Pastor Joas Occes was born and raised in Haiti in a Nazarene Christian family. His father, Merzilus Occes, was the pastor of the Church of the Nazarene in Pendu (near Gonaïves) for more than 30 years. After he graduated from high school in 1996, Pastor Joas responded to the call of God upon his life and entered the seminary. In 2001, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Theology.
His first assignment as a pastor was at the Church where his father served. He pastored this congregation for seven years and also served as the Nazarene youth district president of the Upper Artibonite region for three years.
In 2008, Pastor Occes and his family moved to Florida where he served as the Assistant Pastor of the First Haitian Church of the Nazarene in Fort Pierce. Then, as the Lord would lead, in 2014, he moved to Michigan with his family to serve as the senior pastor of Grand Rapids West International.
Pastor Occes has been married to Marie Yasmine since 2002, and together they have three boys: Jeff, Marx, and Nehemiah.
He is passionate about worship and helping Christians deepen their relationship with God. His teaching focuses on the character and nature of Jesus Christ, by whom all men can be saved. He endeavors to be a follower of Jesus and to mirror the love that Christ has for the church.