Bethany Rivera Molinar is the Executive Director of Ciudad Nueva Community Outreach. She was born and raised in El Paso and is a graduate of the University of Texas at El Paso where she received her bachelor of science degree. Bethany earned both Masters of Divinity & Masters of Social Work degrees at Truett Theological Seminary and the Diana Garland School of Social Work at Baylor University. She is a licensed and ordained minister through Church Under the Bridge in Waco, Texas.

Bethany’s community development experience includes: community organizing at local and state levels, parental engagement, and bridging the local church to their neighborhood. She has worked at Ciudad Nueva since 2013 and has served in multiple capacities including middle school program coordinator, youth programs director, grant writer and director of operations. Bethany is deeply passionate for Ciudad Nueva to be a place where community work unfolds and community members are actively engaged and accessing their gifts, skills, and resources to collectively lead towards a vibrant and thriving community. Along with her team and community, this passion has driven the work that she has done through Ciudad Nueva for the past ten years.

Bethany serves on the national board of the Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) as well as the boards of two local organizations. She has a history of leading with prophetic strength and innovative leadership within local, regional, and national women of color faith circles. When not doing all of the above, Bethany enjoys spending time with her husband Adrian and their children, running, urban gardening, and pursuing the crafty arts.

Pastor Raymond Chang is the Executive Director of the TENx10 Collaboration (out of Fuller Seminary), which is a collaborative movement that is geared towards reaching 10 million young

people over 10 years with the gospel). He is also the president of the Asian American Christian Collaborative, a pastor, and writer. Prior to his role at Fuller, Raymond served for 7+ years as

the Associate Chaplain for Discipleship at Wheaton College. He also worked in the for-profit and nonprofit sectors, and served in the Peace Corps in Panama.

He has contributed chapters to several books including “Ministers of Reconciliation: Preaching

on Race and the Gospel” (Lexham), “Confronting Racial Injustice: Theory and Praxis for the Church” (Cascade), “Preaching Romans from Here” (Wipf and Stock), with other books forthcoming.

He is currently pursuing his PhD on the intersection of Spirituality and Campus/Organizational Racial Climates. He is married to Jessica Chang.

Soteria who also goes by and is sometimes better known as “Ria” is from Central Point, Oregon in the Southern Oregon area. Ria uses she/her pronouns. Ria currently works at Options for Southern Oregon as a therapist for adolescents ages 6 to 18. Her therapeutic approach encompasses working individually with clients 1 on 1 and addressing the family and environmental systems that impact the individual. Ria is currently registered with the Oregon Board of Licensed Practical Counselor and Therapists (OBLPCT) as a Professional Therapeutic Associate. She’s also a Qualified Mental Health Practitioner (QMHP) with the Mental Health & Addiction Certification Board of Oregon (MHACBO). In addition to her professional life, Ria serves as the Crater Lake District Lay Leader for the United Methodist Oregon-Idaho Annual Conference (UMOI). Ria is passionate about her Christian identity from a personal stance. Her desire is to utilize her role and identity in the United Methodist Church to showcase love and care to others regardless of their religious affiliation and theological beliefs. Finally, and probably the most important role that Ria is passionate about is being a member of her family, as a daughter, wife, sister, and most importantly, a mother to two beautiful daughters ages three and eight.

Michael Bryant Dean, Sr., was born and raised in Portland, OR. He is married to his high school sweetheart, Dauvia, and they have 5 children (Michaela - 12, Mike Jr. - 7, and David - 5, Davien – 3, and Micah – 14mo.).

Mike has many loves, but admits that his passion is communicating the gospel of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ to both religious and irreligious people. He also has embraced his call as an agent of reconciliation and bridge-building across cultures.

Mike is a shepherd, entrepreneur, community leader, mentor, and has served in the church most prominently as a musician. Over the last 17 years he has served as the Music Director / Worship Director for a few Portland churches and Universities; teaching choirs, worship teams, and bands. He currently serves as the Lead Pastor of Eastside Imago Dei Community in Portland, OR.

As the Founder and Executive Director of Acts On Stage Theater, she have overseen its launch and development, managing strategic planning, budgeting, and day-to-day operations to ensure the theater’s mission, vision, and financial sustainability.

She have a strong background as a playwright, music director, producer, and performer, with experience in both live and studio settings as a vocalist and actor, highlighting her diverse skills in the arts.

Jess Bielman is joyfully self-employed as a consultant, teacher, advisor, writer, and strategist.

He has mentored and engaged leaders in cultural work and developed initiatives that center the voices on the margins. He has worked with scholars and practitioners to co-construct programs, curriculum, and content that analyze theological and cultural issues impacting the thriving of church and community.

Jess currently works with organizations led by people of color engaging in justice work as a white partner under their leadership. He also coaches and advises white Christian leaders about their place in culture and justice work designed to subvert white culture systems.

Jess has co-authored two books, Workshops of the Holy Spirit: An Invitation to Theological Education with Dr. Douglas Strong (Cascade Books) and A Hermeneutic of Liberation: Reading Scripture from the Margins with Dr. Leroy Barber (Voices Publishing).