Covenant minister Rev. Dr. Edward Delgado, president emeritus of Centro Hispano de Estudios Teologicos (CHET), passed away in Spring Valley, California, on June 10, 2024. He was 79.
Edward Fraijo Delgado was born with his twin, Sam, to Luis and Lupe Delgado on October 13, 1944.
He met Lynda Rojas when he was six and she was four. They dated in college and married on November 5, 1966. Their union brought three children: son, Sergio Anthony, and daughters, Rita Raquel and Elizabeth Lyn.
Edward’s extensive educational, professional ministry spanned over 40 years and several continents. The first in his family to go to college, Ed earned a bachelor’s degree in education from the University of Arizona in 1968, a master’s in business administration from the Thunderbird School of Global Management in 1981, a master’s in leadership, intercultural studies, and theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in 2001, and received an honorary doctorate from North Park Theological Seminary in 2016.
He served with Compassion International from 1983 to 1997, overseeing operations as area director in South America, then Africa, and finally Central America and the Caribbean. From 1998 to 2000, he was executive director of St. Frances Center, serving the homeless and other vulnerable populations in downtown Los Angeles.
During his time at Fuller, Edward was asked to serve on the board of CHET, eventually becoming its vice president and dean of finance, serving in that role from 2000 to 2005. He served as director of evangelism for the denomination for two years before being called back to CHET to serve as president. In 2006, Edward was ordained to word and service in the Evangelical Covenant Church. During his time at CHET, he worked tirelessly to promote the institution’s mission, strengthen its community, and expand its academic offerings. Under his guidance, CHET became one of the first three Hispanic biblical institutes to receive certification for its bachelor’s of Christian ministry degree under standards approved by the Association of Theological Schools and the Educational Hispanic Theological Association. That has made earning a baccalaureate degree for pastoral ministry more feasible. He retired in 2019.
Ed served on several Covenant boards throughout his ministry. He and Lynda received the Irving C. Lambert Awards in 2019 in honor of their work in urban ministry. In an interview with the Companion that summer, he shared the story of how meaningfully the congregation at Faith Covenant Church in Colorado Springs welcomed their family. “Basically the Covenant adopted us, and we, in turn, just loved the Covenant,” he said. “That became the love affair that we still have to this day.”
Ed is survived by his wife, Lynda; children, Sergio (Megan), Rita, and Elizabeth (Vic); 10 grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and his siblings, Betty, Sam (Doreen), and Irene.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 6, 2024, at Clairemont Covenant Church in San Diego, California, at 10:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, gifts in his honor may be sent to Centro Hispano de Estudios Teologicos (CHET) or the Paul Carlson Partnership.
Peace be to his memory.
