Covenant News
Ecuador Covenant Church Ordains First Woman Pastor
SANTO DOMINGO DE LOS COLORADOS, ECUADOR (March 18, 2003) - Nancy Venegas became the first woman pastor to be ordained in the Evangelical Covenant Church of Ecuador (known as the IPEE) during its 54th assembly held February 28 through March 3. Venegas also was named one of six members of the IPEE pastors council.
Manuel Ortiz was named vice president of the denomination and Julio Roldan
was named treasurer - Ortiz had previously served as treasurer. Roldan is
currently an administrator for the Theodore Kelly School in Guayaquil. The
denomination also approved a new constitution that gives more power to the
executive board and centralizes administrative powers, said Nancy Reed,
coordinator for Hispanic Church
Relations for the Department of World Mission.
Venegas grew up in IPEE and completed seminary studies in Quito. She recently completed her thesis paper describing her pastoral experience. According to Swedish missionary and Venegas' former seminary Prof. Bertil Svensson, Venegas gave her testimony and told how she had struggled with the decision to follow God's call and get her seminary education 15 years ago. Now married and living in Sardinas, she explained the difficulty in gaining acceptance from family, Ecuador's male dominated society and the Catholic Church in her region. Recently, however, Venegas has seen the fruits of her labor, even having the opportunity to baptize her father as part of her ministry.
Cirilio Clark, president of the Pastors Council, said during the ordination ceremony that Venegas' ordination is a natural step for IPEE in its ministry evolution. "The ordination is an acknowledgment of the ministry of a pastor, and in the pastors manual, nothing is said that this is a privilege only to men," he said. "God is calling both women and men to the ministry."
According to statistics provided by the Department of World Mission and Reed, IPEE includes 61 churches and 24 groups in Ecuador with a membership of about 7,000 people. For more information, email Reed at NancyReedWM@cs.com.
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