Meet Our New Staff Members! • ¡Conozca a nuestros nuevos miembros del personal!
Rubén David Bonilla Ramos
Spanish Editor, Baptist Peacemaker
Rubén David Bonilla Ramos was born in Carolina, Puerto Rico in January 1984, and is the second of three children. He was born and raised in the church, which he attended with his parents and family since childhood. He became interested in the field of theology and decided to study Religion at the Interamerican University of Puerto Rico – Metropolitan Campus, where he obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Religion. He continued studies in the theological field and in 2019 he finished his Master's in Divinity of the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico obtaining several awards and accomplishments. He was selected by the Seminary in 2018 to participate in the student trip to Matanzas, Cuba, to take a Decolonial Theology course. In March of that same year he participated in the Global Ecumenical Theological Institute in Arusha, Tanzania. In June 2018 he attended the BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz Summer Camp in Rochester, NY, where he offered a workshop on his experiences during Hurricane Maria.
Rubén David, as he is known, lives in Carolina, Puerto Rico with his wife Leslie. In August 2019 they received their first daughter, Beatriz Sugeil. He is a tireless fighter for the human rights of the island where he was born and has participated in mass demonstrations in Puerto Rico that seek to defend the rights of marginalized, excluded and dispossessed communities. His goal is to continue doctoral studies in the field of theology, decoloniality and gender studies.
Ximena Ulloa Montemayor
2020 Summer Conference Coordinator
We are pleased to welcome Ximena back on staff as our 2020 Summer Conference Coordinator!
Born in Monterrey, Ximena (Mena) has lived in Mexico City since she was a child. She completed her university studies in Archeology, and has also completed a Masters in Liturgy from the Theological Community of Mexico. Ximena loves working with children and youth, as well as in the music and liturgy area of her church (she likes to practice various musical instruments). Her parents, Javier and Rebeca, are the pastors of the Shalom Baptist Church in Mexico City, with her mother being the first Baptist woman to be ordained in Mexico. Mena also collaborates with various networks such as Red Crearte (Liturgy Network) and RECONPAZ (Continental Network for Peace).
Mena is a former member of the board of directors of BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz. In 2016, BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz hired her as the program director for the 2017 Summer Conference, which was the first time the conference was held in Mexico. In July 2019, she was one of the two coordinators for the 6th Global Baptist Peace Conference that was held in Cali, Colombia.
“For me BPFNA-Bautistas por la Paz is a big family with firm convictions, commitments and a willingness to serve; the great family of God that serves, shares, helps, loves, works; A big family that believes that another world IS possible if we work together. I strongly believe in the work that is being done here and, in times like these we are living now, having the 2020 Summer Conference near the border between Mexico and the United States will be a great opportunity to strengthen and build bridges toward seeking peace with justice and dignity; to continue walking in community, as a family, with the conviction of taking on challenges and discovering new horizons for peace.”
