, leading prayers with desperate families at “Camp Hope”.

As the chaplain to the President of Chile, Cooper was uniquely positioned to act as a beacon of spiritual and emotional support. He shared how, in those dark, seemingly hopeless months, he helped sustain the hope of the families and the miners themselves. 

For over 50 years, Alf and his wife, Hilary Cooper, have been CMS mission partners working in Chile. Their ministry is focused on church planting and multiplication in Santiago.

Catch up and be inspired

If you missed Bishop Cooper’s moving interview on Songs of Praise, it is available now on BBC iPlayer https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002n29d

Revisit the archive

• Miners testify to “34th man” – Jesus present with them
• Chilean mine survivor to tour UK
• Interview with miner Jose Henriquez

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Chile: Cooper Celebration Tour

We are delighted to have had longtime mission partners Alf and Hilary Cooper visiting the CMS office this week. Alf and Hilary have been in mission for over 50 years, working to see churches planted and multiplied in Chile and pastoring La Trinidad de Las Condes church. We pray for them as they continue their Cooper Celebration Tour over the next few weeks, visiting churches and celebrating 50 years’ mission with CMS and SAMS.

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In October 2022, a landmark mission event took place in Salta, Argentina: one that could help safeguard the futures of indigenous peoples across Latin America – or Abya Yala,¹ as it should perhaps be known.

What happens when 80 followers of Jesus from multiple indigenous people groups gather together for five days of fellowship, food and dreaming and planning for a shared future?

According to Paul Tester, CMS regional manager in Latin America, who helped organise the Indigenous Peoples Mission Congress last year, it was “a little glimpse of heaven”.

Standing at crossroads

Daily life for women and men from the Aymara, Chorote, Énxet, Mapuche, Quechua, Toba and Wichí people groups is far from idyllic. These indigenous communities, who first encountered the gospel via Western missionaries a little over a century ago, now stand at a crossroads in terms of leadership, culture, relationships to wider society and the land they live on. This was not the first time representatives from these groups have gathered together, yet it was the first occasion where mission was the key focus.

Jeremiah 6:16 provided inspiration: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”

The congress began with a simple service of Holy Communion, combining elements from each culture represented.

Five days, five issues

Leading up to the event, participants identified five big issues to discuss: forming indigenous leadership, gospel and culture, creation care, the relationship between indigenous peoples and the government, and unity.

The group first looked at the role of education and theological training in raising up indigenous leaders. Against a backdrop of increasing interaction with Latino and Western cultures, the next generation is facing a fresh set of challenges, and the group discussed preparing young people for what lies ahead. There is an urgent need to find and train indigenous Christian leaders for the present and future. Bishop Mateo Alto, a CMS local partner, said, “We need training, to do our own theology, and to administer resources we have.”

Next, the group had lively conversations about the intersection between their cultures and the gospel. They were invited to ask questions such as, “Do we allow the gospel to challenge our culture?” And “Where does the gospel affirm our culture?”

On the theme of creation care, the men and women gathered discussed the huge challenges faced by indigenous groups all across Latin America – or Abya Yala, the preferred name for the region for many indigenous people. What can be done about the huge loss of biodiversity as well as contamination and climate change?

The indigenous cultures represented share deeply rooted values about caring for nature. Local partner Mirna Paulo, a member of the Wichí group and a CMS local partner, spoke about the traditional Wichí idea of “leaving something for nature” – not taking more from nature than you need. But as Western consumerism encroaches on these communities, traditional indigenous principles like this risk being eroded. The group meditated on their place in creation, made for and by Christ.

Many also found it helpful to examine the power and responsibility of governments. The theme of indigenous peoples and the government also invited discussion around education, including how Western-style education has changed the way people live, and in some cases, threatened indigenous cultures, and the question of whether children are taught in their own language.

