Pastor William Joel has served at Calvary Baptist Church in Pohnpei since 1999. Today, he and Pastor Walton discuss his long association with Guam and Harvest.
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Episode Transcript
Chris Harper: Welcome to Harvest Time. My name is Chris Harper, and our host on this program is Pastor Gary Walton, the lead pastor of Harvest Baptist Church. Every week, we spend these twenty five minutes together telling you the stories of our church by interviewing our members and other friends of the ministry. We have two services at harvest every week. You can join us either at 08:45AM or 10:45AM every Sunday.
We have Japanese and Korean translation during the second service, 10:45AM. We also livestream that service at hbcguam.org, hbcguam.org. This week, we’re in part three of pray first from Matthew 6:5-15. Let’s begin today’s Harvest Time by welcoming Pastor Gary Walton. Hi, pastor.
Gary Walton: Hey, hafa adai, Chris. As you might be aware, we’re coming, back to a theme, an annual theme for us at Harvest in the fall and and through this next year. The theme for the year is pray first out of Mark chapter 11. We’ve, talked about that specific passage last week, but we’re gonna come back to, Matthew chapter five. And in Matthew five, there is a section where Jesus teaches his disciples how to pray.
I mean, it really is an instructional for what prayer should be like, prayer 101, if you can say it that way. And, so we’re gonna go to that text this Sunday and just talk practically through it. If we’re gonna pray first, not just in chronology and time, but pray first as a priority, what should that look like? How does that live out in our lives? And so looking forward to that study this Sunday.
We’d like to invite you to come and join us as a church as we are focusing this year on the priority of prayer. Mark 11 says, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations, and we want that to be true for us at Harvest. It’s been a privilege for Harvest Baptist Church and Harvest Ministries to support Pastor William Joel for many years now, and he’s been on island, on Guam, a couple of different times recently for some health challenges. We’ll ask him about that. But so glad that he’s been back for a little while, a few weeks, and we thought it’d be great to get him back up on the radio station and get a chance to talk with him again, hear hear what God’s doing.
So welcome back, Pastor Joel. Glad that you’re here.
William Joel: Thank you very much. It’s my privilege to be here again. I’m every time I come to Guam, I feel like I’m back home. Yeah. Second home.
Gary Walton: Amen. We feel that too. You and I have talked several times on this trip and even the one earlier just about the idea how comfortable it feels here on campus. And we care for you and we’re really thankful for the long term friendship and partnership that we’ve had together. Pastor Joel is the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church on the island of Pohnpei. Been the pastor since 1999, I think that’s right.
William Joel: Yes, sir.
Gary Walton: And then prior to that, he’d spent five years on Harvest Baptist Church staff and HBBI, I think at that time, just doing a lot of different things. And then in 1999, he and his wife moved back to Pohnpei, and I think Harvest took on support for you, for the ministry, and so for the last twenty seven years, we have financially supported, but more than financially supported, we’ve really, prayed for, cared for. It’s been a sweet, friendship and partnership of our churches and our ministries over the years, so thankful for that. Pastor Joel, if we could take you back to, your five years at Harvest in, in the nineteen nineties, Is there anything that God taught you here during those years that you’ve carried into your ministry in Pohnpei?
William Joel: I I’m glad that I was able to or Harvest was able to take me and my family on board. And ever since we left Majuro and came here, we’ve been treated as members of the family. My wife was working at the library as assistant, and I was on the pastoral staff as well as many hats that I wear for HBBI. Yes. Bus driver or van driver, house father, and counselor, and some someone that the students would look to as the father.
Mhmm. And I felt really privileged to serve that way, and the students treat me like their father and Yeah. In a good way. And I tried to be the model father to them, and I learned to deal with the young people, you know, that level or that age. And I was able to, praise the lord, see some of the the fruits of the labor as these young men, some of them, not all of them, unfortunately, some of them have become church leaders, pastors.
Mhmm. And I would proudly say to visiting pastors from the state, these were my students at at the Bible College in Guam.
Gary Walton: Amen. Yeah, amen. You know, it’s really good. It’s fun to think about that long term partnership with Harvest and Calvary and specifically with you and your wife. I think I mentioned earlier supported, you know, for twenty seven years.
After you left here, what’s that partnership meant to you?
William Joel: Like, you know, there’s a term they use, holding the ropes for the missionaries.
Gary Walton: Yeah.
