Blessings for Bentat Cariz

The Bentat Cariz Team with team members, Jacob and Analisa Favila and Reynante Alvarado had finished the two-year church planting training on the second week of April 2007. The believers felt very sad when the team had to return to their sending churches. Yet the team promise to visit them regularly. They still had to wait for their respective churches’ decision on who will be sent to Bentat Cariz to assist the new leaders on the newly planted church.

On May 6, 2007, the team’s graduation was held on Iniaran Gospel Hall, the sending church of Jacob and Analisa. Almost 40 people witnessed the graduation who came from the different assemblies in Sofronio Española and Brookespoint. The team leader, Jacob Favila, shared the how the team started and the things that they have gone through as a team. It is indeed only by God’s grace that they were able to reach out to the people in Bentat including the chieftain. Their experience together, made their faith in God stronger. Faith that God would provide all their needs in spite of all the needs they saw around them. They saw how God worked in them and through them. They were able to reach out to people beyond their expectation. Reynante and Analisa also shared their testimonies on how gracious God is who very patient with them, molding them in His image whenever there are issues in personality differences, and conflicting issues in their community.

The brethren in Iniaran, including the leaders expressed their appreciation on the partnership and the relationship established between them and ECPM. They are grateful that the trainees they’ve sent has been developed and leadership abilities has improved. As a result, they expressed their desire for possible partnership in the future.

Polillo Team Update!

Responding to God’s call of proclaiming the Gospel and to minister the residents of the agricultural and fishing village of Salipsip in Polillo Island is what brought the five team members of the ECPM team in Salipsip. The team is composed of two couples and a 56-year old widower namely, Anthony and Heldy Sabudugo, Homer and Elizabeth Boragay and Nilo Gunio from Floodway Christian Church in Cainta, Rizal. The two couples came from the partnering church in Polilio Island “The Church of the Good Shepherd”. They had their first training module last August. They are now settling in the target community with the purpose of establishing a new assembly within 2 years.

For their 7th month of stay in Salipsip, the team has established more than 40 contacts and has started 11 Home Bible study. Part of relationship-building is helping their contacts in building and repair of their houses, helping in gathering copra, fishing with the fishermen and burning coal which is the common source of living. They found this method effective especially to the men which generally would like to provide for the family. They simply could not resist the help offerred to them, and thus, made a way for a good friendship. The women in the team build friendship in the community by visiting them in their homes and introduce themselves as new neighbors. After some time of acquiantance, they eventually became friends with the woman in the community. They can now openly talk about raising kids and the joys and pains of married life.

Last February 15, the team organized a parenting seminar to teach on how to raise their children in discipline and fear of the Lord. The team find this seminar very helpful as most of their contacts has more than 2 children.

The goal of the team for their two-years training is “To have 50 baptized believers attending the newly planted church at the end of August 2008.

Linao Team Update

The new ECPM church planting team in Linao, Ipilan, Brookes Point, Palawan started the ministry on the second week of February. The team is composed of the couple Ricardo Amoto (64) and Vivencia Amoto (65) and the brothers, Ronnie Jontilano (29) and Bernie Jontilano (21).

The couple Ricardo and Vivencia lives in Calasaguen Brookes Point Palawan and the Jontilano brothers live in Maasin, Brookes Point, Palawan before they joined in the ECPM team now based in Linao, Ipilan, Brookes Point. Adjusting to their new community in Linao is not quite hard for the team since this is just another town in Brookes Point. The culture, language and traditions of the people are almost the same.

Linao can be reached by a jeepney or motorbike but some parts of the road are rough and muddy. The primary source of living of the people in Linao is gathering kopra (dried coconut flesh), making charcoal and planting rice. Market, school and hospitals are quite far from Linao. So, the team is used to walking far distances. Their water source is deep well and small brook.

The team’s first module was held on New Panay Gospel Hall at Maasin, Brookes Point where they studied knowing and reaching the community, team relationship and personal spiritual formation. New Panay Gospel Hall is one of the partnering churches for the church planting team in Linao together with Ipilan Christian Church.

Palawan Team Update

On April 2005, church planting team in Bentat Cariz, Guilingan, Rizal, Palawan started the two-year church planting training with the goal of having “30 baptized believers at the end of April 2007”. The first module was held on 11-14 April with 5 workers from different assemblies availed the training trough the Worker’s Enhancement Program. For the first year of stay in the site, the church planting team has developed friendship with the people in the community and established contacts. 40-50 people gathered every Sunday and 60+ during prayer meeting. They have weekly bible studies and daily literacy class for children and youth on mornings with more than 20 students. To reach the men in the community, the team organized a sports league near the mission base, last December 2005 which continues until now. Right now, there are 33 baptized believers including the chieftain of Bentat Cariz. During the baptism last August 2006, the chieftain testified before his people that “from now on, the Word of God will be our guide above our cultural beliefs and traditions though I know that my fellow chieftains in others villages will not welcome my decision.” Praise God for reaching out to these people.

Recently, the team in coordination with the Local Government Unit teach the people on malaria education. The team saw the need for this as many of their contacts have malaria. Even the team member, Jacob and Reynante suffered from it. This coming March, one of the team member, Reynante together with 3 other believers in another area, will be taught on malarial smear. This is also part of the malaria education program of the government.
To help the community on livelihood program, they organized a project called “community garden” where they encourage the people to plant upland ice.

Last December 14, 2006, a mass wedding was held at Bentat Cariz organized by the church planting team. Fifteen (15) couples were married which was officiated by Bro. Elvin Buenviaje together with the municipal mayor of Rizal, Palawan. Majority of the couples who have been married were already living together. This wedding is not an ordinary wedding since this is the first mass wedding held in Bentat Cariz. This is a big leap to the tribal tradition of just an agreement between the family of lovers if the couple wants to live together. Traditionally, there is no wedding ceremony and no marriage contract was signed. However, since the couples who have been married were already believers of Jesus Christ, they believe that this is what God wants them to do – to be united as one through the bond of marriage. Praise God!

As the team are now on the last quarter of their 2-year training, their sending churches, Iniaran Gospel Hall and Tagumagas Gospel Hall are now planning their next move for the spontaneity of the work. The team members Reynante, and the couple Jacob and Analisa are praying to reach more people in another community. They are currently training 10 believers to become leaders of the newly planted church.

Present Sites

Present Church Planting Sites

PHILIPPINES

1. Linao, Ipilan, Brooke's Point, Palawan
2. Salipsip, Polillo Island, Quezon Province