News

Over 540 individuals were baptized in various locations across the Central Philippines during simultaneous evangelistic meetings on Nov. 17 - 23, 2024. Representatives from the Southern Asia-Pacific Division (SSD), alongside their Central Philippine Union Conference counterparts, conducted these coordinated efforts. 

These simultaneous events mobilized church members, leaders, district pastors, directors, and administrators on all organizational levels for support as part of the 2024 year-long plan of the Central Philippine Union Conference in collaboration with SSD. 

This collaboration aimed to maximize the impact of evangelism, reaching a wider audience across multiple locations. More importantly, simultaneous programs also encouraged a sense of unity and cooperation between church members and leaders by creating a shared purpose and momentum. 

The unified evangelism took place in different districts across Central Visayan Conference, East Visayan Conference, Negros Occidental Conference, Northwestern Panay Mission, Samar Mission, and West Visayan Conference, resulting in a total of 540 individuals welcomed into the Adventist faith. 

As an outcome, Pastor Jibil Simbah, the stewardship director who conducted his evangelism in Leyte, gathered 161 baptisms.

Pastor Anukol Richil, associate youth director, together with wife Sweetie Richel, SSD associate treasurer, reaped 100 baptisms in Manapla, Negros Occidental.

Edward Rodriguez, associate communication director, and Mizpah editor, invited 101 new believers to the church in Jimalalud, Negros Oriental.  

Furthermore, Pastor Wendell Mandolang, executive secretary, had 65 baptisms in San Dionisio, Iloilo.

Pastor Felixian Felicitas, SSD field secretary, gathered 45 in Antique, while Pastor Rudi Situmorang, Ministerial Association/Adventist Chaplaincy director, had 33 in Calbayog Central Church.

In addition, three SSD representatives conducted an evangelistic series in Metro Cebu. One was Pastor Arnel Gabin, NDR-IEL vice-president, who performed his nightly series at Magukay Church in Mandaue City, Cebu. He baptized 12 during the Sabbath afternoon. 

Another was Dr. Irelyn Gabin, assistant to the president for Adventist Possibility Ministries. She held her evangelistic campaign at Capitol Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Cebu City and gathered 18 at the feet of Jesus. 

Pastor Michael Palar, Hope Channel coordinator, had his evangelistic meeting at Canduman Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Mandaue City. The meeting culminated in the baptism of five individuals. 

Pastor Fernando Narciso, vice president of the CPUC Integrated Evangelism Lifestyle- Nurturing Discipleship Retention, quoted Ellen White's passage in an interview, "Evangelism is the very heart of Christianity, is the theme of primary importance to those called to herald God's last warning to a doomed world. We are time's closing hours, and the advent message proclaimed to make ready a people prepared for our Lord's return must swell to a loud cry reaching the uttermost parts of the earth."

Pastor Eliezer 'Joer' T. Barlizo Jr., president of the Central Philippine Union Conference, expressed gratitude to God for the favorable outcome of this evangelism and for everyone's support, which made this simultaneous event a success. 

He also thanked the CPUC administrators and directors for wholeheartedly supporting their SSD counterparts during the nightly series. 

Sharing his joy over this outcome, he expressed excitement and anticipation of more intensive evangelism in the coming years. "Praying for a larger harvest in 2025. And may the Lord find us faithful and more zealous in doing His work."

All these simultaneous evangelism this year, geared toward larger-scale evangelism next year, highlights the partnership between these two organizational levels within the Adventist church structure, working together toward a common goal of spreading the Gospel.