Pastor Zosimo "Jun" L. Nones
Pastor Jun Nones is the Senior Pastor for the Filipino Language Christian Congregation (FLCC) at The National Evangelical Church in Kuwait (NECK). He was born in Baguio City on July 01, 1953. He had a promising career as a chemical engineer then he met God, and his life changed. Now he is helping so many Filipinos by ministering to their spiritual needs and encouraging them that God has a wonderful plan in their lives.
Ivy: When did you arrive in Kuwait?
Pastor Jun Nones: I arrived in Kuwait on August 8, 1996.
Ivy: Which province / city in the Philippines are you from?
PJN: I’m from Luna, La Union. Had my elementary education at Cantoria Central School in my hometown and my high school education at St. Louis University Science High School in Baguio City. I was a recipient of a five (5) year college free-tuitional scholarship from St. Louis University, Baguio City where I graduated in 1975 with a degree of Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and passed the government licensure examination for Chemical Engineering graduates on the same year.
Ivy: Were you a Pastor in the Philippines before you came to Kuwait?
PJN: After graduation, I worked as a Program Analyst/Programmer in an office in Makati. After passing the Board exams in 1975, I joined the biggest liquor-producing company in the Philippines until May, 1984.
While working as the Plant Manager of the company’s Alcohol Distillation Plant in Bulacan, I heard the Good News from a very unlikely person, an appliance salesperson. Though I’m a religious person, coming from a very religious school and from a religious family, I really never knew much about God in a personal way. I’m even a persecutor of those who are reading the Bible, calling them names, not knowing that the Bible does not only contain the Word of God, but it is the Word of God itself. It is when I started reading the Bible that I learned so much about Him, that He is a very Personal God Who loved us so much, that while we were yet sinners, He sent His Only Begotten Son to die at the cross for our sins. I also learned that He is also very much concerned with every aspect of our lives providing the answer to all of our needs through His words. My wife experienced miracle healing from Him, she was healed from leukemia. I learned so much from reading the Bible and I was set free from so many unbiblical beliefs.
My wife and I became born-again Christians in March 21, 1981 in an evangelistic meeting at Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. It was here that we acknowledged that we have sinned, asked Jesus to forgive us our sins and opened up our hearts and received Jesus as Lord and Savior. Since then, we became a part of a Full-Gospel, Bible-believing, Jesus-following church in Calumpit, Bulacan where we were trained on the different aspects of church life and ministry. I received trainings and theological education through a Bible school extension program in our church. I continued attending conferences, modules and seminars on all areas of church life and management. While attending a School of Ministry at PICC, Manila in April, 1984, I received God’s call to go into full-time ministry. Through several confirmations, the final one from my wife, I resigned from my job and went to work full-time in the ministry. I served as Assistant Pastor in our church in Bulacan until May, 1985 when I went back to La Union to pioneer a church in our hometown. I affiliated the new church with the Philippine Miracle Missions, Inc. in San Fernando, La Union who provided spiritual covering to us. My pastoral education continued by attending module classes with the Mission’s Bible school and through modules offered by seminaries and by continuously attending conferences, seminars and trainings in Baguio and Manila. In April 19, 1992, I was ordained as a full-pledged minister by the Word of Life, Lord of the Harvest, Inc. In 1995, I was elected Chairman of the La Union Pastors’ Organization (LUPON) until my calling to Kuwait in May, 1996.
While in Kuwait, my education continued by finishing courses and trainings conducted by the Filipino International Network (FIN) and Life Agape International. I’m now an Associate Staff of Life Agape Intl and finished the three (3) year Great Commision Training Center Course. I’m into the LA Leadership team in Kuwait and also the present FIN chairman in Kuwait and member of Executive Committee of FIN-Gulf.
Ivy: Why did you come here?
PJN: In April, 1996, I was invited by the Filipino Language Christian Congregation (FLCC) Board to be the full-time pastor of the church.
Ivy: Are you a full time pastor?
PJN: Since August, 1996, I was a full-time pastor of the Filipino Language Christian Congregation, under the legal and spiritual covering of the National Evangelical Church in Kuwait. My sponsor is the National Evangelical Church in Kuwait through its legal representative Rev. Amanuel Ghareeb (the First Kuwaiti Pastor).
Ivy: Is your family here in Kuwait as well? How many children do you have? Which school do they go to?
PJN: My wife has been working as a Staff Nurse at Al-Adan Hospital Orthopedic Ward since August, 1987 until now. We have two children, a boy and a girl. The eldest (boy) is 29 years and is also working here in Kuwait. He’s married with two sons. My daughter is 27 years old, still single, and works as a Senior Executive at AC Nielsen in Makati, Philippines.
Ivy: What are your wife's duties at FLCC?
