1 Rev. Alan Best February, 2013 February, 2013 February, 2013 CONTENTS From the President 1 England 4 India 7 Philippines 10 Saipan and Guam 17 Bulgaria 22 WECF Meeting - 2013 25 Biography - David Livingstone 31 ATTACHMENTS On-line Registration Form for WECF Meeting - 2013 Accommodation Price Options for 2013 Program for WECF Meeting - 2013 It was a privilege to visit churches of the National Association of Congregational Churches (NACC) and its social action arm, Caring Community Inc. (CCI), in the Philippines during January, six years after my previous visit. Despite such a gap, friendships were immediately renewed as though no time had passed at all, helped of course by the fact that Pastor Symphony and Mrs. Nina Castillo had attended the 8 th WECF Triennial Meeting in England in 2007. OCW’s Editor, Kerrian Cartledge, also participated in the trip and she was likewise delighted to renew friendships with our hosts after six years. Nina, Symphony, Nannie and Awit Castillo
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ATTACHMENTS - Morley Community Church...hymns during the underground service Morley Community Church is a mission congregation of the Evangelical Fellowship of Congregational Churches
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1
Rev. Alan Best
February, 2013February, 2013February, 2013
CONTENTS
From the President 1
England 4
India 7
Philippines 10
Saipan and Guam 17
Bulgaria 22
WECF Meeting - 2013 25
Biography - David Livingstone 31
ATTACHMENTS
On-line Registration Form for WECF Meeting - 2013
Accommodation Price Options for 2013
Program for WECF Meeting - 2013
It was a privilege to visit churches of the National
Association of Congregational Churches (NACC) and its
social action arm, Caring Community Inc. (CCI), in the
Philippines during January, six years after my previous
visit. Despite such a gap, friendships were immediately
renewed as though no time had passed at all, helped of
course by the fact that Pastor Symphony and Mrs. Nina
Castillo had attended the 8th WECF Triennial Meeting in
England in 2007. OCW’s Editor, Kerrian Cartledge, also
participated in the trip and she was likewise delighted to
renew friendships with our hosts after six years.
Nina, Symphony, Nannie and Awit Castillo
2
As we sat in the Friday evening Prayer
Meeting of the ‘Agape Bible Christian Church’
in Quezon City, pastored by Symphony
Castillo, and the participants prayed
passionately for each other, their church and
our WECF member fellowships, I was
reminded that this is what our Fellowship is
really all about.
This message was also reinforced during visits
to our Associate Member churches on Saipan
and Guam during the following fortnight.
Membership of the WECF is about genuine
fellowship in which we seek to support and
encourage each other, especially through
prayer. None of us can afford to regard WECF
membership with a view to ‘what can we
receive?’ but rather, our primary concern must
be ‘what can we offer each other?’ And that
spirit is exactly what I experienced during my
January trip.
While we could not visit the majority of NACC
Philippine’s churches and outreaches during
the week we were there, we were privileged to
revisit some with which we had become
acquainted during previous trips, as well as
new outreach ministries. See our report on
pages 10-16.
On Saipan and Guam, we were warmly
welcomed again, renewing fellowship after
twelve months, having been privileged to visit
the churches there each January for several
years. On these occasions we have been
graciously invited to present Bible Teaching
seminars and training in Children’s and Youth
Ministry, often with Rev. A. Barry Jones, the
Immediate-Past President of the WECF and a
great friend of these churches. (You may
remember reading reports about these visits in
previous February issues of OCW).
As 2013 is already one month old, I am very
conscious that our 10th Triennial Meeting will
be held in Australia in less than eight months’
time. While a lot can happen in eight months,
I’m sure we are all aware of just how quickly
this time will pass and we will finally be
gathered at Wollongong. If you are planning to
attend, I urge you to act immediately to secure
your accommodation as well as arrange your
travel.
Whether or not you find yourself able to attend
in September, will you please join us in prayer
for the Meeting? Pray for the planning so that
everything will be ready in time; pray for safe
travel for delegates and other attendees from
around the world; pray for your delegates as
they share how God has blessed His work in
your fellowship during the past three years;
pray that we all will be challenged and
encouraged as we hear these reports; and
pray that we will all be changed by God’s
Word as we gather around it each day.
As you read the articles in this issue, I urge
you to consider forwarding a donation to
support the work of these fellowships (see
page 34).
