Meet Our Pastor
Pastor Maxwell T. Berkel was born on the beautiful island of Curacao and shortly after his birth his parents moved to the friendly island of Aruba. He spent all his childhood days there and attended the San Nicolas Seventh-day Adventist church with his parents and at the young age of 12 was baptized by Pastor J. C. Shillingford. He served his church as church organist, Junior Deacon, Sabbath School teacher in the Junior Sabbath School and assistant treasurer.
After graduating from John Wesley High School he attended teacher’s training college for two years and subsequently Caribbean Union College where he graduated with a Bachelors in Theology in 1972.
He served as Pastor on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao and also as Departmental Director for Youth, Education, Stewardship, Health and Temperance in the Netherlands Antilles Mission of Seventh-day Adventist.
In 1982 he graduated with a Master In Religion from Andrews University and in 1984 accepted a call to work in the East Caribbean Conference where he served as District Pastor and later as Church Ministries Director, Youth Director, Communication Director and Stewardship Director.
In 1974 he got married to the charming Esther Berkel, who is a native of Bonaire, a graduate from Icolven, our Seventh-day Adventist College in Medellin Columbia and she has served in the Netherlands Antilles Mission of Seventh-day Adventist as Accountant in the treasury department, Secretary to the President and translator of the Sabbath School Quarterlies. God has blessed them with two wonderful sons Maxwell Jr. and Maurice.
As of 1997 he has been serving in the Southeastern Conference of Seventh-day Adventist and has pastured Mission Station, Perrine and Three Angels Seventh-day Adventist churches in South Miami and at present is the pastor of Mt. Zion and Poinciana Seventh-day Adventist Churches. The Lord has blessed him and his family tremendously in their ministry and we look towards a bright future with the Lord.