AMSF Biography: Reverend Etta Snow

Reverend Etta Snow was born in Bay Roberts, NF and studied at Memorial University College in preparation for a career in teaching. In 1950-1952 she studied at the United Church Training School, Toronto (now The Centre for Christian Studies) Winnipeg. Commissioned by the Woman's Missionary Society as a missionary to Angola in l952, Rev. Snow pursued a year of language study in Portugal.

During her first furlough year in 1957, she was designated as a Deaconess of The United Church of Canada. She lived and served in Angola for 23 years before being evacuated in 1975 when civil war broke out. Following a year of deputation work in Canada for The Division of World Outreach, she worked at the Centre for Christian Studies as Director of Residence, as well as completing her theological studies at Emmanuel College. In l978, Rev. Snow was ordained by the Toronto Conference on behalf of the Newfoundland and Labrador Conference-the first United Church woman from Newfoundland to be ordained. After serving pastoral charges in Ontario, she" officially" retired in 1994.

In 1995, accompanied by Kay Pearson, she visited Angola and Namibia on behalf of The Angola Memorial Scholarship Fund. To this day Rev. Snow maintains her commitment to global outreach, particularly to the Angolan Community in Canada and in Namibia and Angola. In February and March, 2004 she returned to Angola to visit the former mission stations after an absence of 29 years. Rev. Snow was accompanied by her friend, Reverend Marion Pardy, a former Moderator of the United Church of Canada. Articles about their trip were published in the August 2004 issue of the Observer.

At the 2005 AMSF Annual Meeting, Rev. Snow was elected as its President.

Etta Snow and Luis Samacumbi (IECA)

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