Yours in Christ,
Alan
3
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS
OF
MEMBER COUNTRIES
EFCC United Kingdom – 10 to 11 May, 2013
4Cs Canada – 3 to 6 July, 2013
CCCC USA – 22 to 25 July, 2013
FCC Australia – 19 to 21 September, 2013
So we can prayerful ly support each other,
please forward your Annual Conference
dates to the Editor.
Participants in the Friday evening Prayer Meeting at Agape Bible Christian Church
4
MINING DISASTER COMMEMORATION IN UK PROVIDES OUTREACH OPPORTUNITY FOR
MORLEY COMMUNITY CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH
Many Congregational Churches in the United
Kingdom are only very small. They often work
in communities that are hard and apathetic to
the Gospel. They find it a struggle to gain a
listening ear to the Good News they wish to
share.
Morley Community Church is a small EFCC
congregation in West Yorkshire, UK. They
devised a novel evangelistic event which would
connect with the local community. They
organised a Gospel Commemorative Service
500 feet underground in a coal mine!
Fifty guests were invited by members of the
Morley Community Church to take part in a
unique evangelistic service to commemorate
the deaths of 34 local miners exactly 140 years
after they lost their lives. It was held at the
nearby Caphouse Colliery, now the North of
England Mining Museum. Members of the
church discovered there had never been any
memorial stone, plaque or event to publicly
record the disaster in the town when a gas
explosion ripped through the galleries at
Morley Main Colliery. They devised a special
service to reverse this silence of history and
create an outreach opportunity.
Retired local miners and representatives of a
range of local organisations were in
attendance. These included the Mayor of
Morley and the local MP and Shadow Finance
Minister, Ed Balls. The local history society,
local schools, ex-miners, local political parties
and members of a local pensioners craft group
were in attendance. The craft group created a
Memorial Tapestry which was unveiled during
the ceremony. It displays the winding gear of
Morley Main Colliery around which all the
names and ages of the victims were carefully
stitched into the canvas. They had spent many
months in creating this stunning banner.
Full view of the memorial banner made by
Morley Elderly Action Craft Group
After sharing lunch together the participants
descended in the cage to the coal face where
they gathered for the Memorial Service at just
after 2.00 pm - the exact time of the explosion.
A retired local miner read the roll of the victims’
names. Also in attendance were descendants
of victims. One lady was there to remember
her great-great grandfather who was one of the
miners who perished in the disaster and left a
widow and two children.
Morley Mayor, Councillor Andy Dalton,
accompanied some of the pensioners, who
were in their 80s, to the coal face, along with
the other worshippers. During the service, he
recounted that the disaster killed 34 men and
11 pit ponies; 30 others were injured; one
quarter of the victims were teenagers; two
5
Our Market Boys in Search of their livelihood
were brothers; two were fathers and sons; 13
women were widowed; 50 children were left
fatherless and 5 elderly dependents were left
unsupported.
Mayor and Mayoress Dalton getting ready
outside the cage to descend into the pit
Evangelist, Ian Dring, was able to sensitively
share the Gospel with those who attended.
Several hundred feet underground in one of the
galleries they listened with rapt attention as he
paid tribute to those who perished all those
years ago. In the darkness of the pit he was
able to commend the One who is the Light of
the World. He reminded everyone that the
death of Jesus was God’s great rescue plan for
those entombed in sin and darkness.
Rev. Captain Stephen Wright, who is the
minister of Morley Community Church, said
they had been amazed at the interest and
response to the event. He said that this special
service had created massive interest in the
town and the media. It had coverage on local
radio, regional television, local newspapers and
the national press.
He expressed his thanks to the staff at the
Mining Museum who had offered every
assistance in organising the Memorial Service.
Pastor Wright said, “This was an awful disaster
and the town has been able to come together
to pay respect to the memory of those who
perished. We have also reminded our town of
the great sacrifices made in previous
generations during the course of their daily
work. We have been able to bring the Good
News of the Gospel in a unique way to many in
our area who still have links with the mining
industry.”
The musician who accompanied the
hymns during the underground service
Morley Community Church is a mission
congregation of the Evangelical Fellowship of
Congregational Churches in the UK.
Pamela Senior and Kathleen Taffinder with the banner
made by Morley Elderly Action Craft Group
6
Members of Morley Elderly Action Craft Group who made the memorial banner
Picture of one of the original modified safety lamps produced by Ackroyd and Best
(donated to the museum by Pamela Senior)
Group photo at Caphouse Pit with a number of those who attended including Neil Brittlebank (retired miner), Mrs
Hardy (91 years), Ed Balls MP, Mayor Andy Dalton, Clive McManus (History Society), Neil Wilkes (ex-Miner), and
Karen Ellis (far right - great grandaughter of George Bell who was one of the disaster victims)
Article and photographs kindly submitted by
Mayor, Councillor Andy Dalton
7
GOD’S AMAZING WORK FOR THE POOR A Brief Report of our ministry in India
7th to 22nd December, 2012
Dear co-workers in Christ,
God’s love is Amazing! We had a wonderful time of ministry in India and here’s some news
which we would like to share with you.
