Alumni Council Colombia Trip

Did you know that there is a group of Asbury graduates who are dedicated to our fantastic ATS Alumni family, to pray for all of you and find ways to serve you and our Seminary?

If we look like we were having a great time, it is true! This is part of the team of Alumni who are working for your benefit and growing our Asbury family. From left to right, here are the names of those in the front row: Heidi Wilcox (ATS videographer for this trip), Patricia Taylor (Coordinator of the Alumni Office), Kristy Mehner, Tammy Cessna (Director of the Alumni Office), Sharon Yancey, Dan Sandoval, Trish Sandoval, Beth Gomez, Heather Bennett, Jacqui Hance, Stephen Hance. Top row: Ryan Bennett, David Goss (Alumni Council President), Tommy Artmann, Rob Mehner, Linda Adams, Ricardo Gomez, George Wasson, Steve Yancey. Not pictured: Charles Kyker

This is the view looking out over the mountains as we hiked up to a waterfall in a beautiful nature reserve.

Our Alumni Council held its 2018 meetings in the beautiful country of Colombia from October 8-14. One of our members, Ricardo Gomez, and his family hosted our stay while we held meetings to discuss our official business, toured alumni ministries, experienced breathtaking works of God’s creation in nature, and heard about all the ways God is pouring his Spirit out in that place. We learned about how the government is getting serious about caring for the environment and for its people. Colombia has adopted a national identity of being hospitable to foreigners and combating violence against citizens and the environment in innovative ways.

This breathtaking view overlooking Medellin with the mountains in the distance is from our conference room on the top floor of Hotel Vivre

In Medellin, this building-up of infrastructure is seen in public libraries in poor parts of the city, cable cars that reduce violence by employing facial recognition software, entire hills dedicated solely to the trees and plant life that clean the air, affordable homes and utilities for those the vulnerable in their society, and educational opportunities to help the people improve their lives and work their way out of poverty.

Our Alumni Director, Tammy Cessna, grabs a perfect cup of the plentiful, delicious, locally grown coffee with Tommy Artmann, one of our Alumni Council members.

Upon arriving, we all stayed in Hotel Vivre in Medellin, Antioquia, Colombia. This large city (population of approximately 4 million people) is where we held our meetings to handle official business. During the business meeting portion of our trip, the Alumni Council was updated on the Estes Chapel project and was very encouraged by the results of our fundraising among our alumni family. We discussed ways the Alumni Council can help increase our percentage of Alumni giving even more as well as methods for our Alumni Council to welcome incoming alumni and make them feel even more connected with the rest of the Asbury community. We also discussed ways to inform alumni of what resources are at their disposal.

We also discussed further fundraising for the Seminary to ensure our continued legacy of producing theologically educated and Spirit-filled men and women of God to spread the gospel to the ends of the earth. Your Alumni Council members agreed to lead the charge by making donations on a recurring basis. When our own alumni give regularly, even if it is a very small donation, it shows potential major donors that we believe in our own mission, because we are willing to invest our resources into it. These major donors are, in turn, more likely to invest theirs!

We also discussed having a pre-graduation banquet for incoming alumni and committed to doing the legwork and providing the program. The banquet is intended to help students transition to alumni status while staying engaged and equipped with the resources that are at their disposal. (If you are unaware of the resources at your disposal, please let us know!) The Alumni Council also approved our 2019 fundraiser, to be announced soon! Also in 2019, we will be welcoming five new Alumni Council members, three of which are women, and one of which is an international alumna!

Some of our Alumni Council members were extra good at relaxing for a moment during one of our hiking rest stops, while others surveyed the breathtaking landscape at the scenic overlook of the mountains.

In the afternoon,we spent time sharing our lives, joys, and struggles as we prayed for and encouraged one another. It was a time of deep intimacy and honesty among us, and we bonded together as a team.

The next two days were spent touring ministries that our own Alumni have started there in the city. We visited the following places:

• The Seminario Bíblico de Colombia, which has 72 years of experience training and sending out pastors and leaders throughout Colombia, Latin America and the World. This seminary was started by a Wesleyan organization (OMS) and currently employs 2 Asbury Seminary graduates (Saskia Donner and Dr. Ricardo Gómez).
• The Prison Fellowship in Colombia began under the leadership of Asbury Seminary graduate, Dra. Jeannine Brabon. This ministry completely transformed the Bellavista Prison, which was the most dangerous prison in the country. Today, in addition to working with prisoners, the ministry successfully reaches out and serves the families of those prisoners as well as their victims and their families.
• Ciudad Refugio, a ministry partnered with Teen Challenge International, is impacting the homeless community in Medellín. Homelessness is an unpleasantreality in every urban city, and Medellín’s temperate climate seems to multiply the problem. Teen Challenge’s 20+ years of service here has been about holistic transformation. Their ministry includes food, rehabilitation, homeless shelter and spiritual guidance through the church. Our team went out and helped served the homeless and drug addicted through their bread and water program.
• The Soccer Ministry, started by Asburian Dr. Mark Wittig, reaches out to over 3,000 high-risk kids in the city every week and has planted numerous churches. In a culture were gangs and drugs are the norm, this ministry has led to the transformation of society. They have a state-of- the-art soccer facility but also have teams operating in the heart of many neighborhoods throughout the city.

The hotel we visited in the nature reserve is called Manatiales del Campo, meaning “Streams of the Country.” Indeed, there were many streams, waterfalls, and natural pools. This was one of them running beside the outdoor dining area. Some of us swam in the natural pool in the distance there. The water was icy cold!

On Thursday, we headed off for some sight-seeing on the way to our next destination: a hotel located inside a nature reserve where we spent time in God’s amazing creation and stirred up the gifting among us. We hiked and prayed over the land and its people. We laughed much, ate tons of great food (there was so much delicious food), and connected more deeply with one another as we praised God for all He has done. It was a deeply impactful experience for everyone who went on the trip. We’ve come back with an even stronger resolve to serve our Asbury family well.

If you are interested in being more connected with your Asbury family, let us know! We are building stronger bonds as a family and making sure the resources you need get into your hands. There is no better time than now to re-connect with your Alma Mater. If you would like to support your Seminary so we can continue training the people God is working through to change our world and see the Kingdom of God break through, email us. As always, we are happy to help you navigate your interactions with Asbury Theological Seminary and remind you that we support and care for our community, no matter where you serve.

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