History of TUMI-LA
In the summer of 1995, Don Davis and his family moved from the University of Iowa along with Rev. Terry Cornett (B.A., Univ. of Texas; M.A. Wheaton College; M.A. Asuza Pacific Univ.) and his family from Los Angeles to Wichita, Kansas to launch The Urban Ministry Institute. The Institute officially opened for classes in the spring of 1996, and since that first semester has trained over 100 laypersons and pastors who minister in the city through classes, colloquiums, training events, and conferences.
In 2000, The Urban Ministry Institute began establishing satellite campuses in inner cities around the country, and in the Fall of 2001, The Urban Ministry Institute of Los Angeles was formally launched as its 3rd satellite campus.
Our mission: to equip leadership for the urban church, especially among the poor, to advance the Kingdom of God in the city. We provide biblical and theological training that is both inexpensive and accessible to Christian leaders among the underprivileged in the city.
2001
Spring - Marilyn Mitchell started facilitating TUMI courses for the first time in LA. First TUMI-LA Board formed (March 21, 2001). Hank Voss joins the TUMI-LA Board.
September - Heidi Savage becomes TUMI-LA Site Coordinator and Nic Nelson the Academic Coordinator.
2002
March - Site Coordinator's Conference. TUMI-LA is formally recognized as a Satellite Campus of The Urban Ministry Institute. 20 classes completed in 2002. Michelle Milburn and Bryan Cullison serve as TUMI-LA mentors in addition to Heidi and Nic.
2003
January - Nic Nelson leaves TUMI position.
February - Last meeting of first TUMI-LA Board held.
September - Hank Voss joined World Impact staff.
2004
January - September - TUMI-LA classes suspended.
September - Heidi leaves leadership of the LA satellite. Hank took over as interim TUMI director. Dave Gutierrez joins World Impact staff and co-teaches TUMI classes with Hank. 25-30 TUMI courses completed in the 2004-2005 academic year. Dave performs all functions of the Site Coordinator as it relates to students.
2005
September - Fernando Argumedo agrees to be the Director of the Instituto Ministerial Urbano (IMU-LA). His wife, Telma, comes on as full time administrator for IMU-LA. Primary focus is on translating CAPSTONE and preparing to launch Spanish courses in Spring of 2006.
September - TUMI-LA board is re-formed after two years of not meeting. Members include: Fernando Argumedo, Bob Engel, Dave Gutierrez, Terry Hwang, John Price, and Hank Voss.
November - Don Allsman and Dr. Mel Brooks joined the TUMI-LA Advisory Board.
December - Fernando agrees to take over as Interim TUMI-LA Site Coordinator. Active recruitment of qualified TUMI mentor's for 2006 begun.
2006
January - Dave Gutierrez joins TUMI-LA staff in a part time position.
February - TUMI-LA launches Quarter system for its Academic Calendar, with an average of four courses per quarter, two in English and two in Spanish. Hector Cedillo started as a volunteer instructor to facilitate one Capstone module.
May - Spanish TUMI starts with Conversion and Calling module in three different locations (two in Los Angeles and one in San Fernando Valley). 19 community students were enrolled for this quarter.
July - TUMI drafts its Vision Statement:
"By December of 2009 TUMI-LA will have enrolled 200 urban church leaders in our program, providing these leaders with an accessible, excellent Theological education in: Biblical Studies, Theology and Ethics, Christian Mission and Urban Ministry. We will also help to launch five new TUMI satellites in the greater Los Angeles area."
Summer - the Union Rescue Mission opened their doors for TUMI-LA to start teaching classes in their facility - 8 students were enrolled from their discipleship program. John Price joined TUMI-LA as a full time staff member starting in July.
September - TUMI Summit in Wichita, KS was held. 25 satellites representatives attended the conference. The summit theme was "Gaining Momentum."
Fall - TUMI-LA offered seven classes, in five different locations, to forty-nine students, using five mentors.
Winter - a four-year rolling academic calendar was designed by the TUMI-LA staff.
2007
January - Hank Voss becomes Dean of The Urban Ministry Institute of Los Angeles.
February - First TUMI-LA Strategic Planning was led by Tim Goddu.
April - Two new board members joined the TUMI Advisory Board - Byron Siemsen and Dan Nerhbass. Fernando and Hank represented TUMI at the Evangelical Theological Society regional conference held at Master's College. 100 delegates from three states were in attendance.
May - John Price leaves his position at TUMI-LA but will continue to serve on the TUMI-LA Board.
July - David Lau joined TUMI-LA as a mentor and Advisory Board member. TUMI sponsored its first Church Planting Conference (Fire and Maneuver). This conference was lead by World Impact missionaries - Bob Engel, Bryan Cullison and Terry Hwang. First Intensive Module "Focus on Reproduction" was facilitated by Hank Voss and taught over a four day period.
August - Hector Cedillo joined TUMI-LA Advisory Board. Stamps Foundation approved a $35,000 grant for remodeling TUMI-LA and the LA Offices.
September - Phase One for the TUMI/LA Office Remodel is started.
November - TUMI-LA sponsored Marking Time workshop with Dr. Don Davis as speaker.
2008
January - Phase Two of the TUMI/LA Office is started.
February - Joe Hellerman joined TUMI-LA Advisory Board.
April - Funds for the Timothy Library were raised by Fountain Valley Community Church.
June - Dedication service is held for the TUMI/LA Office Remodel.
July - Phase Three of the TUMI/LA Office remodel is started (Kitchen and Bathroom)
August - Initial design for TUMI-LA website is begun by Board member, Dan Nehrbass.
