NATIONAL AND REGIONAL ABCUSA LEADERS AT ROUNDTABLE WITH HISTORIC BAPTIST PARTNERS IN THE PHILIPPINES

Transcription

1 NATIONAL AND REGIONAL ABCUSA LEADERS AT ROUNDTABLE WITH HISTORIC BAPTIST PARTNERS IN THE PHILIPPINES On January 6-15, 2016, an American Baptist delegation of national and regional leaders engaged its historic partner in the Philippines, the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches (CPBC), in an unprecedented Roundtable wisdom sharing and disaster relief inspections in Iloilo City and its northern province, and urban slum/settlement ministry site visits in Metro Manila. It all began in the summer of 2012 when a team from the American Baptist Churches of New Jersey led by senior regional pastor and executive minister, Rev. Dr. Lee Spitzer, was invited by Central Philippines University (CPU) in Iloilo City, Philippines, to lead the Christ Emphasis Week (CEW) - an annual week-long evangelistic convocation held on the campus. Central Philippines University was founded by American Baptist missionaries in 1905 as a vocational school for boys. Now, CPU is one of the top universities in the Philippines, and an affiliated institution of the CPBC, ABCUSA's sister denomination. CPU is the only Baptist university in the entire country. The ABCNJ team followed Rev. Elmo Familiaran, ABCNJ associate regional pastor, who was already on a month-long sabbatical with the CPBC in Iloilo City, his spiritual home. The impact of the visit and leadership of the ABCNJ team in the CEW was such that it rekindled the spiritual bond and pastoral affection between the two historic partners - heretofore laid dormant by years of absence of communal presence - so much so that Drs. Spitzer and Familiaran were invited back by the Convention Baptist Ministers Association (CBMA) in January of 2013 to be its main lecturers in their 3 1/2-day annual national gathering of CPBC pastors. Both were able to go with the financial support and encouragement of IM. It was during that time that the seeds of the Roundtable were germinated around deep conversations with the pastors and leaders of the CBMA. It became clear in those conversations that ABCUSA and CPBC shared common concerns for their pastors and churches, even in the disparate realities of their respective contexts of ministry. At the epicenter of the CBMA's interest was the significant and proximate pastoral role of the "Regions" in the health and faithfulness of pastors and congregations in the ABCUSA, as they witnessed it through the ministry of ABCNJ among them. The CPBC counterpart of the ABCUSA s Regions is the "Kasapulanan", which in CPBC s current institutional reality is essentially defunct. The CBMA and the CPBC were unanimous in making the "middle expressions" of our respective denominations be the locus of the Roundtable. What better way to build upon and deepen the now renewed fraternal ties than to bring these concerns around

2 a mutual sharing of wisdom and experiences? Thus the vision of the Roundtable was born. With the support of Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chan, IM area director for East Asia (including the Philippines) and India, the Roundtable was formalized into a proposal. In January of 2014, Rev. Dr. Elmo Familiaran was commissioned by International Ministries, ABCUSA and the ABCUSA World Relief Office to conduct on-site disaster relief assessments with CPBC brought out by the disastrous Typhoon Haiyan. During that visit, further planning around the Roundtable was done. Eight common and pressing topics for both denominations were identified: Ordination, Pastoral Search and Call, Baptist Heritage and Identity in the 21st Century, Models for New Church Planting, Models for Continuing Theological Education for Pastors, Disaster Response, Relationships Between Denominational Agencies, Congregational Health. Intense planning with our Filipino partners began in earnest to organize resources and logistics, and to create the framework for the action steps leading to implementation of the plan. It was agreed that the primary discursive principle that will be operative in the Roundtable will be contextualization. Two participants were assigned to address each topic - one from CPBC and one from ABCUSA, and each presenter was required to write an in-depth paper on the subject from the perspective of their contextual realities for presentation and discussion at the Roundtable. The overriding and expected outcome was to learn from each other's experience and wisdom, and to come away from the Roundtable enriched by one another in our common task of kingdom work. No such engagement between these two historic Baptist partners and sister denominations has ever taken place on this level. The CPBC created a working and planning group composed by key leaders in the CBMA and CPBC: Rev. Judson Herbilla, CPBC general secretary and his executive staff, Rev. Jenkins Bañas, Henna Baclagon, Deli Baclagon, and Joyzel Garcia; Rev. Dr. Melvin Mangana, CPBC president; Rev. Dr. Jerson Narciso, representing the CPBC Board of Trustees; and Rev. Samuel Talha, current president of the CBMA. The working/planning group worked in close collaboration with the ABC working/planning group composed of Rev. Dr. Lee Spitzer, ABCNJ executive minister; Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chan, IM area director for East Asia and India; Rev. Dr. Carla Romarate- Knipel, IM volunteer liaison for the Philippines and pastor of Central Baptist Church of Woodbury, NJ; and Rev. Dr. Elmo Familiaran, ABCNJ associate regional pastor. The ABCUSA delegation began to be formed. ABC national staff was represented by Rev. Dr. Benjamin Chan and Victoria Goff, disaster relief coordinator for ABHMS; and Rev. Dr Carla Romarate-Knipel.

