Pastor Emanuel Azan takes his message beyond the church pulpit. Filled with a passion for service, he answered the call on his life to serve in the ministry as a pastor. However, soon that wasn’t enough for him, as he thought that while satisfying their spiritual needs may be good, it was of no use if their physical needs were not being met.
It was this kind of mindset that saw him register his charity, Kingdom Outreach International, in Tennessee, United States, where he lives, and an arm in Jamaica with the Department of Friendly Societies after it proved to be a very expensive venture getting aid to those who needed it the most in Jamaica.
Azan, who was born in Farm District, Clarendon, a troubled community, travels three times each year to minister to souls in that community as well as Christiana, Manchester where his wife Marva is from.
In discussing his path to becoming a minister, he said that, like Jonah, he ran away from his mission.
“I did not become a pastor by choice. In fact, I ran away from that calling for many years. When God called me to be a Christian, I was a practicing Muslim and did not want anything to do with Christianity. But God called me, and I could only run for so long,” he explained.
Now that he is in charge of the flock, he says the most difficult part of his mission is dealing with the hurts that his flock members experience.
“I have a heart for people, and it hurts me when they hurt, especially when I can’t help,” he said. He also said that even though he spends millions of dollars on outreach every year by giving food, clothes, sponsoring Vacation Bible School, sponsoring children football, and building one and two bedrooms with bathroom for the homeless, it never seems to be enough.
“I have to admit to myself that there is only so much I can do; after all, it is God who gives the increase, “Each time I return to my homeland, I am amazed at the level of need that exists. It is heartbreaking when you hear some of the stories,” he shared with Freedom Come Rain.
Pastor Azan, sharing on what concerns him most about the church, said it is church politics and the denominational war, as he points out that there are too many Christians who are allowing denominations to divert them from worshipping God.
Azan, the pastor of Kingdom Outreach International based in Tennessee, is also a retired US Army Soldier. He is the father of two children and enjoys mission work with his wife, who is equally excited about his trips to the island as she is about their outreach.
“Most of the time, she is the one who sources the clothes, and she is always thinking of stuff that will be useful to those we are trying to impact in Jamaica. She is my “right hand” in every way, and these mission trips would not be the same without her input,” he informed.
When the busy pastor is not preaching or engaged in church work, he said the next best thing is being on the mission field.
“I love to give hope to others. “I enjoy telling people about my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”
He is a man who enjoys delving into the Word, and he has many favorite scriptures, but 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 is one of his favorites.
“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
For Azan, verses 9 and 10 tell who will not get to heaven, and he is thankful to God for verse 11.
Being a pastor, Azan experiences some false narratives about his profession from time to time. He shared that one of the biggest misconceptions is that too many people judge them by what others are doing.
“Too many people believe pastors steal from poor congregation members, which is not true. “Some are for sure, but the Bible talked about those wolves in sheep’s clothing,” he notes.
Caring for the flock can be emotionally taxing, and as a pastor, Azan said it is sometimes hard, but he is thankful for having a good wife by his side who stands strong with him when he is weak.
“I took my mother’s death in 2020 very hard, and she was there for me at every step. I also have pastor friends I can reach out to for support as well as family members,” he shared.