 Bill & Daphne Sidney |
By Arlan Aquino
MANILA, Philippines--The WCG in the Philippines is a vibrant worshiping and witnessing community of Christians.
Many WCG members are coming to own the Bible's vision of the priesthood of all believers. Personal involvement of members in evangelistic efforts and in nurturing the flock is increasing and deepening.
Ministers, ministry leaders and members alike are responding to the church's call to be equipped for ministry.
Bill & Daphne Sidney |
Despite the economic woes of the country, the brethren remain happily committed to God's work. Just like all other areas around the world, the Philippine and Northeast Asian region faces difficult challenges. God's grace, however, is more than sufficient to sustain the work and ourselves.
Bill Sidney serves as the regional director of the Philippines and Northeast Asian region. His wife, Daphne, leads the women's ministry. They oversee 60 churches around the country and small groups of members in Japan, South Korea and the Micronesian area.
Congregations across the country minister not just to their members but also to needy neighbors. The Metro Manila churches, for example, provide regular medical and dental services. The Davao church visits orphanages and street children, and the Pampanga-Bulacan churches distribute relief goods to victims of natural calamities such as the Mt. Pinatubo eruption.
In some places, these outreach ministries lead to conversions. We now have a congregation where our Baguio brethren conducted a medical mission and Bible studies.
The Tacloban and Dumaguete churches conduct prison fellowships. Many prisoners have received Jesus as Lord and have been baptized.
Already, we have regular church services in one of the prisons in Dumaguete, conducted by elder Frank Pedeglorio.
In all these labors of love, we recognize the role women play. Aside from helping our churches, our women have ministries of their own.
In Manila, Carol Llaneza leads a group of women in ministering to cancer patients. In Antique, Lorna Huera teaches the Bible to 30 to 50 children whose parents do not belong to the church. Women in other churches conduct vacation Bible schools for children of members and nonmembers alike. Mrs. Sidney has conducted several women's ministry classes and retreats.
Brethren are more actively involved than ever in the church's evangelistic efforts. In northern Luzon, the San Fernando church conducts Bible studies in four barangays (villages) of La Union. These Bible studies, attended by about 600 people, are supervised by Alfredo Cacanando and pastor Jerry Ortiguero.
In Quezon City, four house churches have been raised up in Payatas. Arman Busalla, Carlito Apostol, Abe Matriano, Fred and Vivencio Millamina and Ernie Muyot handle the regular evangelism and discipleship program.
In the Visayas, the San Carlos City congregation has a weekly radio program called Ang Maayong Balita, or The Good News. Laurencio Sabanal conducts the Sunday program.
In Mindanao, the Davao City brethren conduct evangelistic campaigns every other Sunday in the city's public park. They sponsor a regular radio program conducted by pastor Ric Deligero.
In-house Bible studies and cell groups are effective ways to bring people to Christ in the Philippines. An in-house Bible study led by Enrico Mercader in Sorsogon drew many of his neighbors to our fellowship. The group is now a church.
Two other churches have grown out of cell groups. One is the Antipolo church in Metro Manila, and the other is the Bugo church in Cagayan de Oro City (September WN).
We also publish bimonthly the New Life-Asia magazine. New Life-Asia, or NLA as we call it, has a circulation of 10,000. NLA is used as an evangelistic tool in many congregations.
One goal is to see the NLA, and other literature, published in different dialects. Our brethren, led by Ernesto Magundayao, are willing to help in the translation project.
The Philippine churches also had to face challenges brought about by the doctrinal changes in the WCG. For many congregations scattered in the country, the retreats conducted by Rey and June Taniajura helped in the healing process.
Church leadership is providing means to train lay leaders and members. An initial step was to open the 1997 ministerial conference not just to church leaders, but also to members.
Further equipping of members was done through the Navigators discipleship program, Evangelism Explosion and World Mission course. Most full-time ministers are either graduates of Evangelism Explosion or the World Mission course.
God has given us favor in the eyes of the evangelical community in the Philippines. We have a working relationship with the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), the umbrella organization of evangelical groups in the country.
We worked with them in the Celebration of Biblical Christianity in the Philippines Aug. 15 and in the Men of Promise conventions.
We also started to network with agencies involved in urban or city ministries. Mr. Sidney is a member of the board of reference of the National Coalition for Urban Transformation (NCUT), and Mr. Taniajura is associate secretary-general.
NCUT is a network of Christian leaders and organizations. In December, NCUT will conduct a three-day urban consultation with the theme, Signs of Hope in Manila 1998.
Linda Baldoz, a member and attorney, who is undersecretary in the Department of Labor and Employment, will be a head panelist.
The church has a mission board composed of Eugene Guzon, Gil Llaneza and Rey Taniajura to oversee the mission program. Last June, the church became a member of the Philippine Missions Association.
Several members have already expressed interest in doing cross-cultural missions. At present the church has three missionary couples: Joe and Norma Salvador, Joel and Elizabeth Alisbo and the Baseras.
The Alisbos are assigned to Burias Island in Masbate. The Salvadors are undergoing a six-month mission training course conducted by the Asian Center for Mission.
In Cagayan de Oro, pastor Johnny Logrono was invited to sit as a member of the advisory council of the Asian Center for Missions (ACM).
God has also led us into contact with World Outreach Philippines (WOP). Through WOP, many of our pastors and members are receiving introductory lessons in world mission.
Another major thrust of the church is the equipping of members for ministry. Mr. Sidney has encouraged church leaders to pursue further studies in the seminaries. Two have earned master degrees. Several are about to complete their studies.
Mr. Sidney hopes the church can establish Bible schools in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.
God has been merciful to the WCG. May he draw us closer to him. May his Son's face shine ever brighter before us. May his Spirit strengthen us, along with our Christian brothers and sisters in other fellowships, to finish the Good Commission he has given us.
Members in the Western Pacific islands of Micronesia and Guam need our prayers. John Yugumang, our lone member on Yap Island, is suffering from a painful knee affliction that is keeping him from traveling much.
Our two members on Guam have remained staunch in the faith. Bill Roberto is now past 70, and a foot problem keeps him bedfast most of the time. Bernie Morcilla is striving to sort out a family and job problem.
In Pohnpei we have three members. Dusty Frederick works in the government's radio department, and Leslie Robert teaches in a public grade school.
Pray that God will equip our brethren there to build up themselves and others whom God will call. Pete Melendez pastors the members in Micronesia.
 Eugene Guzon |
Eugene Guzon, who pastors the members in Japan, said our 20 brethren in Japan need our prayers. Many of them are expatriates.
The brethren need to be equipped to do evangelism. Mr. Guzon has begun training the brethren on how to reach out to people with the gospel. They have gone through the cell church seminar, and the brethren are beginning to meet in groups using the cell format.
During the Feast, Mr. Guzon conducted a seminar on the "Contagious Christian." The brethren are planning to launch an international friendship association as part of their outreach project to both expatriates and Japanese.
Pray that our brethren there be drawn closer to God and be well-equipped for ministry.
 Manila church offers regular medical services |
Copyright © Worldwide Church of God, 1998