Story

About Me:

I love the outdoors, hiking, sports, and of course, music. I drink way too much coffee, but is there a worship pastor who doesn’t!? I really enjoy reading, it feeds my soul. My wife is my best friend. We love to take walks together, and we do as often as we can. I love my boys like crazy. We have a lot of fun together as a family.

I was led to Jesus by my mom on our living room couch at the age of 4. I grew up in a ministry home, my dad was a missionary and a church planter in the Philippines, so from a young age, I was serving in and around the church. As I grew, so did my understanding of the Lord and His Word. Over the last decade of doing full time ministry, one of the great themes the Lord has helped me understand is that he loves me for who I am and not for the quality or success of my ministry performance. I have learned the significance of developing an inner life with Jesus. I am learning how God is more concerned with meeting with me personally in the hidden places, and that it’s from the place of abiding in Jesus that lasting ministry can happen. I am learning to hear and see the ways that God communicates his love for me each day. I am learning to pray, to listen, to be in the presence of Jesus, and what it means to help people see Jesus in the midst of ordinary life.

A Little About My Family:

Vanessa is my partner in life. She is an incredible worship leader, gifted writer, and she’s spent the last 12 years in worship ministry, as well as leading a women’s ministry this last year, though her main job has been being mom to our boys, Jack (4) and Finnley (3).  They are full of life, both love music, and if I can brag, Jack is somewhat of a prodigy on drums!

A Summary of My Ministry Experience:

I began leading worship when I was 15. I went on to lead at Liberty University, where I led worship for the student body and in churches all over the east coast. Upon graduating, I was hired as a Worship and Arts Associate at Big Valley Grace Church, my home church in Modesto, California. I was there 6 years, gaining experience with building teams, planning worship gatherings, recording and audio production, and spiritual leadership. God gave me some great mentors at Big Valley, both in the practical aspects of ministry, and in my spiritual development. After my time at Big Valley, I moved to Atlanta as the drummer for the band, Campaign, to try my hand as a professional musician, something that I had wondered about since childhood. I spent a year or so in the music industry, and determined that my calling was to local church ministry. In 2012, I joined the staff at Eastmont Church in Bend, Oregon. The church was in transition, and looking for a Worship Pastor to help with the move. I discovered quickly the extent of the mess, and that I wasn’t the sufficient solution. After about 18 months there, I got a call to work at Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago, as a part of Vertical Church Band. During my time with VCB, I was able to record on their project “Church Songs” which hit #1 on the iTunes and Christian Billboard Charts. In 2015, after a change in leadership resulting in a clearer direction, Eastmont called us again, and I came back as the Worship Pastor. I was ordained in 2016 by Eastmont Church, where I currently serve with a great team.

Personal and Ministry Goals:

I love working on teams that love Jesus like crazy and grow, stretch, and challenge each other. I want to continue writing, performing, and recording music at a high level. One of my goals the coming years is to further develop my leadership and teaching abilities. I’m looking at attending seminary to earn a Masters of Divinity in order to equip me for a lifetime of ministry work.