Husband's Profile

On December 1, 2012, my husband FINALLY became a full fledged PASTOR! He has worked in the field for 16 years, and was not ordained until he got married! (Thanks to me, joke :)

Here's a profile I wrote for the Ordination's souvenir program. I feel happy, and honored that SCLC requested me to write this for him.... :)

JOSHUA ECAL CASTILLO

His most cherished dream is to become a medical doctor. But some twist of fate and circumstances made him to walk the road less travelled.

Joshua Ecal-Castillo was born on September 24, 1970 in Catarman, Northern Samar. He is the eldest child of Ricardo Ariola Castillo (deceased) and Remedios Cuanico-Ecal.  He was not born in a Seventh-day Adventist family but he was baptized at the early age of seven together with his father. They came to know the faith through an evangelistic crusade.  The rest of his siblings were baptized in the years that followed, while his mother who comes from a devout Jehovah’s Witnesses family was the last to be converted.

He finished elementary in Tabacuhan, Elementary School in Olongapo, and then graduated in high school as member of the pioneer batch of Central Luzon Adventist Academy in Bataan.  He first came to Philippine Union College (now AUP) in 1987 and took BS in Medical Technology while working in the school’s farm department.  After a year, he was asked to come home and stop schooling.

He was out-of-school for three years.  Though it may seem that it was a meaningless period of his life, God must have used this “idle” opportunity to make him realize what He really intends him to do.  Through his father’s encouragement, he reluctantly joined the summer canvassing ministry in their place. During this time of meeting other people, and sharing  the printed pages, he said-- “I’ve realized that most people are afflicted not with physical ailments but with spiritual maladies, thus the world needs more pastors than doctors.”

In 1990, he came back to PUC (AUP) to pursue  Theology.  When he finished in 1995, he chose to work in South Central Luzon Conference as a Literature Evangelist. From 1998-2011, he went to all provinces and to almost every place in the SCLC territory serving in various capacities as teacher, evangelism assistant, church pastor, and district pastor.  His first work assignment as a regular-denominational worker was in Lubang Island. Like the Apostle Paul, he was so filled with idealism and fervency in fulfilling his mission to such extent that getting married was out of his plan.  But God had a better plan.

In 2011, he met, courted, and married Ms Sheryll Ann Manese who works as Guidance Counselor in AUP Academy.  After their wedding, he was moved from Southern Quezon 1 where he served as district leader for three years, to Eastern Batangas 2.  On February 25, 2012, this newly married couple is blessed with a bouncing baby boy Johann Josh who is now nine months old, and who continues to be the couple’s unfailing source of inspiration, and pure joy.  On June 2012, he was called to transfer to Central Luzon Conference, where he now serves as Pasay City Adventist Academy’s school chaplain, and Bible Teacher.

His life has obviously gone through a lot of unexpected twists and turns – from his dream of becoming a doctor to fulfilling a mission as a pastor, from leaving south to moving north, from being joyfully single (for the longest time) to being happily married (and unexpectedly having a child), from CLC to SCLC to CLC again –through all these, the one thing that remains unflinching is his love for God and His work. And so for him – his heart resonates the words in Joshua 24:15  “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord ” whenever, wherever, whatever!