Ed and Marie Brice are CMS mission partners serving with the Anglican Diocese of Paraguay.

They accompany and train ordained and lay Indigenous leaders, and pastor the San Mateo congregation of both Latin and Indigenous people. Marie also uses her artistic skills to produce materials designed to help children come to a knowledge of Jesus, and runs literacy classes for Latin and Indian women.

The Anglican church among the Énxet people is one of the oldest protestant churches among native South Americans. However, the enormous pressure exerted on these traditional hunter gathering people due to massive land grabs, the influx of ranches and the ever advancing impact of Latin Society has left them in a vulnerable position. With state investment in health care and education scarce, huge demands are placed on both the community and church life.

Ed is supervising a programme of translation of Bible teaching materials and other literature designed to help Christian Education in the communities and also organises regular group training sessions.

In response to God’s call while studying Microbiology in the UK, he first came to Paraguay in 1975 as a short termer and set up a laboratory and trained a technician for a rural health clinic serving the Chaco population. uring this time God gave him a deeper concern for the plight of the Indian people and he was invited to participate in a new land settlement programme that the Anglican Church was starting. After further training in Community Health and Linguistics he returned to Paraguay for a second term and it was then that he met Marie, an Argentine Christian, whose desire to serve Christ led her to accept the invitation to help in the primary school run for Indian children by the church. They were married in 1983 and have three sons. Over the years Ed and Marie have worked in different roles within the church but in 1996 they left Paraguay as they were unsure of what the future held. Ed studied for an MA in Mission Studies in the UK and after a time of seeking God and an invitation to move back to Paraguay, they duly returned as SAMS mission partners. They were involved in pastoral work within the capital but kept their links with the Chaco people.

In 2006 Marie produced and illustrated a children’s book for the Bible Society and is currently working on another project for them. In 2007 Ed was ordained with special responsibility in the Chaco and mostly among the Indigenous people.

Published: 15:18 :: 11 April 2011 :: 662 views :: ::
Last updated: 21 October 2011
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