Staff
Smith, Jason (Executive Director)
Saunders, Erica (Communications Manager)
Bonilla Ramos, Rubén David (Editor-in-Chief, Baptist Peacemaker)
Pajkowski, Kristen (Database & Office Manager)
Juárez Domínguez, Set (Web Specialist) Ulloa Montemayor, Ximena (Events Coordinator)
Figueroa, Jasmin (Intern)
Smith, Jason (Director ejecutivo)
Saunders, Erica (Gerente de comunicaciones)
Bonilla Ramos, Rubén David (Editor jefe, Baptist Peacemaker)
Pajkowski, Kristen (Gerente de base de datos y oficina)
Juárez Domínguez, Set (Especialista Web) Ulloa Montemayor, Ximena (Coordinadora de eventos)
Figueroa, Jasmin (Becaria)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Jason Smith
Rev. Jason Smith has been a part of churches, movements and small groups of people committed to changing the world. After participating in the 2017 peace camp in Toluca, Mexico, and experiencing a truly spiritual moment with other peacemakers, he was deeply called to join BPFNA~Baptists for Peace as a peacemaker
Previously Jason served remotely as director of strategic donations for Sojourners, working to strengthen relationships with major donors and building support for Sojourners. Before this Jason was a development specialist with the Alliance of Baptists; he also served as adjunct professor at the Sutton School of Social Sciences at the Ouachita Baptist University. Jason also works in ministry as a part-time pastor for the First Presbyterian Church, Arkadelphia, and preaching at the First Presbyterian Church, Gurdon, Arkansas
Jason completed postgraduate studies at the Wesley Theological Seminary (‘14, M.Div.) in Washington, D.C., where he focused on urban ministry. He was ordained at Calvary Baptist Church in D.C. in 2014. He’s a member of the board of directors of Interfaith Arkansas. He’s also served on the board of BPFNA~Bautistas por la Paz
Jason grew up in Costa Rica as the son of Baptist missionaries. He continues participating in special collaborative projects with communities of faith in Latin America, including Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico and Panama
He and his spouse, Myra, live in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, where Myra is an associate professor of history in the Baptist University of Ouachita with an emphasis in the legal and constitutional history of South Africa. They have four children and share their home with a dog and a cat. For fun, Jason travels, watches Ted Lasso, cheers on the Little Rock Rangers and tries to play the piano like Elton John
COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Erica Saunders
The Rev. Erica Saunders believes in the power of stories to establish and maintain peace and justice. She has served congregations in Ohio and North Carolina. One of the first openly trans women ordained to ministry in Baptist life, Erica sits on the board of the Alliance of Baptists, Christian Feminism Today, and the Rochester Genesee Region of the American Baptist Churches USA. She holds the Master of Divinity from Wake Forest University and a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and religion and French and Spanish from Queens University of Charlotte. Erica’s passions include preaching, the study of Christian origins, corny puns, and anything to do with turtles and sloths
La Rvda. Erica Saunders cree que las historias tienen el poder de establecer y mantener la paz y la justicia. Ha servido iglesias en Ohio y en Carolina del Norte. Una de las primeras mujeres trans ordenadas en la vida bautista, ella es miembro de la juntas directivas de Alliance of Baptists, Christian Feminism Today y Rochester Genesee Region of the American Baptist Churches USA. Erica se graduó de Wake Forest University con su maestría en teología; es también licenciada en la filosofía, la religión, francés y español de Queens University of Charlotte. A ella le gusta predicar, estudiar el origen cristiano, juegos de palabras, las tortugas y los perezosos
CHIEF EDITOR BAPTIST-PEACEMAKER
Rubén David Bonilla Ramos
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
DATABASE AND OFFICE MANAGER
Kristen Pajkowski
One of Kristen's favorite verses is Isaiah 1:17. "Learn to do good; seek justice, restore the wronged, do justice to the fatherless, protect the widow." This is what she set out to do since she was very young. From volunteering at homeless shelters with her church to traveling to Mexico on mission trips and working with nonprofits in the states, Kristen has seen first-hand the systemic injustices both in the U.S. and abroad; and she hopes to fix them. It is this aspiration that led her to BPFNA. She believes that Christians can and should advocate for the marginalized. Specifically, she enjoys working with the LGBTQ population as a member of the community. She hopes to create a safe space for all LGBTQ religious people. After all, what would Jesus do?
Uno de los versículos favoritos de Kristen es Isaías 1:17. “Aprended a hacer el bien; buscad el juicio, restituid al agraviado, haced justicia al huérfano, amparad a la viuda.” Esto es lo que se propuso hacer desde que era muy joven. Desde ser voluntaria en refugios para personas sin hogar con su iglesia hasta viajar a México en viajes misioneros y trabajar con organizaciones sin fines de lucro en los estados, Kristen ha visto de primera mano las injusticias sistemáticas tanto en los EE. UU. como en el extranjero; y ella espera arreglarlos. Es esta aspiración la que la llevó a BPFNA. Ella cree que los cristianos y cristianas pueden y deben defender a los marginados. Específicamente, le gusta trabajar con la población LGBTQ como miembro de la comunidad. Ella espera crear un espacio seguro para todas las personas religiosas LGBTQ. Después de todo, ¿qué haría Jesús?
