Covenant News

Ecuador Covenant Re-Elects Officers

SANTO DOMINGO DE LOS COLORADOS, ECUADOR (March 3, 2004) - Dr. Virgilio Delgado was re-elected for a two-year term as president and Manuel Alvear was re-elected as secretary by the 151 delegates attending the Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Ecuador (IPEE) February 20-23.

Delegates from five districts (North, Quichua, Central, Amazon and Coast) participated in the meeting, which was held at a campground belonging to the denomination. Representatives from CIPE (Confederation of Latin American Covenant Churches), the camp, HCRI radio, the Covenant seminary in Quito and five schools also sent representatives. The denomination includes a total of 94 churches - 64 established churches and 30 churches in progress.

Along with the administrative re-elections, the assembly elected Pastor Nelson Zarria as General Secretary of the denomination. He will move to Quito to take over that position. Those who were ordained by the denomination include Petita Palma, a pastor in Nicolas (near Guayaquil), and Smith Franco, a pastor in Manta. Palma is the second woman to be ordained in the IPEE.

A collegial spirit reigned throughout the meeting, reported CIPE and Covenant World Mission administrator Nancy Reed. Most of the discussion centered on HCRI radio, the seminary and the campground, she added.

Covenant missionary Jon Robertson is the acting rector of the Ecuador Covenant Seminary. He is asking the IPEE for a larger economic commitment to keep the seminary solvent. He is also proposing major program reconstruction and will work with a commission of pastors and leaders of the IPEE toward that proposal, wrote Covenant Bible College-Ecuador staffers Andy and Jenell Pluim in an email report of the meeting.

More information about CIPE and various other Covenant conference annual meetings (as they take place) can be found in the online news report of the Evangelical Covenant Church at www.covchurch.org.

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