Washington, D.C.–Bread for the World welcomes Bishop Jose Garcia as the new director of church relations. Garcia succeeds Rev. Gary Cook, who retired in February from the position.
“Faith motivates all of the work that we do here; it permeates our calls to Congress, it brings us together to help the least of these, and drives us to continue to work for a world without hunger,” said Rev. David Beckmann, president of Bread for the World. “We are excited to have someone who brings a wealth of experience to the position and truly recognizes the relationship between faith and hunger.”
Garcia just completed a 10-year appointment as California State Presiding Bishop for the Church of God of Prophecy, a worldwide Pentecostal denomination with thousands of churches. He was responsible for the organizational structure, implementation, and administration of all ministries in California.
“Church engagement has been at the core of Bread since the beginning,” said Beckmann. “Understanding faith and legislation is key to helping hungry and poor people. With Bishop Garcia, I am happy to say that we have found someone who embodies this understanding.”
Prior to his most recent appointment, Garcia served as the executive director of the National Hispanic Religious Partnership for Community Health. There, he assisted Hispanic religious organizations in an ecumenical approach to partner with the federal government and private organizations to address disparities in health, social, and economic status.
A native of Puerto Rico, Garcia received his master’s degree in public health education from the Graduate School of Public Health in San Juan.
