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Removed
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This charity was removed from the register on 31 May 2022
Public benefits
The direct benefits which flow from purpose (a) include equipping present and future church leaders in the region of Patagonia, Argentina through education and training that will enable them to provide Christian teaching and pastoral support to others resident in the area. These benefits are demonstrated through the uptake of appropriate courses of
training. The direct benefits which flow from purpose (b) include increased availability of pastoral counselling to enable church leaders to deal with those who are in need in order to reduce suffering. These benefits are demonstrated through the provision of suitable counselling courses and in the long term, a facility to which ordinary members of the public may come for pastoral counselling also. The direct benefits which flow from purpose (c) include raising the standard of theological education and giving students training that will enable them to be employed in secular work, while also being pastors with local churches in Patagonia. This is a long term aim and the provision of vocational courses will only come into effect when we establish a full-time programme of courses which we are currently developing; at present we only offer a limited number of courses on a part-time basis and none of these courses involve vocational training for secular employment. The direct benefits which flow from purpose (d) include the use of volunteers to support and deliver courses in Patagonia. These volunteers will come from outside of Patagonia and may be recruited within Argentina or elsewhere in the world. These benefits will be demonstrated through the availability of individuals being sent to Patagonia to be involved in the work of Southern Theological Seminaries. The direct benefits which flow from purpose (e) cannot be easily defined at this stage and this purpose is to cover future developments. The private benefit flowing from the purposes is that some future church leaders will be given vocational training that will equip them to work in secular employment and to counsel others. This is incidental and necessary because most pastors in Patagonia have not received any training in pastor counselling, yet they need this in order to respond to the personal needs of other people. Most churches in Patagonia are unable financially to support full-time pastors as they must earn their own living in order to provide for themselves and their families. To deliver these courses we shall fund suitably qualified staff and any private benefit received through being funded by STS, is necessary in order to deliver benefits to others. Volunteers will also gain experience of delivering courses in another culture, which might increase their employment opportunities elsewhere. This is incidental and necessary because as a charity we shall need the support of volunteers in order to meet other objectives. Also, volunteers may bring experience and insights that we would not otherwise be able to access. The only harm that we envisage that the purposes of our charity may lead to is that volunteers could be perceived as possibly undertaking roles that could be done by people already living in Patagonia. We can show that this harm is outweighed by the benefits through the fact that we shall look to recruit in the first instance local volunteers who have the skill and training necessary to provide support and training. Only when such volunteers are not available locally shall we rely upon volunteers from outside of Patagonia. Since volunteers are likely to have a special expertise in theological education or pastoral counselling, we do not anticipate that such volunteers will be found within Patagonia itself. No further harm flows from the purposes. The charity’s beneficiaries are the church communities and the wider community, both present and future, in the region of Patagonia by providing training to the church leaders to be disseminated to the community.
... [more] [less]What your organisation does
Southern Theological Seminaries (STS) has its registered office in Northern Ireland, where it is set up as a Company Limited by Guarantee and managed by a Board of Directors. The overall purpose of STS is to promote Christianity, addressing the educational, economic, social and spiritual needs of communities in South America. Its immediate
objectives are to provide theological education, leadership formation, vocational training, and mental health care for the church and local communities of Patagonia, the southern region of Argentina. Long-term vision is to provide similar charitable services in other areas of Argentina and South America. The organisation has experience of working in Latin America and the directors have the necessary experience to ensure that the positive aspects of the group activities are developed and delivered in a culturally sensitive way in order that the organisation's work is centrally focused on improving the lives of the people it aims to help. A particular problem in Patagonia is the exodus of young leaders to other regions of Argentina. This is due largely to the fact that in Patagonia there is little access to theological and vocational training; students are forced by a lack of available facilities to move to locations in the Northern provinces concentrated around Buenos Aires. STS aims to address the need by offering theological educational combined with vocational training, as well as holistic counselling services to the communities in the Patagonia region. STS seeks to advance the Christian faith through the teaching of biblical theology and through the provision of pastoral care and physical resources to people who are in conditions of need, hardship and distress, including the aged and sick. These practices will assist in the advancement of education, ease poverty, and improve the quality of life for skilled young people and their communities in South Argentina.
... [more] [less]The charity’s classifications
- The advancement of education
- The advancement of religion
Who the charity helps
- Adult training
- General public
- Overseas/developing countries
How the charity works
- Education/training
- Religious activities
Charitable purposes
The company’s objects are specifically restricted to the advancement of Christianity, the advancement of education and the relief of poverty among people (hereinafter called "the beneficiaries") in Patagonia and its environs in Argentina in particular but also in any part of the world (hereinafter called the “area of benefit”) and in particular: (a) to advance the Christian faith by establishing, maintaining and providing financial assistance to the Southern Theological Seminaries or such other places of training or education in the Christian faith or ministry as the trustees shall determine where Biblical Theology will be taught to students of any age or nationality and to provide financial assistance, vocational training and support to the students thereat; (b) to promote Christianity through the provision of pastoral care and facilities to people who are in conditions of need, hardship and distress or who are aged or sick; (c) to provide or assist in the provision of programmes of education and vocational training designed to assist the theological students to lead to employment on leaving the Southern Theological Seminaries; (d) to recruit, select and send out volunteers for both short and long term service within the area of benefit. (e) to advance any other exclusively charitable purpose as the directors may from time to time, decide in accordance with the law of charity