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California Pastor, Covenant Youth Honored at Banquet
RIVERBANK, CA (January 29, 2003) - Pastor Wainer Guimares of The Bridge Covenant
Church, a Covenant congregation, was named Citizen of the Year in
Riverbank, a community of 17,000 in central California. Guimares was chosen
from five nominees and honored during the recent Riverbank Community Awards
banquet.
Guimares has been pastor at The Bridge Covenant Church, a church plant of
around 200 individuals, since 1998. The Bridge is a daughter church plant
of Modesto and Escalon Covenant churches.
Besides his pastoral work, Guimares is director of Community Casa, a
community center that houses the regionally known Networking Everyone with
Technology (NET) Project. Guimares uses the NET project to provide free
computer classes, which have helped more than 500 people, including 20
residents who have found jobs through the project.
As Community Casa director, he helped write the grant for the Block House
program, which so far has furnished resource information and assistance to
more than 400 local families. One of the most practical helps was the
city's first health fair that drew 25 agencies and offered free benefits
like eye examinations.
Guimares has gotten involved in other community projects as well. He is on
the board at Healthy Start, a government program in partnership with local
schools and businesses. He is also a member of the Riverbank Chamber of
Commerce, the local Rotary International board (as director of
international services), the Sister Cities Committee, Enterprise
Facilitation Board, Jacob Myers Park Committee, Stanislaus Hispanic
Leadership Council, Anti-Domestic Violence Committee and advisor to the
Riverbank High School Prodigal Club. Most of all, he says, he is a citizen
of a town and a pastor of a church that readily assists those in need.
"What makes me most proud is the fact that Community Casa has gotten more
use from the community than at The Bridge," he said. "And I think the
Citizen Award is a reflection of the work of the church. The Bridge family
is incredible. We have service-orientated people, from community leaders to
teachers, and it's in our DNA to serve the world as Christ did. It's been
an incredible four years of serving Christ and serving
people here."
While Guimares was honored as Citizen of the Year, a youth at The Bridge
Covenant, Amanda Clemmer, received the Youth of the Year honor for the
town. Clemmer is a senior at Riverbank High School and has posted a 3.86
grade point average on a 4.0 scale and has led the church's teen program.
She is on the school's Academic Decathlon Team, co-captains the varsity
girls basketball team and runs cross-country. Outside of school, she
competes in many equestrian events and assists the local Habitat for
Humanity.
To find out more about Guimares, Clemmer and the many activities associated
with The Bridge Covenant Church, call 209-551-6681 or visit the church web
site at www.bridging.net.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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