CMS local partner Agustín Maidana issued a call to unity: for leaders to promote events and activities that foster unity, for followers of Jesus to unite across the Church and for the Church to work in unity with other community leaders. There was a strong desire to see more unity between the different indigenous peoples: to learn from one another and to stand together for the sake of their children’s and grandchildren’s future.

Sunday, the penultimate day of the congress, was a day of rest and rejoicing. Local churches joined for worship, food and celebration. The air rang with praise in different tongues and dialects.

Declaring unity

On the final day of the congress, working groups drafted a declaration laying out the good way that they want to walk in (Jeremiah 6:16).

The declaration urges a comprehensive process for training leaders for work in the local church, the promotion and use of indigenous languages to maintain cultural identity, and the creation of biblical formation centres for the next generation of indigenous church leadership.

The declaration also acknowledges the role of indigenous peoples as stewards of creation, and calls for improved links between local communities and regional authorities to ensure that the rights of indigenous peoples are protected.

“It’s been great to be here and to take back to my community our conclusions… [to] enrich our understanding and commitment to the Word of God,” said Alejandro Díaz, a Chorote leader from northern Argentina. He added: “I would like to thank all those who put together this congress for our people.”

¹ The preferred name for the region for many indigenous people, meaning “land in its full maturity”.

Take part

From its beginning, South American Mission Society (later merged with CMS) has been committed to standing in solidarity with indigenous peoples of Latin America/Abya Yala. If you would like to join in this vital advocacy work, consider serving with CMS:

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A declaration issued by leaders on behalf of indigenous people in Latin America “shows clear intent” and charts a path forward for the indigenous peoples to work together with a new generation of leaders, says Paul Tester, Church Mission Society’s manager in Latin America.

The Declaration emanated from the ‘Indigenous Mission Congress’, the first such conference for 20 years. The Congress took place between 6 and 10 October in La Caldera near the city of Salta in northern Argentina and was structured around five key themes: Academic Education, Biblical Formation and Indigenous Leadership; Gospel and Indigenous Culture; a Theology of Creation; the Relationship between Governments and Indigenous Peoples; and Unity.

The Declaration made a number of key recommendations including putting in place a systematic and comprehensive process for training to prepare leaders for work in the local church, the promotion and use of indigenous languages to maintain cultural identity, and the creation of Biblical formation centres oriented to the next generation of leadership for the indigenous church.

The Declaration also acknowledged the role and responsibility of indigenous peoples as stewards of creation, and called for improved links between local communities and regional authorities to ensure that the rights of indigenous peoples are protected.

Timed to coincide with the ‘Day of the Meeting of Two Worlds’, a day which is celebrated in Spanish speaking countries on 12 October, the Indigenous Mission Congress was attended by over 80 delegates. The summit included representatives from the Aymara, Chorote, Enxet, Mapuche, Quechua, Toba and Wichí peoples, as well as leaders in mission from CMS and the Anglican Church in Latin America, and other observers. Organisers hoped the Congress will be important in shaping mission work in Latin America as leaders try to navigate between their own traditional indigenous cultures and the dominating wider influences of contemporary culture.

CMS’s work in the region dates back to the 19th century, when mission leaders such as Barbrooke Grubb and pioneers from the South American Mission Society [SAMS], transformed both Christian mission and wider society through the introduction of new methods in mission, Bible translation, education and healthcare.

Ahead of the Congress Paul Tester said mission had arrived at a ‘crossroads’ moment. “We have been inspired by a verse from Jeremiah [6:16] which says: ‘This is what the Lord says: “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”’ As we come to our current crossroads we are charged with discerning a good way to walk in, inspired by the Holy Spirit, and by the ancient paths and those who walked in them.”

Paul continued, “The relationship between indigenous peoples and the invading cultures remains one that both we, and the indigenous peoples need to learn to navigate well. We hope to discern how to join in with what God is doing today and believe that the key to that is walking alongside the new generation of indigenous mission leaders that God is raising up.”

