by Brendan Kimbrough | Dec 12, 2025 | SAMS Missionaries, Uganda
We give thanks for the life and ministry of the Rev. Dr. Jessica Hughes, SAMS Missionary, who died at home on December 8th. Jessica celebrated her 55th birthday on December 3rd with greetings from friends all around the world.
Jessica served faithfully with your Society since 2011, primarily as a lecturer focusing on field ministry preparation at Uganda Christian University (UCU) at the Bishop Tucker School of Divinity and Theology. She also helped UCU navigate massive challenges during the Covid pandemic by serving as the eLearning Manager. The seeds she planted in her ministry roles continue to bear fruit in East Africa and beyond for the Kingdom of God. Her fellow missionaries, students, and colleagues loved her dearly.
She persevered in the faith and earnestly sought to follow the Lord’s will throughout her life. By God’s grace, she graduated from the Selah program (spiritual direction certification) in September!
Jessica’s sending church, All Saints, Woodbridge, VA, has walked with her beautifully through the two years that she has been on this difficult journey–supported especially by the “Wonder Women” and held in the arms of Jesus. Jessica’s funeral will be at All Saints at a date in early January to be determined.
Jessica shared in her November letter this prayer: “Of all good things I have known in this life, Jesus, it is you alone I might keep into death, and it is you alone that I need.” ~Every Moment Holy, Volume II
Last month Jessica and I shared a sweet time together in prayer and remembering God’s goodness. I carried love and greetings from us all. Her love for you all was deep. We celebrated together the feast day of Hilda of Whitby—another faithful missionary who was gifted by God with wisdom. She, too, suffered in her last years. Hilda’s dying witness left a powerful mark on contemporary Venerable Bede as he recorded that she “passed from death to life.” Jessica kept in her vision the sure hope of passing into life everlasting in Jesus.
Please pray with me:
- O Lord, may you grant comfort and strength for Jessica’s extended family, her Wonder Women, her church family, her UCU family, her SAMS family, and all who love Jessica.
- May you continue your healing touch on Jessica’s godson Nick.
- “Let us learn to love one another well in our common grief, O Lord. Let us learn to speak freely together of our great loss, and our still-greater hope.” ~Every Moment Holy, Volume II
- “Depart, O Christian soul, out of this world;
In the Name of God the Father Almighty who created you;
In the Name of Jesus Christ who redeemed you;
In the Name of the Holy Spirit who sanctifies you.
May your rest be this day in peace,
and your dwelling place in the Paradise of God.”
In the love of Jesus with thanksgiving for you,
Stewart Wicker
A Memorial Service for Jessica will be held on Monday, January 5, 2026, at 10 a.m. The service and reception will take place at All Saint’s Church 14851 Gideon Drive, Woodbridge, VA 22192
by Brendan Kimbrough | Dec 5, 2025 | SAMS Missionaries
by Brendan Kimbrough | Oct 24, 2025 | SAMS Missionaries
By Wade and Chelsea Weeldreyer, SAMS Co-Directors of Missionary Care and Mission Engagement
In September, SAMS missionaries, senders, and staff gathered with 1,500 other Christians at the New Wineskins Hope for the Nations Conference in North Carolina. Over several days, we celebrated God’s redemptive work around the world and asked the Lord of the harvest to send more laborers into his field.
One simple refrain that emerged again and again, from plenary speakers to casual conversations, was this: God is on the move.
Indeed He is, and the 11th annual New Wineskins conference brought this into focus in fresh ways.
Here are a few glimpses of the ways that SAMS saw God on the move…
We saw God on the move as seasoned missionaries and individuals exploring missions shared meals together, shaping one another with questions, a listening ear, and times of sharing.
We saw God on the move as conference-goers stopped to chat at SAMS’ mission exhibit. The Spirit works through the ordinary, and many individuals stopped to connect with us because they noticed our world map, the coffee station, or, simply, a SAMS missionary practicing the ministry of presence.
We saw God on the move through our SAMS Celebration Dinner speakers – four missionaries who invited us to rejoice in how God is active in Europe, the U.S., North Africa, and Southeast Asia; and to imagine the ways in which God invites all of us to join Him in His global mission.
We saw God on the move through “divine appointments,” such as when a retired air traffic controller met a Southeast Asian global leader seeking someone to serve alongside the local church using exactly those skills. (Connections like these invite us into postures of prayerful curiosity about how God will move next!)
Finally, we saw God on the move through missional partnerships that already exist around the world. Through these partnerships, members of the body of Christ can gift one another with mutual discernment, encouragement, and joy.
