Lead Pastor Darren Godsoe
P
astor Darren Godsoe
Associate Pastor Rui de Oliveira
Born Rui de São Jose Gonçalves de Oliveira, Pastor Rui was born in the Western European country of Portugal, and at the age of thirteen he immigrated to Canada. He is married to Nancy Oliveira, and has four children named; Sarah, Lori-Ann, Jesse and Janai. While in College he graduated as a Journeyman Electrician working in Toronto and GTA. He later went back to school, and graduated in Theology from the Adventist University of São Paulo, UNASP, in the State of São Paulo, Brazil.
Being a man of character has always been a core value to him. He believe in the words of Jesus when presenting the Beatitudes, that a man of character has this quality found in Matthew 5:3: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. The Spirit in the Scriptures is sometimes represented as the wind, and as Jesus is saying this in a rural farming community, and in order to make a point, He likely pointed to the wheat chaff as it bends toward the wind.
Those that bend toward the Spirit are men of character. This is what he strives for.
He has always learned that personality traits are surface-level observations, while character traits are deep-seated, not immediately obvious, and developed over time. Character traits are like core values, and are guiding principles. He has had many achievements in life. The most recent that stands out is; putting together, along with committed church members and community volunteers, a Compassion/Evangelism ministry at the Niagara Falls Church that services the homeless and downtrodden of the city, using a truck, an SUV, and soon a Mini-Van. This ministry grows by leaps and knows no bounds, and now its budget is becoming larger that the church’s budget.
Outside of full-time ministry, he is someone who continues to do what he did before; helping people with their needs using his God-given talents and knowledge, whenever possible. His favorite things are; visiting historical places, learning their history, and possible relationship to Christianity. He loves blue and white, as well the sports teams, especially soccer, books, comedy, history movies, a good symphony, talk radio, and his favorite shows is Handel’s Messiah.
Assistant Pastor Martin M. Perez
P
astor Martin M. Perez hails from the Windy City. He was born and raised in the Chicago metro area where his urban and ethnic experience has enriched his life and ministry. Through God’s leading, he attended Burman University when it was still called Canadian University College in Alberta where he studied Theology. There he met his better half Aimee and they have been happily married for over 20 years. They spent many fulfilling years between the west coast and the prairies where they started their family which now includes Hero, Sky, and Cassia. He has ministered as a bible worker and pastor in the Ontario Conference for over 5 years, The majority of which were dedicated to the Hispanic Adventist Community.
There he strived to bridge the gap between the English and Spanish speaking churches as well as create a unity within the Spanish community.
Pastor Martin is happy to be part of the College Park Family. His has a ministry passion for discipleship, mentoring, and helping people discover the joy of walking with Jesus. His greatest passion, however, is his wife and kids.
Pastor Martin loves to laugh, and his hobbies and creative outlet include prepping, art, and leathercraft. If you see him carrying a leather satchel, ask him how he made it.