Relocation from Colombia

With violence, open hostility and persecution escalating in Colombia, OMS missionaries relocated to Ecuador. OMS ministry began in early 1952 when Alfredo Colon, a Colombian evangelist, arrived first in Ecuador. OMS missionaries, Harold and Margaret Brabon, followed him in August of that same year. The first OMS church, Philadelphia Church, started in this year as well.

OMS Starts a National Church Organization

In 1962, OMS organized and established the Association of Inter-American Churches of Ecuador. This national church was actually a group of churches that were joined together by the common tie of having a relationship with OMS.

Camp Pallatanga

In 1976, a decision was made to begin a camping ministry. OMS purchased land about
2 ½ hours from Guayaquil. This land was nestled in the foothills of the beautiful Andes Mountains. Camp Pallatanga is used for youth camps, children’s ministry, marriage retreats, church camps, mission and national church assemblies and various other types of ministry events.

A Separation

After a separation of mission and church cooperation in 1978, OMS Ecuador began the Association of Evangelical Churches of Ecuador. Many of the individual churches in the Inter-American Association were not pleased with the separation and left the old association to become part of the new Association of Evangelical Churches of Ecuador.

The “Encounter With God” Strategy

In 1987, OMS established the Christian Bible Church in Guayaquil, using the “Encounter with God” strategy. The Encounter with God strategy began in Peru. It was a concentrated effort by the Christian and Missionary Alliance to reach into the middle and upper classes. The effort proved very successful. OMS Ecuador, after an investigation of the strategy, decided to implement it. The Encounter with God-type church was a strategy OMS hoped to incorporate into the Association of Evangelical Churches of Ecuador. Although the Christian Bible Church still exists, the original Encounter with God strategy is no longer followed by OMS in Ecuador.

A Second National Church Organization

In 1994, OMS established a second national church organization called the Association of Indigenous Saraguro Christians (ACIS). This second and separate association was founded specifically for the Saraguros. The Saraguro peoples are an indigenous people group of about 30,000, living in the southern mountains and eastern jungle areas of Ecuador.

OMS Launches a Radio Station

In 1995, OMS established the Good Shepherd Radio ministry as an outgrowth of the ministry among the Saraguro people. The radio ministry was one of the key strategies in opening the door to more effectively reaching the Saraguro people.