Jonan Castillon is a civil engineer, pastor, writer, blogger, a composer whose mission is to be a life hoist to others through his motivational and inspirational writings.
He is a native of the Philippines. He worked with Ajuy Baptist Church for seven years as project director, assistant pastor and later a senior pastor. He was resident minister of New Testament Baptist Church for three years.
Jonan served as an administrative staff for six years at the President’s Office of the Central Philippine University, the school that American Baptist missionaries founded in 1905.
He started as Assistant to the President for General Services. After a year he was promoted as the President’s Executive Secretary, serving for three years. Later, he became the Director of Communications.
He, his wife, Jewel and daughter, Jadyn moved to Auckland in November 2011. They joined Glenfield Baptist Church. Jonan played the keyboards and Jewel sang in one of the church’s music teams.
On 14 August 2012, Jonan and his family moved to Timaru, South Canterbury because of job and ministry opportunities.
Jonan and his family joined Wilson St. Baptist Church. He and Jewel were part of the praise and worship music team.
With the encouragement of the senior pastor, Errol James and Ross Waugh, Jonan started the Multicultural Response ministry in March 2013. Since then, Multicultural Response has become their tentmaking ministry.
He pastored the Multicultural Believers Fellowship, a group of Filipino believers in Timaru, which ministers to migrants in Timaru and the South Canterbury area for three years.
In 2015, Jewel and Jonan started a café business they called, “Food Haven,” which provided not only livelihood but widened their ministry reach.
Jonan had the opportunity to be an elder of Wilson Street Baptist Church from 2014 to 2016. As an elder, Jonan realised the need for a ministry toolkit.
Thus, in 2016, Jonan started writing the Ministry Appreciation and Participation Toolkit, a vision he got in 1992. In July 2020, the MAP Toolkit was added to the Ministry Toolbox of the NZ Baptist Unions Multicultural Inclusion Ministry.
After four years of operating Food Haven, an opportunity for Jonan to work as a civil engineer came up. So, in May 2019, Jonan started working as a consultant at Waugh Infrastructure Management. The company later employed Jewel as a researcher.
The employment opportunities provided more stable support for them as they continue with their tentmaking ministry.
Please read further about the ministry that Jonan and Jewel are doing at their ministry website, Multicultural Response.
To God be the glory!
