Life in the Ministry
Ordained in 2007, Virgil is the senior pastor of Good Shepherd Community Church. “First among Equals” of an
8-member Board of Elders, he steers the decision-making function of the board in accordance with the vision of GSCC as given to him by the Lord. He is pursuing a degree in Master in Divinity at the Western Seminary in Los Gatos, California.
In the summer of 1983, having accepted Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior, he joined the International Family of Church of San Jose. The Lord used his uncle, the late Mario Gerozaga, as an instrument for his conversion to the Christian faith.
From 1998-2006 prior to his ordination, he was employed in a private firm holding various senior level management positions such as director, vice-president and program manager (RF wireless, telecommunication, aerospace & missile defense industry) while serving in an administrative capacity in three different churches. He has also been involved in a private venture in the health services industry (ARF and RCFE Administrator) as well as in the real estate and finance industry as a broker. In November 2006, Pastor Virgil resigned from his Sr. Level Management position at Aerospace and Missile Company where he had been employed for 5 years in order to focus on church leadership and seminary education.
As senior pastor he has effectively parlayed his executive management acumen and spiritual calling in leading the GSCC to a phenomenal growth both in spiritual maturity and in the number of its congregants. On its 6th year GSCC, under the leadership of Pastor Virgil and the Board of Elders, is credited to be one of only a few Filipino Christian churches in California, or even America to have owned its church facility in such a short span of time.
Pastor Virgil holds a BA degree from St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA and a Certification in Microwave Telecommunication Technology from the Microwave Training Institute, Mountain View, CA.
Family Life
Pastor Virgil Fernando is blissfully married to Joyce Magno, a registered nurse of 20 years who currently works for Regional Medical Center of San Jose. They were married on November 3, 1984 and their 27-year union has been blessed with three talented and beautiful children. Janine, the eldest of three daughters, followed the footsteps of her mother in the profession as a registered nurse and is currently employed at UC Davis Hospital, Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplant Department. She completed her BSN degree at the San Jose State University in 2008. Her marriage to Domingo Eminano has borne the couple a baby girl, Madison Joy, who recently celebrated her first birthday. Clarisse, the second daughter, is now 13 years old and studies as an 8th grader at Liberty Baptist School. A member of the volleyball, basketball, and softball teams of her school, she complements her athletic abilities with her musical skills by playing keyboard, ukulele, trumpet, and guitar. She is a member of the Liberty Baptist School Advanced Band for which she plays the trumpet. She also arranges and composes praise songs for The 18 Thoughts, an all-girls band where Celeste, the youngest of the three, is also a member. Clarisse also enjoys snowboarding on winter and wakeboarding during summer. Celeste is 11 years old and attends Liberty Baptist School as a sixth grader. Like her sister Clarisse, she is also a member of volleyball and basketball teams. She also enjoys snow skiing. One of the vocalists of the 18 Thoughts, she composes songs and is a member of the Liberty Baptist School Intermediate Band for which she plays flute.
A well-rounded athlete himself, Pastor Virgil snow skis, swims, plays basketball, and other water sports. He loves the outdoors and usually takes his family and friends to camping sites and sporting events. Taking vacations in interesting locations and cruises in destinations in different parts of the country and the world has been an avocation that has served as precious bonding moments with his family. While he consistently pursues his love for the outdoors and travel to known vacation spots annually, he plans his schedule around the church calendar to give priority to his God-ordained ministry as senior pastor of GSCC.
