Past Mentors

Rev. Peter Watts
Founding Pastor, The R.O.C.K. Church

Pastor Peter Watts was born and raised in South Los Angeles. He is a graduate of Cal State Dominguez Hills where he received his B.A. in Mass Communications. He received his Master's of Education in Administration and Leadership degree from University of Phoenix. After 20 years in public education Pastor Watts went into full time ministry where he decided to go back to school at Fuller Seminary where he completed a Masters in Theology in Spring 2017. Currently he is a doctoral candidate at Fuller Seminary studying under Dr. Soong-Chan Rah in the school of Theology with an emphasis on Urban Ministry. His educational career began 20 years ago in LAUSD at Compton Ave Elementary School. He then taught for 7 years at a charter organization (View Park Prep) where he also was the founding Principal of Thurgood Marshall Leadership Academy Middle School. In 2008 Pastor Watts and his family planted and organized The Rock Church which celebrated 10 years this past September 2018. He is the former Regional Vice President of World Impact. He is also the author of the new book "Prodigal Father" which narrates his 30 year journey of forgiveness and reconciliation after finding his own biological father on skid row after 30 years. Pastor Watts has been married for over 25 years to Dr. Didi Watts and has three adult children Jasmin, Avery, and Imani.

Pastor Robert Vasquez
Pastor, Iglesia La Viña del Señor
Vineyard

Bio and Pic Coming

David Lau
Pastoral Assistant English Congregation
Bread of Life Church

David Lau graduated from Purdue University and spent ten years working as an engineer. During that decade he completed his M.Div. at Talbot School of Theology and has now served full time at Bread of Life Church in Torrance, CA for over ten years. In 2007, David spent his Sabbatical working with The Urban Ministry Institute of Los Angeles and since then has been facilitating TUMI Classes once a year. David is married and has two children.

Dr. Joe Hellerman
Professor of NT Language & Literature
Talbot School of Theology
Co-Pastor, Oceanside Christian Fellowship

Dr. Joe Hellerman has taught at Talbot School of Theology for more than a decade and
ministered in the church most of his adult life.

Dr. Hellerman's seminary training at Talbot focused on Old Testament studies, while his
doctoral research at UCLA dealt with the social history of the early Christians. He has
authored three academic monographs: The Ancient Church as Family (2001), Reconstructing Honor in Roman Philippi (2005), and Jesus and the People of God: Reconfiguring Ethnic Identity (2007).

In addition to his full-time duties with Talbot's New Testament Department, Dr. Hellerman serves as Co-Pastor at Oceanside Christian Fellowship in El Segundo, CA. Dr. Hellerman is constantly encouraged and delighted by the love he receives from his wife, Joann, and his two adult daughters, Rebekah and Rachel. Away from Talbot, you might find him playing jazz-rock piano or fishing on a sportboard in the Pacific Ocean.

Mr. Octavio Gonzalez

Bio and Pic Coming

Pastor Charles Wynne

Bio and Pic Coming

Dr. Bob Lay

Robert F. Lay (“Dr. Bob”) was installed as Dean of TUMI-L.A. in June of 2011 after serving for fifteen years as Professor in the Dept. of Biblical Studies, Christian Ministry, and Philosophy at Taylor University in Indiana. Before that he was Assistant Professor of Religion at Northwestern College of Iowa (1990 to 1995), and from 1980 to 1986 he served as Director of Christian Education for St. Giles Presbyterian Church in Charlotte, North Carolina. Dr. Bob earned a doctoral degree in Practical Theology from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, an M.A. in Old Testament Studies from Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary, and an M.Ed. from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where he also earned a B.A. in the Social Sciences. He is the author of “The Ancient Witnesses, A Journey to Discover our Sacred Roots” (TUMI, 2019); “Readings in Historical Theology” (Kregel, 2009); “Lessons of Infinite Advantage: William Taylor's California Experiences” (Scarecrow Press, 2010), and a number of scholarly articles, some of which appear in the “Encyclopedia of Religion in America” (CQ Press, 2011) and “The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization” (While-Blackwell, 2011).

Rev. Steve Borja

Bio and Pic Coming

Carlos Pizarro
Pastor, First Evangelical Free Church of LA

Carlos joined the staff of First Evangelical Free Church of Los Angeles in 1997 when he became their part-time youth pastor. Since that time, Carlos has served as both the youth pastor and associate pastor of the Spanish congregation.

Carlos is bi-vocational and teaches elementary school at a dual-language public school. He and his wife Ceci are from Peru.

Chang Kim (Victor) Pic to come

Served in the Los Angeles County Jail & Twin Towers as a volunteer teaching TUMI min 2011 Victor was employed as a Substitute teacher in 2028 and served as a Missionary in Egypt and India