Wesley and Ana Owens

SAMS Role: Missionary Candidates

Starting Year with SAMS: 2026

Calling to Ministry:

The Lord began calling Wesley to vocational ministry as a teenager and confirmed this calling in his college years. He preached his first sermon at 19 and joined the Anglican church through a church planting mission at the University of Virginia. His heart for global missions was sparked while spending a summer working with full-time missionaries in East Asia. After studying theology at Oxford he was ordained to the priesthood and served in Anglican churches up and down the east coast of the US., first as a cathedral curate and later as a church planter. He served on the SAMS Board of Trustees prior to missionary candidacy.

For as long as Ana can remember, she always felt called to serve in ministry. Her heart for building Christ-centered community and caring for those who were lost, lonely, or hurting grew when she served as a resident assistant, ministering to her fellow dorm-mates in college. She took part in several short-term missions trips during high school and into her early twenties, but her first long-term cross-cultural experience came when she worked after college in pastoral care at a cathedral church in North Carolina–in this role it was her joy to serve (and worship alongside!) the local population of refugees who had resettled there.

Just months after their wedding in June 2025, Wesley and Ana had several consequential God-moments at the New Wineskins Missions Conference. It all began after Wesley met the Dean of Thailand at the SAMS Pre-Conference and learned of the need for a new Vicar (Lead Pastor) at Christ Church Bangkok. Wesley had long felt that if the Lord were to call him into cross-cultural ministry, it would likely be in an Asian context. So, after sensing the Holy Spirit prompting him to pay attention, he began sharing his heart with Ana in the lunch-line. The two of them began praying and speaking with SAMS staff while researching about Thailand – and they soon felt a burden for Thai Buddhists and the many internationals in Bangkok that deepened further after a visit to Thailand that following spring.

Mission and/or Vision for Ministry:

Bangkok is a city of contradictions with skyscrapers and high-end shopping malls alongside Buddhist temples and the world’s most notorious red light districts.  As SAMS Missionaries, Wesley and Ana will be ministering alongside one another to a congregation of English-speaking refugees and expats of 40+ nationalities while supporting evangelism among Thai Buddhists. Wesley will be serving as Vicar (Lead Pastor) of Christ Church Bangkok and collaborating with local Thai clergy. Ana will be providing administrative and pastoral support while supporting the church’s work among refugees and young adults. Together, they long to see the city of Bangkok transformed through the power and love of Jesus Christ.

Personal Points of Interest: 

Both Wesley and Ana love reading, hiking, and going on neighborhood walks–to pray, think, or just spend time together.

Wesley holds a BA in Religious Studies and Philosophy from the University of Virginia and an MTh from the University of Oxford. He loves old music (especially hymns) and board games, and he has way too many books to count. He is an amateur poet and a Benedictine-at-heart. When the weather is nice, he enjoys backpacking and camping, especially in the Appalachian mountains.

Ana holds a BA in Theology and English from Montreat College and is currently working towards her MA in Christian Ministry from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. She enjoys reading C.S. Lewis books, hammocking in the woods, swimming in the ocean (when it’s cold), and snapping photos with her camera. She also especially loves having her calendar full of family and friend “dates” to enjoy spending time catching up on life and praying together.

Favorite Bible Verse: 

Ana loves Galatians 2:20, Habakkuk 3:17-19, and Revelation 21-22. Wesley is quite fond of Proverbs 16:9.