Pastor Carlos Ortiz immigrated to the U.S. from Colombia in 1986. “Once I was in the United States, I was given the opportunity to study and become a pastor,” Pastor Ortiz explains. “So that’s what I did.” And he still sees this as the best way to help the many faith communities he works with, including Israel—itself a land of immigrants and people of faith.
His dedicated work through the decades has helped mend and nurture the relationship between Latin American countries and Israel, and earned him recognition as Ambassador of Goodwill by the state of Israel in 2016, and as one of the “50 Most Influential Israel Supporters” in the world by Israel Allies in 2020.
Carlos has brought this faith and friendship to The Fellowship, serving as Church Outreach Director—which has allowed him to visit Fellowship projects and beneficiaries in the Holy Land, to bring their stories and their truths to the Christians he ministers to, and to continue building bridges of fellowship between Christians and Jews, including a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.