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More stories of Jesus bringing hope

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‘Soul survivor’

In the autumn, the world was gripped by the plight of 33 Chilean miners trapped 700m underground. All were rescued. Now one, Jose Henriquez, is touring the UK to tell his story. Mark Tallentire of the Northern Echo meets him.

Jose Henriquez speaks as he believes himself to be: living evidence of a miracle. Several times during our interview, he breaks off half-way through an answer to praise God, lifting his palms to the heavens, or proclaiming, through the interpreter: ‘Glory to God, thank you Lord.’

‘The living God exists,’ he says.

‘He’s a real God. He’s a God who loves the whole of humanity, who sent his son for love of humanity. He is alive, he is powerful and he loves us. He answers and responds to prayer.’

Asked his message for his audience, Mr Henriquez replies: ‘I want to encourage you to draw near to God, so that many will be converted, find Christ and enjoy this wonderful God. He’s a God of mercy who heals and restores, who liberates, breaks chains and the vice of evil.’

It’s a convincing, heartfelt appeal. The 56-year-old drillmaster turned evangelical preacher, known as The Pastor of Los 33, led his fellow captives in prayer, preached to them and requested 33 miniature Bibles be sent underground.

Since his rescue – he was the 24th miner brought out in the Phoenix capsule – he has been telling his story. And, it turns out, many are willing to listen. His 15-date UK tour has attracted huge interest, with thousands flocking to hear him speak of The 34th Man many of the miners said they felt with them in their hour of need.

‘The 34th Man is the one we’re talking about,’ Jose explains, taking questions shortly before speaking in Durham Cathedral last night.

‘He’s always beside us. We can’t see him. But you can feel his presence in your heart. We believe in a power that is not seen, cannot be touched, but can be felt in the heart and that is our God – the Lord Jesus Christ.’

Asked what message he has for the North-East, he says: ‘My great friends, I would ask God to bless every one of you. I know there are many children of God among you. Please keep extending your faith and, with all freedom, speak to others about Jesus and the word of God. Keep believing in God, the God who’s real, the God who answers prayer.’

The San Jose copper and gold mine, in Chile’s Atacama Desert, collapsed on August 5. Two days later, a second collapse followed.

Jose, who was in an underground shelter for the first collapse and escaped uninjured, recalls: ‘I felt surprised and pressurised with the incredible speed at which everything happened.

Tons of rock were crashing down on us and the dust hung in the air for four hours. The explosion left us deaf.

‘There’s no time to even think about yourself.

I wondered: ‘How can I help?’ ‘At first, the lack of food was hard. We heard the first drill coming and it missed us: it made us feel they would give us up for dead.

‘I put myself in the hands of God, first of all.

I said: ‘Okay Lord, here I am – what do you want from me?’ ‘As we organised ourselves after the tragic event, we took on roles. We had a uniting interest in surviving and being rescued. My task was to guide us in prayer. I said to them: ‘Okay, but I want you to know, the children of God, we cry out to a living God’.’

So, twice a day the miners would form a circle, hold hands and pray, sharing their thoughts, feelings, fears and troubles.

‘We humbled ourselves in the mud,’ Jose says. ‘We touched God’s heart. God looks upon the one who humbles himself, but the proud man he looks at from afar.’

Twenty-two of the group became Christians underground.

‘God healed people,’ Jose says, ‘He reconciled relationships, restored people’s marriages.’

Rescue teams sent down listening probes and drilled boreholes, but it was not until 17 days after the collapse that contact was made.

‘There was wild joy. Some danced and sang and jumped,’ Jose beams.

A note was attached to a probe taken up to the surface, reading: ‘All 33 of us are well inside the shelter.’

The rescue saw each miner individually brought out in a cramped capsule. ‘It was a little bit tight,’ Jose says.

The rescue, undertaken on 13 October – 69 days after the accident – lasted 22 hours and 42 minutes, cost US $20m and was watched live on television by a worldwide audience of one billion people.

