Focus on Spiritual Health
For this week’s Health Seat, we interviewed Joel Temple – one of the pastors of Island Church.
Please introduce yourself. How would you describe your efforts in St. Maarten, and how did you get started?
My wife Kristen and I are originally from the U.S., and have spent over 20 years living abroad as church planters in Cameroon, Botswana, and France. In 2023, we moved to Sint Maarten and made it our new home. Along with our three children (Jeremiah, Lilliana, and Isabella), we are thrilled to be part of Island Church! As a family, we love to travel, experience new cultures, and speak French whenever the opportunity arises!
What inspired you to get involved in this way?
We have a heart to establish life-giving churches that connect people to God and help them on their spiritual journey, throughout the French- and English-speaking islands of the Caribbean. We had a desire to start a church and we eventually connected with David and Chanelle Acton and decided to partner with them to help establish Island Church.
How many persons attend the Sunday morning service?
Currently, we average 120 people on a Sunday morning.
Where and when do you meet?
We meet in the Ball Room of the Simpson Bay Resort at 10:00am every Sunday and the service lasts for one hour. Everyone and anyone is welcome to come early for coffee and pastries and meet new people or hang around for a while after the service.
Do you hold service in any other locations?
We occasionally have special events such as Christmas Eve service or extended worship services which we announce on our social media feeds on Facebook and Instagram. We also have Bible studies and small group meetings in different locations throughout the week.
Can you tell us a bit more about your experience here connecting with the St. Maarten community?
Having lived all over the world, we have found St. Maarten to be one of the easiest places to make friends and just casually meet people in all types of settings. The island truly lives up to its name – The Friendly Island!
Apart from your church responsibilities, what else are you involved in? Do you have assistance in these efforts?
Along with sharing with the Actons many of the Island Church responsibilities, such as preaching and teaching, my family is also very involved in the ministry on Sunday mornings. My teenagers serve on the media and technical teams and my wife Kristen leads the children’s program and helps with greeting and announcements.
Do you have a favourite restaurant here on the island?
Wow, that’s a difficult question as there are so many amazing restaurants. But we really love the laid back restaurants like the Lolo’s or Fat Tony’s in Jordan Village or Mama Pizza in Cupecoy – one of our favourite pizzas is Chez Enzo on the French side near Hope Estate.
What makes St. Maarten magical to you?
The beauty of the island and the diversity of the people!
What advice would you give to anyone considering getting more in touch with their spiritual side?
Try visiting a church like Island Church or attending a Bible study…We often treat faith like it is not something to be shared with others, but the exact opposite has been true for me… I find great spiritual encouragement and growth when I surround myself with people who also seeking to grow in their faith in God.
Do you have any upcoming plans or projects for this year?
Since we are such a new church, we have a lot of vision to serve and reach into the community to bring hope and healing where there are challenges, but these are still in development as we are accessing the needs and how we can meet them or to partner with other organizations that are currently making an impact in both physical and spiritual needs throughout the island. We are also actively looking for a permanent home for the church to meet on Sundays and have programs throughout the week.
Do you have a favourite quote or inspirational statement to leave with the readers?
One of my favourite quotes comes from the Bible. King David says, “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues those whose spirits are crushed” (Psalms 34:18).
This is a great reminder for me that God is not a mean and judgmental figure in the sky who is far from us and just waiting to zap us for the mistakes we have made or for the difficult circumstances we find ourselves going through… He is close and ready to respond to us and save us when call on Him for help.
