This summer, The Urban Ministry Institute of Los Angeles (TUMI-LA) held its sixth graduation ceremony recognizing the extraordinary achievement of four graduates!
TUMI graduates earn a Certificate in Christian Leadership Studies. This is a 32-credit hour program which requires students to take 16 courses in four subject areas: Biblical Studies, Theology and Ethics, Christian Ministry, and Urban Mission. Graduating students spend over 250 hours in the classroom, taking approximately 100 tests, memorizing 50 key Scriptures, and wrestling with how to integrate theological truth into their day-to-day life and ministry.
One highlight from our graduation was celebrating a TUMI milestone! Since its founding in 1995, TUMI has trained hundreds of pastors and lay leaders for effective ministry in the city. Each of these leaders has rigorously applied themselves to the Word of God, to Christian ministry, and to the cultivation of the skills necessary for leadership among God’s people. This year an honorary certificate was presented to Jerry on behalf of TUMI internationally to commemorate its 500th graduating student. It’s also appropriate here to mention another milestone—Jerry is the oldest graduating TUMI student at the age of 88 years old!
Another highlight was hearing the testimony of Consuelo. Consuelo is from Jalisco, Mexico. She never had the opportunity to go to school because she started working at the age of 10 in order to help her parents survive financially. Growing up without an academic education was difficult, but she managed to learn basic literacy skills, such as reading and writing, on her own. God put it in her heart to enroll in TUMI. The obstacles seemed insurmountable and there were many times when she almost quit. Feeling overwhelmed and frustrated, she would often pray for God’s help. In her own words, she states, “This is not something that I ever imagined I would finish…to see myself in a gown like this. And I know this one thing—God had this moment appointed in his calendar and it’s because of him that I stand before you today.”
Not only did Consuelo graduate, she did so with high honors. She was also this year’s recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award, given in recognition of both academic excellence and ministry involvement while a TUMI student. She graduated at the top of her class with a near perfect GPA of 3.98! Along with her husband, Gustavo, and four other TUMI students, Consuelo is helping start a new church in South Los Angeles called Ministerio Cristiano La Viña del Señor.