3 Dr. Lee Spitzer was given the task to select a "charter" group of regional executives to participate in this historic engagement. The regional pastors who accepted the invitation to participate were: Rev. Dr. Frank Frischkorn of ABC of PA & DE; Rev. Dr. Dwight Stinnett, recently retired executive minister of ABCGRR; Rev. Dr. Steven Van Ostran of ABC of Rocky Mountains; Rev Dr. Samuel Chetti, ABC of LA and HI. The rest of the ABCUSA delegation was rounded out by Rev. Dr. Luciano Marquez, ABCNJ associate regional pastor for Latino Mjnistries and former director of ABCNJ New Church Development; Denise Gratzel, ABCNJ disaster relief coordinator; and Rev. Dr. Elmo Familiaran, ABCNJ associate regional pastor. All the papers that were written were compiled into a resource book ahead of time. After two and a half days of intense presentations and discussion and prayer, the Roundtable concluded by identifying emergent themes, prioritizing them and then declaring the priorities as the framework for an agenda for future collaboration and transformation. The weekend that followed the Roundtable events saw the ABCUSA team travel the countryside for almost 4 hours one-way, to the northern provinces of north Iloilo and Capiz, to the cities of Estancia and Roxas. Another major component of this mission assignment was to conduct site visits to key CPBC churches, schools, parsonages, livelihood restoration projects that received ABCUSA OGHS relief money after the powerful Typhoon Haiyan made direct landfall in late October of 2013 over northern Iloilo province - the area in the Philippines where most of the churches and institutions of CPBC are located. When they reached Roxas City, the team visited the ABC-founded Filamer Christian University - also a recipient of OGHS disaster relief money - where they were graciously hosted by its new president, Dr. George O. Cortel. The team then divided up into small groups of 3-4 members the following day, Sunday, to preach and worship at local CPBC churches. On Sunday afternoon the team was hosted for lunch by the staff of the Capiz Emmanuel Memorial Hospital in Roxas City - a major health institution of the CPBC that was founded by some of the American Baptist missionaries who were executed during WWII in the mountainous village of Tapaz, Capiz, in their hiding place they called Hopevale. Upon its return to Iloilo City from the weekend of field inspections in northern Iloilo and Capiz provinces, the team met with the dean and the faculty of CPU s College of Theology, to dialogue about readiness for pastoral leadership and how the academy and the church can better work together in the preparation of future pastors of the church. After the Roundtable events concluded in Iloilo City, the ABCUSA team traveled back to Manila to engage the Luzon Convention Baptist Fellowship (LCBF) - the region of CPBC covering the

