The First Baptist Church of Cabot, a regional church near Little Rock, Arkansas, recently sent a team of families to Dénia to staff one of the 2017 summer day camps at Colegio Alfa & Omega. It was a special opportunity for the Arkansans to share the love of Christ with the local campers.
Alfa & Omega Secondary Students Spend Month in Texas
A group of secondary students from Alfa & Omega spent the past month in Waco as guests of families of the Columbus Street Baptist Church (CSBC). The Dénia youth participated in all of the summer CSBC youth activities, making long term friendships and truly experiencing the love of God in a very real way. We would like to thank all of the CSBC host families for their generosity and the love that they showed our students during their time deep in the heart of Texas!
The newly formed Pastor Cabrera Foundation, assumes the management of the Alfa & Omega School in Dénia
The Alfa & Omega School has begun a new phase in its history.
The Trinity Baptist Church of Denia has created the Pastor Cabrera Foundation whose honorary chairman is none other than former president of the United States, Jimmy Carter.
Jorge Pastor, president of the foundation explained that Mr. Carter’s honorary chairmanship is due to the close relationship that several of the foundation’s board members maintain with the former American president.
The new foundation will manage all aspects of the Alfa & Omega School which provides a unique and outstanding Christian education to students around the Valencian Community.
The board of the Pastor Cabrera Foundation
The church unanimously approved the creation of the Foundation and the transfer of the school in recognition of the historic work of Joaquín Pastor Cabrera, son of the pioneers of the Protestant church in Dénia and one of its first pastors. Jorge Pastor explained that the church strongly believed that creating an independent private foundation was the best way to manage the school going forward and that the change of ownership will not affect the daily life of students nor the routine of the faculty and will not alter the academic direction in anyway. Jorge will continue to serve as the Executive Director of Alfa & Omega and Senior Pastor of the Trinity Baptist Church along with Antonio Calero.
The secretary of the Foundation and one of the senior administrators of Alfa & Omega, Ms. Maria Eugenia Utor, emphasized that in addition to administering the school’s educational program, the Pastor Cabrera Foundation will direct its efforts towards developing both local and international partnerships that deliver programs and resources that help the underserved to escape from lives of oppression and extreme poverty. Outside of Spain the foundation will initially focus its efforts on Equatorial Guinea, Cuba and Mozambique.
Closer to home, the foundation is embarking on the development of a two year baccalaureate college preparatory program at Alfa & Omega which requires significant resources for building new facilities and hiring additional staff. And the foundation will also begin raising money for a permanent endowment that will provide scholarships for needy families in the local area.
Leadership
In addition to Carter, the foundation’s leadership team consists of:
President: Jorge Pastor Mut
Vice President: Jorge Manuel Pérez
Secretary: Maria Eugenia Utor Martínez
Vocal: Eunice Pastor Sendra
Vocal: Antonio Calero Closed
Vocal: Juan Negre Gómez
Ex Oficio: Manuel Sarrias Martínez
Joaquín Pastor Cabrera
About Joaquin Pastor Cabrera
The name of the foundation recognizes one of the pioneers of the Protestant Church in Spain, the Dianense Joaquin Pastor Cabrera. An active leader of the church in his youth, Joaquín Pastor Cabrera studied theology in Barcelona in 1947 and upon the completion of his studies was sent to Dénia to be the 6th pastor of the church, thus beginning a new era for the Protestants in Denia and the rest of the country as head of the Religious Freedom Commission of the Evangelical Baptist Union of Spain.
Joaquín Pastor Cabrera died on January 24, 1977, leaving behind a legacy of works and projects, currently reflected in both the doctrine of the Trinity Baptist Church and the teaching philosophy of the Alfa & Omega School.
DBF's 2016 End of Year Update
Feliz Navidad from Dénia!