ON reaching the surface, Jose embraced his wife. ‘She told me how she loved me and how she’d missed me. I gave glory to God and we glorified God together. I came out full of joy that God should have answered us,’ he says.

‘I wanted to hug my wife, my daughters, my family. I thought that was going to be the end of it; go back to my family, my church, singing to the Lord and serving the Lord.

“But there’s such an interest in this story, to find out more of the things of God and to find out how God did this. Maybe God has allowed all this just so the world can hear this story.

“God has given me this.

“While this celebrity lasts, I’d like it to be a bridge to take the message of Jesus and this miracle that God has done for us. People in the street all seem to know me, so I am able to present the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“God has opened this door. He is a God who is alive, He hears prayer and the message that we want to encourage you with is that people can come and pray and discover and find God.

“His ears are open.”

This feature was first published in the Northern Echo. It is republished here by kind permission of the editor.

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News archive

Chilean mine survivor to tour UK

Media Release from Church Mission Society

On 5 August 2010, 33 Chilean men were trapped 700 metres underground, not knowing when or if they would ever emerge from the darkness. Millions watched their dramatic rescue on television.

When they finally came to the surface some of them claimed that a mysterious 34th man had been with them in the mine and shared their ordeal.

Only a few people in the UK have heard a first-hand account of this amazing story. Now people in the UK have a unique opportunity to hear the story direct from Jose Henriquez, one of the rescued Chilean miners, known as the pastor of the group.

Accompanying him and translating for him will be Alf Cooper, chaplain to the President of Chile and a Church Mission Society mission partner, who led the nation of Chile’s prayers during the miners’ incredible ordeal.

They will be speaking at 14 venues in 11 towns and cities across England between 23 January and 1 February, before flying to Ireland and the USA to attend a National Prayer Breakfast at the invitation of President Obama.

Media details: Jose, translated by Alf Cooper, is available for interview and photographs.

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Chile miners: the 34th man

Miners testify to the presence and guidance of Jesus with them, says President’s Chaplain

The Chilean miners have emerged from their ordeal testifying to the presence of Jesus with them, according to a CMS mission partner on the scene.  

The Rev Alfredo Cooper, chaplain to President Sebastian Pinera, told BBC Radio Five Live yesterday that the miners had a sense of Jesus being the 34th man in the collapsed mine.  

Many of the miners went down as atheists, unbelievers or semi-believers and they have come up to a man testifying that they were not 33 but that there were 34 down there – that Jesus was there with them and that they had a constant sense of his presence and guidance, he told Five Live’s Peter Allen.

Challenged by Allen that if divine intervention had saved the miners, divine intervention must have put them down there in the first place, Alf gave a careful, clear response.  

“Man is subject to accidents and all sorts of problems thanks often to his wilful negligence as was the case in this mine.  

“There are consequences when you don’t care enough for people. And of course in those situations people tend to cry out to God…  

“And the interesting thing is God has answered.”  

Alf paid tribute to the work of all the scientists, engineers, politicians and press, who had contributed to the successful rescue of the miners.  

“We see the hands of all these magnificent experts all around, the good will of so many people internationally and the brilliant coverage of the press.  

“We would suggest that all this works together for good, that certainly as we prayed God has guided in remarkable ways – even the scientists.  

“I was with the NASA people who came the other day. And to my surprise – to a man they were believing scientists in their case – and they all said ‘This is a miracle. There is no other word for what happened here’.”  

Alf has been helping lead the country’s prayers for the trapped miners since the beginning.  

He described how he had convened an emergency prayer meeting at the presidential palace, and how the president had asked for a service of thanksgiving when it was discovered that the miners were still alive.  

He also visited Camp Hope to deliver a personal invitation to the palace chapel when they were finally free.  

Thanks to Peter Saunders of Christian Medical Fellowship who transcribed the interview – you can read the full transcript on his blog.

You can also listen to the interview Alf Cooper – A miracle in Chile on YouTube.

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