Our Children – They shouted in joy ‘Henu leh Hepa ahung tai (Mom and Dad are here!)’ when
we arrived and they all started talking to us at the same time, making it a bit difficult for us to
respond individually. We were glad that they were all well and growing in all aspects.
Painful Experiences – A rapid increase in the number of orphans and widows due to armed
movements, deprivation of medical facilities for tribal people, and HIV/AIDS. In just a week, five
kids were brought to us, three of whom were victims of conflicts. During the same week, my
cousin, who was instrumental in my education, died of TB, a curable illness, leaving behind his
young pregnant wife, who is an orphan herself.
Bethesda Academy – We are preparing to start a school for tribal children from the New Year
2013, and during this visit we were able to make furniture, recruit teachers and invite local
church leaders for cooperation. We have 5 positions for mission workers’ children.
No light- only
Lantern and
Candles.
Very Cold – we say
‘children and winter
are friends.’
No parents – they
called us ‘Mom and
Dad.’
8
Mentoring younger leaders – I had the privilege to meet with the three young men who we
supported for their theological training so they can form the next line of leadership in our church
organisation. Hemkhomang (MTh) has just completed his commentary on Matthew in a local
language to be used by more than thirty thousand members of our church both in India and
Burma. Lhunkholet (BD) is pioneering a church planting ministry, leading many to Christ.
Paokholun (BD) works among the youth and he has been very effective through music and song.
We discussed the needs of our society and our responses. Currently, we are supporting two
more young pastors in the same institution for an MTh and a BD respectively with a view to
having a bigger leadership team who are theologically trained.
Ballikinrain School Singing at a Wedding
Gifts from Alison Gray in Glasgow
Buying used warm clothes for the children Media Interview at Bethesda
Staff Meeting
9
Cooking chicken curry for church leaders
Children playing a game
A hotel in our town
Playing in the shade—a daily routine
Story of the boy pictured above
His father died; his sickly mother (pictured above left)
brought him to us after one full day of travel from the
Burma border. Many have died in landmine explosions
planted by militants. Comforting his mother (his mother
told me) the boy said, “Mom, don’t die, I will study and
become an officer one day and then I will take you to the
hospital for treatment.” We took the boy, trusting that
God will provide his needs.
Story of the old man pictured above (left)
This man (80?) came pleading that his grand -
children be helped by Bethesda. His sons were
killed recently and their wives have left their
families. We are praying for support.
We thank all our friends who support us and
donate gifts to Bethesda.
May God continue to bless you all!
Lamboi and Boinu Haokip
Bethesda Khankho Foundation
www.bethesda.org.in
10
JANUARY VISIT, 2013
Throughout our visit, our friend, Pastor
Symphony John Castillo acted as our driver,
guide, translator and facilitator. Not only did he
take us to schools and churches, but he was
able to exercise his pastoral ministry as the
Executive Director of NACC when speaking to
teachers and pastors.
On one occasion, we were also accompanied
by Rev. Ernanie (‘Nannie’), President and
Founder of NACC, and Mrs. Awit Castillo,
Executive Director and Founder of CCI. We
were delighted to visit the land that has been
purchased for a Campsite and Bible School at
Alfonso, in the popular tourist region of
Tagaytay, south of Manila. (You may recall the
article in the August, 2011 issue of OCW when
Joan Gillard and Jenny Best visited the site
and delivered funds for its purchase from FCC
churches in Australia. Joan and Jenny were
instrumental in leading the fund-raising efforts
of the FCC).
The excellent purchase price, far below that of
similar sites in the area, was surely a miracle
and confirmed God’s hand on this project.
However, that is just half of the story, with the
rest yet to be written. As you can see, the (20
metre frontage and 150 metre deep) site is
home to countless fruit trees, without a building
in sight.
This is a great opportunity for our WECF family
to practically express its fellowship by donating
towards the construction costs of the campsite.
NACC Philippines does not have the financial
reserves or income stream to undertake this
work by itself, but as a Fellowship we can do
our part to help develop this site. When
completed, it promises to play an important
role for NACC by providing regular income for
future ministry as well as a facility for its
churches to conduct family camps and the
already popular combined youth camps; it will
also provide facilities for Bible School training
for future pastors.