As we reflect upon 2016, we are grateful for the many ways people like you supported Alfa & Omega this past year. Your prayers, your hard work, and your financial support made a huge difference. Alfa & Omega continues to thrive in the Costa Blanca. ¡GRACIAS!
We are pleased to report that in Denia Bridges Foundation’s inaugural year,16 donors provided $15,000 to Alfa & Omega which supported the following two projects:
- Student Scholarships
- Classroom Renovations
DBF donors helped fund badly needed these classroom renovations!
DBF donors also helped provide need-based scholarships to A&O students!
Our goal for 2017 is to double both the number of donors and the total donations!
As you plan your end of the year giving, we hope you will join me and my family in supporting the following projects for 2017:
Student Scholarships:
The Spanish economic crisis is still very real for some families in the Alfa & Omega community. Many families from the church community can no longer afford the tuition.
International Volunteer Program:
Young adults from around the world come to Dénia to serve for 6-12 months. Many use the time as a gap year. This program is tranformational for young adults.
Bachillerato Program
A&O needs seed funding to launch the building project for the two-year college preparatory program.
May you be blessed
With the spirit of the season, which is peace,
The gladness of the season, which is hope,
And the heart of the season, which is love.”
Scott Johnson
President of the DBF Board
www.deniabridges.org
Our mailing address is:
Dénia Bridges Foundation
PO Box 7749
Menlo Park, CA 94026
Pastor Jorge Pastor and the Dénia Ministries receive a Texas-sized welcome at the Dénia in Texas celebration.
On Saturday, August 27th, DBF welcomed Pastor Jorge Pastor at a celebration for Texan alumni of the Dénia ministries which include the Alfa & Omega School, the Trinity Church and the Christian Conference Center. It was an unbelievably nice August evening on the Wallace family's beautiful farm in central Texas, about an hour from Waco. We had over 40 Dénia alumni of church mission trips, the summer Baylor University student summer trips and the international volunteer program from all over the Lone Star state. There were representatives from Columbus Avenue Baptist Church in Waco, First McKinney Church from McKinney, Texas, Tolar Baptist Church from Tolar, Tx, as well as a lively group of Baylor University students. As Pastor David Villareal from CABC said, it was a special time for reminiscing, fellowship and vision casting.
Jorge Pastor outlines three specific needs: the new two year baccalaureate program, upgrading the international volunteer program and an endowment for student scholarships. Jorge also unveiled a new English video of the Dénia Ministries. Pastor David Villareal did an excellent job translating Jorge's remarks into Texan!
Jorge made the long trip over from Spain to meet with us joining three former students of Alfa & Omega including Rut Calero of Waco (David Villareal's wife and daughter of Pastor Antonio Calero of the Trinity Baptist Church of Dénia), Jake Wallace of Cranfills Gap and Clara Johnson of Menlo Park, CA. It was a special night for all of us as we shared experiences in Dénia, many life changing.
Thanks to Alison Sterken from Tyler who took these great photos!
Baptist Standard publishes terrific story about Texan students serving in Dénia
Please click here to read a wonderful account of the experience of two student volunteers from Texas universities, working in the summer 2016 Colegio Alfa & Omega children camps. The story was published in the Baptist Standard, July 25th, 2016. It also gives you an English language description of the Colegio Alfa & Omega, La Trinitat Iglesia Bautista and the Montgo Christian Center.
Go Now missionaries Naraim Enriquez (left) and Priscille Murphy (right) are served at the Alfa & Omega Baptist camp in Denia, Spain during the summer of 2016.
The Mosaix Choir from the First McKinney Church in Texas visits Dénia
The Mosaix Choir from the First McKinney Baptist Church in North Texas is on its way to Dénia. Sponsored by the Trinity Church of Dénia, the Texan singers will be giving a series of concerts around the Costa Blanca and will be meeting with local government dignitaries.
