The missionary society known as SAMS is keeping its acronym but changing what the initials mean. What was the South American Missionary Society”“USA is now the Society of Anglican Missionaries and Senders.
“We are offering more opportunities for people to serve,” said Stewart Wicker, president and mission director of SAMS.
Wicker said the society sent its first missionary outside of Central and South America 15 years ago. That missionary served in Spain, and today 20 of the society’s 78 missionaries are serving outside of South America.
Hmmm. Today 20 of SAMS’ 78 missionaries are serving outside of South America. Over 1/4th. Yeah, I’d say the name change was overdue.
But what about the SAMS-USA connection with SAMS-UK or SAMS-Australia? I assume the name change really doesn’t change anything there, since my understanding is that the various SAMS mission agencies are basically independent.
David Handy+
Correction to my #1. A little Google searching seems to indicate that while the SAMS agencies in Great Britain, Australia, and New Zealand have all now merged with the CMS, the SAMS agencies in Ireland, Canada, and the USA have remained independent. Although the American branch has now changed its name, while keeping the familiar acronym.
FWIW, I believe that ++Gregory Venables, primate of the Southern Cone, based in Buenas Aires, was once a lowly SAMS missionary. And maybe still is. Certainly, SAMS in the US proudly still claims the Bishop of Bolivia, Frank Lyons, as one of their current missionaries.
David Handy+
My father was a SAMS missionary under Colin Bazely in Chile when I was young…and the head offices for the UK are here in Tunbridge Wells, so I have a soft spot for them. Sad to see them merge IMO
As the founding chair of SAMS-USA, I have a sense of deep gratitude that the Society has not only served faithfully these last three decades and more, but is spreading its wings and reaching further. Actually, when we were praying and planning the launch of a voluntary missionary society in the Episcopal Church in 1976 we would have loved to reach out into the whole world, but rightly realized that we would immediately be stretched too thin. It now seems the Society is picking up that thread of early dreams and working with it.
The interesting thing about SAMS-UK being rolled into CMS is that Bishop Henry Scriven who became the UK Director when this was happening started out his ministry in the Latin world as a missionary of SAMS-USA.
I am profoundly grateful to have been the chair of SAMS-USA through the early, difficult, and often hair-raising years of the Society’s life. I am grateful, too, for all the great saints I have gotten to know and learn from in the process.
If SAMS-USA has a ‘patron saint’ it has to be the late Canon Derek Hawksbee who came with his wonderful wife and partner in mission, Betty, from England and carried the society for a decade through demanding but exciting times. Derek died two years ago, but I was able to give him communion a couple of days before his passing to eternity, and to speak at his memorial service. In this history of SAMS-USA Derek and Betty should NEVER be forgotten