September 11 Today in OPC History

Born in Puerto Rico on this date, Diana Bonilla as a toddler moved with her family to Brooklyn, New York, then returned to the island when she was nine. Diana and two of her brothers became involved in a local Pentecostal church, where she met Carlos Cruz Moya. They married on June 19, 1982. Both Diana and Carlos had a thirst for knowing the truth and sought answers in the Scriptures. They studied at Instituto Biblico Mizpa, a Pentecostal theological school. As they began to understand the doctrines of grace, they searched for a church that taught the Reformed faith. In 2007, Carlos established a fifty-member independent Reformed church in San Juan. They learned about the Orthodox Presbyterian Church through their friend, Milton Villanueva, pastor of Primera Iglesia Presbiteriana Ortodoxa Jesús es la Verdad, an OP church in San Juan. Through Milton they met Ben Alvira, a Puerto Rican-born OP minister in New Jersey. Carlos and Diana’s congregation was received into the OP through the Presbytery of New Jersey in 2007. Carlos was received as an OP minister by the presbytery after the 75th General Assembly was consulted about his ministerial credentials. He was installed as the congregation’s pastor on September 28, 2008.

Ministering in a land where Catholicism and Pentecostalism are predominant has been a challenge to Carlos and Diana. Yet many of the young people seek to live godly lives. Carlos teaches theology classes in a seminary founded by their church and for a time they both ran a Spanish literature ministry. She also reads the news and handles phone calls for a radio station where Carlos brings a message. Diana and the women in her church meet with those from an OP mission work about 100 kilometers away, reading and discussing books to strengthen their faith. They are thankful to have been led to a denomination that is faithful to Scripture.

Former Ugandan missionary Kathleen Curto wrote more about Diana Cruz in Choosing the Good Portion: Women of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, which is available on OPC.ORG here.

Picture: Diana and Carlos Cruz