From the Superintendent's DESK

Director of East Asia Work, Bill McKibben, and his wife Lori, send greetings from the Philippines. They arrived on Wednesday, November 8, for a two-week visit to our churches in the country. That evening, they enjoyed a Bible study among the saints at the Philippines headquarters church in Bagong Sikat.

The next morning, they traveled about three hours north and toured a church under construction near the city of La Union. They were accompanied by the Philippine District Superintendent and his wife, Fernan (Roque) and Leah Fiegalan, as well as the pastor of our Binalonan church and his wife, Jed and Ellamor Torres. They were pleased to see that the building is nearing completion.

On the way to La Union, the group had stopped at three of our already established churches: Sinimbaan, San Luis, and Binalonan. At each location, the saints came out to greet them, and Brother Bill reported, “We were showered with Filipino Christian hospitality—meaning lots of food and laughter.”

On Friday, the group traveled up the mountain from sea level to an elevation above five thousand feet to the winter capital of the Philippines, Baguio City. Our church here is a converted house, and part of it is currently used to board university students. In the evening, a nice prayer meeting with devotional was led by one of the young ministers.

The next day, the team met for an early dinner with a young mother and her two children. She and her husband had been students at the Central Luzon State University near our Bagong Sikat church. After graduating, they accepted jobs in the northern province, and now are a foundational part of the congregation where the La Union church is being built. Let’s remember the work in this area in our prayers.

The McKibbens attended combined Sunday services at the headquarters church with saints from half of the surrounding branch churches. Since their itinerary allows for two Sundays at this location, next Sunday will be a combined service with the other half of the nearby congregations.   

The morning began with Sunday school with both children and adults excited to gather to study God’s Word. Then, ministers and workers gathered in the prayer room. The service began with the orchestra playing a lovely hymn arrangement and then the choir singing “We Declare Your Majesty.” After the announcements, which included welcoming the McKibbens, the congregation of over 250 raised their voices in singing several hymns. Brother Fernan gave the Scripture reading from 2 Corinthians 4 and then Robert Ruiz sang the last special before the sermon.

For the message, Brother Bill turned again to 2 Corinthians 4 to speak about the “treasure” which we carry in “earthen vessels.” He declared that no matter the circumstance, God is faithful. He said Christians must keep their focus on the “treasure” of the Gospel in their hearts rather than on the “earthen vessels” of themselves. He concluded by quoting from the same chapter, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” The meeting closed as always with an invitation to prayer. Afterward, a group lunch was held for the many in attendance from branch churches. Canopy tents had been set up to shield from the sun and heat, and the saints ate together in joyful fellowship.

In the afternoon, the service was moved forward to 2:00 to accommodate those who had traveled, and everyone was blessed again to hear the orchestra on prelude. The choir from our San Luis branch sang, and following the congregational singing and prayer, there were a number of inspiring testimonies. One sister spoke of how she was so shy that she could not testify. However, she had promised God that if He allowed her children to graduate from college, she would praise Him for it, and she was fulfilling that promise. A brother testified that he had wasted opportunities when he was young to serve the Lord because of his desire to enter politics, but now he had left that all behind and was joyfully serving God along with his family.

The service continued with a young man singing “I Pour My Love on You” before Emily Lucero, pastor of our San Luis church, brought the message about “Declaring Our Love for the Lord.” She explained three ways in which a person can make such a declaration: first, by getting saved; second, by water baptism; and third, by living godly. A sweet altar service followed and then many gathered for group photos before departing to their homes. 

During the first part of this week, the McKibbens are scheduled to visit branch churches in Parista and Maragol, with other branches to follow later in the week. In addition, a ministers’ meeting and board meeting are scheduled. Please continue to pray for the McKibbens as they travel among our churches and for the work in the Philippines.