Roberto Alvarez, a Seventh-day Adventist for only six months, preached his first evangelistic series in October. He was one of four lay members of the Fresno Hispanic church to participate in simultaneous meetings. But with 10 years of ministerial experience, preaching was not new to Alvarez—only the message was. Alvarez is a former Catholic priest.

“I love preaching,” he says. “As I was preparing and studying the presentations, I was able to savor them. It was fascinating.”

Pastor Antonio Huerta met Alvarez on a weekday when Alvarez stopped at the church for a visit. “He inquired about our church and when we had services,” Huerta recalls. “He wanted to know what we believed.”

Alvarez gladly accepted Huerta’s offer of the book The Great Controversy and Bible studies. “When he finished reading it he said ‘Yep, this is right.’ He embraced the truths he was learning.” He also offered his services as a pianist, teaching lessons and playing when needed.

A Journey of Faith

“Ever since I was little I was always attracted to God,” he says about his childhood in Guadalajara, Mexico. But instead of seeking the seminary, he attended the local university, earning a degree in music. “I felt like going to seminary was for very special people—not me.”

But his church remained the center of his life. He loved working with youth and he led music groups, taught catechism classes and held youth encounters while earning his living as a piano teacher.

He was 40 years old when he finally inquired about attending the seminary. He was readily accepted and became a priest.

Years later doubts began to grow in Father Alvarez’s mind. “The process is that you share your doubts with those in a higher position,” he explains. He went through psychological therapy to help clarify his questions about himself.

He moved to the United States, his father’s country, to serve as an interim priest for the Fresno area Catholic churches, holding mass when needed. But his heart wasn’t in it. And his search continued.

Courageous Decision

His baptism in March 2007 was a culmination of one life and the beginning of another.

“Before he was baptized, he said, ‘Pastor, I am resigning from my church, my job and my family’s faith.’ Then I realized how courageous he was,” Huerta says.

“Of all the churches that I’ve visited, this one is very serious on the doctrinal sense of the Word of God,” he explains about the Adventist church. “This church has helped me fill a lot of void that I had inside of me. In spite of all the education that I’ve had, I’ve learned a lot more in the few months I’ve been in this church.”

He is already an active church member, teaching an adult Sabbath School class, volunteering where there is a need and looking forward to preaching another outreach series.

“I don’t have the words to explain how I feel inside. It is an honor to be a Seventh-day Adventist. My whole life is more enthusiastic. I am complete,” says Alvarez.