SAMS Collaborative Missionaries - Darrell and Sarah Critch
Serving In: Anglican Diocese of Mahajanga, Madagascar, the Anglican Province of the Indian Ocean
Calling to Ministry: Having served as a parish priest for 25 years, I was quite unexpectedly asked if I would allow my name to stand for election as the Bishop of Mahajanga, Madagascar…I had never been to Madagascar and I had never even heard of Mahajanga! As outlandish as the request was, I trusted the bishop who asked me enough to know that I could not just dismiss it, and so my wife and I prayed for discernment… thinking we would get a very clear ‘no’!
But, to our surprise, as we prayed the Lord seemed to be confirming that this was actually a call from Him!! With only 2 weeks to pray, we decided that we would allow my name to stand for election. About six weeks later, in the very early morning, I received a phone call from the Primate of the Indian Ocean announcing that I had been elected. Neither my wife nor I spoke for sometime as the news set in, Sarah broke the silence by saying ‘what have we done!’
With such an unexpected call, we wonder what God has planned!
Mission and/or Vision
Through sustainable development to facilitate the growth of the Diocese of Mahajanga so that the catholic, charismatic, and evangelical faith of Anglicanism might be the means of bringing men, women, and children to saving faith in the Lord Jesus!
Personal Points of Interest: I grew up in the Salvation Army, and it is there that I first heard and received the gospel. In university I was introduced to Prayer Book Anglicanism, I found that the liturgy resonated with me deeply…it is, after all, the Bible ordered for worship! I was formed in the high-church wing of Anglicanism, and so I honour Word and Sacrament equally. I’m an evangelical at heart and a Catholic by conviction…I’m sort of a theological mutt!
Favorite Bible Verse: Every good and perfect gift is from above. James 1:17