4 congregations in the contiguous southern Tagalog region of the country whose primary ethos is urban and inner city ministries; and IM partner, Samaritana Transformation Ministries, Inc. (STM), the NGO based out of Quezon City in Metro Manila whose dedicated mission is deploying strategies against human trafficking and the rescue of vulnerable women from abuse and the slavery of prostitution in Metro Manila. STM is led by Rev. Dr. Jonathan and Thelma Nambu, themselves affiliate missionaries of IM. The ABCUSA Roundtable team was housed at the training and retreat center of STM, and its transportation needs was provided graciously by the LCBF leadership. The first full day of the team began with a joint orientation of ABCUSA and LCBF leaders to the ministry of STM led by Jonathan and Thelma Nambu - a gathering that the ABCUSA Roundtable was pleased to catalyze since, up until that time, there has not been any formal engagement between STM and LCBF. The moving and inspiring experience of the Roundtable team was to start everyday by joining the daily, early morning meditative/contemplative liturgies of STM with the survivors of prostitution who already are under its program. What a privilege to be surrounded by courageous women, the devoted servants who care for them, and the evidence of the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in and through those who lean upon God! The Roundtable team was then bought by LCBF leaders to three slum/settlement church plants of Faith Baptist Church located in three economically depressed and impoverished districts of Metro Manila. There the Roundtable team was humbled to meet courageous tent-making pastors who were leading 2 of the 3 church plants that the team visited, and who were assisted by vibrant volunteers as they brought the love of Christ in innovative ways to the daunting challenges of abject poverty surrounding their walls - talk about bringing the light into the darkness! Their radical vision for ministry and indefatigable hope in Christ animated the vibrant ministry of each church plant, so much so that each site has more than 150 members each - church growth that counts? Yes! The ABCUSA Roundtable team members returned to their various ministries in the United States challenged, disturbed, provoked and inspired to seek God s will in new ways in their respective contexts of ministry as they witnessed it in and through our sisters and brothers in the CPBC. May God be praised and honored by this historic event!

5 Personal observations by Dwight: First of all, I want to thank Lee Spitzer for including me in this historic event. It was a long time in the planning, and one of the last things I agreed to as Executive Minister for the Great Rivers Region. While the Region incurred no expenses in this trip, I do feel some responsibility to report to you. The Republic of the Philippines is a lovely, island nation of which I was aware only at a distance. I did not realize it consisted of over 7000 islands with a number of dialects (we visited only two). We were well-received with generous hospitality and authentic affection. Indeed, I was not prepared for the deep affection for the American Baptist mission effort, which goes back over 100 years. The emphasis of those missionaries on preaching, teaching, and healing are seen everywhere. The contrast between the beauty of the countryside and the poverty of Manila was staggering. High-rise million-dollar condominiums rose from the midst of slums. It is a sad legacy of Western colonialism and capitalism for which there is no apparent solution. I was most impressed with the Central Philippines University (CPU), which hosted the roundtable discussions. This is a large, bustling university which includes engineering, medical, nursing, and theological schools. In my opinion, it is poised to become a significant force for Baptists across Southeast Asia. American Baptists should be proud of their efforts to begin this school through our missionaries. It was moving to visit Filamer University and Capiz Memorial Hospital in Roxas City. Both were institutions begun by American Baptist Missionaries. The hospital was the professional home of American Baptist missionaries who were hunted down and executed by the Japanese during World War II. It was a privilege to visit the memorial to their sacrifice and witness the deep reverence accorded these faithful men and women by the Filipino Baptists. It is a tragedy that the story of Hopevale is unknown to so many American Baptists. The expressions of appreciation and affection were only intensified as we visited several sites which were in the process of rebuilding following Typhoon Haiyan (also known as Super Typhoon Yolanda, 2013) thanks to your One Great Hour of Sharing offering. Our visits included a small fishing village which had been in the direct path of the typhoon, a school, and several churches. Your generous contributions are making a difference.

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8 Top: Our entire delegation at the memorial for the Hopevale martyrs outside the Capiz Memorial Hospital which they founded. Left: With hospital administrators and colleague Rev. Dr. Carla Romarate-Knipel. Below: Members of the Capiz church, where I worshipped one Sunday.