Jose Tony Arias has joined the pastoral staff of the Las Vegas Mountain View church as an associate pastor to collegues Denny Krause, senior pastor, and Marco Quarteroli, youth pastor.

Arias came to Southern California as a young child from El Salvador where he grew up in an Adventist family. He is the oldest of five children, and he learned early in life how to care for others, a skill vital to his ministry today.

Arias attended La Sierra University, graduating in 1995 with a degree in ministerial studies. During his senior year at La Sierra, the Arizona Conference offered him a pastoring position. He prayerfully accepted the call, happy to convert a long-distance relationship with his fiancee, Mistee, who lived in Arizona, into a short-term engagement and a wonderful marriage.

Shortly after they were married, the newlyweds headed for training at Andrew's University Theological Seminary. While in Michigan, Arias experienced the joy of planting a Spanish church during an evangelistic series which he translated into Spanish for an attendee who didn't speak English.

Upon completion of his Master of Divinity degree in 1998, the Ariases returned to Arizona where Tony entered full-time ministry as an associate pastor of the Phoenix Camelback church. They then moved to the Stafford-Wilcox district where Tony served as senior pastor.

Tony and Mistee and their two children, one-year old Samlina May and two-year old Eric are happy to join the Mountain View church were they have been warmly welcomed.