The next day, we were privileged to visit the
‘Promise Land Christian School,’ situated in
the shanty-town that surrounds the Smokey
Mountain garbage dump in Payatas, Metro-
Manila.
Symphony showing us the land
Bountiful fruit from the land
11
The height of the mountain of garbage is
clearly shown in the photograph above. It
towers over the people’s makeshift homes,
providing a source of income for many as
recyclable materials are scavenged from the
piles of newly delivered garbage (people must
apply and pay for a licence to do so). As well,
the health of most is adversely affected.
Several years ago, a section of the ‘mountain’
collapsed after heavy monsoon rains, officially
burying 200 people, but locals estimate this to
be closer to 1,000.
Having visited the school on several
occasions, it was good to see it thriving and we
were able to bring a short Bible message to
three of the morning session classes (there are
two sessions each day); 250 students are
currently enrolled in the school. The bright
eyes and happy faces that met us and the joy
with which they sang Christian choruses and
recited Bible memory verses were testimony to
the importance of the ministry of the school in
an area where too many children still do not
attend school at all, despite the attempts of the
government to ensure they do.
It was challenging but encouraging to observe
the quality of education that is being offered,
despite less than ideal conditions and a lack of
basic resources. The Department of Education
has requirements (such as a library and
playing area) that the school must address in
the future and some of these will require a
serious injection of funds.
The wonderfully committed teachers who work
long hours certainly treat this as ministry
because they could earn much higher salaries
teaching in the public school system. NACC
and the school would love to be in the position
to increase their pay.
12
The church that worships there on Sundays
has also continued to grow and now meets in a
newly constructed building, of more substantial
material than the previous sanctuary that was
largely destroyed by termites; the church was
originally established by Korean missionaries
and financial assistance for the new building
was received from Korean sources.
The visit to the school was followed by visits to
two of eight outreaches founded by Pastor
Lindo – he has a vision to plant twenty
outreaches that will eventually become
churches in their own right. It was amazing to
walk through the communities with him and
witness the respect and affection with which he
is regarded by children and adults alike.
The first outreach is not far from the Promise
Land Church and had up to 50 people meeting
for weekly Bible Study in a partially completed
shelter until a ‘twister’ removed most of the
roofing last September. The roof was
deposited on the next door property and at
present, only a small area of roofing remains to
provide shelter for the group that attends –
sadly, the reduced shelter has also led to a
reduction in attendance to about 30.
Some of the children in the
Kindergarten 2 Class
The damaged roofing that now rests
against the neighbour’s house
Pastor Lindo standing under the small area of
roofing that remains – note the suspended
lengths of timber that provide seating for the
Bible Study participants
Rev. Erlindo (Lindo) Ganiban, (middle)
Pastor of the Promise Land Church and
Mrs. Esther Ganiban, (left) the School
Principal, with Symphony John Castillo (right)
13
The second outreach was at Bagong Silangan
(‘Place of New Birth’), a resettlement area for
squatters from the nearby district of Diliman.
Although only 3-4 kilometres away from the
Promise Land Church (in a direct line) on the
other side of Smokey Mountain, travel there
each Sunday afternoon is a time-consuming
and relatively expensive exercise for Pastor
Lindo and his team as it involves two jeepney
rides and one tricycle ride.
The believers meet in a community multi-
purpose room, with at least 120 people,
including children, from approximately 80
families attending regularly (30-40 children
meet for Sunday School before the service for
adults). Their meeting place was inundated
when the nearby river rose due to heavy
monsoon rains last August. The whole
community suffered greatly as it was engulfed
by flood waters that were many metres deep –
not once, but twice, in less than 24 hours! (See
October, 2012 OCW)
That evening, we joined members from the
‘Agape Bible Christian Church’ for its weekly
Prayer Meeting (see page 2). It was very
encouraging to share with people of all ages,
including some young children who joined older
members of the congregation in praying for
each other, such as Patrick, age 11, who sat
alongside Nannie Castillo in the men’s group.
11 year-old Patrick with Nannie Castillo Some of the believers with Symphony
and Pastor Lindo (extreme left)
outside the meeting room
Part of the meeting room
14
On the Sunday during our visit, we attended
‘God’s Loving Care Christian
Fellowship’ (GLCCF) in Angono, which is led
by Pastor Jasper Jornales. The congregation
celebrated its 18th Anniversary on Sunday, 27
January. The meeting was marked by
enthusiastic singing and passionate prayer in
small groups, and Alan was privileged to bring
the message.
