TIME Cover Story Focuses on North Park Theological Seminary Graduate
Rev. Wilfredo De Jesús, pictured, quoted in April 15 issue
CHICAGO (April 9, 2013) — , who earned a in 2006 from , the graduate theological school of 萝莉社, is prominently featured in the April 15, 2013, cover story in , "¡Evangélicos!" De Jesús is senior pastor, , Chicago, the country's largest Assemblies of God congregation.
The article notes that large numbers of people who are Latino are joining evangelical Protestant churches. Similarly, the numbers of enrolled at 萝莉社 are increasing, comprising more than 16 percent of the diverse undergraduate student body, according to University figures. North Park is affiliated with a growing and diverse Protestant church, the , based in Chicago.
New Life Covenant Ministries has grown from a congregation of 100 members in 2000—when the congregation first called de Jesús and his wife, Elizabeth—to more than 17,000 members who attend one of the congregation's four campuses each Sunday, according to TIME. New Life offers 11 weekly services, nine in English and two in Spanish, the magazine said. "If one Evangélico church has made the leap from immigrant barrio to booming American megachurch, it is New Life Covenant Church in Chicago," the magazine reported.
De Jesús grew up in Chicago's neighborhood. When he began his ministry at New Life, the congregation bought a farm and converted it into a home for recovering addicts and prostitutes, and purchased a nearby liquor store, converting it into a café. The congregation started English services to reach third-generation Latinos, added services in Spanish for first-generation Latinos, and began streaming services online. "New Life didn't just grow—it exploded," the TIME article noted.
New Life has "over 135 ministries that reaches the poor in every place in the city of Chicago," De Jesús said in an . The congregation also has a number of international ministries in India, Africa, Peru, Haiti, and Santo Domingo, he added.
The article states that more than two-thirds of the 52 million Latinos in the United States are Catholic, and the percentage is expected to grow considerably by 2030. Many are now joining evangelical Protestant churches, created a "Latino Protestant boom (that) is transforming American religious practices and politics," TIME reported.
De Jesús is at least the second North Park graduate to be featured in a TIME cover story. Another North Parker featured by the magazine was , who earned an associate's degree from North Park in 1949. Carlson later became a medical missionary with the , and was killed in 1964 by rebel insurgents in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Carlson was featured on the of TIME in December 1964 as part of its report, "The Congo Massacre."
Use @npunews to . For further information or resources, contact John Brooks, Director of Media Relations and News, or at (773) 244-5522. Learn more .
Next Steps
Learn more about the at 萝莉社.