(Feb. 28, 2014 - by Ruth Pike and Harold Goerzen)  Emotions ran high last month as students and staff alike bid farewell to a communications school in Quito, Ecuador, that had trained Latin American students for careers in radio, television and journalism for the past 29 years.

Saturday, Jan. 18, marked the end of an era as the Centro Cristiano de Comunicaciones (Christian Center of Communications or CCC), operated by Reach Beyond (formerly HCJB Global), held its final graduation ceremony at the ministry’s Larson Center in Quito. Ten students received their diplomas for completing the three-year course.

While participants reflected on the school’s successes since opening its doors in 1984, they also had a view to the future as the CCC’s education license is in the process of being transferred to the Christian and Missionary Alliance National Church.

Throughout the years, a total of 202 Spanish-speaking students have graduated from the higher-education program, integrating communications and technical courses with biblical knowledge and hands-on experience in radio, television and written communication.

Operated by Reach Beyond, the CCC became a branch campus of the University of Northwestern-St. Paul (UNW) in Minnesota in 2001 and became accredited by CONESUP, Ecuador’s accrediting agency for higher education institutions, in 2003.

A number of students who began their studies at the school in Quito also had the opportunity to study abroad, completing their bachelor’s degrees at UNW.

“It’s been a great opportunity to engage with them and broaden their learning by their presence on our campus,” said Janet Sommers, UNW’s senior vice president for academic affairs.

“CCC graduates have followed various paths,” said Mary De la Torre, director of the CCC and also a former student who learned of the school from her parents who came to faith through listening to Radio Station HCJB.

“Some [graduates] work in their own production companies,” she continued. “Others work in television, radio or newspapers—either inside or outside the country. Some of the graduates are directly involved in Christian missions [including Reach Beyond], others in an indirect way. A number of our graduates are also in jobs serving the Ecuadorian government.”

The decision to close the CCC in its present form was based on a number of factors. “I would say there were strategic, missional and financial reasons,” said Dan Shedd, executive director of Reach Beyond’s Latin America Region.

Virtual learning and distance learning were considered as alternative options, but after conducting a study that gauged interest from evangelical churches in Ecuador, this idea was shelved in favor of transferring the education license to a local ministry.

“We’ve been in discussion with the Alliance,” explained Shedd. “There’s a real desire for them to not only have a communications school but also have a place they can validate their theology students.”

With the recent closure of the Universidad Cristiana Latinoamericana (Christian Latin American University) in Quito, previously providing accreditation for seminary graduates, the new partnership could prove beneficial for both theology and communications students. Counseling may also be a future addition to the courses offered.

“Initially they would continue the same curriculum we’ve had,” said Shedd. “But their vision is actually to turn it into a university so it would be a four-year program, adding theology and counseling to the communications program.”

“I think it’s important to understand that our CCC as we know it, and have seen it for nearly 30 years, is closing,” said CCC teacher Sandra De la Torre (Mary De la Torre’s sister). “It’s good to say goodbye to what was and to know that any new project will simply be different—another thing.”

“For me working in the school has been a ministry, a privilege,” related Mary. “Most of all, what I carry in my heart is the personal and spiritual growth I have seen in specific people. So many of the kids came from humble families with limited resources, and they found a family—a home—at the CCC with teachers who helped them to go beyond themselves. Then they’ve graduated and become skilled professionals.”

Gabriela Granja, a CCC student who was awarded a scholarship to complete her bachelor’s degree (major in electronic media, minor in Bible) at UNW, said, “I hope that the Christian values which were reinforced over these three years [at the CCC] can be what differentiates my work from others.”

Another student, Ruth Angamarca, who was part of the 2013 graduating class and works for a community radio station in Loja, Ecuador, found the training to be life-changing.

“My experience in the CCC was marvelous,” she recounted. “It’s a process that made its mark on my life because God used it to mold my character, to transform me into a better person, to provide me with the opportunity to dream beyond what I could have desired and to open doors for me to achieve my dreams.”

“We at Northwestern are very proud to have been a part of this incredible effort in the last 12 years,” remarked UNW President Alan Cureton. “To know that we had a part in the strengthening and enlarging of God’s kingdom in South America is incredibly rewarding to us. It’s our hope and prayer that the Lord would continue to use the CCC graduates wherever they may be as they work to advance the gospel.”

“There’s no doubt the CCC has a tremendous legacy in the media world in Ecuador and probably beyond,” added Shedd. “We recognize and celebrate the contribution the school has made in media and we’re grateful to the leaders and the faculty members who have built dedication and professionalism in the lives of the students.”

“God has used the CCC to educate the students and transform their lives,” said Sommers of UNW.

Sources: Reach Beyond, University of Northwestern-St. Paul