Meet the Team
Jason Smith
Executive Director, BPFNA~Bautistas por la Paz
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~Bautistas por la Paz 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.
Rubén David Bonilla Ramos
Editor-in-Chief
Rubén David was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, his homeland and eternal love. He is a member of the Methodist Church of Puerto Rico where, for years, he has distinguished himself as a leader. He possesses a Bachelor of Arts in Religion from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico, Metropolitan Campus, and earned his Master of Divinity from the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico with Magna Cum Laude distinction, receiving recognition for his work in Homiletics. He participated in postgraduate courses in Arusha, Tanzania, and Matanzas, Cuba. Throughout his academic journey, he has offered conferences and lectures on gender, colonialism, and Latin American liberation theology in Puerto Rico, Cuba; Rochester, New York; and Toronto, Canada. Additionally, he has contributed op-ed columns to local newspapers, and his scholarly work, "Out of the Closet: Homosexuality, Colonialism, and Mission," was published in the 2019 book For Those Who Wish to Hear: Emerging Theologians on Evangelism and Mission. Rubén David focuses on
masculinities, gender, decolonial thinking, Latin American liberation theology, and the examination of new possibilities for re-imagining God within a framework of justice and peace. He is a Ph.D. candidate in Emmanuel College at the University of Toronto in Canada, where he resides with his wife, Leslie, and daughter, Beatriz. Rubén David translates, does Spanish editing, and oversees all Baptist Peacemaker articles.
Erica Saunders
Communications Manager, BPFNA~Bautistas por la Paz
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 and the Association of Welcoming & Affirming Baptists. 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 enjoys telling corny puns, studying Christian origins, tending her garden of native plants, playing with her cat Biscuit, and anything to do with turtles and sloths. Erica is the English editor of the Baptist Peacemaker.
Set Juarez Dominguez
Web Specialist
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.