san salvador ministerial staff
Mauricio Lagos, Administrative Director of the Seminary
Mauricio, born on November 10, 1957, in San Salvador, was the youngest of four children raised by teacher parents, which naturally fostered his love for academics. Growing up in a home divided between Catholic tradition and atheism, he never developed strong religious convictions until the civil war confronted him with the reality of death and the urgency of eternity. In 1986, an invitation to a Bible study led by Julio Contreras and Nelson Rivas sparked a lifelong friendship and ultimately his decision to follow Christ in 1987. Mauricio began his walk with the Lord at Miramonte Baptist Church, and when Julio shared his vision for founding Vida Nueva, Mauricio moved his membership and became one of its founding members in 1991. Since then, he has faithfully served in discipleship, life groups, the Leadership Development Institute, as a deacon, and currently holds a staff position as the Administrative Director of the Seminary. He holds degrees in Civil Engineering and a Master of Divinity from Vida Nueva’s Theological Seminary. Mauricio married Patty in August 1990, and together they have one son, Samuel (born April 1999).
Miguel zepeda, children’s pastor
Miguel grew up as the oldest of three brothers in a nominal Catholic home with no genuine relationship with God. Limited exposure to Scripture, the poor testimony of some believers, and his academic curiosity led him toward skepticism and a negative view of Christianity, convinced that if God existed, He must be very different from what religion portrayed. His academic and professional achievements deepened his pride and self‑reliance—until 2012, when friends invited him to Judgment House at Vida Nueva. There he encountered the reality of a God of perfect love and justice, whose holiness made clear that no human effort could earn heaven. That night, Miguel surrendered his life to Jesus and began a sincere journey of understanding his new faith. While attending another church, he reconnected with Diana, a former school classmate, and in 2017 they began attending Vida Nueva together, seeking a church committed to spiritual growth and biblical community. They married in 2020 and have served faithfully in children’s ministry, evangelism, discipleship, and more. They are also registered foster parents, dedicated to giving children at risk the love, stability, and protection of a Christ‑centered home. Miguel joined the Vida Nueva staff on April 1, 2022, first as Director of Outreach, strengthening the church’s evangelistic culture and developing initiatives to present the Gospel clearly to non‑believers. In July 2025, he became Vida Nueva’s Children’s Pastor. Miguel and Diana have one daughter, Dianita.
Alejandra Peña, Children’s Ministry Assistant Director
Alejandra “Titi” Peña was born into a Christian home on June 18, 1988, and had the privilege of growing up in the church. At 15 she trusted Christ as her Lord and Savior. Soon thereafter she began serving in AWANAS. She has always loved children. In 2010 she became the coordinator for Children’s Ministries at Vida Nueva’s Hotel Campus. Titi also loves Christian Camps and in 2017 became a Certified Christian Camp Leader. She also loves to learn and in 2016 graduated from Vida Nueva’s IDEM program. Upon graduation from the Leadership Development Institute, she accepted the position of AWANA director for the Vida Nueva Miralvalle Campus. At that point, her dream to serve full time was born! The Lord answered her prayer and since June 2020, Titi has been on staff, full time, serving as Vida Nueva’s Children’s Ministry Assistant Director.
Angel Perez, Director of Production
Angel was born into a non-Christian home in San Salvador on December 8, 1988. Growing up in a broken home was hard, but at age 9, he was invited to play soccer at a church where he heard God’s Word preached for the very first time and decided to receive Christ as his Lord and Savior. At 11, he began to learn music at his church. Piano and drums are his strong suites, both of which he plays to this day. At 16, Angel received a scholarship to finish High School. He went on to complete 3 years of a college level Industrial Engineering program. At age 22, Angel met Nathy, the young lady who would become his wife (married in October 2017). He knew it was time to get serious about God. A very close friend, Erick Fuentes, invited Angel to Vida Nueva, which became his new church home. Angel began to grow and serve from the very beginning. Since December 2018 he has been on staff at Vida Nueva. For two years he was the Academic Assistant to the New Life Baptist Seminary. Since mid-2020, Angel has the Director of Digital Production for Vida Nueva. Angel and Nathy have one daughter, Luisa, born in March 2021.
Erick Fuentes, Director of Praise and Worship
Erick was born into a Christian home on October 19, 1982. His father was a strong believer and pastor of a church. Erick trusted Christ as his Lord and Savior at the age of 14. His first big discovery in life was his love and talent for music. He joined the school band and his church’s Praise and Worship team. His last year in high school was special because he met his future wife, Lila Hernandez. Lila attended Vida Nueva, served in Children’s Ministries, and invited Erick to come with her to church. He came and stayed! He quickly got connected with youth ministry as he participated in the Praise and Worship for the annual youth camp. It is here he fell in love with serving in youth ministry. Soon Erick was leading the 13–15-year-old youth, then two years later the 15–18-year-old group. In March of 2013 Erick and Lila were married and in August of that same year, Erick joined Vida Nueva’s staff full time. From 2013 until the present, Erick has served as the Director of Praise and Worship for Vida Nueva’s San Salvador campuses. He has also served as the Apopa Campus Pastor for a short period of time. Erick and Lila have two daughters, Annie Sofia (February 2015) and Daniela Belen (December 2018), and one son, Matias (February 2023).
Alejandro Rivera, Evangelism Coordinator
Alejandro, or “Compi” as he is called by his friends, is the youngest of 3, born into a catholic home in San Salvador, El Salvador on July 25, 1987. As a child he had the opportunity to attend a Christian Church. At the age of 8 he received Jesus as his Lord and Savior. A close family friend and neighbor, Guillermo Hernandez, invited him and his family to Vida Nueva. From that day forward, Alejandro was a part of Vida Nueva. In 2007, Alejandro discovered his love for missions during his first (of many) missionary trip to Managua, Nicaragua. As time progressed Alejandro has added discipleship, IDEM leader, Deacon, and New Life Christian School class pastor to his list of responsibilities. Alejandro has been a member of the Vida Nueva staff since March of 2015 and is primarily responsible for Evangelism and Digital Production. Alejandro and Wendy (married in December 2015) have three sons, Andre Alejandro (February 2018) and Santiago Alessandro (May 2021) and Luca Emmanuel (August 2024).
OBED CORNEJO, COORDINATOR FOR MINISTERIAL OPERATIONS
Obed, the eldest of 4 siblings, was born on April 18, 1990, in San Salvador, into a Christian family actively serving the Lord. From a very young age, he felt the call to ministry and a deep desire to serve God. In February 2021, Obed and his family joined Vida Nueva, where he and his wife began serving as leaders in one of the youth structures as well as in the Praise ministry of Campus Miralvalle. Since September 2024, he has served as the Coordinator of Ministerial Operations.
Obed and his wife (2015), Nohemy, or “Mimi” as she is affectionately known, share a passion for ministry. Mimi is also a teacher at New Life Christian School. Together they have two daughters, Eliette, b. 2017, and Alena, b. 2020. Both are wonderful gifts from the Lord.