The Brethren Church

Florida Hispanic Seminary

Spring 2007

The year Two Thousand and Six saw the graduation of our first couple in the Florida Hispanic Seminary, the Sarasota campus of Seminario Teologico Sudamericano. Jesus and Olga Camiruaga completed the full sixteen courses over a period of two years and have the necessary requirements for the Diploma of Theology. They were officially presented to the Brethren General Conference of 2006. Olga has also earned a concentration in Christian Education, which was the theme of her thesis. Please pray for the future of this fine couple, that God’s will be made clear to them both.

As twenty-seven members of La Iglesia de los Hermanos in Sarasota had already taken at least some courses of choice within the seminary, most not studying for full time ministry within our own groups have already completed classes within their areas of interest. This highlights the continual need for new students. To bring more visibility to the seminary, Monica Simbana organized a conference and concert and passed out seminary fliers at area Hispanic events. Currently twenty-two new students are enrolling in courses of Homiletics and Christian Counseling. Eleven of our new crop of Spring students come from a local Presbyterian Hispanic work, eight from La Iglesia de los Hermanos, and three are joining us from Bradenton.

Rev. Joe and Jan Burgos (retired from Presbyterian ministry and now working among the Brethren in Indiana) came from a little farther north than Manatee County, serving as educational snowbirds from Indiana, teaching three weeks of classes and also preaching three times. As their main theme was counseling, they practiced what they taught by meeting with many of the students privately during their time here, which has been a blessing.

There is certainly room for more growth and visibility for this young work, and your prayers are essential to us. As the Florida Hispanic community is an especially transient one, we also request prayer for those former students no longer in the area, such as Pedro Mejia, an Ecuadorian theology student stationed for the second time with the armed forces in Iraq. His wife Janeth is with us at this writing, but will be returning to Germany this week. We must remember that those who learn among us influence the world around us, and YOUR prayers are an essential part of that cycle.

Blessings,
Jan Solomon
Academic Dean, Florida Hispanic Seminary