Hector's Story

The Urban Ministry Institute equips church leaders. Among America's urban poor, there are thousands of leaders called and gifted by God who have not had an opportunity for traditional theological education. The Urban Ministry Institute (TUMI) meets this need for theological education at more than 30 satellite campuses in America's inner cities.

Rev. Hector Cedillo is the type of leader being raised up through TUMI. For years Hector had been heavily involved with alcohol and drugs. He had been homeless and lived as an addict on the streets. When Hector finally surrendered his life to Christ, he had been selling drugs to support his habit in MacArthur Park, a center for all kinds of crime in Los Angeles. One night, completely broken, Hector prayed with his wife, and turned his life over to Christ. From that night on, he was completely freed from alcohol and drugs. He had a new hunger for the Word, showing up to church hours early, and could not stop reading the Word of God.

Today Rev. Hector Cedillo (pictured at left) is a faculty member at the Los Angeles satellite of TUMI and currently pastors a church he planted in MacArthur Park, the same park where he had once sold drugs. The Church by The Lake's weekly attendance consists of about fifty percent homeless, alcoholics and drug addicts.

Rev. Cedillo launched a second church in 2004 called La Luz, and an additional two more churches are now being pastored by men he has trained. These three new churches are the first fruits of the vision God has given Hector. Hector is believing God for at least 343 (7x7x7) daughter and granddaughter churches before he dies.

Currently Rev. Cedillo has five church planters in training taking classes at TUMI. Hector himself has been involved as a mentor and sees the Institute as vital if the church planting movement he is believing God for is going to take place. "I feel that TUMI is pioneering in such a big way. It is just going to explode. It is going to be such a blessing for the Kingdom. It is bringing pastors together and equipping them with the tools they need to reach their cities and the world."

Hector is an excellent example of this equipping. Besides a good start on his vision of seeing more than three hundred churches planted, he is experiencing a continually expanding ministry both locally and internationally. Hector currently has three international preaching trips scheduled this year and will be preaching in Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Senegal, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

For more information about The Urban Ministry Institute, or to support its work, please visit the Institute's Web site or the Web site for its parent organization, World Impact.



Rev. Hector Cedillo (fourth from the right) with fellow TUMI classmates at their ordination service. World Impact President Keith Phillips (fifth from the left) celebrates with the graduates.