One of the blessings of being able to share at
GLCCF was spending time both before and
after the service with the enthusiastic and
entertaining children. There were plenty of
questions about Australia and much for them to
share about life in the Philippines. During the
service the children participated in their own
Sunday School program, but joined the adults
for a few minutes to recite their weekly Bible
memory passage.
That afternoon, we joined Pastor Jasper and a
team of faithful workers for a 45 minute drive
(longer by jeepney) to Barangay Evangelista
(township) in Baras Rizal, where GLCCF
established an outreach ministry in November,
2011. The service is conducted in the
Community Centre and it was very
encouraging for the visiting team to have the
Barangay Captain and his wife in attendance.
At least 40 local people were present, including
about 10 high school students. Once again,
enthusiastic singing and prayer for each other
were highlights of the service, and the ‘Aussie’
visitors brought a short message.
Pastor Jasper leading some of the singing
Alan preaching at GLCCF
Bright and well-trained students
Numbers are growing at the
Outreach Service
15
On our last full day in Manila, we visited the
‘Agape Kiddie Learning Center,’ which is a
ministry of the ‘Agape Bible Christian Church’
at Bagong Silang, a poor re-settlement
community. The church is the daughter church
of the ‘Agape Bible Christian Church’ in
Quezon City. It is led by Pastor Chris
Padegdeg, a young man whose call to ministry
was reported in OCW in June, 2011. He
commenced as pastor three years ago
following completion of his theological training.
He is seen in the following picture outside the
church property, which is also home to the
Learning Center and Chris’s residence; there is
no car or truck access to the property or to
most of the homes in the community.
The Learning Center has a total of 18 students
in two Kindergarten classes that operate for
two hours each, one after the other on
weekdays. The head teacher and her two
assistants provide quality education despite
limited resources and the difficulty faced by
some families in paying the modest fees. The
Center’s witness and respect in the community
was clearly demonstrated by the number of
parents and younger siblings who also slipped
into the building to participate in the morning’s
program. On the day of our visit, the classes
were combined and the children presented
musical items to their visitors before Kerrian
presented a Bible lesson with the assistance of
an Australian wombat puppet.
The faithful team travel to serve each
Sunday afternoon
Symphony’s interpreting skills were
appreciated by all
Pastor Chris with the school’s teaching staff
16
Maybe you would like to consider making a
donation to the development of the Campsite
and Bible School, the schools’ ministries or the
outreaches in the Philippines. Please do so
through our WECF Treasurer, specifying where
you would like your funds to be directed (see
page 34).
If you would like to become a Child Sponsor
(US$300 per year for school students; US$600
per year for college students) or offer a
Scholarship to a Pre-School Child (US$120 per
year) through CCI Philippines, please contact
Mrs. Awit Castillo or the Editor of OCW.
17
JANUARY VISIT, 2013
After our week in the Philippines, we spent
another eleven days on Saipan and Guam with
two Pohnpein Churches that are Associate
Members of WECF. It was wonderful to meet
with these friends again.
On Saipan, we were graciously invited to
conduct leadership training seminars on five
evenings, and during the Sunday morning
worship service, Kerrian presented the
Children’s/Youth Message and Alan preached.
The training seminars included a series of Bible
teaching messages from 1 Corinthians and
Youth Ministry Training by Alan, and Children’s
Ministry Training by Kerrian (‘Using Effective
Object Lessons to Teach Bible Truths’).
A highlight of the seminars was the high quality
of the object lessons presented by the
participants, some of which are shown on the
next page.
Wonparon (Pastor) James Ramon
presenting an illustrated Bible talk during
one of the training seminars
Enthusiastic participation
18
Games were a useful teaching tool
Careful
preparation
by each
participant was
clearly evident
in their
thoughtful
presentations
19
Pictures above:
Saipan
Pictures above:
Guam
20
The final phase of our trip was in Guam where
we were delighted to renew friendships at the
‘South Church.’ Seminars on Children’s and
Youth Ministry were presented on Friday and
Saturday evenings and Alan was again
privileged to preach on Sunday morning.
The church’s congregation includes good
numbers of children and youth and the
highlight of the Saturday seminar was the
presence of a lively group of young people who
participated enthusiastically in all of the
activities.
The church is undertaking work on its building
with new Sunday School rooms nearing
completion and a kitchen is planned for the
future.
Senior Wonparon (Pastor), Jerry Jim,
and his wife, Sirinha
Alan at a seminar evening and preaching on our final Sunday