I had 14 years of pastoral ministry experience in the Philippines before migrating to New Zealand in 2011. I am married to Jewel, and we have a daughter, Jadyn.
I was born and raised in the Philippines by Baptist pastor parents. I observed my father and mother at work growing up in a church environment.
When my brother and I were young children who couldn’t be left at home alone, our parents took us along whenever they conducted home Bible studies and Sunday school extensions, which were the initial stages of church planting. I observed how these gatherings grew into a thriving congregation, and during those early years, I gained valuable insights into the dynamics of pastoral ministry.
After finishing high school, I wanted to pursue a pastoral course. However, my dad convinced me to obtain an engineering degree instead. He believed that I might struggle with the challenges of the pastoral vocation, particularly the economic hardships often faced by pastors in rural areas of the Philippines.
After earning my Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from Central Philippine University, a Baptist university, in 1989, I underwent training in process documentation research. I worked in this field for six years. My role involved conducting process documentation research for national irrigation projects, local government initiatives, and development programs to assist rural and urban poor communities.
In 1996, I answered God’s call to become a pastor. While completing my Bachelor of Theology, I worked with Ajuy Baptist Church in Ajuy, Iloilo, Philippines. I helped establish the church’s school ministry project and facilitated fulfilling their vision, mission, and goals. This experience affirmed my gift of administration.
I became the Resident Pastor of New Testament Baptist Church in Iloilo City in 2002. My previous experiences in urban-poor development enabled me to minister to the informal settlers around the former Iloilo Airport in Mandurriao, Iloilo.
In 2005, I worked with Central Philippine University (CPU), a Baptist university established by American Baptist missionaries. At CPU, I helped establish the Creekside Baptist Church in Sambag, Jaro, Iloilo City in 2006.
At CPU, I began my career as the Assistant to the President for General Services. After a year, I was promoted to the President’s Executive Secretary, a position I held for three years. Subsequently, I became the Director of the Communications Office.
In 2009, as my work with CPU concluded, I started a venture in online marketing. I developed a business focused on writing web content and promoting businesses online through search engine optimisation.
In 2010, I was hired as a Project Manager by a Canadian online marketing company called Amazon Auto Nation. At this company, I gained valuable experience in search engine optimisation, recruited and managed online staff members, and oversaw several blog sites. I helped the company establish their SEO process.
My wife, daughter, and I migrated to New Zealand in 2011. We arrived in Auckland and joined Glenfield Baptist Church in the North Shore area. In August 2012, we moved to Timaru to pursue our resident visa application. We proudly became New Zealand citizens in 2018.
We became members of the Wilson Street Baptist Church in Timaru. In 2013, with the support of the senior minister and two other members, I started the Multicultural Response Ministry. I worked in ministry as a bi-vocational professional. In 2014, I was given the opportunity to serve as an elder of the church. While engaging in multicultural response ministry, I began working as an independent contractor for Waugh Infrastructure Management. Later, in 2019, the company hired me.
In June 2021, Gleniti Baptist Church adopted the Multicultural Response Ministry and appointed me as the part-time coordinator, with the Hopevale Trust providing financial support.
In June 2022, in addition to my task, I took on the challenge of being the interim pastor of Oamaru Baptist Church, which was struggling to survive because attendance was down to less than ten. Hopevale Trust boosted its support for this endeavour.
For two years, I travelled from Timaru to Oamaru twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays, to carry out my pastoral duties. Over time, attendance at the Oamaru Baptist Church began to increase. On 7 July 2024, the church formally called me their permanent pastor. My family relocated from Timaru to Oamaru later that same month.
I am currently working in a bivocational capacity, dedicating 30 hours per week to my primary role in pastoral ministry and an additional 10 hours per week as a part-time online marketing consultant for an asset management consulting company based in Timaru.