Covenant News

California Church Aids Prague Seminary Library

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC (April 29, 2001) - University Covenant Church in Davis, California, has donated $10,000 to assist in the development of the Evangelical Theological Seminary (ETS) library in Prague, according to Fred Prudek, an Evangelical Covenant Church missionary in Prague and assistant to the ETS president.

"This gift will help tremendously to promote quality evangelical theological education in the Czech Republic and also in Slovakia," Prudek said. Evangelical Theological Seminary is the primary Czech evangelical theological seminary in the Czech Republic, having started approximately 10 years ago following the fall of communism. The ECC world mission department works with the evangelical Czech church in developing ministries in that country.

The seminary provides an evangelical and biblically based alternative to the more liberal theological education found in the state university, Prudek pointed out. Forty students are enrolled in a three-year program of study, with an additional 50 participating in an extension program.

"This gracious gift will also allow us to make great strides towards accreditation," said ETS Acting President Pavel Cerny. "We need accreditation as a private university in order to be able to award the proper three-year degree for a pastor." An expanded library also will assist faculty in research and class preparation, said Dean David Javornicky, who as a child attended University Covenant in Davis with his parents.

Prudek expressed appreciation to Davis Covenant Church, Pastor Jamie Crook, the missions committee and Associate Pastor Dave Keane.

Printable version of this page.