SAMS meeting at civic centre hailed a big success

The Church of Ireland mission society specialising in the areas of Latin America, Spain and Portugal has seen interest grow in recent years.

The audience included many young people, clergy and lay people, in addition to five serving bishops.

Denis Johnston, the SAMS Ireland General Secretary stated: "It's wonderful to see so many people taking an interest in the work in South America and the impact the vibrant church there is having on the Church in Ireland. We will have to evaluate the situation for next year.”

Bishop Ken Clarke, who hosted the evening said: "Every year I wonder how Friday Night Live could get any better, but it does."

He steered the evening through presentations of highlights of mission work from Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Chile such as mountaineers raising money by climbing the highest peak in South America and interviews with South American volunteers working in Ireland."

The audience were in roars of laughter at twelve young builders from Annaghmore Parish who, along with their Rector the Rev Dorothy McVeigh and SAMS representative Geoff Hamilton spent two weeks building churches in Argentina and Bolivia.

They made quite an impression with wise cracks, stories and touching testimony. Dorothy, the keynote speaker, encouraged everyone to learn from the Good Samaritan and to 'Get out there' and reach out to those in need.

Claire Holmes, a SAMS Ireland mission partner, has just returned after 13 years in Paraguay. She spoke emotionally of the children's and youth work she had built up in the remote town of Concepcion and asked everyone to pray for the team of volunteers she had trained to carry on the work.

Esteban Alvarez from Chile, one of the Fusion volunteers, told everyone about his two years working in St Saviour's Parish in Craigavon.