In step with this, we welcome you to join SAMS in prayer in the following ways:
- Pray that missionary inquirers can move forward in mutual discernment with their home churches, with a sending organization such as SAMS, and with a receiving church wherever God leads.
- Pray that missionaries will continue to receive encouragement from the conversations, prayers, and interactions that they experienced at New Wineskins.
- Pray that senders experience much joy in their refreshed and increased connection with missionaries and the workings of God’s mission around the globe.
If you were at New Wineskins this year, we hope that you, too, are reflecting on the ways in which you sensed God on the move. Perhaps you experienced a renewed sense of discernment, encouragement, or joy along the way. We pray that the Lord meets you and blesses you where you are. And, if you were not at this year’s conference, you may decide to mark your calendar for the next one: September 20-23, 2028!
by Brendan Kimbrough | Oct 3, 2025 | Netherlands, SAMS Missionaries, The Church and Evangelism
by Johann Vanderbijl, SAMS Missionary, pastor and author serving in the Netherlands
What causes people who have once known the power and presence of the living God to stop following Him?
Moses warned Israel that it begins with complacency. When God’s people forget to honor Him as Father and Creator, they slowly relegate Him to the sidelines of life. That is not only Israel’s story—it is Europe’s story. Once the cradle of the Reformation, Europe is now a mission field. And the Netherlands, where my wife Louise and I serve, is a vivid example of what happens when nations that once knew God slowly forget Him.
The Spiritual Reality in the Netherlands
A few snapshots paint the picture clearly:
- Islam is growing: In 2015, about 4.9% of the Dutch population were Muslims. By 2023, that number had risen to 6%.
- Evangelicals are few: Only about 4% of the Dutch population identify as Evangelical believers, most of them clustered in the “Bible Belt,” far from the province where we work.
- Religion is declining: In 2010, 55% of the Dutch population considered themselves religious. By 2023, that number had dropped to 42%.
- Young people are drifting: Two-thirds of 18–25-year-olds now identify as non-religious. In our church, teenagers often tell us they are the only Christians in their schools—and confessing Jesus is viewed as ‘social suicide’.
- Even among Christians, faith is shallow: Fewer than half of Protestants attend church monthly, and three-quarters of Roman Catholics rarely or never go.
In short: the Netherlands is religiously plural, spiritually restless, and largely post-Christian.
Why North Holland?
Nowhere is this more evident than in North Holland, where we live and serve. This province has a rich spiritual history. Haarlem was home to Corrie Ten Boom. Alkmaar was the region of Brother Andrew. Missionaries like Willibrord and Boniface once brought the gospel to the Frisians here. Today, however, North Holland is one of the least churched provinces in the Netherlands. Many historic church buildings are no longer places of worship—they’ve become apartments, museums, cafés, or even breweries. They stand as silent symbols of a faith remembered but not lived. On a typical Sunday in our region, a church service might draw only a handful of elderly members. The younger generation—our neighbors, our children’s friends—are growing up without ever hearing the gospel in a meaningful way.
Why This Matters
So why Europe? Why North Holland? Because if the gospel is truly good news for all people, then it is also good news for Europeans—people who once carried the gospel across the globe, but who are now in desperate need of hearing it again.
The spiritual hunger is real:
- Loneliness is rising, especially among young people, often leading to anxiety, depression, and fear.
- Suicide is now the leading cause of death among Dutch teens and young adults. The number of youth seeking help for suicidal thoughts has risen by 75%.
Europe doesn’t just need nostalgia for a Christian past. It needs Jesus today.
Our Role—and How You Can Join Us
In North Holland, we meet people who are spiritually curious but biblically illiterate. Young adults who have never opened a Bible. Families searching for identity in everything but Christ. People who believe everything—and nothing. We cannot change this landscape alone. But we also cannot ignore it. That’s why partnership matters. Your prayers, encouragement, and support are not simply “keeping missionaries on the field.” They are investments in re-evangelizing a province, a nation, and a continent that has forgotten its first love.
Hope for Europe
So I return to the opening question: What causes people to stop following God? It happens slowly—through complacency, compromise, forgetting, and replacing Him with lesser gods. But what can bring them back? The faithful witness of God’s people, boldly proclaiming that Jesus Christ is Lord—not only of history, not only of other nations, but also of the Netherlands, of North Holland, of every street, family, and heart where His name has been forgotten. We believe God is not finished with Europe. Revival is possible. But it begins when God’s people take seriously the call to go, to give, to pray, and to serve. That’s why we’re here. And that’s why we invite you to join us—so that the gospel will not only be Europe’s past, but also Europe’s future.
