Dr. Raymundo Diaz and Dr. John Amstutz were cited for outstanding educational leadership in the Foursquare denomination, and New England Bible Institute in Uxbridge, Mass., was recognized as an outstanding leadership training institute at this year’s Institute Symposium held at Life Pacific College in San Dimas, California..
More than 110 representatives from U.S. institutes attended the March 10-12 symposium.
The Educational Leadership Award is given annually to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to Foursquare education, according to Ministry Training Institutes Director Dr. Dan Hedges. This year there were two recipients, Dr. Raymundo Diaz, Founder and President of Angeles Bible Institute in Los Angeles, Calif., and Dr. John Amstutz, Founder and Director of Central Valley School of Ministry in Fresno, Calif.
Dr. Raymundo Diaz currently serves as the Senior Pastor of Angelus Temple Hispanic Church and President of Angelus Bible Institute. He has served as pastor of Angelus Temple Hispanic Church for 30 years. Under his leadership the congregation has grown from 150 members to 1,500. Prior to his ministry in Los Angeles, he served in Mexico with Foursquare missionaries Francisco and Juventina Moncivaiz. He also pastored a Foursquare church in Monterey, Mexico. In 1986, Raymundo helped establish Angelus Bible Institute, which currently has 13 sites in the United States and El Salvador. He attended the University of Nuevo Leon and graduated in 1965 as a CPA. He also attended Life Bible Institute of the Foursquare Church in Mexico and received his ministerial diploma in 1968. In 2006, he was bestowed a Doctor of Divinity degree by the International Church of the Foursquare Gospel.
Dr. John L. Amstutz is the Director of Central Valley School of Ministry in Fresno, Calif. He is also a consultant for Foursquare Missions International. He has served as a missionary, pastor, professor and leadership trainer for Foursquare churches overseas. He is the author of numerous missions articles which have appeared in Foursquare Missions Advance, Emphasis, Pneuma and the Journal of Frontier Missiology. John received his B.A. from Pasadena College (now Point Loma University) and a B.D., Th.M., and D. Min. from Fuller Theological Seminary. He is married to Dorene and has four children and ten grandchildren.
Accepting the award for New England Bible Institute was Ginnie Lunt. Ginnie has been the director of the New England Foursquare Bible Institute since December of 2001. Ginnie holds a diploma from Zion Bible Institute, a B.A. in Biblical Studies from Barrington College and an M.A. in Urban Ministry from Gordon Conwell.
Currently, there are 56 certified Foursquare Bible institutes in the U.S., plus numerous others working toward certification. Over the past eight years, we’ve grown from 13 certified ministry training institutes to 56.
The first symposium was held in Seattle in 2001. Subsequent symposiums have been held annually, in cities including Los Angeles, San Dimas, Van Nuys, Portland, Nashville, and Christiansburg.
