Pillar College Appreciates Pastors: Honoring Rev. Giselle Llerena

Photo: Pastors Giselle and Victor Llerena

During Pastor’s Appreciation Month, tristatevoice.com is partnering with Pillar College to honor local pastors in a three-part series. Today, we honor Pastor Giselle Llerena. 

On October, 15 Pillar hosted a virtual Pastors’ Appreciation Breakfast event with Pastor David Ireland. 

Pillar College – with locations in Newark, Somerset, Paterson, and Plainfield – “educates, inspires, and equips students for excellent scholarship, service, and leadership.”

PASTOR GISELLE LLERENA

Rev. Giselle Llerena (BTH, MS, M.Div), the co-pastor of Journey Community Church in Bayonne along with her husband Victor, is passionate about teaching and preaching the gospel. Pastor Giselle’s message is one of healing and reconciliation to all who need to hear.

Pastor Victor’s passion is to serve and give back to the people of the community with all of his God-given skills and knowledge. As a licensed clinician, he has opened a private practice in Bayonne, NJ. At the Journey Counseling Center he meets with children, individuals, couples and families. It is here where he helps people start their journey to joy.

In 2013, as the call to church-plant in the beautiful community of Bayonne, New Jersey was evident to the Llerenas and their spiritual mentors, the couple launched Journey Community Church.

“Our mission is to reach those who find themselves without spiritual guidance and have strayed away from God in this community,” said the Llerenas. “It is our deep conviction to become a missional congregation.”

Since its inception, Journey Church has dedicated every fourth Sunday of the month to serving its community. On the fourth Sunday you will find church members on the corner of 22nd St. and Broadway, where they set up a prayer station, offer prayers to the community, and give away free seasonal items.

In November of 2015, Pastor Giselle was appointed by the US Mission Executive Committee as a US Missionary Associate for the Assemblies of God.

“Pastor Giselle Llerena, or ‘Gigi’ as her friends call her, is a gifted preacher and teacher, who shares ministry with her husband as equal partners,” said Pillar College President David Schroeder. “She is also passionate about Pillar College and Christ-centered higher education.”

Pastor Giselle and Journey Community Church appreciate their association with Pillar’s Church Partner Program.

“For the past several years we have supported the Pillar mission and have enjoyed the many benefits of said partnership,” she said. “We currently have three students at Pillar College and one graduate of the Master of Arts in Counseling.”

For more information about Pillar College, visit www.pillar.edu.