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Pastor Cesar Grassiotto, now serving as the Senior Pastor at Dallas First SDA Church, has dedicated over 17 years to ministry, with a deep passion for serving children, students, and young adults.
Before joining the Dallas First SDA Church, Pastor Cesar served as Ministries Director at NTCA, where he discovered that education and spiritual growth are powerful tools for transformation. His journey in ministry has also included roles as a youth pastor at five different churches and as the senior pastor of the Highland View Academy Church. During his time at Highland View, he played a pivotal role in organizing the school’s campus ministry, which allowed him to collaborate closely with the school Chaplain, staff, and students. These experiences were instrumental in preparing him for his current role in Dallas.
Pastor Cesar’s academic background is as impressive as his ministerial experience. Growing up in São Paulo, Brazil, he felt a strong calling to become a pastor from a young age. He pursued a degree in Pastoral Theology at UNASP in São Paulo, followed by a Master’s in Divinity Studies from Andrews University. He also holds a Doctorate in Ministry from Andrews University.
Throughout his career, Pastor Cesar has had the privilege of traveling the world, with Jerusalem being his favorite destination. His time as a youth pastor at the Dallas Brazilian Church was marked by significant growth, as the church became recognized as the fastest-growing congregation in the North America Division.
In addition to his ministerial work, Pastor Cesar enjoys spending time with his family. His wife, Laura, is a talented music teacher, and together they cherish their moments with their young daughter, Olivia and their baby boy Lorenzo. In his personal time, Pastor Cesar loves to read, with The Prodigal God by Tim Keller being one of his favorite books. He finds great inspiration in Keller’s message about the love and salvation offered by Jesus.
For Pastor Cesar, faith and prayer are cornerstones of his life and ministry. “My past experience has only proven one very important thing: that prayer is the only certain method that can improve, enhance, heal, and completely change everything,” he says.
As he leads the Dallas First SDA Church, Pastor Cesar’s mission is to ensure that every member of the community feels loved, valued, and connected to God. He is excited to continue building meaningful relationships and guiding others on their spiritual journey.
Javier Bonilla migrated from El Salvador at the age of eight with his family and settled in the state of Oregon, where he finished his basic education. His labor experience began at the age of 13 in the fields, picking berries and other produce. Soon thereafter he ventured into other areas in the labor force where he gained the necessary skills that would prepare him to become an independent contractor. He also developed strong personal values and work ethics that allowed him to serve with integrity at any capacity. Even though his experience in the work force opened doors of opportunities to excel, his greatest achievement was and still is when he gave his life to Jesus at the age of 26. There was no experience, human skill, or strength that could have opened the amazing door of eternity, but the hand of Jesus. For this reason, he has dedicated every skill learned, every craft, every bit of youth left to serve the one who gave him purpose.
Javier has been committed to teach as many as he can about the loving character of Jesus Christ, it is his passion to show others how Christ can transform an addict into a wholesome and loving human being. It is also his holistic approach that allows him to help others grow in many areas of their lives not just spiritually. As a member of a very dysfunctional family, he understands the emotional trauma a person can go through and the impact it can have on their relationship with Jesus Christ. For this reason, Javier believes in continuous education, as an ordained elder he pursued the various training sessions provided by the local conference.
He began his higher education in electronics engineering and labored as an engineer before he was called to serve the Lord as a pastor. He received his bachelor’s degree in pastoral theology from Antillean Adventist university. After serving the Lord in the Texas Conference for two years; he continued his graduate studies and received a Master’s in Pastoral Ministry from Andrews University. He has now served in the Texas Conference for ten years in various capacities: as a Bible Instructor, Youth Pastor and District Pastor, he is now an ordained minister of Christ. Javier is a passionate preacher and teacher of the word of God, he is currently an associate pastor in Dallas first SDA Church with an emphasis on Family Ministries.
