Mark Briesmaster teaching

Daunting challenges threaten several small, rural congregations in central Chile. They are made up of Mapuche people, who have been deprived of education and economic opportunity. Not so long ago their religious life consisted of pagan rituals. Now they are worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom they have put their trust. But they can scarcely read, and they don’t have trained pastors. So their understanding of the Christian faith is, unfortunately, mixed with traditions and beliefs from their former way of life.

That’s where SCRIM comes in. The name is an acronym for “Christian Interdenominational Rural Seminary for Mapuches” (in Spanish). The students come from different denominations and diverse backgrounds—single, married, male, female, old, and young—and they all want to help lead their churches. But they are struggling to support themselves and their families, so they couldn’t attend a residential school. They grew up with little or no formal schooling, and SCRIM is designed specifically to meet their needs.

Training rural leaders

Classes are held for three consecutive days each month. The three-year curriculum provides the knowledge needed to minister in the Mapuche context:

• Bible study, teaching, and preaching methods
• Leading a service/leading a rural church
• Music and worship
• Ministering to youth, family, and children
• Writing Spanish and Mapudungun (Mapuche language)

Mark and Gloria Briesmaster serve as directors and recruiters. Last year they visited Pati, a Mapuche woman who lives on an island in a saltwater lake named Lago Budi. She has to row her little boat an hour to reach the mainland. The Briesmasters learned that she had only 5% vision; she held her Bible at the tip of her nose to read it. Recognizing her passion for Christ, they invited her to study at SCRIM. First they got help for her eyes. They took her to an optometrist, who took a special interest in Pati and spent all afternoon trying various options. She walked out with contact lenses that corrected her vision to 50%.

	Pati near Lago Budi

As they drove away, Pati couldn’t stop exclaiming over everything she saw—things which had formerly been only a blur. She is now an enthusiastic student at SCRIM. Mark writes, “I always hoped in some small way that I would help folks gain their spiritual vision, but never in my wildest imagination did I think of it happening literally as well.”

Pray

• for scholarship funds to help students attend SCRIM
• for protection against attacks from the evil one

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