BPFNA Hires Ximena Ulloa Montemayor as Summer Conference Program Manager • BPFNA contrata a Ximena Ulloa Montemayor como administradora de programas de la Conferencia de Verano

We’re excited to announce that we’ve hired Ximena (Mena) Ulloa Montemayor as Program Manager for our 2017 Summer Conference in Toluca, Mexico. This will be the first conference BPFNA has held in Mexico.

Mena is a current board member, and she and her family have long-standing ties to BPFNA and the Baptist faith. Her parents, Javier and Rebeca, are the pastors of Shalom Baptist Church in Mexico City, and her mother was the first Baptist woman to be ordained in Mexico.

Born in Monterrey, Mena has lived in Mexico City since she was 6 years old. She completed her university studies in Archaeology with her final research focused on the early occupations of Mexico.

Mena loves to work with children and youth, and she is also a talented musician. Mena has attended several Summer Conferences, and in 2015, she led music one evening while her father served as the worship leader.

"I'm very happy to be part of BPFNA-Bautistas por la paz,” said Mena. “I could not have imagined that years after I was first introduced to BPFNA, that I would be a member of the board and part of the staff for Peace Camp 2017. I'm very excited about being part of this great work and very honored to be asked. I'll put in my best. I'm convinced that Another World is possible if we work together to seek justice, peace, and making God's Kingdom a reality here and now."

The 2017 Summer Conference will be from July 17-22 at Misión Mazahua, a hacienda converted in 1978 by Norberto and Lisa Cortés to serve as a hub to provide services and support to the local indigenous Mazahua people.

“We are extremely fortunate to have Mena as our Summer Conference Program Manager for 2017,” said BPFNA Executive Director LeDayne McLeese Polaski. “This conference will be monumental in forming new relationships and expanding the BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz community to include more people, particularly native Spanish speakers, from across Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada, and the United States. As a result, we want to do this well and we want our efforts to be intentional. Through Mena’s talents, networks, and outreach, we are confident that the programming will be outstanding and that the week will empower many voices that are often left unheard or marginalized. Our overall hope is that more people will find a welcoming home in BPFNA and that together we can build the beloved community.”