William Joel: And you you have held the rope for us in many ways, like when we started having Oasis. Mhmm. And we have a group of accomplished teachers from Harvest who have, you know, high degrees, and they came to our school, and most of our staff are HBBI graduates. Mhmm. And they were really doing a great job in, you know, classroom management and helping the students on a higher level than what they took here at Harvest in more practical ways.
And so we see that on the school side, it was a big plus. And on the church side, they were able to minister to our churches and, of course, pastored by many graduates of HBBI. So I want to keep that going, you know, that Mhmm. Relationship, friendship. And my mission, Worldwide New Testament, also like to keep that going.
And so we know that the vital role that Harvest had played over the years in in turning out fundamental bible believing Christian leaders who have come to the island. And, you know, they they’re humble, not only that, but they’re very helpful in many ways, not just the preaching in church, but they were able to, you know, use their what they learned during their time at Harvest, you know, in the different vocations. And we we thank God for the what the learning that they and we want to send more students in the future. So, yes, praise the Lord.
Gary Walton: It really is a street a sweet relationship. I was just thinking as you’re talking that the Harvest relationship extended even before you. Pastor Welles, know, pastored the church for many years before. And I don’t know that we specifically supported Pastor Welles, but there was a strong partnership with Pastor Lewis. Oh, yeah.
And so maybe from the 80s, so forty plus years of, you know, our churches and ministries together, which is really a sweet history. You were talking about, I don’t think I mentioned this, but the church, Calvary Baptist Church, has a ministry under the umbrella of the academy, so Calvary Christian Academy, CCA, is thriving there in Pohnpei, 300 plus students. And I think I was asking about this, think 11 of our HBBC, HBBI graduates are there teaching, which is so thrilling for us. You were talking about Oasis where our teachers go back helping to equip that. In fact, I think, Mr.
E, Aaron Engelhardt, our director of HBBC. Is in Pohnpei today with
William Joel: Right.
Gary Walton: the seniors and maybe
William Joel: Junior senior leadership camp.
Gary Walton: Okay. Junior senior leadership camp at the academy, CCA Academy. He’s Speaking to them this week, and so, yeah, we’re just thankful for that. Not many places have a history like that of not just sort of know each other, I mean, really ministries that have been linked together, over the years. We’re, really, Pastor, we’re honored by that to be able to for you to say we’ve helped hold the ropes.
We we we want to do that. We’ve tried to do that. Thank you for, yeah. I think that we’re honored by that relationship, over these years.
William Joel: Every pastor that have, come to Harvest or take over the, you know, ministry here, you know, as a pastor of the ministry Harvest, have been really reaching out to the islands and especially since Calvary Baptist Ministries is the oldest one starting in the seventies, seventies. We we feel like the in Pohnpei, they call it mother of the churches, but, you know, we are independents, you know, of each other. So we don’t when they ask, you know, me, a preacher from the Pentecostal, we heard that your pastor had passed away, and you’re the senior pastor now? I said, yes. He said, so that means you’re the leader of all the baptist churches?
I said, no. No. We have we are independent. Mhmm. The churches are under Christ, and the pastors are, you know, chain of command, Christ, God, Christ, and then the pastor.
So we we don’t have a convention or headquarter, so to speak. Each church is independent, autonomous. So that’s the way we do, and they understand how, yeah, from that, they they think that we are, you know, under, like, Southern Baptist Convention or other things like that.
Gary Walton: Well, I think there’s six or seven Baptist churches sort of fellowshipping together each one independent, each one a little bit different but holding the same foundational beliefs. Yes, that’s true. I think Harvest alumni, Clayton Elyum, Zewani Baptist, and Pastor Solomon David, who is at Good News Baptist Church, and then Pastor Sonny Paddock, Capitol Hill Baptist Church. And Harvest supports each of those pastors as well. So, yeah, we just it’s pretty amazing actually to think about that network of churches that are striving to obey Jesus and, be faithful in the in the specific harvest field that God has each one, each of the villages and areas of Pompeii.
And our prayer is that the church would grow and would thrive there. Last time we talked, Pastor Joel, you just mentioned about just being blessed and encouraged. You’re staying here on campus. Right? Yes.
So in some campus housing, you’ve got some some some health things that are going on.
