Gabe Veas

Gabe Veas (born January 12, 1980) is an author, mentor, lecturer, cinemtagrapher, and the founding pastor of Authentic LA located in Los Angeles, California.

Biography

Born and raised in the LA area, Veas has a heart and passion for discipleship. While at Nogales High School in La Puente, California, Veas first heard the call to step out and reach his community with the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Collaborating with his brother Luis, they endeavored to revitalize a fledgling Bible study that was on the brink of dissolving. Symbolic of a New Era at the school, the Veas brothers renamed the Bible study, The Faith Club. This organization provided the brothers with a forum to formulate creative methods of carrying out the processes of evangelism and discipleship. As they wrote, directed, and acted in several dramas they were able to present an accurate representation of what could happen when individuals from an urban context developed a loving, trusting relationship with God. Biblical texts were translated into the contemporary life of high school students. This theatrical group team took on the name Dunamis Productions, in light that the Gospel message is The Power of God which enables people to be saved. Combined with regular Bible studies, the group took on a different nature. Meetings were held outside of the traditional classroom in which all clubs had previously met before and moved towards larger venues on campus, such as the theater and gym on campus. Taking on a very ecumenical tone, the group was represented by students from a wide variety of denominations, with speaking invitations provided to leaders from various theological backgrounds. Later the brothers would work towards establishing the Faith Gospel Choir, which performed before prior to evangelistic sermons. Veas also created a newsletter that provided inspirational messages, based on teachings he provided at the weekly Bible studies.

Following this Gabe went to Azusa Pacific University where he participated in countless ministry opportunities. Born out of a desire to see the Gospel reach the land of his ancestors, Mexico, Veas went on mission trips to the country in order to preach the Gospel at multiple church services. Following the aftermath of 9/11, Veas played a role in establishing Bible studies and prayer meetings that would take place among students searching for answers. His mind for scholarship became more evident when he was awarded a research scholarship to Wheaton College in Illinois to study the ethics of Billy Graham. On his arrival he also made his first academic presentation on the History of Christianity in America.

Next, Veas was accepted to Fuller Theological Seminary where he received a Master of Arts degree in Theology. In addition to this, he was also able to participate in the Hispanic Summer Program, where he was awarded the Goiuzueta Foundation Scholarship for excellence in scholastics and promise in future research. Upon his return, he made the necessary sacrifices in order to amass the video production equipment needed to establish SGV Studios. This company was intended to become a vehicle to communicate history though compelling documentaries and films. Dunamis Productions can be considered the forerunner to SGV Studios.

During his final year at Fuller, Veas began working with the Ascending Lights Leadership Network where he served as a mentor to inner-city church leaders. Due in part to this experience and the experiences he had growing up in the public school system, he firmly resolved to one day become an advocate for academic initiatives both inside and outside of the Church. The next step in this process was for Veas to decide to apply for the doctoral program in educational psychology at the University of Southern California. There, his research was centered upon multimedia, learning strategies, mentoring organizations, small group dynamics, and leadership.

Founding Authentic LA

Sensing the need for an organization that would promote scholarship and healthy ministry ethics for church leaders, Veas began to take steps towards founding The Renaissance Society during the winter of 2004. This was primarily born out of a passionate desire to encourage, educate, and network Christian leaders for future success and the glory of Jesus Christ. The Renaissance Society is small group that would emerge as the leadership team of the church Veas would later establish.

As Veas researched contemporary Christian education he came across a movement that resonated in what he had been feeling since he first day he began doing ministry. The House Church Movement articulated the practices and philosophy of ministry that the early church implemented nearly two-thousand years ago. With this foundational knowledge base, Veas moved forward to become the founding pastor of Authentic LA. In line with this, Veas completed his dissertation entitled: Developing a framework to guide the design of faith-based adult small group video curriculum programs, This groundbreaking research in an unchartered field of study will eventually act as a stepping stone to create his own small group video curriculum similar to that of LifeTogether & Zondervan. As a follower of Jesus, Veas plans to dedicate his life to continuing to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim freedom to the prisoner and recovery of the sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

Veas has stated that one of his life's missions is to lead THE CAMPAIGN AGAINST MEDIOCRITY. He is against living a life that is not about pressing forward towards God and the purpose that He has for one's life. He believes that it is only from the point of total submission to God that we can truly realize who we are supposed to be. Therefore, he challenges each person to truly turn towards becoming disciples of Jesus and following Him no matter what the cost. He advocates that one should not settle for an ordinary life of sitting on the sidelines because of the illusions of comfort and safety. There are definitely consequences for not acting on the truth in God's Word. Living a life in Christ and attempting to live out His teachings is the only way to truly be a disciple of Jesus Christ.

References

  • Hernandez, David. "Starting Off Big: Faith Club moves to the gym" (September 30, 1997). The Scroll. The monthly newspaper of Nogales High School in La Puente, CA.
  • Veas, Gabe. Authentic LA: Establishing Communities of Faith in Los Angeles (2007). The official invitation to join Authentic LA.