Esteban is our Family Pastor. He and his family joined us in December 2011, and we look forward to their work with us. Following is a little about Esteban:
I felt my calling to ministry at a young age when at five years old I was asked to speak at the front of a church about my church and my faith in God. I can’t say that the road hasn’t been bumpy since then, but I can say that God was always there and now I am blessed to be here at Glenunga serving as Family Pastor. I was born in Latin America and am culturally Argentinean, so I come from a country which is a melting pot of cultures. I migrated with my family from Brazil at age 9 and was influenced growing up by the Latin American and European communities where we lived in Melbourne.
I think my first experience of Aussie culture was in Brisbane, when in high school I began making friends with people outside my culture and church groups. In this time I felt myself getting further away from church and my relationship with the Lord suffered. I became immersed in worldly culture and struggled to reconcile my faith with my lifestyle. When I was 21 I realised that I needed Jesus back in my life, and in a late night prayer with my mother, I recommitted my life to Christ. A few days later I had enrolled in SIL, to train for missions, and was on a plane to study with my fellow missionaries in Melbourne.
This experience opened my eyes to ministry and I was blessed to study with some truly gifted, spiritual people who helped me come to a greater understanding of the calling of God on my life. It was in this time that I met my wife Kem and we were married that year. As it turns out, God’s mission field was closer to home than I had thought, and a few years into our marriage, we felt called to return to Brisbane and undertake the calling to minister in Comunidad de la Gracia a Spanish-speaking Community of Faith in Brisbane’s inner-north.
I ministered in this community for three years, partly as a lay person, partly in the Ministry of Pastor. I also began my studies in Theology in this time, hoping to begin the process for ordination in the Uniting Church in Australia. We felt that due to my studies and the growth of our family, it would be best for us to relocate to Adelaide where I might be able to finish my studies while my wife works.
Last year I completed my studies in Theology, working mostly through Paul’s letters in the New Testament and something which I found really interesting about the Apostle Paul’s work was his focus on including the Gentiles in Body of Christ. I believe we can interpret a lot of Paul’s work into our multi-cultural context in Australia, which means calling the church to account for how we have been ministering to people from other cultures.
As Family Pastor at Glenunga Uniting, I look forward to engaging with families, developing ministries oriented around families, kids and teens, and welcoming new folk to our church family. Our motto at Glenunga is Your Wider Family, and I truly believe this. We want to work at making Glenunga a place where families are welcome, safe and can enjoy the blessings of our community in Christ.