William Joel: I I really appreciate the, you know, support of the church over the years. But, like, every time we come here, we we’ve been privileged to see God use the church and the folks, you know, have been very gracious providing meals in the evening and also gave us a card to guest card to have lunch. And other than that, I don’t know if we’d be able to, you know, well, financially, you know, be hard on us with our money going toward the medicine, medical, all that, but God has provided Harvest to be a big, big help. I don’t know which we can do without, but I thank God for the heart for God. Mhmm.
That Harvest really showed in the people, you know, the heart for God.
Gary Walton: I think Pastor Herron used to say this, I picked it up from him, so it’s not original with me, but, you know, he said, you know, out here, we’re a long ways away from The States and some others. Any pastor, church is gonna need a friend here.
William Joel: Yes sir.
Gary Walton: And it’s good to have friends that are close. And in God’s goodness, I think one of the ministries that God has allowed Harvest to raise up to be is is an oasis. I mean, we really feel that.
William Joel: Yes, sir.
Gary Walton: For pastors and leaders all across the Micronesian Islands that in times of need and care, we want this to be. And I’m really thankful for for a church family that cares about that and wants to be a part of that. And so you’re you’re, I mean, you are loved here because we have such a long relationship. But I I hope it’s indicative of many other pastors and Yes.
Missionaries and leaders that Harvest has really been a place of refuge and protection for them and safety.
William Joel: I’ve talked to one of our pastors. You mentioned pastor Eliam. He said, the help that Harvest had given over the years, you know, has been invaluable, and we want to keep that friendship going. And I know that their their heart is in you know, spreading the gospel throughout the islands. And what other best way that we can think of than training the island leaders Mhmm.
To go back to their own islands. And so effective. You know? We have missionaries over the years, and I’m not saying that they’re not effective, but the people are more how do I say it? Are they see the changes in the lives of their people, their students who have come back to lead, and they’re very, very excited to come aboard or be involved in the ministry, whether they’re in before it’s like when the missionaries, their term is over, they leave the islands, you know, but they’re they’re there to stay.
Yeah. So we thank God for that vision that Harvest has in training these island leaders.
Gary Walton: Well, really I’m saying this mostly for our church family. You know, many other people listen to this, but I know our church family hears these testimonies. I want them to hear your testimony. But it’s good for the church family to hear the blessing this kind of investment has been, because it’s been over the years. And so I want them to be encouraged.
Hey, Harvest Church family, if you’re listening, I want you to be encouraged today by the multiplied blessing of caring for God’s servants that are serving in places all around this region. And we’re privileged, we’re really thankful for the opportunity to be able to serve you and minister to you and others in ways like this. And actually, Pastor Joel, I appreciated you saying this. You know, part of that oasis too is God is at work here and, you know, to be able to see you’ve been here for a little bit of our summit meetings, some other things. Just to be able to see people being saved and baptized and growing, and I think that can be refreshing too Yes.
To see God’s hand at work in powerful ways. We hope that’s true and
William Joel: Yes.
Gary Walton: Encouraging for
William Joel: Harvest’s been a model to to me, you know, being here in the ministry and then going back to the island. So we look up to Harvest, and we our prayers that this God just preserve and continue to use this ministry in the capacity that he has over the years.
Gary Walton: Amen. Well, we need your prayers in the same ways that we’re praying for you. We’re thankful for the brothers and sisters in Pohnpei. They’re praying for Harvest to be faithful to God’s Word and faithful to the mission, you know, because it’s critical, right? Have a big need in front of us and, the time, it’s a critical strategic time in our world and for sure it’s a very important time in the history of this region.
I think things are changing so fast and everywhere, but it’s changing in Micronesia. And, you know, strong, healthy churches here, a network of them I think is so critical. And so I’m thankful that we can help each other and rely on each other.
William Joel: Yes, sir. Yes.
Gary Walton: So many years of ministry, faithful ministry, Pastor Joel. Where have you seen God’s faithfulness most clearly?
William Joel: You know, when people say when leaders passed away, then, you know, what’s going on? The church is gonna die, but I don’t believe that it is God’s church, and he he’s gonna make sure that the right leader is there. Like when Moses passed, he had Joshua right there Mhmm. And to take over the and Elijah Elijah was there. So we can go through the Bible and see how God provided his own, you know, leaders to carry on the work.
And so the work does not really rest in the human pastors Amen. But it’s in the Lord. Mhmm. And I thank God for that. He showed himself faithful in providing the leader to continue his ministries.
