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| Ordination of Juan-Daniel |
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Espitia
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The Ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament
of Juan Daniel Espitia
as Associate Pastor for Hispanic Ministry
at Solana Beach Presbyterian Church
In the fullness of God’s timing, Solana Beach Presbyterian Church is ready to call Juan Daniel Espitia as our Associate Pastor. The clock of God’s provision began ticking when Pastor Galdino Don Juan announced his retirement. Session appointed a task force that included Pastor Galdino, to catch a glimpse of God’s dream for the next season of Hispanic ministry at SBPC. By the time Galdino retired in June of 2006, we had a clear picture of the kind of leader we needed to grow our Hispanic congregation.
Session appointed a search committee composed of Vicki Reina, Juan and Rocio Ortega from our Hispanic congregation, along with Elder Minoa Chang, Executive Director Rodney Jackson and Pastor Tom Theriault. We were looking for God’s person, whether that person would be an ordained pastor or a lay leader. After much prayer and searching, we came upon Juan Daniel Espitia, a man generously qualified for the vision God had given us.
Juan Daniel was working at the time as a clinical social worker at a large hospital in Yuma, AZ. He holds an M.Div. from Princeton Seminary and an MSW from Rutgers University and was one written examination short of completing the requirements for ordination as Ministry of Word and Sacrament. He was a Commissioned Lay Pastor in his Grand Canyon Presbytery, where he and his wife, Leticia, helped start a Hispanic church. Juan Daniel grew up in a very prominent family in the Presbyterian Church of Mexico. He served as a missionary of that denomination at the border in Tijuana and also served as a missionary with Operation Mobilization on board the Ship Logos and Doulos visiting different countries in Europe, Caribbean and the American Continent.
In Feb 2007, the session, hired Juan Daniel as Minister of Hispanic Ministry, with the understanding that he would soon become a Commissioned Lay Pastor in our Presbytery and then would progress along the way to ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament, serving then as Associate Pastor at SBPC. He became a Commissioned Lay Pastor in 2007. In 2009 he passed his final written examination and has been cleared by Presbytery to be called by our congregation as an Associate Pastor.
In his almost three years with us, Juan Daniel has established himself as a valued and beloved leader in of our whole congregation. Our Hispanic ministry has blossomed, with leadership being assumed entirely by Hispanic members. God has used Juan Daniel to inspire our Hispanic fellowship to grow in numbers, in financial giving, and most importantly in their vision and commitment to ministry. They have been integrally involved in Community Serve Day, Come Build Hope, Kids Games, and in mission outreach in Africa and Mexico. Juan Daniel’s Christ-centered life and Spirit empowered faith have blessed us all! As have his wife, Letty, and his children Astrid, Cemelli, and Danny.
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