The Reverend Dr. Héctor E. López Scholarship

Greetings familia,

There is another great opportunity this year for Latino/a/e seminarians in the UCC: the Rev. Dr. Hector E. Lopez Scholarahip.

Please read the memo below and apply before the deadline! Your mañana starts today.

Not Latino/e/a? That's ok. Forward this and spread the word! Do the work of justice and share this info with Latino/a/e siblings because "knowledge is power."

The Lopez Scholarship is intended to prepare future Latina, Latino, Latine ministers educated in the socially and theologically progressive seminaries related to the UCC. 

These leaders will be equipped to proclaim the liberating Gospel message of salvation, full-inclusion, justice, and peace and return to lead vital congregations, minister to Latine constituencies, multicultural communities, and the whole church. 

This scholarship is named in honor of The Reverend Dr. Héctor Edmundo López, a laborer in the journey for racial justice. Dr. López is the first Latino ordained in the UCC and the first Latino UCC Conference Minister.  It was launched by the Council for Hispanic Ministries in 2005 in collaboration with the national ministries of the United Church of Christ.

Application Deadline is March 1, 2024Application Link: https://app.smarterselect.com/programs/91838

Dr. López is the son of Florencio Blanco and Julia Carrillo Lopez, immigrants from Mexico, dedicated Congregationalist and UCC lay leaders.

His early work started in 1964, when heco-founded and directed the West Oakland Christian Parish, working with African Americans, Latinos, and EuropeanAmericans in the areas of economic, educational, racial, and social justice.  In 1981, he was the first Latino elected to the UCC Executive Council and helped design the Council of Racial and Ethnic Ministries (COREM). His extensive history of justice in the church spanned to many settings, both academic and in local churches in California, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington. 

Dr. López has been a mentor, an inspiration, and a role model for the Latino constituency of the UCC and for the larger Christian family. His life experience, his spirit-driven passion for justice, his overall legacy, and his commitment to the message of Jesus Christ are the reasons the Council for HispanicMinistries and its partners honored him by establishing this scholarship in his name.

Communication submitted by Rev. Yinessa Romero, moderator of the Colectivo of UCC of Latinx Ministries