Chile

Field Office Information

C&MA Field Entry in 1897

Field Director:

David Woerner

Mailing Address:

Casilla 595 Correo 11
Nunoa, CHILE

Phone:

011-56-2-727-0656

Email:

mision@cmachile.cl

Website:

National Church

The Christian and Missionary Alliance of Chile: 125 organized churches, 80 unorganized groups, 100 ordained ministers, 16,538 baptized members, and 42,862 inclusive members

Team Initiatives

• Plant churches among the professional class in the Santiago metro area.
• Plant reproducing churches in the needy cities of the northern Chilean desert.
• Train lay leaders and future Chilean missionaries through FATELA’s Theological Education by Extension program.

Alliance Church in Chile Ministers to Unreached Professionals

2008-08-05 13:44:45.0

Emotions ran high on Sunday, April 27, when 102 people celebrated the first service of Church of the Vineyard in its new building in Peñalolén, an upper-class community of Santiago, Chile. “We held a communion service to dedicate the chapel to the Lord in recognition of our dependence on God,” said Alliance missionaries Bob and Cheryl Fugate. “From the very beginning, this has been a work of the Lord. Many who attended the service have seen the testimony of the power of God in their lives and in the ways in which Church of the Vineyard has grown from five families who began meeting in the living room of missionaries Bill and Patty Hall in 2003.”  

More than 400,000 of the country’s top leaders and decision makers live in the immaculately landscaped community of Peñalolén, where no evangelical church exists. A major challenge in sharing Christ has been making contact and forming relationships. “There have been tremendous spiritual struggles that have only increased as we approached the opening of the church,” said Bob and Cheryl. “The Church of the Vineyard is the first to lift the cross high in this suburb of Santiago.” 

The congregation expressed special gratitude for a short-term team construction team from the DuBois Alliance Church in Pennsylvania. “The team members tirelessly gave all they had to help us open our doors on April 27,” said the Fugates. “Without their help, our first floor would remain unfinished, with just rough cement.” The team’s commitment to the Lord to come to Chile and help build the church was a major testimony to the congregation. “The team members shared time with families in our congregation and built more than a building—they built bridges of love connecting two churches thousands of miles apart. They built eternity in the hearts of Chileans.” 

“Jesus promised to build His Church, and He has done so in Peñalolén, Santiago, and we are deeply grateful to be a part of His work in this place,” said Bob and Cheryl. “Your faithful prayers and support have made it possible for The Christian and Missionary Alliance to open our church where we minister to the least-reached people in Chile.”

Demographics

Population

Population--15,980,912 Infant mortality rate--8.8/1,000 Life expectancy--76.6

Capital City

Santiago (5,333,100) pop.

Geography

Slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana, Chile (292,258 sq. mi.) fills a narrow 1,800-mile strip between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. One-third of the country is covered by the Andes. In the north is the driest place on earth, the Atacama Desert, and in the center is a 700-mile-long, thickly populated valley. At the southern tip is Punta Arenas, the southernmost city in the world.

Languages

Spanish

Ethnicity/Race

White and White-Amerindian--95%; Amerindian--3%; Other--2%

Economy

Per capita income--$10,700 Inflation--2.4% Unemployment--8.5% Literacy rate--96% (2003 est.)

Government/Political Climate

Republic; sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth and have helped secure the country’s commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation.

Religion

Roman Catholic--89%; Protestant--11%; small Jewish and Muslim populations