Kristen is also someone who loves to learn about the world. She has been all over Latin America and even got a degree in Linguistics from SUNY Stony Brook to study human language. She hopes to someday revisit all the places she's been and add a few more to the list. For now she is content with creative writing, her cats and being a food enthusiast (cook her authentic Mexican or Puerto Rican and she'll be your best friend!)
WEB SPECIALIST
Set Juárez Domínguez
Born in Mexico City, Set has lived in Aguascalientes since he was 7 years old. He has a degree in Communication and Information and has worked most of his career in media related projects
Set joined BPFNA Bautistas por la Paz in 2020. He supported as content editor for social networks and video editor
BPFNA Baptists for Peace means a lot to me. It has been a journey filled with learning, wonderful people and new and interesting challenges to meet. I am very grateful and proud to be a part of this organization BPFNA Bautistas por la Paz significa mucho para mí. Ha sido un viaje lleno de aprendizaje, gente maravillosa y nuevos e interesantes retos por cumplir. Estoy muy agradecido y orgulloso de formar parte de esta organización.
SUMMER CONFERENCE COORDINATOR
Ximena Ulloa Montemayor
Born in Monterrey, Ximena (Mena) has lived in Mexico City since she was very young. She completed her university studies in Archaeology, and has also completed a Masters in Liturgy at 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 enjoys practicing various musical instruments). Her parents, Javier and Rebeca, are the pastors of Shalom Baptist Church in Mexico City, and her mother is the first Baptist woman to be ordained in Mexico. She collaborates with various networks such as Red Crearte (Liturgy Network), RECONPAZ (Continental Network for Peace)
Mena is a former member of the board of directors of BPFNA-Baptists for Peace. In 2016, she joined the BPFNA-Baptists for Peace staff as program director for the 2017 Summer Conference, which for the first time was held in Mexico. In July 2019, she was one of the coordinators for the 6th Global Baptist Peace Conference held in Cali, Colombia
For me BPFNA Baptists for Peace is a great family, with firm convictions, commitment and willingness to serve; the great family of God that serves, shares, helps, loves, works; a great family that believes that another world IS possible if we work together and together. I firmly believe in the work being done here and, in times like the ones we live in now, having a Summer Conference in 2020 near the border between Mexico and the United States will be a great opportunity to strengthen and build bridges towards the search for peace with justice and dignity, to continue walking in community, as a family, with the conviction to take on challenges and discover new horizons for peace
intern
Jasmin Figueroa
Join us in welcoming Jasmin Figueroa as the BPFNA intern! Jasmin will be with us from May 2021-May 2022 and will be helping us renew our resources for children and youth. Jasmin is a Princeton Theological Seminary graduate now pursuing her Ph.D. in Practical Theology at Boston University School of Theology. She has a pastoral heart and a passion for peace and justice. We were connected with Jasmin through the Hispanic Theological Initiative's (HTI) internship program
From the HTI website, Jasmin grew up in New York City, where she spent her life being influenced, in one way or another, by different religious and cultural traditions. Her Mennonite, Latinx evangélico, Catholic, and Jewish relatives; her years serving at a mid-sized charismatic church; and her internships at a Reformed church and in-patient psychiatric hospital instilled in her a deep appreciation for the roles that practical and pastoral theologies play in shaping communities. Jasmin seeks to make theological education accessible to all communities, while highlighting the gifts and contributions that her communities bring to the larger world. Her current research interest explores how minoritized U.S. millennials are embracing culturally competent and representative theologies and pastoral care practices in light of their experiences with oppression
Del sitio web de HTI, Jasmin creció en la ciudad de Nueva York, donde pasó su vida siendo influenciada, de una forma u otra, por diferentes tradiciones religiosas y culturales. Sus parientes menonitas, latinx evangélico, católicos y judíos; sus años sirviendo en una iglesia carismática de tamaño medio; y sus pasantías en una iglesia reformada y un hospital hospital psiquiátrico le inculcaron un profundo aprecio por los roles que desempeñan las teologías prácticas y pastorales en la formación de las comunidades. Jasmin busca hacer que la educación teológica sea accesible para todas las comunidades, al tiempo que destaca los dones y contribuciones que sus comunidades brindan al mundo en general. Su interés de investigación actual explora cómo los millennials minoritarios de los EE. UU. están adoptando teologías y prácticas de atención pastoral culturalmente competentes y representativas a la luz de sus experiencias con la opresión
