CASA graduates celebrate a renewed call to serve at Texas Annual Conference
Created through Perkins' commitment to expanding theological education for Spanish-speaking communities, CASA equips lay leaders with intensive practical theological training that helps participants discern how God is calling them to serve in their local churches and communities.
Growing in confidence and calling
Camila Sáenz Bolufer, a member of Servants of Christ United Methodist Church, originally from Nicaragua, said the program opened the way for her to more fully embrace her calling to children's ministry. “This program has not only been a learning opportunity but also a transformative experience in my personal and spiritual life,” Sáenz Bolufer said. “Through each teaching, each conversation and each challenge, I have been able to discover with greater clarity my vocation and the calling that God has placed in my heart.”
As a Sunday school teacher serving preschool-aged children, Sáenz Bolufer said CASA helped her become more aware and intentional in her ministry to children and their families.
“The CASA Program has provided me with the tools and skills I needed to grow as a leader,” she said. “I have learned the importance of leading with compassion, listening with empathy and working with vision to impact Hispanic children and their families through biblical teachings.”
Encouraged by her pastor to enroll, fellow graduate Nansis Alvarado, a member of Crossroads United Methodist Church in Houston, said her coursework led her to discover new ways to better serve her congregation. Through the program, she rediscovered her calling to teach children and adults, welcome newcomers as an usher and provide support to her church's pastors.
Reflecting on Romans 12:2, Alvarado described the experience as an enlightening one.
“My eyes have been opened even more,” Alvarado said. “In each class God has allowed me to understand that He has led me to reimagine the ministry He planted in me.”
Reimagining ministry through everyday service
For graduate Isabel Arteaga Smalls of Servants of Christ United Methodist Church, the most significant lesson was learning that ministry often begins in ordinary places.
After praying for an opportunity to serve, Smalls expected God to lead her into a visible ministry. Instead, she found herself serving in the church kitchen.
“At first, I didn't understand it,” Smalls said. “But I decided to obey.”
Smalls said CASA challenged her to view her work in a new light by providing food and fostering wellness while creating a welcoming space for women to gather and build community.
What began as a simple act of hospitality has grown into a ministry that serves approximately 100 meals each Sunday, many of them to children who attend church without their parents.
She encouraged future participants to embrace God's calling, even when it begins in unexpected ways.
“If you've ever said to God, 'I want to serve you,' I invite you to join the Perkins CASA course,” she said. “There you will learn not just to serve, but to discover how God wants to use you. Your calling has already begun—you just need to see it with new eyes.”
Preparing leaders for Hispanic ministry
Throughout the graduation celebration, participants repeatedly expressed gratitude for the faculty, mentors and staff who invested in their formation.
As graduates return to congregations across the Texas Annual Conference, they carry with them a renewed commitment to serve their communities and strengthen Hispanic ministries through faithful, theologically grounded leadership.
You can watch the full testimonials from Sáenz Bolufer and Arteaga Smalls here.