JOURNEY CHURCH VILNIUS

I am a Son, Brother, Father, Husband and lover of Jesus!

I grew up in a family of 4 boys (I’m the youngest) and we Love Cars!
My parents were always such strong supporters of us boys and welcomed us to pursue the calling of God on our lives and the passions and talents that He placed in us.

This being said it was natural to say yes to God’s call at the age of 9 at Bible camp in MN.

God spoke and said just one word “Pastor”. I said “OK”. Then went back to my seat.

From that moment it has been such a wild ride from learning how to connect with God, memorizing scripture, having to say no to sin and even some relationships over the years, learning what it means to be a pastor and now being a pastor in a foreign context. God has not let me down on supplying one of the most amazing adventures that I could have ever have embarked on..

The love of my life, Tanya, and I have been married since 2002 and have three amazing kids!

It has been such a joy to be father to our 3 beautiful children Morgan, Isabelle and Ethan. They are so special and a blessing.

What a great honor it is to serve as lead pastors here at Journey Church in Vilnius. We love doing this because we get to be a part of the disciple making process in peoples live. To see someone come alive in what God has purposed them to do and what they are made for is so exciting.

We are looking forward to what God does in the future here in Lithuania!

My favorites:

Past time going to the junkyard (for cars) and imagining what could be from the scrap cars.

Running – I love to run and also run marathons

Go Karting

A random fact: I was a school principal for 6 months.

I am an ordained pastor with the Assemblies of God and love seeing people grow in their faith and knowledge of Jesus. I’ve served in many different roles in the church over the 20 years I’ve been in ministry – children’s ministry, worship team, youth, women, small groups and preaching.

Luke and I got married in 2002 and we have 3 amazing kids; Morgan, Isabelle and Ethan. Being wife and mom is a complete dream come true! We’ve always prayed “God we’ll go where you want us to go and do what you want us to do.” This has lead to many different adventures! We’ve served churches in Minnesota, Tallinn, Estonia and now here in Vilnius. Our family moved here in the fall of 2017 to plant Journey Church Vilnius. We love this city and the people of Lithuania and look forward to the years ahead with great expectation and hope!

A few things I enjoy – reading, playing board or card games, traveling, baking, riding my bike and all things purple 🙂

These verses from Isaiah 55:8-9 have been my verses from the beginning of my relationship with Jesus -“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”

The Bible verse that turned my life upside down is Matthew 11:28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”

Since our return to Lithuania in 2011, Matet and I have started several businesses and enjoy developing websites. In my spare time, I enjoy reading or spending time with my family. We are raising two crazy teenagers, Amber and Nigel.

I met Andrius in the Philippines and got married in 2000 and after a while we moved to Lithuania with our two kids. I work as a web and graphic designer, which I love. I also love photography and going out for a walk and enjoy the nature.

Isaiah 58:11 has always been my go-to verse in the Bible every time I’m met with difficulties. This was a promise God made to me when I was seeking to serve in full time ministry. Every time I struggle this is where God leads me back to remind me that I am not forgotten and that He is true to His word.

I serve at Journey Church leading worship, as well as in Social Media & Website Maintenance, Nursery and Hospitality.

Some of my favourite things to do is to spend time in the nature, either hiking, doing some fitness activity or enjoying nature photography. Do like baking and cooking; my favourite food is most definitely Italian cuisine.

If I had to be an animal, I would like to be an eagle.This also relates to my favourite bible verse: Isaiah 40:31 – “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.”

I serve as a leader on the Journey Team as the Youth Leader and ???

One of my favorite verses is Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

I am so blessed God has called me to my dream job. I love teaching and enjoy seeing Jesus become real to our “little ones.” I also love traveling, so the fact that He has me serving in Lithuania is so special. I am very much an extrovert and love being with people. Message me anytime you need an excuse to enjoy a cup coffee with a friend!

 I am Emmanuel Olayinka. I have been living in Vilnius for about 3 years now and Journey Church has been a great part of my stay here. It is always a delight to connect with people in church and I am really grateful for all the awesome friends I made here. I love studying the word of God and I enjoy hanging out with friends.