Facts about Chile

Chile is located on the western coast of South America. It is approximately 2,700 miles long and 150 miles wide. If you placed the northern tip of the country in Buffalo, NY, the southern tip would still extend to San Francisco, CA.

Over one-third of the nation's 16 million people live in Santiago, the capital. This clean, beautiful city is one of the most modern in all of South America with a very efficient subway system that transports over 1 million people each day.

The offical language is Spanish. However, there are several indigenous languages still spoken in parts of the country.

Over ninety percent of the population is Roman Catholic. The traditions, rituals and influence of the world's largest church are felt everywhere. Catholisim has been intermingled with the ancient beliefs of the Incas and other indigenous people. This "marriage" is seen in many of the festivals and holidays, not only of Chile, but in all of South America.

If you allow yourself to hear that still, small voice of God, you can also hear the cry of a people that are hungry for something to fill the emptiness in that place in the heart reserved only for God.

I would love to take you with me to the center of Santiago. We would stand in the busy streets and watch as literally thousands of souls walk past us every hour of the day and well into the night. I would like for you to see, as I have, the hunger, emptiness and, most of all, the hopelessness of people for whom Jesus died. Then perhaps, you could feel the tremendous need that exists in this beautiful country.

The UPCI in Chile

At the present time, there are between twenty-one and twenty-five churches and preaching points. Five of these churches are in Santiago.

Recently, a Bible school was started with the help of Brother Monty Showalter. We are now training young men and women on a weekly basis in preparation to open more churches. With trained workers, we will be able to open new works in unchurched cities.

Upon our arrival in Chile, our first objective will be to intensify the training of workers. Our first target city is Antofagasta. Located in the north, this city of over 100,000 people, has no United Pentecostal Church.

The need is bigger than we are. Recently I was discussing Antofagasta and two other large cities in the north with Brother Elardo Poblete, Vice-President of the work in Chile. Brother Poblete told me of a group of people who traveled several hours to be in his church in Copiapó. Several of them were baptized in that service. I asked why we hadn't started a church in Antofagasta since we now have a small group there. Brother Poblete replied with tears and frustration, "Pastor, no tenemos obreros." (We don't have workers.) The laborers truly are few. God has called us and we will go. Will you help?