BELL GARDENS, CA (December 19, 2001) – Thirty-six graduating students were honored on Saturday by Centro Hispano de Estúdios Teológicos (CHET).
The graduation ceremonies, held at Bell Gardens Hispanic Covenant Church, marked the completion of training in basic, ministerial and lay community counseling programs offered by CHET. Two scholarship awards were presented to seven students.
Pastor Danny Martinez and Alejandro Mendoza received the Eldon and Opal Johnson Scholarship. The award was created to honor the Johnson’s work in starting the Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC) Hispanic ministry at First Covenant Church in downtown Los Angeles following their return from mission work in Bolivia. The award was presented by a long-time friend of the Johnsons, Oscar Piérola, who serves as chair of the CHET Board of Directors, and by Dr. Jorge Maldonado, CHET president. Martinez serves as youth pastor at the Bell Gardens Hispanic Covenant Church. Mendoza is an interim pastor at a local Baptist church who is interested in Covenant ministry.
Mariela Fernández, Yliana Gallegos, Floredilia Graterol, Claudia Mendoza and María Pérez were recipients of Edith Warning Scholarship awards, named in honor of the long-time supporter of Hispanic ministries and established in Warning’s memory by her home congregation, Pasadena Covenant Church. Presenters included Cathy Barsotti, CHET director of development and a teacher at the school, and CHET board member John Barkman, a member of the Pasadena Covenant Church and a friend of Warning.
Family, friends, staff and graduates enjoyed an early Christmas dinner and fellowship following the graduation ceremonies. Numerous churches and pastors were represented, including Covenant churches from the Chicago and Indianapolis areas, Rolling Hills Hispanic Covenant Church and First Evangelical Free Church of Los Angeles.
CHET, founded in 1989 with 30 students, now enjoys the largest student body in its 12-year history – 252 students. It trains pastors, church planters, missionaries and laity to Hispanic churches. The school has initiated a new level of studies – the Bachelor of Ministry degree for advanced students active in ministry. Covenant students completing this new program will be candidates for full-time ministry.
For more information about CHET and its programs, contact Barsotti by telephone at 562-806-8325 or by email at johnston@fuller.edu.
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