Today CMS members voted to approve a merger with the South American Mission Society (SAMS). The whole world may not have stopped to watch as it seemed to for the inauguration of President Barack Obama just an hour later, but it was certainly a historic day for the two mission societies and we hope one which will bring a positive and long-lasting contribution to mission in Latin America.
The vote was carried by an amazing 99 per cent in favour of a merger.
The Special General Meeting was held at the CMS mission centre in Oxford and a packed conference hall voted overwhelmingly in favour of the proposal from CMS trustees to integrate with SAMS.
The CMS chair of trustees, the Rt Rev Paul Butler, Bishop of Southampton, called the result "hugely encouraging". The meeting heard supportive messages from the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of the Southern Cone, the Rt Rev Gregory Venables.
SAMS General Council had already approved the merger in principle.
There are some photos of the event on our Flickr page
I am delighted about the merger. I had phoned earlier and would have cancelled all my appointments in order to be there if it had appeared that attendance would be below 50. Congratulations. Pat Otter
Posted by: Patricia Otter | January 21, 2009 at 04:11 PM