PJN: My wife is a member of our Church’ Board. She’s a regular speaker in our worship services and also teaches Bible courses at the church and at homes. She does counseling and prayer especially to women. She’s the special assistant and adviser to the Senior Pastor.
Ivy: When did FLCC start? How many members did you have when you first started?
PJN: FLCC started as a small Bible study groups in hostels and camps before the Gulf War. Then, after the Gulf War, those members who remained in Kuwait started meeting under the trees at the National Evangelical Church compound to study the Bible, in 1992. Then the group was absorbed by the English Language Congregation and became the Friday Christian Fellowship Afternoon Service, under the covering of ELC. In 1995, the FCFAS was released by ELC and became a full-pledged church of the National Evangelical Church in Kuwait. The church was named Filipino Language Christian Congregation (FLCC). The church started with fewer than 10 people. God has prospered the church and now has established six (6) satellite churches and dozens of outreaches all through-out Kuwait with total attendees nearing 1000.
Ivy: Now you have about 700 regular attendees/members in your congregation. Do you have an estimate of how many percent Born- agains before they came to Kuwait and those who became Born-again when they attended FLCC?
PJN: About 25% of them are already born-again when they came to Kuwait. The others are fruits of our evangelistic programs.
Ivy: What activities does FLCC have?
PJN:
On Fridays and Sundays, we hold worship services. Right now, we have nine (9) worship services every week.
A Friday Bible School for Adults and Children are also being held.
Daily Bible studies are being held all over Kuwait in flats and accommodations
We also conduct regular Bible training for our workers and leaders
Prayer meetings are a regular activity of the church. We believe that prayer is the “heating element” of the church. Overnight prayer meetings are held once a month.
Ivy: What ministries does FLCC do?
PJN:
· Ministry to the runaways at the Philippine Embassy in Kuwait every Friday, 2-3pm as follows:
o First Fridays: Worship Service
o Second Fridays: Prayer/Counseling/Ministering to their needs
o Third Fridays: Bible Study
o Fourth Fridays: Fun Time (parlor games, singing, etc.)
o Fifth Fridays : Film Showing (“ Usapang Pamilya” Series)
· Prayer and Counseling
· Water Baptism
· Child Dedication
· Church Blessing for Weddings conducted at the Philippine Embassy and other authorized Philippine government agencies
· Hospital Visitations
· Sports and Physical Fitness
Ivy: What are most of the spiritual needs of your congregation?
PJN:
- Knowing and Experiencing Jesus in a personal way
- Growing into spiritual maturity
- Becoming a spiritual multiplier
- Making witnessing a lifestyle of every member
- Assurance of their Salvation
- Preparation for the End Times
Ivy: What has been the greatest reward you had as a Pastor in FLCC?
PJN: Actually, my greatest reward will be when I will meet my “Lord” and “Maker in heaven and tell me, “welcome my good and faithful servant… come and share your Master’s happiness.”
In the ministry, there are so many trials and problems encountered in the pastorate. Many times, you are misunderstood, maligned, etc. but the greatest reward I had as a Pastor is when I saw men and women coming into the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ becoming a new creation as evidenced by a changed life. And these same men and women grows into spiritual maturity and teach other faithful men and women also what they have been taught, learned and seen.
Ivy: And what is or was the most challenging thing you have ever encountered in all your years in the ministry?
PJN: Leading the FLCC church with membership coming from the different regions in the Philippines, having different customs and traditions, different dialect, different priorities, different status in life, different temperaments, etc.
Encouraging the congregation to believe that God has a wonderful plan in their lives and that God has put them into the FLCC family for a purpose… that is to use whatever talents and gifts that they have to help fulfill the mission of the church.
Ivy: For those who would like to be a part of FLCC, what can they benefit and what can they expect when they attend the Services and all the church's activities
PJN: We will help them know and learn how to apply the ingredients needed to maintain a close relationship with God, such as prayer, worship, daily Bible reading, meditation, church attendance, fellowship, discipleship and the like;
You will become part of a “family”… a family that cares, loves, serves, understands, prays, helps, sympathize in every area of your life.
We will help you grow in your Christian life and train you to become a fruitful Christian for the Lord.
Your gifts and talents will be utilized for His glory.
Ivy: What are your goals for FLCC?
PJN: To bring the Filipinos community into the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, educate them,, train them, discover their gifts and use them for the fulfillment of the Great Commission.
To make every family strong and God-centered and every member will be aware of their duties and responsibilities to God, community and to the rest of the family.
To bring people back to God and His laws that they may be aware that apart from God, they can do nothing.
That every Filipino will become better employees and workers because they are God-fearing and their works are motivated by love. Being God fearing, the Filipinos can be more effective partners in the realization of the vision of the leaders of Kuwait to make it a prosperous and peaceful.
