Valleypoint Marshallese Church blends spirituality with culture
News story by Mia Gallegos | Favs News
A vibrant new congregation at Valleypoint Church is breathing new life into Marshall Islands traditions.
Valleypoint Marshallese blends cultural heritage with a contemporary twist, creating a welcoming space for youth and young adults to worship and explore their roots through a Southern Baptist lens.
“In very traditional Marshallese ministries, there are very few youth or young adults there. It's mostly older Marshallese congregations. I wanted to make sure the Valleypoint Marshallese was more modern and appealing to a younger audience,” said Freddy Joclor Jr., head pastor of Valleypoint's Marshallese sector. “Older.”
Joklor and his father moved to Spokane in 2013 after hearing about the large Marshallese population within the city. Marshall Islanders in the states like to move together, he explained. When they heard that several people with a background similar to theirs resided in Spokane, they jumped at the opportunity to join them.
“We moved from Everett to Spokane because my father wanted to start a Marshallese-speaking church here. Since then I have been co-pastoring with him,” Joklor said.
Joklor explained that he and his father moved to several different Spokane churches between 2013 and 2020. Because they did not have their own building where they could host services, they reached out to established congregations to see if they would be willing to rent space every Sunday for a Marshallese church service.
“It often seemed like a landlord-tenant relationship with these churches,” Joklor said.
Arriving at Valleypoint Church
In 2020, Joklor and his father arrived at Valleypoint Church in the Valley after their previous host church informed them they could no longer use their space.
The Rev. Jim Shiner, Valleypoint's lead pastor, was searching for a worship leader during the time Joclor and his father's Marshallese church were looking for a new place to host their services.
After being recommended by several friends who were unaware of the situation Joklor and his father found themselves in, Shiner called and asked if Joklor would be interested in leading morning worship at Valleypoint.
When Scheiner learned of the congregation of which Jocolor was co-pastor, he offered his church as a space for Marshall's congregation.
“We always had to rent space, but when we came here, that wasn't on Pastor Jim's heart. He would say, 'Let's not go with the landlord-tenant relationship, but let's partner,'” Joklor said. “Wherever Valleypoint is, it's also Valleypoint Marshallese.” “.
Shiner explained his gratitude to Jocleur and the relationship they were able to create by opening the doors of Valleypoint to the Marshallese church.
“I trust him as a person. His personality is his heart for God. He is a rare combination of pastor, worshiper and leader. Most pastors have a lot of knowledge, but Freddie is always asking questions and yet he is still a great leader,” Shiner said.
Joclor's father died during the year following the Valleypoint partnership, so it was he who took over as lead sponsor, after a few months of gathering his strength and adjusting to his new responsibilities.
Past experiences
Jocolor explained that he had several initial reservations about the relationship his congregation would enter into with the English-speaking Valleypoint Church. Much of this apprehension arose from previous experiences the Goclor congregation had dealt with in the various host churches that preceded Valleypoint.
“There were several times things would happen in the previous church[es]“We will be to blame,” Joklor said.
These accusations towards the Joklor Marshals were eliminated upon their arrival at Valley Point, as the idea of solving problems was one that involved the entire church taking responsibility for the changes that needed to be made, rather than figuring out who was wrong and how they could be punished.
“That's when we knew Pastor Jim's heart. We were very accepted, which is rare,” Joklor said.
Community and ministry before Valleypoint
Before organizing Valleypoint Marshallese, Spokane's Marshallese-speaking population — currently numbering about 5,000 — found other ways to shape community and strengthen service.
“They created home groups. They [were] “It's not considered an official church, but it's a group of people who do Bible study at home,” Joklor said.
This was the only way for the Marshallese people of Spokane to unite and practice their religion with each other until 2020, when Joklor and his father came forward and took the necessary steps to bring these people together in an organized environment where their religious community could collectively flourish.
Sunday services at Valleypoint Marshallese are long and filled with traditional songs, dancing, hymns and worship. Aside from Sunday, there are weekly fellowship gatherings for different types of people within the Marshallese congregation. The women of the group meet on Thursday evenings, the young men and women on Fridays, and the men on Saturdays.
Youth Night is what inspired Jomon Kious, a young adult from the Marshall Islands who is a member of the church, to look into Valleypoint Marshallese. The community he found there is what keeps him as an active member of the church community to this day.
“My cousins were making me go to church. But I went to Youth Night this time, and I really liked it. They were very welcoming, and it was a big deal. They made it feel like we were part of them,” Kious said.
There is often a food component to all Valleypoint Marshallese Fellowship events, which is an important aspect of the culture as a whole.
“We're islanders, so we like to eat,” Joklor said with a laugh.
Respect between sects
Sunday services at Valleypoint Marshallese are said mostly in the native language of the Marshallese attendees, who include about 250 to 300 parishioners. However, preachers will incorporate English into the service for anyone there from the English-speaking congregation that makes up Valleypoint Church.
Respect and mutual understanding is what Valleypoint and Valleypoint Marshallese work to build with each other. When English speakers attend a Marshallese language mass, they are sometimes taught basic words from the language.
“There are some Marshallese words we teach them. So if [English] If the greeter sees a Marshallese, they will say “iakwe.” “This is our saying: Aloha, hello, goodbye,” Joclor said.
He explained the excitement that overwhelms parishioners in the Marshall Islands when an English-speaking church member makes strides to speak their native language.
The creation of the Marshallese section of Valley Point brought benefits to both sides.
The English-speaking Church has had the opportunity to witness and participate in a rich culture outside their own, and Marshallese Church members will be able to experience a welcoming religious environment within their city.
To attend Valleypoint, visit their website for a list of service times and weekly fellowship opportunities.
