“When I was in high school, I hated the church,” says Klenth Sasil, associate pastor at Moreno Hills Church. “I felt lost and empty, and I was really discouraged.”
Sasil was born and raised in the Philippines by parents deeply involved in their local Adventist church. While they encouraged their children to follow in their footsteps, Sasil was uninterested.
“At one point, a pastor I knew told me I had no future,” he recalls. “That hurt, but it also was a wakeup call. I realized what he said didn’t have to be true, but I would have to fight.”
Over time, Sasil discovered that he was happiest when engaged in church life. He also noticed that the most joyful people he knew were pastors. “They don’t have much, and they are truly missionaries,” he explains. “But I saw the joy they had in serving. And that impacted me.”
After graduating with a degree in theology, Sasil was assigned to Manila, Philippines, where he launched a young adult church plant called CAFE Life: Community, Authenticity, Friendship, and Experience.
“We met in a coffee shop to hang out, discuss things, and just do life together,” Sasil explains. “That community grew, and it opened my heart for reaching the younger generations.”
Later, after earning his Master of Divinity from the Adventist Seminary at Andrews University, Sasil faced an employment freeze across the North American Division due to COVID-19. The only work he could find was a two-week substitute teaching job in Oregon, which stretched into several months.
“I wasn’t equipped to be a teacher, and some days it was just too much,” he admits. “But God helped me keep showing up, and over time He developed in me a heart especially for teens.”
Eventually, Sasil accepted a call from the Southeastern California Conference (SECC) to serve as associate pastor for youth, young adults, and young families at Moreno Hills. Today, he draws from both his own rebellious teenage years and his experience working with teens to strengthen his ministry. He also remembers a challenge from a friend: to be the change he wanted to see in the church instead of simply walking away.
Sasil was ordained on Sabbath, August 2, the same day his young daughter, Khloe was dedicated.
“I believe in our church,” he says. “If, when I get to Heaven, I see that pastor who told me as a teen I didn’t have a future, I will thank him for opening my eyes and pushing me in the right direction, because becoming the change has changed me, too.”