Dénia in Texas Celebration, Saturday, August 27th in Waco
Baylor University's 2015 Mission Trip to Colegio ALfa & Omega - Dénia
Please join us Saturday afternoon, August 27th for a celebration of the community of Colegio Alfa & Omega and the Trinity Baptist Church of Dénia, Spain. During this event we will welcome back the Baylor students who participated in Baylor's annual mission trip to Dénia led by Dr. Linda McManness of Baylor's Modern Language Department. We will see an update from Pastor Jorge Pastor on what God's doing on the Costa Blanca and hear testimonies from some of the Baylor kids who recently served there. It'll be a Spanish-style BBQ with paella hosted by Dr. McManness and Dénia missionary veterans, Matt and Miriam Wallace and Scott and Sue Johnson (proud Baylor graduate!) on the Wallace's beautiful family farm just outside of Waco. Parents of the Baylor students are welcome as is anyone with a heart for Dénia. For more information, please send an email to info@deniabridges.org
Hope you can make it and celebrate with us.
Scott Johnson
President, Dénia Bridges Foundation
Students from Westminster Christian Academy of St. Louis, MO. Visit Alfa & Omega
For the second consecutive year, Westminster Christian Academy of St. Louis, MO. sent a group of 18 high school students and 3 teachers to Dénia for a week long cultural exchange program with the Colegio Alfa & Omega community. The visit is part of a partnership with Westminster and is one of several relationships that Alfa & Omega enjoys with schools around the world.
During the week, the American students lived in dormitories at the Colegio while families of A&O students hosted the Americans for meals so that they could experience the Spanish culture and way of life first hand.
The Westminster students attended Spanish classes and helped complement the Colegio’s popular English language program by participating in class room exercises.
The Americans also participated in sports, cultural activities such as city tours, trips to Cabo de San Antonio and Jávea, and shopping trips to the weekly street markets. Another important part of the exchange was sharing the spiritual life of the Alfa & Omega community by attending weekly worship services at the local Trinity Baptist Church of Dénia.
The Westminster Christian Academy reciprocates Denia’s hospitality by inviting Alfa & Omega primary school students to participate in a special English program in June on its campus in the US at no cost. And in September the Academy holds a two week English language immersion program for Alfa & Omega secondary students again at no cost.
And for those students looking for an extended immersion in English and Midwestern US culture, Westminster offers a month long program at an affordable cost to members of the Alfa & Omega community.
Both institutions offer excellent facilities and enjoy excellent reputations for academic excellence. The Alfa & Omega community is happy to partner with Westminster in promoting understanding and friendship between Spain and the US and looks forward to a long mutually beneficial relationship.
The International Day of the Family Impacts Dénia
In a festive atmosphere on a beautiful day in Dénia, hundreds of people celebrated the International Day of Families on the campus of Colegio Alfa & Omega at an all day event organized by the Trinity Baptist Church of Dénia.
The children were the main stars and attended a special program developed for them. Likewise, many young people and adults participated in twenty different workshops on topics such as nature, solidarity, personal care, nutrition and healthy cooking, dancing, sign language, creativity, and first aid. Towards the end of the day, the participants formed an improvised gospel choir and gave a memorable performance.
After a time of fellowship everyone enjoyed snacks offered by the organization. The families celebrated the day together enjoying the music of Alfa & Omega's school choir directed by Professor Ruth Comins. A special treat was hearing the choir perform the school anthem written and composed by Ms. Comins.
The singer Marcos Martins, a finalist in the Voice in its latest season, participated with a mini recital and sang one of the songs that made him famous, "You raise me up". Attendees enjoyed the presence of the artist who in turn enjoyed meeting the participants and giving his own personal testimony.
Marcos Martins
The Gospel Choir of Dénia, performed two songs, one of them "Oh Happy Day" to which all of the families participated with enthusiasm and joy. To end the day, a family blessing was read.
The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 with resolution A/RES/47/237 and reflects the importance the international community attaches to families. The International Day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families.
Read more about the International Day of Families in Dénia (in Spanish).
