Walking Through the Valley: Cosas Chaplain Ordination

My work as a chaplain is a constant reminder that Jesus walks with us in the green pastures as well as in the darkest valleys,” Chaplain Javi Casas said, reflecting on Psalm 23:4, which serves as the base for his ministry. “I get to join Jesus in the sacred work of making sure that families don’t walk alone in their valleys.”

In reflecting on his ministry, Chaplain Javi Casas gives a lot of credit to his wife. “I would not be here without the support of my wife, Monique,” he said. “She has been by my side from the beginning and has gone on this journey with me through the ups and downs. We have prayed together over many life-changing decisions.”

Casas also credits his parents for placing him on a path for success. “My parents sacrificed so much so that I could go to an Adventist school,” he said. “I thank God that He gave me to God-fearing parents.”

Graduating from Pacific Union College with a theology degree, he began serving as a pastor in the Southern California Conference for several years. Chaplain Casas then attended Andrews University and obtained his Master of Divinity, returning to California in 2019. But a pull toward chaplaincy has always been present in his ministry.

“God opened the doors for me to come to Phoenix and serve as a chaplain at Phoenix Children’s Hospital in 2021,” he said. He was recently promoted to be the Spiritual Care Program Coordinator for the hospital.

On May 31, Chaplain Casas was ordained in a special ceremony in the Arizona Conference atrium.

By Jeff Rogers

Commission and Ordain: Celebrating Sacred Callings

On Sabbath, June 17, Pastors Melanie Cruz and Mike Soto were officially welcomed into ministry for the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Taking place on the main stage at the Arizona Conference Camp Meeting at Camp Yavapines in Prescott, Arizona, the two pastors were surrounded by family and colleagues as they received their charge from Arizona Conference administrators.

Pastor Melanie Cruz has lived a life of ministry. She has spent many years as pastor’s wife and children’s ministries coordinator at both the conference and division level. Beginning a life of ministry alongside her husband, Pastor Manny Cruz, she has worked with and for young people for 29 years. In 2017, she was called into pastoral ministry as the children and youth associate pastor at Phoenix Camelback church in Scottsdale, Arizona. After much prayer and consideration, she saw how God opened door after door, which removed any doubt from her mind that this was the direction He wanted for her life.

Although it began as support for her husband in his ministry, her ministry journey took its own path in children’s ministry—first for the Texico Conference and then for the North American Division. When she accepted the call to the Camelback church, her journey took another turn. Now the two Pastor Cruzes work together in ministry in the Arizona Conference.

“I greatly appreciate working with loving members and with our pastoral teams,” she said.

“Although I was assigned to mentor Melanie as a new pastor, she has ministered to me,” said John Stanton, senior pastor of the Phoenix Camelback church. “My own ministry at Camelback has been richer and more rewarding because of her amazing ability to bless people around her with her wisdom and discernment, both in spiritual things and in life as a whole.”

“The foundation of my ministry is Christ,” Pastor Melanie Cruz said. “He is my Good Shepherd. I look to Him for companionship, guidance, and direction. In Him I live, move, and have my being.”

Pastor Mike Soto was a pastor’s kid growing up. His earliest memories are of his father, Joel, pastoring in the Los Angeles area while his mother was the business manager for Loma Linda Academy. Being a pastor’s kid, Soto moved several times throughout his childhood, exposing him to many facets of Adventist ministry across the United States. Education played a pivotal role in his life. A graduate of Blue Mountain Academy and Washington Adventist University, he obtained his master’s from La Sierra University in the fall of 2022. He was able to celebrate receiving his master’s degree along with his wife, Areille, who received her bachelor’s degree in nursing. Called to the Tempe church in the fall of 2022, Pastor Soto has used the church’s proximity to Arizona State University to begin an Adventist Student Club.

Rosemary Abrahams serves as the Tempe church clerk and sees firsthand the impact Pastor Soto has made on the church. “He is a visionary and a planner and has built bridges to our community with his new evangelistic ideas for today’s church,” she said. “He is also servant leader and ministers the love of God not only with his words but with his life.”

By Jeff Rogers