About Us

In 2019, the Apex UMC Family of Faith created a Racial Equity Bridge Team made up of representatives from each campus. Their goal is to amplify the voice of non-white brothers and sisters within and beyond our walls in all matters that impact our congregations. This includes guiding, educating, coordinating and providing accountability within our congregations to proactively dismantle racism.

Our team, made up of members from each of our campuses, believes that our Parish can embody a vision where racism and all forms of discrimination, bigotry and prejudice will be replaced by an all-inclusive spirit of sisterhood and brotherhood.

Please consider using the prayer below (provided in English and Spanish) to help guide your prayers in the coming days and weeks.

To support the work of our team or learn more, contact us at rebt@apexumcfamily.org.

All people should be treated with dignity and have equal access to what life has to offer regardless of their skin color, ethnicity, culture, language, or heritage. Unfortunately, this is not the case. We have inherited centuries of systemic racial inequities that disadvantage Black, Indigenous and People of Color. It is time we end racism. This task will not be easy. We will not see this completed in our lifetime. Yet, that is our call as Christians and as people of good conscience.

Why should those who are not marginalized care about equity challenges? In his Letter from Birmingham, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote “all men are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” COVID19 has clearly shown to our generation that more than ever we find ourselves inextricably connected. Nations, regions, communities and individuals share a linked fate. Racial inequality results in Black, Indigenous and People of Color unable to reach their potential. Disparities ultimately make all of us more vulnerable in a complex and interdependent world. To engage in equity work is the work of strengthening our ties, championing restorative justice, and developing an equity lens to take an equity stance on behalf of God’s children.

Pastor José Luis Villaseñor, Fiesta Cristiana

José Luis Villaseñor has been the Pastor for Fiesta Cristiana since it started as a mission of Apex UMC in 2008. He is an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. He has an M.Div. from Duke Divinity School and a Teaching Degree in Theology from Universidad Centroamericana “José Simeon Cañas” (San Salvador, El Salvador). Prior to serving as a pastor, he worked on the Church Relations team of Habitat for Humanity International as Director of Global Church Partnerships. He has also worked in prison ministry, farm worker ministry, and with underserved youth in rural communities in his home country of El Salvador. José Luis is currently focused on building the capacity of Fiesta Cristiana to respond to the challenges of Hispanic/Latino families and to develop an equity lens in the work of ministry.

Bryana Clover, Consultant

Bryana is a Michigan-native, currently residing in Raleigh, North Carolina. She recently left her full-time position in Agribusiness to pursue the important work of educating and advocating for racial equity in the workplace, and faith communities. As a bi-racial woman with a Black racial identity, her lived experience working and worshiping in predominantly White communities, has cultivated within her an intense passion for creating brave spaces to have tough conversations about race. Outside of racial equity work, Bry enjoys reading, movie-watching, and hiking with her husband, Troy, her son, Emmett, and their dog-daughter, Zoey.

Mark Molitor, 519

Mark Molitor is a leadership development consultant. He designs leadership programs, instructs in them, consults with teams, and coaches executives. He believes that having an equity lens – regarding race, gender, sexual orientation, and other-- is an essential component to effective leadership. He also believes that as followers of Christ, we in the church should be at the forefront of creating a more equitable society.

Pastor Amanda Rigby, The Peak

Amanda is originally from San Antonio, Texas. She graduated with a Masters of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School in 2019 and was assigned as the Associate Pastor of The Peak Church in 2020. Throughout her time in seminary, Amanda had the opportunity to learn from and work with refugees in Durham, NC, and to learn alongside inmates in a preaching class hosted inside of a state penitentiary. These experiences helped ignite a passion for justice and equity work within Amanda, who loves working with the REBT Team. Outside of ministry work, Amanda enjoys reading, writing, running, traveling, and taking walks with her dog, Dobby.

Claudia Tsiaousopoulos, Fiesta Cristiana

Claudia was born and raised in Mexico. She has been living in the USA for 20 years where she formed a family with her greek-american husband and 2 children; Leonardo and Angela. She has a degree in Early Childhood Education and certifications in Mental Health and Life/Parent Coaching. Claudia has worked for more than 15 years in non-profit organizations, helping families and the majority of them have been hispanic, immigrating from different countries. Her passion is to help and provide resources to parents so they can have a better life for themselves and their children. Immigrating herself from Mexico helps her understand and empathize with people from other cultures. "From an early age, society gives us stereotypes that are so wrong!". For the last couple of years she started a journey of Faith; she works as a Family Ministries Coordinator at Fiesta Cristiana and she also has her own coaching business. Claudia strongly believes that we are all the same in our creator's eyes.

Joy Burnett, The Peak

Joy is a part-time paralegal, a full-time wife and mother to three daughters, and a 24-7 advocate for those without power or position. She is the descendant of Irish and Italian immigrants and is learning to find the balance between her independent streak and her passion for making things better for her community. Joy loves to travel and learn from other cultures and in her less-busy moments, enjoys reading and messing around in the garden. While she worships with the Peak when in town, Joy’s true church is found on the shores of the ocean. Someday she wants to make pasta from scratch, but she knows there are more important things to do in life for now.

Oz Franco, Fiesta Cristiana

Oz was born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Florida. During his Christmas break as a freshman in college he took his oath of US citizenship. He has a degree in Electrical Engineering and has been working in the business for 30 years. He is married and the father of five. He has lived in the Raleigh area for over 20 years. His passion is family, music, and the marginalized. He understands that the best country in the world remains relevant and still able to change lives for the better.

Beth Rosko, Apex UMC

Beth has been a long-time member of the Apex Family of Faith community and recently retired from teaching. One of the things she most appreciates about AUMC specifically, and the UMC in general, is their willingness to talk about and deal with difficult issues. While we may not always agree, we are always willing to listen and learn. Beth was called to mission work locally and nationally in 2000 and to Africa in 2005. Her work and experience with people of different backgrounds, socio-economic status, and racial and cultural differences has had a huge impact on her faith, her family, her social outlook and her passion for advocating for people who are different from her. She and her husband are looking forward to, "traveling with a purpose" and working with Habitat RV Care-A-Vanners and UMCOR Nomads.