ABHMS Calls National Coordinator for Latino Ministries
VALLEY FORGE, PA (1/16/23)— American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) has called the Reverend Abner Cotto-Bonilla to serve as National Coordinator for Latino Ministries, effective January 2023. In this key position, he will focus on cultivating and nurturing relationships with and among Latino- and Latina-identifying individuals in the United States and Puerto Rico.
Dr. Jeffrey Haggray, ABHMS Executive Director, celebrated the announcement, saying, “Rev. Cotto-Bonilla is a leader who will raise up other leaders as he connects with our various partners.” Added the Reverend Dr. Marie Onwubuariri, director of Intercultural Ministries, “Rev. Cotto-Bonilla brings to his new role keen insights and a breadth of relationships formed through experiences as a local church pastor, scholar, and denominational leader. His passion for working with youth and young adults will be an asset as he forges a path for young leaders and future generations.”
In accepting this position, Rev. Cotto-Bonilla described his passion to serve God through intergenerational engagement, learning from religious and cultural diversity, and helping transform communities. “As a Latino Minister within our Baptist denomination, I’m eager to bring my gifts and talents to ABHMS to help expand its strategic mission, vision, and values,” he said.
Rev. Cotto-Bonilla, an ordained American Baptist minister, most recently served as pastor at Misión Bautista Hispana de Westchester in White Plains, NY. He has also held various leadership roles, including as an educator at the Biblical Institute of the Theological University of the Caribbean in the Caguas region of Puerto Rico. Prior to joining ABHMS, he was president of the National Baptist Hispanic Caucus of the American Baptist Churches USA.
Rev. Cotto-Bonilla received his Master of Divinity and Master of Sacred Theology degrees from the Yale Divinity School in New Haven, CT. His bachelor’s degree, with a concentration in pastoral studies, is from the Theological University of the Caribbean in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
For more information about Intercultural Ministries at ABHMS, please visit Intercultural Ministries online.
American Baptist Home Mission Societies partners with American Baptists to promote Christian faith, cultivate Christ-centered leaders and disciples, and bring healing and transformation to communities across the United States and Puerto Rico.
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.
