Rev. Benito Matos
Rooted In The City: Cultivating Presence, Nourishing Ministries
2026: This grant project seeks to guide the Damascus Church of Aguadilla congregation through a year-long process of discernment, formation, training and community engagement in order to strengthen their capacity for life-giving urban ministry. Rooted in their local context, this initiative will help them more deeply understand the needs, challenges, and opportunities present in the community, particularly among individuals and families experiencing social marginalization, emotional fatigue, and spiritual disconnection. It will also provide stability and reorientation of efforts, as they look forward as a faith-based community who embodies the Gospel in the city. They aim to move from reactive ministry to intentional, contextually informed engagement that reflects both the compassion and justice of the Gospel. The grant will support key elements such as leadership coordination, facilitators, materials, transportation, and hospitality, ensuring meaningful participation and impact. Ultimately, this initiative seeks not only to strengthen the congregation internally but also to position it as a faithful and responsive presence within the broader community, a faith community that listens well, serves intentionally, and participates in God’s restorative work in the city of Aguadilla.
Pastor Benito Matos was born in New York City to a Puerto Rican father and a Dominican mother. In 1996, he gave his life to Christ. He has preached the gospel in countries such as the Dominican Republic and Mexico, as well as in U.S. cities like New York City, Miami, and Chicago. He has been deeply involved in leadership development and community service. He is an ordained minister with the Damascus Christian Church Council. Since 2009, he has been the senior pastor of Tabernacle Damascus Christian Church. He served as president of the Damascus Christian Church Council of Puerto Rico from 2010 to 2022. He lives in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, with his wife, Dimarys González, and their children, Asiel and Yireh.
Congregations and Communities grants provide support for urban pastors, churches, faith-based community organizations, and theological institutions to share resources, ideas, and practices for life-giving ministry in cities across North America. We are truly inspired by the commitment of these churches, educational institutions, and community organizations.
I pray for the peace of my city, so that the Church may become the voice of the voiceless, the extended hand to the weak. God let us God be your body, your voice, your hands.