September - Fernando Argumedo and Don Allsman facilitate mentor training for the Evangelical Free Church of America (EFCA) in Minneapolis, MN. TUMI sponsored its second Church Planting Conference (Fire and Maneuver). This conference was led by World Impact missionaries: Bob Engel, Bryan Cullison and Terry Hwang.
November - Dave Gutierrez completes design work on TUMI-LA website and it is officially launched. Key meeting is held with BIOLA to see about the possibility of building a bridge between their school and TUMI-LA that will benefit TUMI-LA students who wants to further their education beyond what TUMI-LA offers. TUMI-LA was well represented at the Urban Youth Workers at Union Rescue Mission Reload Conference and a Leadership Conference in Torrence.
2009
January - One thousand visitors to our website. Master the Bible Workshop was offered to the World Impact staff and community leaders.
February - TUMI-LA Staff attended TUMI Summit in Wichita, KS. Main theme was: "Like A Master Builder." 71 delegates attended; 34 cities and 23 organizations represented. 42 out of 56 satellites attended.
April - Four-year rolling academic calendar was introduced by TUMI-LA Staff. EV Free Church of Los Angeles agreed to start classes at their facility and became another location of TUMI-LA. Student from the Fred Jordan Mission attend classes offered at the Union Rescue Mission. Fernando and Hank represent TUMI at the Evangelical Theological Society's regional conference held in San Diego. Hank participated as one of the speakers.
May - TUMI-LA updates its vision statement: By December of 2012, TUMI-LA will average 80 students and will have enrolled 120 new students. We will provide these leaders with an accessible, excellent theological education in: Biblical Studies, Theology and Ethics, Christian Ministry, and Urban Mission in order to serve the urban church and reach the world. Fathering Conference with Dr. Ken Canfield is sponsored by TUMI-LA. Two thousand hits on our website.
June - First TUMI-LA Graduation held at the Velma Philips Celebration Center. Bryan Cullison and Dan Manley graduated. Dr. Don Davis was the commencement speaker. Hank Voss leaves TUMI-LA staff and moves to Wheaton , Illinois to pursue his PhD for three years. Bob Drummond joins our TUMI-LA Advisory Board and accepts position as Board Chair.
September - Understand Roman Catholicism Conference with Dr. Tony Pezzotta sponsored by TUMI-LA. THE OAKS starts classes and is added as an extension of TUMI-LA. Brand new TUMI-LA Student Catalog is released.
2010
January - Three thousand hits on our website.
February - Granada Hills starts classes and is added as an extension of TUMI-LA led by church planter, Olga Guillen. Former overseas missionary, Mike Barlow, joins TUMI-LA as a volunteer mentor that teaches classes on Friday nights.
March - TUMI-LA staff members, Dave Gutierrez and Fernando Argumedo, attend TUMI Summit in Wichita, KS. The conference main theme is: "The Good Shepherd." 68 satellites are currently serving in different cities and countries around the world. The challenge by Dr. Don Davis at the end of the conference: "Wanted 500,000 shepherds in the next 10 years."
May - TUMI-LA Site Director, Fernando Argumedo, receives his Doctoral degree from Dallas Theological Seminary.
June - Discussion about Spiritual Formation at the World Impact Teen Center. Speakers included Dr. Don Davis and TUMI Satellite Director, Don Allsman. Several leaders from different TUMI satellites attended as well as World Impact staff.
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TUMI-LA 2001-2021, A Service Synopsis
First Decade: 2001—2010
Under the direction of Hank Voss and Fernando Argumedo, TUMI-LA grew steadily, equipping indigenous Latino church planters and leaders. Locally, both leaders recruited, taught, and mentored TUMI-LA students; equipped new mentors; pioneered new strategies for effective training among the urban poor; and wrote successful grants proposals to support the enterprise. In 2010 TUMI-LA celebrated its first graduation. Nationally, both contributed leadership and taught workshop at the annual TUMI summits and men’s conferences. As a local satellite ministry, TUMI-LA grew to a size of more than 75 students meeting at several locations.
Second Decade: 2011-2021
Under the direction of Bob Lay and David Gutierrez, TUMI-LA grew to more than 150 students meeting in a dozen locations, with an expanded faculty of volunteer mentors. Building on local church contacts established by Voss and Argumedo, TUMI-LA established a financially supportive network for TUMI student scholarships. David Gutierrez’s design and construction skills were used to build out and equip a premier TUMI Center which has hosted hundreds of TUMI classes and visitors from all over the world seeking an orientation to TUMI training. Each year of this decade (save one) TUMI-LA has celebrated graduation with five to ten students. In 2012, TUMI-LA began offering classes in the L.A. County jails. By 2015 a new TUMI satellite responsible for all TUMI classes was launched by TUMI-LA. This led to contact with dozens of inmates who, on release, enrolled in our classes. Due to a lack of theological training among chaplain volunteers, TUMI-LA reached out to enroll these men and women as students, and in 2019, Senior Chaplain Robert Lee designated TUMI-LA as required training for all chaplain volunteers at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility. In 2015 TUMI-LA began the process of transforming our local teaching sites (e.g., the Union Rescue Mission) into independent satellites. To date, several dozen new satellites have been launched in Southern California and beyond. TUMI-LA has offered annual Saturday Seminars that bring TUMI-LA students together with well-known Seminary instructors and leaders from local supporting churches. Topics have included Invitation to Biblical Preaching (Spring 2015), Understanding the Kingdom of God (Spring 2016), Spiritual Warfare in the City (Spring 2017), and Ministry with People Experiencing Homelessness (2018). TUMI-LA has published written and video materials though TUMI National, including Dr. Bob’s book The Ancient Witnesses: A Journey to Discover Our Sacred Roots (TUMI 2019).