Potomac will celebrate the ordination of Alex Barrientos, pastor of the Meadowbridge and Gloucester churches in Virginia, on Saturday, Aug. 4. Alex has an ardent love for God, his wife Anisha, and people. Born and bred in Washington, D.C. Alex was raised by a single mother and loving family and grew to have a passion for making sense of the gospel in a contemporary setting and introducing people to the resurrected Lord.
Alex felt Jesus calling him into ministry during his sophomore year at Takoma Academy (Takoma Park, Md.). Dunbar Henri, Alex’s bible teacher, asked him if he would like to join the school’s preaching team. Alex agreed—and would stay on until his senior year. Dunbar had no way of knowing that his ‘prophetic’ words of, “You’re going to be pastor someday,” would deeply impress Alex’s earlier sense of what the Lord was asking of him.
During high school, Alex led several ministries at his local church, Capital Spanish (Wash. D.C), until his first year of college. Alex refused the idea of being a pastor for a living and became content with working in retail. However, it was working in retail where Jesus used Alex to preach and give bible studies, forcing Alex to acknowledge that God was more active in the ‘public square’ than he had come to know. Looking back, Alex can see it was during this time that his life had taken a theological and pastoral turn.
Alex began his theological studies at La Universidad Adventista del Plata in Entre Rios, Argentina. He later transferred to Southern Adventist University (Chattanooga, Tenn.) and finished his BA in Theology at Washington Adventist University (Takoma Park, Md.). As a junior at WAU, Alex became a part-time pastor at the Beltsville church (Md.) and, upon graduation, became a full-time associate pastor at the Capital Memorial church (Wash. D.C.). In 2011, Alex married his best friend and high school sweetheart, Anisha Rao.
Sponsored by the Potomac Conference, Alex enrolled at the Theological Seminary (Berrien Springs, Mich.) and in 2014 received his Master of Divinity with an emphasis in Historical Theology. Upon graduation, Alex and Anisha moved to Richmond (Va.), where Alex continues to minister as the pastor of the Meadowbridge and Gloucester churches. Alex loves spending time with Anisha. He loves to write, read, travel, spend time with family and Val, their little pet cat
Alex’s ordaination will take place at 4pm at the Beltsville church, located at 4200 Ammendale Road, Beltsville, Md..
