Gateway Seminary recognized three alumni for their ministry service at the annual alumni and friends lunch at the 2026 SBC Annual Meeting, including Jeremy Fass (pictured below), who shared using sign language.
Tyler Sanders
June 12, 2026 (Orlando) — Gateway Seminary President Adam Groza shared a brief report on the school and recognized three alumni for their ministry service at the annual alumni and friends lunch June 10 at the Southern Baptist Convention Annual Meeting in Orlando.
Two were given the distinguished alumni award to celebrate a lifetime of faithful leadership and ministry service.
Groza recognized distinguished alumni Jeremy Fass, the founding pastor of Silent Hope Church in Mesa, Arizona. Silent Hope is the first deaf-led church in the East Valley of Arizona.
Fass was born hearing but became profoundly deaf as a toddler due to complications from spinal meningitis. He became a Christian through his wife Kim, a believer who learned ASL to communicate with him. They have been married for more than 16 years and have three children.
Jeremy Fass communicated to attendees through sign language interpreted by his wife Kim.
Fass is the first deaf graduate from Gateway with a master of theological studies through the seminary’s Arizona campus.
Today, Fass is gracefully and faithfully facing a diagnosis of stage four lung cancer.
Gateway gave me the tools to believe in myself and to suffer well.
Jeremy Fass
“Gateway gave me the tools to believe in myself and to suffer well. … I haven’t missed a Sunday since being diagnosed with stage four lung cancer,” said Fass through Kim who interpreted.
“My first year as a student, [I was in] a five-hour class, and I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m going to fall asleep for a long time.’ I said, ‘How am I going to do this? God, you created these eyes, you have to keep them awake, because I cannot.’”
“After that, my eyes were opened … and I jumped in, and I wanted to be awake. I wanted to study, and I wanted to show the deaf people that someone here has the tools to share Jesus Christ with them, not only for the church, but for the lost out there.”
Kenneth C. Curry Jr., the senior pastor of Friendship Baptist Church in Yorba Linda, California, was also given the distinguished alumni award. Curry is a native of Los Angeles who earned his master of divinity (MDiv) from Gateway in 2011. He later earned the doctor of ministry (DMin) in advanced biblical preaching from Talbot School of Theology.
Kenneth Curry received the distinguished alumni award during the 2026 luncheon.
Curry originally joined Friendship Baptist in 2001 as youth minister, then served as minister of children, youth, and young adults, then as executive minister, before becoming senior pastor in 2013. He is married to Karima.
“When I came to Gateway, I did not know what was next, but I felt compelled to get theological education,” said Curry.
“Gateway poured into me to prepare me to pastor Friendship Baptist Church, where I was serving. At the time that I came to Gateway, in 2009, I didn’t know that I’d get the chance to pastor Friendship; I was just grateful to serve at the church and Gateway.”
Stephen Baum received the emerging leader award, a recognition of a young leader who demonstrates Christlike character and humility in their ministry service.
Baum is director of missions for the Central Baptist Association of New Mexico. He was born and raised in Albuquerque and pastored his home church of First West Baptist for 11 years. Baum is thrice a graduate of Gateway having earned the MDiv, the master of theology, and the DMin degrees.
He is married to Nikki, and they have four children. He and Nikki also served in college ministry at the University of Hawaii at Hilo.
“20 years ago, I packed up my car and moved to California to start seminary, and almost three months later I was ready to quit and go home. Very close, faithful friends forced me to stay, and I’m so glad they did, because my next semester was entirely different,” Baum said.
“The next fall I met the woman who became my wife, and a couple of years after that I finished my MDiv and life was totally different.”
“I have grown as a leader through seeing other leaders lead well, particularly at Gateway … and for that I’m exceptionally grateful,” Baum said.
In addition to recognizing alumni at the luncheon, Groza hosted a discussion panel on the topic of Craig Webb, executive director of the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention, Royce Ruiz, pastor of Redeemer Church in Fremont, and Godfrey Hom, pastor of First Chinese Baptist Church Fountain Valley. They discussed the importance of partnership among Baptists.
The panel discussion featured ministry leaders from California and Hawaii.
Webb spoke about the new Gateway campus that is launching fall 2026 in partnership with the Hawaii Pacific Baptist Convention.
“When our students leave Hawaii to go to one of our six seminaries, it is hard to get them to come back; this [campus] has been something that we have wanted to do for probably two decades,” Webb said.
“We have classes scheduled this fall!”
“Not only are we able to establish where the actual campus is … right across from the University of Hawaii in Manoa, but this fall we have two other teaching sites launching: one in Hilo on the Big Island, and then another one in Maui,” he said.
Ruiz is a pastor in the Bay Area of California and works with the Bridges Bay Area Association. He shared with attendees some of the challenges churches face in the region.
“With our unique and challenging ministry context, we have a significant need to develop leaders,” Ruiz said.
“Gateway is still in the Bay and is committed; we value the partnership greatly.”
Hom is in the process of launching a Gateway teaching site at his church in Fountain Valley, located in Orange County.
“Our church has always had a history of people who want to go to seminary, and seminary has always been an aspirational thing that is a vision in the distance,” Hom said.
“We want to offer the opportunity to people to get that education who are not able to move away, who are not able to even drive the one and a half hours to Ontario, California.”
Gateway’s annual alumni and friends lunch has grown year-to-year to include just under 400 attendees.
Current Gateway student Ash Leatherwood shared his testimony and his calling to the mission field near the end of the luncheon and Groza delivered a brief report to attendees.
“The Lord has done great things at Gateway Seminary, and we are grateful,” Groza said.
“In the book of Zechariah, there’s a passage … where God reminds us that it is not by our might or by our power, but by His Spirit. As you leave here, and you share with people all the amazing things that are happening at Gateway Seminary, I hope that you would remind them that it is the work of our God through the cross of Christ.”
