A schedule of 25 talks in five days is a huge task for anyone to undertake, but for the Rev Simon Manchester the hard work has bred nothing but admiration for Chile's pastors.
"There are fifteen million people in Chile. Four out of five call themselves Catholic and one in five protestant," he says. "The number of theologically trained pastors is tiny. A number of pastors are part time because they work in other jobs such as a clerk or book binder."
The rector of St Thomas', North Sydney, has just returned from a ten day trip to Santiago, Chile, teaching at the Anglican Bible College, Centro de Estudias Pastorales (CEP), and he says the trip taught him as an Australian Christian to be "thankful for what we have been given'.
"It was encouraging to see how teachable and willing to be challenged they were. They were very appreciative to be able to talk through the simple things we understand and often take for granted," he says.
"If familiarity breeds contempt, as it can in Sydney, then they are a million miles from contempt."
The purpose of Mr Manchester's trip was to speak about church ministry " to encourage those who are doing it and equip those who are training for it.
"I spoke to pastors and students. There were about 20 to 25 pastors, which represent two thirds of Chile's Anglican pastors, nine CEP students and three or four staff."
The Bishop of Chile, the Rt Rev Tito Zavala, supported his clergy by attending all of Mr Manchester's talks.
"We should be praying for the leadership in Chile. Bishop Tito is a good man who is on side for theological study and evangelism," Mr Manchester says.
Observing the contributions being made by Australian missionaries in Chile, particularly former St Thomas' parishioners, CMS missionaries Tim and Sally Swan, Mr Manchester says Sydney Anglicans have an enormous opportunity to serve in Chile by teaching the Preliminary Theological Certificate (PTC).
"If a person from a local church here was wiling to go to Chile for a year and teach PTC to just ten members of a church there, they would leave behind the cream of the church. [They] could especially use Spanish speakers," he says.
"These people make a huge contribution. Even just teaching PTC in a local church is more Bible teaching than almost anybody else experiences in that whole country."
