San Pablo Presbyterian Theological Seminary - July 2019 Update
Mérida, Yucatán
Dear friends and companions in the ministry,
Warm greetings from Mérida, Yucatán. What follows is a brief overview of the recent activities and new initiatives that San Pablo Presbyterian Theological Seminary is undertaking. With your help, the witness of the church in Mexico and other Latin American countries is being strengthened.
Conferences
From June 2 to 4 we held our Continuing Education conference for pastors and leaders. There were 122 pastors and leaders of 10 different Presbyteries of the states of Yucatán, Campeche, Quintana Roo, Chiapas, Oaxaca and Mexico City in attendance. The theme was "The Theology of the Covenant" by Dr. Jonathan Gerstner, president of Yucatán International Academy.
Graduation
On Friday, June 7 we celebrated our graduation service and the end of the academic cycle that started in August 2018. We had thirty-six graduates: 22 in the Biblical Counseling program; 13 in Theology and 1 in Sacred Music – 20 of the graduates were female. Among those in attendance for the special occasion were representatives from the council of the Synod of Yucatán of the National Presbyterian Church of Mexico.
Current and Future Expansion
Our San Pablo Seminary students come from Central and South American countries including Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Chile. Currently, we also have students from Colombia and have received requests from the Independent Presbyterian Church of Bolivia to help train their pastors. We have offered them a hybrid plan in which they can receive a bachelor's degree by taking up to 20 courses online and another 20 with instructors that we will send to Bolivia for 3-week intensive courses. The program will fulfill our curricular requirements in about 3 years. There are 38 students on this list. We are planning to launch a similar program for Colombians seeking instruction in Reformed Theology. There are 8-12 pastors in Colombia on the list with the possibility that more will be added. The students in Bolivia have already started taking the online courses and those in Colombia will start soon.
We are in the process of raising funds to send professors to Bolivia and Colombia. In Bolivia, we estimate that we will need approximately $2,000 per semester to cover the costs of 2 instructors to teach the 3-week intensives. This amount will cover their airfare. We are relying on the students and their churches to provide lodging, food, internal transportation and other costs related to the course. In Colombia, we are trying to raise $1,000 to cover expenses for 2 professors per semester.
Doctor of Ministry Program
On June 10, San Pablo Seminary entered into an agreement with the Global Reformed Seminary of Atlanta, GA and the United Christian Seminary of Los Angeles, CA to offer a Doctor of Ministry program. All the students in the program are graduates of our seminary’s bachelor’s and master’s degree programs.
We request your prayers for these new initiatives and are grateful for your partnership. Through your prayers and financial support, San Pablo Presbyterian Theological Seminary will continue to fulfill its mission to prepare pastors and leaders for the extension of the Kingdom of God.
Sincerely,
Amos Cahuich Yam
Rector
Read more about San Pablo Presbyterian Theological Seminary HERE.
THE NEED
The Outreach Foundation is seeking gifts totaling $9,600 for student scholarships for San Pablo Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Make a gift HERE or by mailing a check to our office.