Vanessa Alarcón – Aurora, Colorado … If you haven’t had the pleasure to meet my father-in-law, Pastor Jose Alarcón, here are a few words to describe him: joyful about evangelism. He has been in ministry for the last few decades and recently accepted a calling to pastor the Aurora First Seventh-day Adventist Church in Aurora. I recently had the chance to sit down and interview him.
When asked to describe himself, Jose describes himself as a pastor that loves the Lord. “I take the call that God has given me very seriously,” he remarked. “God called me for this.” Jose shared he hadn’t always accepted his call into ministry. Before studying theology, he studied to be a travel agent. When an airline would not accommodate Sabbath observance, he took that as the nudge he needed to accept God’s call. “I was being Jonah,” he chuckled as he reminisced.
Jose graduated from Atlantic Union College with two bachelor’s degrees: one in Theology and another in History. He began his ministry as the chaplain of Greater New York Academy where he taught History, Bible, and Spanish. Afterwards, he pastored in various conferences including the Northeastern Conference, Southern New England Conference, and the Central California Conference. In the midst of his pastoral ministry, he obtained his Master in Divinity from Andrews University and also served as the Hispanic coordinator and executive secretary of the Southern New England conference.
Reflecting on his time in ministry, he shared about the times he has seen the Holy Spirit work. “I can never forget how God wants his kingdom to be expanded.” While serving as a Bible worker at Atlantic Union College, Pastor Jose gave over 100 Bible Studies. “I got to see how God works through the Bible studies and see those who made decisions for baptism.”
Jose sees much value when a pastor and church work together in ministry. “To me, I see evangelism as the door to the kingdom. When members work with a pastor and create a plan to reach others, that to me is amazing to see how God uses everyone. Even the person who cleans the church, everything is geared towards [evangelism]. It’s like oil machinery.” He cited his late mentor, Pastor Francisco Ramos, who helped develop his desire for administration and evangelism. “If I have been able to help an individual stay connected or connect to Jesus, that is an amazing step. It doesn’t always have to end in a baptism, but, if they are connected with Christ, the Lord will connect that person.”
Jose is enthused about starting to work with the Aurora First church. He has an evangelism plan called EKG: Expanding the Kingdom of God, a multi-phase approach that puts in the church’s heart to expand the Kingdom of God. Future efforts include starting prayer teams, evangelism teams based on Numbers 11, and small groups. “Prayer is the launching pad for all of this; it’s like the head of the spear.”
A key characteristic of the Aurora First church is the diversity of culture among the membership. “It’s a church with people from so many different countries. I love cultures, and I’ve kept in mind how to integrate varying cultures into my sermons. The church seems excited to work, and I am here to help the church grow and expand.”
Jose has just as much enthusiasm for evangelism as he does his love for his family. Jose is married to Dina Alarcón, to whom he’s been married for the last 35 years and who he met in their hometown of Agudilla, Puerto Rico. “She’s my eighth-grade sweetheart!” Jose proudly shared. Together, they have two adult sons, Ricky, and Steven. “I had a very special and close relationship with my dad. I try to be the same kind of father for my kids. I think they recognize that I really love them.” During his free time, you could find Jose watching baseball, specifically cheering for the New York Yankees. “I have a prodigal son somewhere that’s a New York Mets fan.” I laughed, knowing he was talking about my husband, Ricky. My response was, “I know which son. I know him very well.”
While he is the newest addition to the RMC ministerial family, one thing is for sure, Jose’s warmth and enthusiasm for ministry is one I have witnessed since day one—a passion he has carried for decades of his ministry. I’m certain it will continue through his ministry at the Rocky Mountain Conference.
—Vanessa Alarcón is elder and church clerk at Boulder Adventist Church. Photo supplied.
