Baptist Standard publishes terrific story about Texan students serving in Dénia

Please click here to read a wonderful account of the experience of two student volunteers from Texas universities, working in the summer 2016 Colegio Alfa & Omega children camps. The story was published in the Baptist Standard, July 25th, 2016. It also gives you an English language description of the Colegio Alfa & Omega, La Trinitat Iglesia Bautista and the Montgo Christian Center. 

Go Now missionaries Naraim Enriquez (left) and Priscille Murphy (right) are served at the Alfa & Omega Baptist camp in Denia, Spain during the summer of 2016.

The Mosaix Choir from the First McKinney Church in Texas visits Dénia

The Mosaix Choir from the First McKinney Baptist Church in North Texas is on its way to Dénia.  Sponsored by the Trinity Church of Dénia, the Texan singers will be giving a series of concerts around the Costa Blanca and will be meeting with local government dignitaries.

Dénia in Texas Celebration, Saturday, August 27th in Waco

Baylor University's 2015 Mission Trip to Colegio ALfa & Omega - Dénia

Please join us Saturday afternoon, August 27th for a celebration of the community of Colegio Alfa & Omega and the Trinity Baptist Church of Dénia, Spain. During this event we will welcome back the Baylor students who participated in Baylor's annual mission trip to Dénia led by Dr. Linda McManness of Baylor's Modern Language Department.  We will see an update from Pastor Jorge Pastor on what God's doing on the Costa Blanca and hear testimonies from some of the Baylor kids who recently served there. It'll be a Spanish-style BBQ with paella hosted by Dr. McManness and Dénia missionary veterans, Matt and Miriam Wallace and Scott and Sue Johnson (proud Baylor graduate!) on the Wallace's beautiful family farm just outside of Waco. Parents of the Baylor students are welcome as is anyone with a heart for Dénia. For more information, please send an email to info@deniabridges.org

Hope you can make it and celebrate with us.

Scott Johnson
President, Dénia Bridges Foundation

Students from Westminster Christian Academy of St. Louis, MO. Visit Alfa & Omega

For the second consecutive year, Westminster Christian Academy of St. Louis, MO. sent a group of 18 high school students and 3 teachers to Dénia for a week long cultural exchange program with the Colegio Alfa & Omega community. The visit is part of a partnership with Westminster and is one of several relationships that Alfa & Omega enjoys with schools around the world.

During the week, the American students lived in dormitories at the Colegio while families of A&O students hosted the Americans for meals so that they could experience the Spanish culture and way of life first hand.

The Westminster students attended Spanish classes and helped complement the Colegio’s popular English language program by participating in class room exercises.

The Americans also participated in sports, cultural activities such as city tours, trips to Cabo de San Antonio and Jávea, and shopping trips to the weekly street markets. Another important part of the exchange was sharing the spiritual life of the Alfa & Omega community by attending weekly worship services at the local Trinity Baptist Church of Dénia.

The Westminster Christian Academy reciprocates Denia’s hospitality by inviting Alfa & Omega primary school students to participate in a special English program in June on its campus in the US at no cost. And in September the Academy holds a two week English language immersion program for Alfa & Omega secondary students again at no cost.

And for those students looking for an extended immersion in English and Midwestern US culture, Westminster offers a month long program at an affordable cost to members of the Alfa & Omega community.

Both institutions offer excellent facilities and enjoy excellent reputations for academic excellence. The Alfa & Omega community is happy to partner with Westminster in promoting understanding and friendship between Spain and the US and looks forward to a long mutually beneficial relationship.

The International Day of the Family Impacts Dénia

In a festive atmosphere on a beautiful day in Dénia, hundreds of people celebrated the International Day of Families on the campus of Colegio Alfa & Omega at an all day event organized by the Trinity Baptist Church of Dénia.

The children were the main stars and attended a special program developed for them. Likewise, many young people and adults participated in twenty different workshops on topics such as nature, solidarity, personal care, nutrition and healthy cooking, dancing, sign language, creativity, and first aid.  Towards the end of the day, the participants formed an improvised gospel choir and gave a memorable performance.

After a time of fellowship everyone enjoyed snacks offered by the organization. The families celebrated the day together enjoying the music of Alfa & Omega's school choir directed by Professor Ruth Comins. A special treat was hearing the choir perform the school anthem written and composed by Ms. Comins.

The singer Marcos Martins, a finalist in the Voice in its latest season, participated with a mini recital and sang one of the songs that made him famous, "You raise me up". Attendees enjoyed the presence of the artist who in turn enjoyed meeting the participants and giving his own personal testimony.

Marcos Martins

The Gospel Choir of Dénia, performed two songs, one of them "Oh Happy Day" to which all of the families participated with enthusiasm and joy. To end the day, a family blessing was read.

The International Day of Families is observed on the 15th of May every year. The Day was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1993 with resolution A/RES/47/237 and reflects the importance the international community attaches to families. The International Day provides an opportunity to promote awareness of issues relating to families and to increase knowledge of the social, economic and demographic processes affecting families.

