50th Anniversary Symposium Celebration

Guest Speakers

Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst

Ruth yearns to see peace and justice embrace in the beautiful and broken world we call home. A wife of one and mother of many, theologian, missiologist, educator, and storyteller, she has been involved in leadership development and theological education for integral mission in her native Latin America for several decades. She teaches at Western Theological Seminary and serves with the Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (CETI), a learning community with students across Latin America), and with INFEMIT (International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation). She serves on the board of A Rocha Costa Rica, the Oxford Centre for Mission Studies, and the American Society of Missiology. She lives with her husband, James, in Costa Rica as a member of Casa Adobe, an intentional Christian Community with deep concern for right living in relation to the whole of creation. Her studies include a Bachelors in Education (Argentina), an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies (Wheaton College), and a PhD in Theology (Boston University).

Diane Kantarama & Christophe Mbonyingabo

Diane is a sociologist and mental health practitioner with a Master of Arts in Counselling Psychology and extensive experience supporting families, women, and rural communities across Rwanda. As Trauma Recovery and Reconciliation Project Coordinator at Christian Action for Reconciliation and Social Assistance (CARSA), she leads initiatives that bring together genocide survivors and former perpetrators to heal from trauma, restore relationships, and build sustainable futures. For over a decade, she has guided teams facilitating Empower Trauma Rehabilitation workshops that stabilize trauma symptoms, foster resilience, and prepare participants for forgiveness and reconciliatory engagement. Diane also specializes in marital conflict resolution, addressing underlying psychological challenges and empowering couples to cultivate healthy, resilient relationships. Integrating academic training in social sciences and nursing with community-based practice, she is deeply committed to holistic healing, reconciliation, and strengthening families as foundations for lasting peace.

Christophe is a Rwandan peacebuilder and the Founder and Executive Director of Christian Action for Reconciliation and Social Assistance (CARSA), a faith-based organization in Kigali dedicated to reconciliation and community transformation after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. For over two decades, he has led innovative programs that bring together survivors and former perpetrators through trauma healing, dialogue, and livelihood initiatives, including the acclaimed “Cows for Peace” program. Christophe equips youth and community leaders as agents of peace through training in conflict transformation, restorative justice, and leadership development across Rwanda and the Great Lakes region. A sought-after speaker, he engages universities, churches, and conferences worldwide on forgiveness, justice, and Rwanda’s journey of healing. Christophe is married to Diane, and they are blessed with two boys and three girls, but their family is a home to many others.

Dr. Melba Maggay

A writer and a social anthropologist, Melba Padilla Maggay is a sought-after international speaker and consultant on culture and social development issues, particularly on the interface of religion, culture and development. She was founder and President of the Institute for Studies in Asian Church and Culture. Since 2015, she was President and now Ambassador of Micah Global, a network of about 800 faith-based development organizations worldwide.

A specialist in intercultural communication, she was research fellow on this at the University of Cambridge in the UK and has lectured on this worldwide, including a stint as Northrup Visiting Professor at Hope College, Michigan and Visiting Lecturer at All Nations Christian College in England. As a social anthropologist, she has done research and writing on cross-cultural and development studies at the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity at Calvin University, Yale University and at the National Taiwan University on a Fellowship grant working on the South China Sea issue.

As a creative writer, she writes fiction and was a three-time Palanca literary prize-winner, and won with the National Artist Bienvenido Lumbera in the zarzuela category in the CCP National Centennial Literary Competition in 1998 commemorating 100 years of Philippine Independence. She now writes on sociocultural issues for news media sites, besides serving as editor of online publications of ISACC.

José Vinces Rodríguez

José is Director of Paz y Esperanza Ecuador and Coordinator of the Paz y Esperanza International Fellowship.  As a lawyer and pastor, he has over 35 years of experience working with vulnerable populations, including people unjustly deprived of their liberty, women survivors of gender-based violence, children and adolescents who are victims of sexual abuse, and families in situations of human mobility. His work has focused on the defense of human rights and political advocacy on issues of justice and social equity. Since 2009, he has resided in Ecuador, where he founded and currently directs Paz y Esperanza Ecuador, leading comprehensive processes of protection, restoration, and community transformation in territories affected by structural violence. He is the author of educational materials on the protection and prevention of violence against children and adolescents and women. As an educator, he has taught regularly on the contributions that faith communities make to promoting justpeace. José holds an undergraduate degree in theology, with a concentration in missiology, and a master's degree in human rights.

Lalbiakhlui (Kuki) Rokhum

Lalbiakhlui Rokhum, known more popularly as Kuki, joined A Rocha International in September 2023 to lead its global Church Engagement work. From Mizoram in North East India, she previously worked for over 20 years with EFICOR (the Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief). She has a passion for integrating creation care into Christian discipleship and mission. Kuki holds a Master’s degree in Political Science from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and a BA in Intercultural and Biblical Studies from All Nations Christian College, UK. She has served on several international mission boards and has spoken at global events and institutions.

Dr. Rolando Perez Vela

Rolando is Peruvian and a member of the Paz y Esperanza Association, where he serves as director of the Paz y Esperanza Institute. For over 20 years, he has been training and advising leaders of Latin American churches and evangelical organizations on embodying integral mission through human rights advocacy. He holds a PhD in Sociology from the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP) and a MA in Communication Research from the University of Colorado. He is a professor in the Department of Communications at PUCP and a researcher in the field of media and religion. His scholarship focuses on public religion and social movements. Rolando has served on the Board of the Micah Global Network.  Presently, he serves on the Board of the Latin American Association of Social Sciences of Religion and as the Latin American representative on the Board of the International Network for Christian Higher Education.