A celebration of the 100th anniversary of the arrival of the gospel through the Church of the Nazarene to the Awajún and Wampis tribes, among others in the Amazon region of Peru, was held 10-12 October 2024.

The event, "100 Years Illuminating the Amazon," was held at the Nazarene Seminary of Peru, Nuevo Horizonte sub-site with several goals: to worship and thank God for his wonderful work through the Church of the Nazarene, to celebrate with the whole church in Peru, and to challenge the group for the future. More than 300 pastors and leaders attended the three days of conferences and workshops. 

Roger Winans, his wife, Mary Hunt, and his family arrived in Peru on 1 November 1914 at the port of Pacasmayo region of the northern coast of Peru. Mary died in Pacasmayo some time after his arrival. In 1919, he married Esther Carson, with whom he traveled to the jungle to the Aguaruna tribe. He began his missionary work traveling through the highlands of the Cajamarca region, crossing the provinces of Santa Cruz, San Miguel, Chota, Cutervo, and Jaén. 

Ten years later, he arrived to the Awajún communities, where he evangelized and developed the Church of the Nazarene for 34 years. The impact of the mission of Roger Winans and Esther Carson is written in the history of Peru. The church arrived first before other state institutions, implementing education, health, agriculture, fishing, and turning a spoken language to written word, the Awajún alphabet. 

"This event has marked our lives with the testimony of our missionaries," said Abner Castañeda Becerra. "I had read some books about our Amazon region, but I did not imagine the great development of the Church of the Nazarene among the Awajún-speaking communities." 

This celebration was honored by the presence of Larry Garman, the missionary who followed in the footsteps of the Winans. Garman came to the Awajún tribe in 1965, serving with dedication until today, even in retirement. Along with Garman, other speakers included superintendents, Field Strategy Coordinator Evelio Vasquez, and Tomas Gutierrez, a historian who has documented the work of the Church of the Nazarene in Peru and with the Awajún tribe.

Garman shared a powerful testimony of his calling, his passion, and his strategy for the growth and development of the church, which led to the creation of three districts in this part of the country. The vision and passion of the Garmans paved the way for the creation of more than 200 churches, and the beginning of the church in Loreto and Pucallpa corresponded to this. 

The celebration ended with a large caravan of more than 2,000 people traveling to Imacita, an hour and a half walk from Nuevo Horizonte. The people celebrated with joy along the way, praising God in Spanish and Awajún for his faithfulness. The journey was a symbolic representation of the journey the Winans made, illuminating the Amazon with the Word of God. 

In Imacita, almost 3,000 people filled the city sports arena for worship. The musical group Los Hermanos Mejía, who had ministered in music during the event, made almost three thousand people sing and praise the Lord with great emotion.

"It is amazing to see how the Church of the Nazarene fulfills the mission year after year and decade after decade," said Elizabeth Soto Mayor. "The celebration challenges us to continue serving the Lord with all our hearts by taking the gospel of salvation everywhere."

--Church of the Nazarene South America