The Rev. E. Patricia Avila
Assistant to the Bishop for Congregational Life and Evangelism
Ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament, ELCA
Mission Developer | Latino Ministry Leader | Immigration Advocate
Rev. Avila was born in Guatemala City and is of Mayan, Aztec, European Latina, and Palestinian heritage. She migrated to the U.S. in 1989 and worked as a paralegal specializing in immigration law.
In 1998, she completed the Diakonia program (Spanish track) and was set apart as a Synodical Deacon and Latino Evangelist with the Metropolitan New York Synod. She earned her theological credentials through the TEEM program at United Lutheran Seminary, graduating in 2006, and was ordained in 2017.
Since 2017, she has served as Mission Developer of Misión Latina de Ascensión at Ascension Lutheran Church in Deer Park, NY, leading a growing and diverse Latinx congregation. Her ministry centers on immigrant advocacy, evangelism, and the empowerment of Latino communities on Long Island.