12 Hispanic Conference Pastors Ordained

Story by LaTasha Hewitt

Toward the end of summer, 12 pastors within Allegheny East Conference’s (AEC) Spanish Ministries were ordained during a special service held at the Luther R. Palmer pavilion in Pine Forge, Pa.

This marked a paradigm shift for the conference as it relates to ordination. “The ordination of 12 AEC Hispanic bi-vocational pastors marks a significant philosophical shift and corrects a long overdue oversight,” shares Gene Donaldson, AEC’s Ministerial director. “It now bases the highest affirmation of the church solely on the merits of a person’s proof of ministry and not on employment status.”

Ordinands received tokens of affirmation from AEC administration and Ministerial departments, as well as greetings from Minervino Labrador, Jr., vice president for Multilingual Ministries at the North American Division (NAD). Labrador shared that it was a historic day for Spanish Ministries in the NAD.

Ministerial spouses received a warm welcome from Arlene Harris, AEC’s Ministerial Spouses leader, who presented gifts promoting self-care.

Ramon Escalante, AEC’s Spanish Ministries coordinator, says, “The ordination provides an opportunity for us to be better equipped to serve and impact the church and community-at-large, and therefore more effectively hasten the coming of the Lord.”