LABI College Celebrates 100 Years of Faith and Service at Historic Centennial Gala
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release date: October 10, 2026
Photography by Vindy Duran
Alumni, Church Leaders and Friends Gather to Honor the "Nation's Oldest Hispanic Pentecostal Bible College"
LA PUENTE, Calif. - October 10, 2026 – LABI College marked 100 years of preparing men and women for Christian ministry and service with its Centennial Gala during Centennial Weekend, October 3, 2026. Alumni, pastors, missionaries, district leaders, students, faculty, and friends gathered under the theme "To God Be the Glory" to honor a century of faithfulness and to look ahead to the college's second century.
Founded on October 1, 1926, in San Diego by Alice E. Luce as the Spanish Department of the Berean Bible Institute, the Latin American Bible Institute, now LABI College, has grown from a small school started in faith into an accredited, federally recognized Hispanic-Serving Institution.
Today it offers bachelor's degrees in theology, psychology, and business administration. In 2025, the college received a ten-year reaffirmation of accreditation, carrying it through 2035.
A Keynote from Evangelist Nicky Cruz
The evening's keynote speaker was Rev. Dr. Nicky Cruz, the evangelist and best-selling author of The Cross and the Switchblade and Run, Baby, Run, and a 1961 LABI graduate. Introduced by his classmate and Centennial Co-Chair Dr. Grace Morales, Cruz recounted arriving at LABI as a newly converted young man from New York City and nearly leaving the school after a few months, until he received the baptism of the Holy Spirit on campus. He credited LABI with giving him his foundation in Scripture and with shaping a ministry that has since reached people on every continent.
Cruz also met his wife, Gloria, at LABI, and he spoke of how many students, alumni, and faculty couples found their life partners on campus. He closed with a charge to the younger generation in the room, inviting everyone under 50 to stand while he prayed for them, and urged them never to
"Never underestimate yourself. God put you here for a reason."
District Proclamation Honors
A Century of Faithfulness, Sacrifice, and Ministry
Rev. William Rodriguez, Superintendent of the Southern Pacific District of the Assemblies of God and a LABI alumnus, presented a formal district proclamation to LABI's president and board chair. The proclamation recognized LABI as the oldest Hispanic Pentecostal educational institution and credited the college with helping shape the Hispanic Assemblies of God movement nationally and internationally.
Rodriguez noted that three of the district's four current executive officers are LABI graduates, underscoring that the college prepares not only pastors but leaders who serve in many capacities worldwide.
Alumni Stories Show a Legacy That Reaches
Around the World
Throughout the evening, graduates shared how LABI shaped their callings:
Pastor Ricky Trinidad described growing up on the LABI campus, where his mother cooked for students, his father studied, and where he and his wife, Zida, met as students. He returned years later to complete his bachelor's degree in theology through the college's Lazarus program and now serves with his family at Hegy Ministries.
Missionary Ricky Lopez (Class of 2009) shared in a video message how his LABI training led to mission work in Nicaragua, where his team has built more than 80 homes for families who lived in a landfill community, along with churches, schools and health centers, and has planted churches among the Mayangna people in the jungle.
Rev. David Corales, pastor of Templo in Redwood City, traced his family's connection to LABI back to 1943, including his parents, who graduated in 1959 and went on to pastor for 66 years.
Worship pastor Nenna Francois (Class of 2005) of Mission Ebenezer in Carson, California, led the room in worship with "Goodness of God."
Celebrating the People Behind the Centennial
The gala was planned by the LABI Centennial Committee, chaired by Dr. Esther De Leon, with Dr. Grace Morales as Co-Chair, Dr. Blanche F. Castro as Gala Chair, and Dr. Marty Harris, LABI President, serving as Honorary Chairman. Dr. Donna Sierra chairs the Centennial Board of Directors. The evening recognized committee members, volunteers, musicians, media staff, servers, and partners.
The night closed with a benediction led by Pastors Jose and Judy Velasquez, with pastors and ministers in attendance coming forward to extend their hands in blessing over the college, its faculty, staff, and students.
Looking Toward the Second Century
LABI continues to serve students through its La Puente campus and online programs, with a mission of preparing students academically, spiritually, and practically for the calling God has placed on their lives.
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