About Mission ABQ
Serving Albuquerque's International District and South Valley since 1999.
Our mission
Mission ABQ is a non-profit organization, established in 1999, to bring hope to a community in need, helping people turn the corner from a place of need to a place of service to others. We do this by 1) Meeting people at their point of need (meeting real and felt needs), 2) Providing education and training in areas of need to bring individuals to a place of health and wholeness, and 3) Empowering people to care for and meet the needs of others.
A Compassionate Ministry Center of the Church of the Nazarene.
Turning the corner
Most people come to us in crisis. The path we walk with them runs from dependence, to independence, to serving others. Many of our staff are former participants.
Our three-part impact
The vision grows outward — from the people we meet, to the neighborhoods we serve, to the churches we equip.
People
Everything begins with one person — a single mom walking in for the first time, a refugee family in a new country, a child in our preschool. Our programs work together, so a family that comes for groceries can also find childcare, showers, and job training.
We don't stop at the crisis. Through classes at the Mission Training Center, counseling, and on-site support where people live, we walk with each person toward stability, health, and wholeness — until they're ready to serve others. Many of our staff first came to us in a place of need themselves.
Community
When we help someone turn the corner, they don't just leave need behind — they start serving their own neighbors. They become volunteers, staff members, and leaders right here — and the neighborhood feels that change right away.
You can see it across our programs. Former participants now serve as staff, volunteers, and leaders, walking alongside the next family who comes through the door. At Spring Break Day Camp 2026, 14 of our 16 teen volunteers had grown up in Mission ABQ programs themselves. When neighbors are served by people who share their story, trust grows — and the whole community grows stronger with it.
We've been rooted in the International District and South Valley for over two decades, and we're not going anywhere.
The church
Churches that serve their communities in real, tangible ways grow. The church in America often appears to be dying — in many cases because it's holed up in a holy huddle, waiting for heaven, while the community around it never sees a people who love like Jesus loved and heal and serve like Jesus did.
Mission ABQ has grown up alongside Sandia Church of the Nazarene, and we want to help churches move beyond their walls.
Partner with us
We believe the two greatest needs of new churches — and existing ones — are leaders and facilities in the communities they want to serve.
Our hope is to train and employ compassionate leaders, and to help develop facility plans that allow for shared use and community impact while also giving new churches a place to meet.
Partner churches get 25+ years of experience in community development, program design, volunteer mobilization, and cross-cultural ministry — what's worked for us, shared with you.
Compassionate leaders
Training — and employing — leaders through the Mission Training Center who love and serve their neighbors.
Shared facilities
Facility plans built for shared use and community impact, with room for a new church to meet.
Serve together
Bring a team for a service day, a mission trip, or Spring Break Day Camp — and see what serving your community can look like.
The need
of International District residents live below the poverty line — nearly three times the national average.
local children is food insecure. New Mexico ranks 4th worst in the nation for childhood food insecurity.
residents in the South Valley (87105), which we also serve from our 17-acre campus.
Our team
Our directors lead their own programs, and most of them have walked the same road as the people they serve. Many first came to Mission ABQ as volunteers or participants.
Dr. Pete Myers
Executive DirectorCynthia Myers
Kingdom Builders DirectorBianca Rivas
Family Programs DirectorRebekah Guardiola-Landry
Resident Services & Resource Center DirectorJames Landry
Operations Director · Learning & Community Gardens DirectorPatti Rivas
Mission Training Center DirectorJoe Guzman
Facilities DirectorRaquel (Kelli) Ulibarri
Admin & Finance DirectorBecoming our own nonprofit
Mission ABQ began in 1999 as its own nonprofit. Along the way it merged with Albuquerque Sandia Church of the Nazarene, and several of Sandia's ministries became part of Mission ABQ. Now, as the work has grown — licensed childcare, housing partnerships, grants, and two campuses — we're spinning Mission ABQ back off to stand on its own again, with its own board, finances, and accountability.
The corporation, Mission Albuquerque (doing business as Mission ABQ), stays rooted in the Church of the Nazarene and closely connected to Sandia Church and Valley Church.
Nothing changes for the people we serve. Same programs, same campuses, same staff.
Last updated October 2026
Where we are
- Articles and Bylaws draftedDone
- Board Membership Committee formed
Done - Founding board
In progress - Church boards endorse the board slateNext
- File with the NM Secretary of StateNext
- First board meeting
Next - Apply for IRS 501(c)(3) statusThen
- Long-term facilities agreement with Sandia ChurchThen
Our partners
We don't do this alone. These partners make the work possible.
Albuquerque Sandia Church of the Nazarene
Our partner church at ABQ Central. Sandia shares the Central Avenue campus with us, provides volunteers, and serves Sunday breakfast alongside Mission ABQ.
Visit websiteAlbuquerque South Valley Church of the Nazarene
Our partner church on the South Valley campus at 2315 Markham Rd SW, where food boxes go out every Sunday after worship.
New Mexico District, Church of the Nazarene
Recognizes Mission ABQ as a Compassionate Ministry Center and connects us with Nazarene churches across the state — including partners for Spring Break Day Camp.
Visit website
YES Housing, Inc.
An Albuquerque nonprofit that has built and revitalized affordable housing since 1990. Our Resident Services coordinators work on-site at five YES Housing communities.
Visit website
Adelante Desert Harvest
Adelante Development Center's food rescue program. Rescued groceries from Desert Harvest supply much of the food we distribute each week.
Visit websiteBeyond Borders Ministries
An all-volunteer, faith-based ministry serving at-risk youth and survivors of trafficking. They serve the Thursday community dinner at ABQ Central with us.
Visit website
Shine Partnership
Equips churches to build capacity in schools and their neighborhoods through long-term partnership. Our partner for Getting Ahead classes.
Visit website
Formation Counseling Services
A Christian counseling ministry that has served Albuquerque for decades, offering counseling at ABQ Central and other locations around the city.
Visit website
NM ECECD Childcare Bureau
Licenses Kingdom Builders as a 5-Star child care center and supports families through New Mexico's child care assistance program.
Visit websiteNM ECECD Family Nutrition Bureau
Runs the Child and Adult Care Food Program, which helps provide healthy meals for the children at Kingdom Builders.
Visit websiteReports & financial transparency
Every year an independent CPA firm audits our financial statements. You deserve to see where your money, time, and trust go — and questions are always welcome.
Our fiscal year runs May through April.