About Us
Encouragement International is God’s vision to Marty Celaya that was birthed in his spirit from the time he gave his life to Jesus Christ back in 1979. After seeking God’s guidance and direction whether to enter the full time ministry, the Lord showed him that He could and would use him as a layman to minister through the gift of encouragement.
He went on to minister in various capacities through teaching, preaching, serving, and supporting in his local church. The next fifteen years allowed Marty the opportunity to travel over seas, ministering the Gospel in the countries of England and Sweden. During this time, he continued to support his local church along with many different ministries. Marty also traveled with Evangelist Tim Storey to many different churches, crusades, and conventions learning as much as possible while supporting him in his ministry.
Throughout these years, Marty gained a tremendous burden to be used by God and to make a difference. In 1996, the Lord began to speak to Marty through several prophetic words that he was about to launch out into a whole new arena of ministry. In January of 1997, Marty started preparing for the launching of a support ministry called Encouragement International, when suddenly the Lord took him in another direction. In April of 1997, he accepted a position with a worldwide ministry called the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International.
Marty became the Director of Chapters for all of America working directly with the International President at the International Headquarters. Over the next year and a half, he was involved with many different responsibilities including the wonderful opportunity to write for the Voice magazine, which is the ministries worldwide publication. The experience of working with an International ministry has given Marty Celaya a wide range of exposure from speaking at conventions, television work, writing, and many other facets of the ministry. Encouragement International launched out in February, 1999, and has since helped hundreds of God’s people through many different avenues of ministry.
In its first year, EI raised close to one hundred thousand dollars with a small team of visionaries helping several ministries from feeding the poor, an orphanage in Kenya, inner city children, unwed mothers, mission trips, and supporting local churches. Marty helped establish the “Encouragement Ministries” while serving as a staff pastor at Faith Community Church, a twelve thousand-member congregation. He went on a few years later to become the executive pastor at Echo’s of Faith Church in Ontario, California. Over the years, Marty has consulted with several churches in the areas of leadership development and assimilation.
Marty currently has a financial business helping families to save for the future, get out of debt, and properly protect their families. He continues to preach in churches along with doing his leadership and assimilation workshops. He considers himself blessed with with his beautiful wife Irma, his wonderful daughter Sara, and his awesome son Adam. The passion of Marty & Irma Celaya is to encourage God’s people in many different ways, challenging them to rise up using their God given gifts for the kingdom of God. To help other people’s visions and dreams come to pass through a ministry of encouragement, knowing that God can do extra ordinary things through ordinary people.