Mexico (MNN)–The anticipation of this rite of passage filled the air as family and friends gathered to honor the accomplishments of a graduating class.
This was no ordinary graduation, though. It was the first graduating class of the Escuela Biblica Kairos, a new seminary in the Guaymas area.
According to Seminary President, Martin Sotelo, the name of the institution is a good fit for their vision. He said, speaking through an interpreter, that the concept of kairos and cronos are rooted in the Greek word for time.
In this case, the students’ studies are the both indicative of a watch and the time of God, describing a moment where, as he puts it, “God came to visit.” It’s encapsulation not only of the function of a church pastor as shepherd, but also the realization of God’s handiwork in their ministries.
Sotelo explains that they are careful about the students they accept for training. The unique part is that the partnership fosters an unheard of ‘unity’ amongst church leaders in Northern Mexico. “They have a pastoral alliance and they’re the ones that recommended the students according to the profile of the teachings of the pastors of the region/district here.”
The course of study takes three years to complete and ends with the equivalent of an ordination. Most of the students, Sotelo adds, come into their school with a junior high or high school education, so the challenge to see their studies through to completion is part of their growth.
Christian Resources International honored this week’s graduates with a box of ministry tools that included study Bibles, commentaries and sermon helps.
This gift is especially important as many of the churches and their pastors in the region consistently operate with a shortage of Bibles, study helps, sermon prep books and other related teaching materials.
Those who got their 11-pound ‘Happy Boxes’, as they’re called, walked back to their seats, faces aglow. A graduation, indeed…one into a high calling of reaching people with the hope of the Gospel.
