Jose Calvo
I'm the senior pastor of a small evangelical church in Žilina. We are a multigenerational church firmly focused on evangelistic outreach, primarily to young people through camps and the regular youth group during the week. As a senior pastor, I'm mostly responsible for leading the elders' board, planning the teaching, and leading volunteer leaders.
When I was 15 years old, I attended a Christian youth camp and realised how much God loved me despite my sin and rebellion. At that moment, I decided to trust Jesus' sacrifice and follow His plan for my life. I started serving in the church as an usher and cleaning the church building. Eventually, I began to help the pastor with some of his office work and play in the worship band.
When I was 18, I moved from Mallorca, Spain, to Zilina, Slovakia, through a European volunteering program. I helped in the local church and got involved in the youth ministry there. After that, I started to study theology in Slovakia, and as time went by and my language knowledge improved, I became more involved in youth leadership and teaching. Both youth leaders in this local church have benefited my development and have been great mentors as I grow in service, faith, and obedience to God's calling.
The Forum has been a great blessing and encouragement every year that I have been able to attend. I want to bring new resources and ideas to our local ministry that will help us be more fruitful in making disciples.
In 2013, I moved to Slovakia and started to serve in the local youth ministry. In 2015, I did a 1-year internship in the church, working primarily with youth leadership and community groups. In 2016, I became the youth leader of our local youth ministry.
When I was 18, I moved from Spain to Slovakia, answering God's calling to serve Him. After a year of volunteering, I felt God call me to stay and continue as part of this local church, where I continue to serve. I started studying theology and preparing for full-time ministry. I love seeing people come to see Christ as the Lord of all creation and following Him as His disciples. I would love to be more effective in this service.