Oamaru Baptist Church is happy to present “To Understand and Be Understood—A Seminar on Assertiveness” on Sunday, June 15, 2025, at 2:00 PM at OBC.

Our guest resource is Dr. Val Gonzales, from Mesquite, Texas.

Our goal in this seminar is to delve into the essential values and principles that inspire creating a truly supportive and welcoming community that celebrates the richness of diversity, irrespective of race or colour.

Val Gonzales will be our guest speaker during the worship service on June 15 at 10:00 AM. He will preach on the theme of “Church and Mental Wellness.”

Know more about the speaker

Dr. Val Gonzales, Th.D., M.Div., MAC, LPC-LCDC (Retired), is an ordained minister who held a Licensure in Professional Counselling with the state of Texas, USA, Department of State Health and Human Services since 2005 until his formal retirement in 2022. His specialty includes depression, addiction, and co-occurring disorders.

He holds two undergraduate degrees (Bachelor of Arts in Economics and English and Bachelor of Science in Commerce) from Central Philippine University (CPU), where he received the Most Outstanding Student Award.

CPU has also awarded him the 2005 Most Distinguished Centralian Award in Pastoral Counselling.

Val took further studies from the Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.); Asia Baptist Graduate Theological Seminary & The School of Psychology of Religion, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky (Th.D. in Practical Theology with major in Pastoral Care and Counseling); Eastfield College; and Dallas Baptist University, Dallas, Texas (MAC).

His varied work experiences include the following: church minister, college and seminary professor, personnel manager, program director for psychiatry clinical research, managed-care triage manager, and family, group, and individual therapist. He has over 35 years of pastoral experience and over 30 years of teaching experience.

As a professional educator, Dr. Gonzales has served as adjunct faculty in the Department of Social Sciences and Human Services at Eastfield College in Mesquite, Texas (2007-2014). His latest teaching experience was as Dean and Lecturer of the School of Counselling at Singapore Bible College (2014-2020).

Dr. Gonzales wrote Journey of Hope, An Addiction Recovery Manual for Groups, Armour Publishing, Singapore, March 2017 and Addiction: An Integrative Reflection, Palmetto Publishing, USA, April 2024.

Dr. Gonzales is happily married to Chelly Molinos Gonzales. They are joyful parents to Philippe Eirenaeus (married to Fee Patterson, McKinney, Texas) and Tina Rachel (married to Alexander Halitsa of Hamburg, Germany). They have a grandchild, Kingsley Cole Patterson Gonzales, who is almost two years old.  

This seminar is open to all church members and the community. Please plan to attend and invite others.