LA MIRADA, CALIF. 鈥 As the Hispanic population increases and Spanish-speaking churches are on the rise, there is a need for training on topics of faith and ministry within these communities. For its 36th consecutive year, 黑料历史鈥檚 Talbot School of Theology will host the 2015 Biola Hispanic Conference on April 18.

鈥淭his conference is a unique opportunity for Biola to minister our Spanish-speaking brothers and sisters,鈥 said Biola professor Octavio Esqueda, who will speak at the conference. 鈥淲ith the conference we serve this important part of the body of Christ through contextualized worship, fellowship, and biblical teaching for children and adults.鈥

This event, titled 鈥淎re You Ready 鈥 To Defend Your Faith?,鈥 will provide a high-quality educational training opportunity for Spanish-speaking pastors, church leaders, and children of the greater Southern California area.

The one-day conference will include two plenary addresses by keynote speaker Pastor Joe Owen, and eight workshops delivered by 黑料历史 professor Octavio Esqueda, Talbot alumnus and pastor Jos茅 Fern谩ndez, Senior Pastor of Iglesia Biblica Fundamental Hugo Garc铆a, pastor and engineer Jaime Sim谩n, and apologists Andr茅s Uma帽a and Carlos Pamplona. These workshops will aim to address important issues and concerns of the church in order to enhance and sharpen knowledge for effective ministry in today鈥檚 world.

Owen is a pastor, apologist, and Spanish director of the organization Answers in Genesis 鈥 an organization that helps people answer questions of the Bible, specifically the book of Genesis. His lectures will involve themes on the relevance of Genesis and the topic of multicultural backgrounds in today鈥檚 world.

Children ages 4-12 will also have the opportunity to attend Bible classes and participate in structured recreation.

The Hispanic Conference will be hosted on Biola鈥檚 campus in Sutherland Auditorium on Saturday, April 18, from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.


The deadline for online registration is April 8. Standard tickets are $35. Tickets for children鈥檚 Bible classes and recreation are $20 per child.

For more information or an interview with Octavio Esqueda or any speaker, please contact Jenna Loumagne, media relations specialist, at 562.777.4061 or jenna.l.bartlo@biola.edu.