Read more about the International Day of Families in Dénia (in Spanish). 

Support Dénia Bridges Foundation when you shop on Amazon

AmazonSmile is a simple and automatic way for you to support DBF every time you shop, at no cost to you. When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to DBF.

How do I shop at AmazonSmile?

To shop at AmazonSmile simply go to smile.amazon.com from the web browser on your computer or mobile device. You may also want to add a bookmark to smile.amazon.com to make it even easier to return and start your shopping at AmazonSmile.

Which products on AmazonSmile are eligible for charitable donations?

Tens of millions of products on AmazonSmile are eligible for donations. You will see eligible products marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation” on their product detail pages. Recurring Subscribe-and-Save purchases and subscription renewals are not currently eligible.

Can I use my existing Amazon.com account on AmazonSmile?

Yes, you use the same account on Amazon.com and AmazonSmile. Your shopping cart, Wish List, wedding or baby registry, and other account settings are also the same.

How do I select DBF as charitable organization to support when shopping on AmazonSmile?

On your first visit to AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), you need to select Denia Bridges Foundation to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. Amazon will remember your selection, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.

More Information

Columbus Ave. Baptist Church and IEB - Dénia Form 5 Year Covenant

Dedication of CABC's special space in the Prayer Garden

On March 4th, 4:30PM Friday afternoon, 27 CABC (Waco, Texas)  members (college-age students and adults) left for Dénia, as participants in the first trip of its new, 5-year church partnership with Iglesia Evangélica Bautista La Trinidad de Dénia (IEB- Dénia). Throughout the week, the group worked with the staff of IEB - Dénia, the children and teachers of Alfa & Omega School as well as joining with the ministries of Iglesia Bautista Evangélica Jesucristo Rey (church plant, by IEB - Dénia, in nearby Bellreguard).  For more information of their amazing journey please click on the following links:

Mission Covenant

Daily Trip Blog

Photos

A sofa in the classroom and other peculiarities of education in the Colegio Alfa & Omega

Alfa & Omega's Senior Leadership Team: from Left to Right, MªEugenia Utor, Jorge Pastor, Eunice Pastor, Hugo Whalton

On March 10th, the senior leadership of Alfa & Omega held a press conference with six local and regional media outlets to illustrate the school's unique and innovative approach to primary/secondary education.  Radio stations SER, COPE and Montgó aired very positive reports from the conference and the newspapers, Las Provincias and Levante published the interviews in their regional editions. Click here for the link to Denia.com's report.

Video from Baylor University's 2015 Summer Trip to Denia

For the past 18 years, Dr. Linda McManness, Professor of Spanish at Baylor University, has taken a group of Baylor students to Denia to assist Colegio Alfa & Omega with its summer camp program. Here is a video that one of the Baylor students produced that documents her unique experience from Summer 2015:

Video

2015 Year End Review

It is with much joy that we publish our first annual year-end review. 2015 saw the beginning of the Dénia Bridges Foundation, supporting the work of the three branches of Alfa y Omega (Colegio Alfa y Omega, Iglesia Evangélica Bautista La Trinidad, and Centro de Encuentros Cristianos Montgó) in order to advance the Kingdom of Christ in Spain.

In September, we held a launch event in Northern California, featuring testimonies from our board members and a video from Jorge Pastor, the director of Alfa y Omega.

Update from Dénia

This fall, the school year began with very full classes at Alfa y Omega! The primary school is under renovation to allow for bigger classes and more collaborative workspaces. At the end of November, Alfa y Omega celebrated Thanksgiving as a part of the focus on English language learning and cultural immersion that is emphasized in the curriculum. Additionally, the high schoolers from the church are putting on a program called Metamorfosis with children from the school and around Dénia. The program focuses on Christian teachings, and there are 25 children enrolled.

Construction has begun on the building that will house the new two-year Bachillerato program. The Bachillerato is a mandatory college preparatory program for those students who wish to continue their academic studies beyond the primary and secondary education Alfa & Omega currently provides. Until now, their only option was to attend one of the public institutes in Denia.   By adding the additional two years, the Colegio will provide the only complete K-12 Christ-centered education available in Spain.
 
The bachillerato building will also house a new kitchen and dining room for the students, as the current dining facilities have been outgrown. Many students who attend Alfa y Omega receive meals as a part of their scholarships. The renovation is a big project for the school, and there is substantial funding needed to complete it.

DBF also supports the volunteer program at Alfa y Omega that invites young adults from around the world to come and serve in Dénia. This fall, there are 20 volunteers working at Alfa y Omega, living in community and assisting with the many tasks necessary to maintain the daily operations at the church and school.  

We are very thankful for God's provision as we worked to build DBF this year, and we ask you to keep Alfa y Omega in your prayers as we look forward to 2016.

As you plan your end-of-year giving, we hope that you will consider making a financial contribution to support the school and especially the bachillerato project. 

From Dénia and California, our team sends you warm greetings and wishes you a healthy and happy 2016. May God bless you in all that you do! 
                                Feliz Navidad and Happy New Year!