Resources:
https://oakriverpress.com/products/patw/europe/europe-full-small.pdf
https://oakriverpress.com/
Johann and Louise VanderBijl are SAMS Missionaries serving in the north Holland city of Heiloo. Johann’s missionary roots trace back to his Great-Grandfather – an Anglican missionary in Southern Africa. The Lord revealed His love and purpose to Johann in 1980 through the witness of an unrelated missionary. Since then, his personal salvation impressed upon him the need to share with others the wonderful gift given to him, especially those lost in their own misfortunes. Johann and Louise met while they were both serving in Northwestern Namibia. Together, they try to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness in whatever God has called them to do. Johann has authored several books which can be found under the Langham Publishing imprint.
For further information and how you can support the VanderBijl’s cross-cultural work visit their SAMS page and their blog.
by Brendan Kimbrough | Aug 25, 2025 | #NewWineskins2025
Connect with SAMS at New Wineskins
Pre-Conference
SAMS Complimentary Reception and Dinner
‘Go Where God Leads’
Wednesday, September 17, 4:00PM
Johnson Springs Building, Level 2
Cost: $0
Connect with missionaries and Anglicans from around the world and hear testimonies of God’s work in the these nations followed by prayer.
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4:00 pm SAMS Reception – Engagement with Global Anglican Leaders and Missionaries
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5:00pm SAMS Dinner – Hear Stories of God at Work Around in the World and Join in His Work through Prayer
Wednesday, September 17, 8:30am -3:00pm
Hope for the Nations through Relationships with the Global Church
Cost: $25
Join us to learn about God at work through the Anglican Church across the world. You will experience how you may join in God’s work through the vocational callings of praying, sending, learning, welcoming, going, and mobilizing. This interactive roundtable will include presentations, small groups, an opportunity to ask your questions, and optional extended time with global Anglican leaders and/or missionaries. You may have lunch, make an afternoon appointment, and/or come to the Society of Anglican Missionaries (SAMS) Reception and Dinner Banquet to connect deeper with global Anglican leaders and missionaries. Pray about joining your global Anglican brothers and sisters who will seek the Lord together with hope in Christ for the whole church to reach all nations with Good News. (You may choose to join us for any part of the day you are able!)
– Dogwood 1A
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8:30 am Hope for the Nations through Sending Relationships with the Global Church begins (coffee break included)
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12:00 pm You may choose to sign up for lunch with a SAMS Missionary
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1:00 pm You may choose a time slot to sign up to meet with a Global Anglican Leader
Conference – MAP Talks from SAMS Missionaries and Staff
Thursday, September 18
MAP TALK I (1:30-2:15)
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Justice & Mercy: Living with and Ministering Among the Poor, The Rt. Rev Grant and Wendy Lemarquand
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The Missionary Life: Language and Culture Learning in a Nutshell, Anne Schaffer
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MAP Talks in Spanish: Ministrando a Los Ninos y Jovenes en Latino America, Meredith Omland Holt
MAP TALK II (2:30-3:15)
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Global Partnerships: Church Partnerships that Last, Ben and Cheri Weber
MAP TALK III (3:30-4:15)
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Welcoming the Nations: The Nations and the Neighborhood, The Rev. Daniel Behrens
Friday, September 19th
MAP TALK IV
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Welcoming the Nations: Addressing Trauma in Refugee Teens, The Rev. David and Patricia Ayres
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Justice & Mercy: Creation Care – Fulfilling our First Commission, The Rev. Dr. Mary McDonald
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Becoming a Missional Parish: What Missionaries Can’t Say, The Rev. Jeff Jacobs
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Evangelism: Sharing the Gospel Across Cultures, Stewart Wicker
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The Missisonary Life: It’s Never too Late – A Call to Mission Later in Life, Catherine and Richard Ranger
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Prayer and Healing: Interceding for the Church and the Unreached – Lollie Twyman
MAP TALK V
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Becoming a Missional Parish: Walking with Missionaries from Call to Field, Chelsea and Wade Weeldreyer
MAP TALK IV
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Evangelism :A Reason for Hope-Apologetics for Evangelism, Logan Gates
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South East Asia: Cambodia, The Rev. Gregory Whitaker
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Prayer and Healing: Binding Up the Wounds of the Brokenhearted, Cathy Clevenger
Come talk to us!
SAMS Main Exhibit
Come by the SAMS Exhibit in the Main Hall to speak with Missionaries, SAMS Staff and to share your story. You may also enjoy a cup of coffee or tea with us. As supplies last, you may savor the flavors of take-home spice blends and recipes from each continent, submitted by SAMS Missionaries and Senders, prepared especially for you!