Gary Walton: What gives you hope for the next generation of believers and and leaders in Pohnpei?
William Joel: Well, like I mentioned, God has, you know, through Harvest, trained these leaders to be the pastors and ministers in the in the ministries in in Micronesia. And I hope that my prayer is that soon we will be able to, you know, ourselves, you know, train in a small way. Because we have the idea that when I go to Harvest, well, right now some students who graduate from our Christian school, now we have three Christian schools in one Yap, one in Yap, one in Majuro Marshall, and one in Pohnpei. So, yes, we want to direct them to Christian colleges. Mhmm.
Because when they finish the academy, they some of them went to the local community college. They said they want to learn what a college is like, but then the sad thing about it is that they never go through with their promise that they will their parents that they will finish one year and then go to Harvest. But when they got there, they they have become so worldly, and some of them, you know, ruined their Christian testimony. So we want to be able to channel them right after high school to Harvest, and we’re trying to do that, advertise the college in the each of the churches, especially the ones with the school to come come and be here because it’s instead of going all the way to the Mainland and spending all that money for ticket and, you know, just think about what Harvest is doing. I believe that God had raised this ministry Yeah.
To to do that, to help out the young people of the island to train in a Christian environment and to learn not just the Bible, but how to live the Christian way.
Gary Walton: Yeah, we have that, of course, we share that same DNA, that same burden. Thankful for the trust of the churches all across Micronesia that are sending students here, and we don’t take that trust lightly. Our responsibility to help the churches there in the training and equipping and then the desire, the burden that they would go back. Actually, I’m excited about the future of, I think, a couple of our prime couples and now families that not only, you know, finish HBBC but have some ministry training under their belt and semi equipping and, you know, very soon the Juno family, hopefully back on Pohnpei, that’s their desire. We’re praying that God would place them back here.
I don’t want to pull out the other names because that’s up to them, but there’s a few in the queue that we’re really excited for. Honestly, Pastor Joel, some of our best that are here, that are burdened to to come back and, you know, be part of that next generation of what God desires to do in Pohnpei, and that’s thrilling. This is how it should be.
William Joel: We’re excited about that too, yes. Yeah. That God can, you know, get not just individuals, but family unit. Yeah. That can serve and make a difference in the island.
Gary Walton: Yeah. Amen. How how can we pray for you? How can we pray for the other churches in Pohnpei?
William Joel: Well, like many of our pastors are looking for who’s gonna be stepping in, you know, taking the mantle Yeah. As a pastor. So I’m I know three, four out of the seven churches that are really, you know, at the crossroads where the pastors are, you know, praying that the young people will step up and say, you know, God has given me this desire and this calling, And we wanna ask you to pray that these young people will see the the great need to step up, you know, and take the mantle of leadership. Amen. And we have some that are very, you know, not committed, and that’s what we need, commitment among the young leaders that we’re looking to.
And so that’s our prayer that when we the older generation pass, then we have younger generation step up and carry on the work. Well,
Gary Walton: amen. That’s our prayer too. We will pray that along with you. Pastor Joel, thank you for your faithful ministry, both, you know, I know you served, we didn’t even talk about the history, but served in Majuro after Bible College, served here, really preached you’ve had a big influence all across Micronesia, and God’s, allowed you to be faithful to Calvary Baptist Church and to be one of the leaders of the church there. And I’m I’m just so thankful for that, and we’re honored.
I’ve told you this before personally, but we are honored to have you here. Your influence is, really important for our students and for our church to see you here. We’re we’re praying for I know you got some eye surgery, you know, coming up. We’re praying for that, but praying for God’s blessing. He give you strength for the task still in front of you.
William Joel: Thank you very much. And I like I said, the help over the years, not not just financially, but the friendship and, you know, the connection we have between our churches and leaders with Harvest, We cannot take that for granted, and we thank God and we pray that this ministry will stay strong into the future.
Gary Walton: Amen. Thank you. Thank you.
Chris Harper: Well, and thank you for listening to this Harvest Time. Of course, at this point in the program, we always wanna personally invite you again to services at Harvest Baptist Church. We meet twice Sunday, 08:45AM and 10:45AM. We have Japanese and Korean translation during the 10:45AM service. We also broadcast that service live here on 88.1 FM and khmg.org.
We hope to see you this Sunday. Thanks again for listening to Harvest Time.