Twelve Seventh-day Adventist Church pastors were ordained into the gospel ministry at the Keene Seventh-day Adventist Church in Keene, Texas, on Sabbath, November 5, 2022.
“The heavens were rejoicing today,” Elton DeMoraes, president of the Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, shared following the service. “It was wonderful seeing so many being ordained and ready to continue sharing the love of Jesus with others.” DeMoraes was also delighted to see so many pastors he’d hired prior to becoming the Texas Conference president.
During the service, sponsors read bios highlighting the ministry journey of each candidate. Many had traveled a windy road leading up to the ordination process, but God providentially guided them to this moment, as only He can.
Ordination candidates included Emmanuel Abar, pastor of the Houston United African Seventh-day Adventist Church; John Arana, pastor of the Austin New Beginning and Austin Spanish Central Seventh-day Adventist Churches; Javier Bonilla, pastor of the Houston Spanish South and Houston Spanish Magnolia Park Seventh-day Adventist Churches; Leaquim Caitano, pastor of the College Station Seventh-day Adventist Church; Pedro De La Cruz, Texas Conference Planned Giving & Trust Services trust officer for central and south Texas; Mark Dubon, pastor of the Groves Community, Groves Spanish and Orange Seventh-day Adventist Churches; Jordan Fowler, pastor of the San Antonio Immanuel, Seguin and San Antonio Valley View Seventh-day Adventist Churches; Enoc Garcia, associate pastor of the Dallas First Seventh-day Adventist Church; Eusebio Lima, pastor of the Longview Spanish, Henderson Spanish and Marshall Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Churches; Uzziel Maldonado, Texas Conference Planned Giving & Trust Services associate director and trust officer for north Texas; Michael Musante, associate pastor of the Cleburne First Seventh-day Adventist Church; and Fenades Obinchu, pastor of the Dallas International and Dallas New Life Seventh-day Adventist Churches.*
Texas Conference executive officers Elton DeMoraes, president, David Montoya, secretary, Randy Terry, treasurer/chief financial officer, along with Texas Conference Ministry & Evangelism personnel Nathan L. Krause, vice president, and Tom Grove, associate director, presented the ordination candidates with a certificate, ministerial credentials and personalized framed picture of an Ellen G. White quote. Tony Anobile, Sr., Southwestern Union Conference vice president for Church Ministries, joined the service participants and presented the newly ordained pastors with a personalized communion kit.
Following the ordination presentation, Alessandra DeMoraes, Texas Conference Ministerial Spouses volunteer coordinator, encouraged the pastors’ wives to follow the guidance of Ellen G. White regarding a spouse’s role in pastoral ministry. Mary Montoya, whose husband is the Texas Conference executive secretary, assisted DeMoraes in presenting each spouse with a gift.
A passage from Musante’s bio captures a sentiment probably felt by all of the newly ordained pastors: “Fueled with the Holy Spirit and a fervent desire to teach and preach God’s everlasting gospel, Musante seeks appointments to deliver Bible studies and engage in speaking engagements that will forge and reforge the spiritual life of others. ‘Today may be the only time we have to make a conscious decision for salvation,’” Musante shares. “‘Don’t wait for tomorrow to give your heart to Christ.’”
The Villania family, musical guests for the ordination service, ended the program with a fitting number, “Find Us Faithful.”
The November 2022 ordination service is available for viewing on the TexasAdventist Facebook page or the TexasAdventist YouTube channel. Find photographs from the service on the TexasAdventist Flickr account.
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Tamara Michalenko Terry is an associate director for Communication & Public Relations for the Texas Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.
* An additional candidate, Eric Louw, was ordained on September 17, 2022, at the Fairview Mosaic Christian Fellowship Seventh-day Adventist Church, before he left to further his studies.
