VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS)-Rev. Mayra Castañeda will leave National Ministries to answer God's call to focus on equipping, teaching and preaching among and with God's people in a local church setting, especially in ministry to children and families. Her last day is March 31. Castañeda most recently has served as national Christian education coordinator-children and families and Hispanic education. "We all know Mayra to be a deeply committed woman of God with a passion for service, discipleship, children, the Hispanic community and those who have been underserved and marginalized by society," observed Rev. Marilyn Turner, associate executive director, program ministries. "Mayra's gifts and graces are significant and her presence with us has been a blessing." Castañeda began serving American Baptist churches and regions with the Board of Educational Ministries in fall 2000. Working with a team of like-minded colleagues, she advanced holistic discipleship to nurture and grow deepened, equipped and ministering Christians. In 2003, Castañeda joined National Ministries to work in the areas of education, training and resource development for discipleship. Her role has included consulting with churches and regions and offering practical tools to empower them to become disciple-making faith communities. Rev. Castañeda has also coordinated and facilitated regional conferences for Hispanic pastors and lay leaders. Facilitating seminars and workshops in children's faith development and nurture has been particularly rewarding for Castañeda. She said, "Words fail to express the joy and gratitude my heart has felt when a faith community tells me that their whole church has changed, because, by paying attention to relationships with children, they have recognized the need to build loving and accountable relationships among adults, youth and the faith community as a whole, where God's presence is felt." Castañeda was instrumental in creating The Pebble newsletter for children's ministers. Since the first issue in spring/summer 2002, it has been well-received and continually meets with positive feedback. In her role as editor of the Spanish Planning Guide for Disciple-Making congregations, Castañeda helped create a contextualized resource for Hispanic churches by using Hispanic contributors and having a Hispanic graphic designer develop its Latino look.
Andrew C. Jayne American Baptist Churches, USA Mission Resource Development http://www.abc-usa.org/