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SIM has been working in Ecuador since 1989, concentrating on church planting and ministry to human needs. The country attracted the attention of the Christian world in 1956 with the martyrdom of five missionaries by the Auca (now known as Waorani) tribe. Since then, most of the ethnic groups of Ecuador have been evangelised to some extent. Five groups are still considered unreached. The country officially has religious freedom although it is strongly Roman Catholic, and active opposition to evangelical witness exists. Various kinds of community service ministries form the basis of SIM's efforts to plant and strengthen churches in Ecuador. An ever-deepening economic crisis and a series of natural disasters have brought misery to the poor, who are by far the majority of the citizens, and this opens opportunities for missionaries and churches to touch lives in the name of Christ. In Guayaquil, more than 60% of the population is extremely poor and many live in slums built on a polluted marsh. Here, SIM has helped to stimulate the social conscience of several key churches, which now have a vision to reach out into society. Ministries in Guayaquil include leadership development, community service and development, and AIDS outreach. The city and
province of Loja are recognized as particularly unreached with the
gospel, with less than 0.01% evangelicals. In Loja, SIM has initiated
a cooperative community ministry, and is participating with other
missions and local churches in radio, and evangelism outreach. The
united effort, called Operación Esperanza (Operation Hope)
is already increasing our effectiveness in reaching the area for
Christ. Please pray
for:
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