On Monday September 3, the Doctoral program in Ministry (D.Min) from Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri began courses once again on the campus of SENDAS. This is the second group of Latin American students to study with this program.

There are two locations where the students will be studying: Nazarene Theological Seminary of South America (STNS) in Quito, Ecuador, and the Nazarene Seminary of the Americas (SENDAS) in San Jose, Costa Rica.

The program began with a chapel service to celebrate the beginning of this new cycle, with Dr. Roger Hahn, the Academic Dean of NTS, sharing from the Word.

The first course of the program “Wesleyan Theology of Ministry,” ended on September 14th on the SENDAS campus.  The professors for the first course were Dr. Roger Hahn and Dr. Jorge Julca, the Regional Education Coordinator for South America.

There are eleven students in the program who come from different countries in Latin America and the Caribbean.  Each student is a national or regional leader.  Within the student group, there are Presidents of theological institutions, professors, ministry leaders for areas and regions, as well as pastors.

From the MesoAmerica Region, these students participated:

 

  1. Rev. Marco Antonio Velasco – Tuxtla Gutiérrez, México
  2. Rev. Obdulia Martinez – Mexico City, Mexico
  3. Rev. Edgar Menendez – Guatemala
  4. Rev. Milton Gay – El Salvador
  5. Rev. Luis Flores – El Salvador
  6. Rev. Herson Santa – Puerto Rico
  7. Rev. Maria Delia Varela – Panama

From the South America Region, these students participated:

  1. Rev. Carlos Abejer – Brazil
  2. Rev. Jose Roberto Quinatoa – Ecuador
  3. Rev. Juana Quiroga – Bolivia
  4. Rev. Jean David Larrochelle – Haiti – Ecuador

The students spent two weeks at SENDAS for this first course.  They shared lodging, food, the library and all the class hours together, learning lots from the professors and from each other.  Some of the students shared their comments about their experience in this first course at SENDAS.

Rev. Luis Flores shares the following:  “I want to thank God for the time we had at SENDAS.  It was very special and we were made to feel a part of SENDAS.  Everything was excellent including the time we all shared together, from the meals to the free time, to the camaraderie we felt within the D.Min group.  The course met all my expectations, and although it was a difficult class, what I have learned has made a mark on my life.

Rev. Obdulia Martinez shares these words:  ”The Latin American group that lived with were academically well-prepared and of high character as God continues to form each one of us.  I give thanks to God because together we were able to meet all the objectives of this first course of the doctoral program.  The class helped me to refocus and challenge the ministry of the church and the theological institution that I serve, as well as the society in which I live.”

Concerning the student group, Rev. Marco Velasco says, “The fellowship was vital for the class to have good dialogue and trust in the relationships.  We represent different countries with different cultures.  However, this diversity deeply enriched the experience.

The next course in residence with the D.Min program will be in Quito, Ecuador in April of 2013.