July 24, 2006 Mabuhay !! Greetings to you all in the name of Jesus. On the Recent Concluded WestVis/PIBS-Aklan Forum. 15 preachers, church workers and a visitor from the Methodist church participated in July 12 to 14 meeting and fellowship of ministers, which was hosted by the church of Christ in Kalibo in cooperation with PIBS-Aklan. The forum’s theme and also a study requirement for PIBS was: A Closer Look on the Minor Prophets. The speakers have worked well to give justice for the said subject; they are Eusebio Tanicala (Baguio City), Reuben Emperado (Banilad Cebu City), Ernest Christian Montoyo (Bacolod City, Negros Occ), Merare Garovillo Sr (Balasan, Iloilo) and Freddie Arrellano (San Miguel, Iloilo). Three PIBS-Aklan students serves as devotional speakers; Lindy Francisco, Clyd Ursua, and Christian Paclibar. Mr. Robert Tan Capodol was our visitor contacted from a door knocking/tract distribution campaign, he was present the entire duration of the forum and desiring to worship with the church the following Sunday. Favorable response from participants was evident. We were tasked again to do the preparations of the program and the theme subject for the next forum in October to be held again in Kalibo. The Book of Psalms is considered to be the book to study for the coming event. Gathering of source materials is ongoing. We are happy and privilege to do the work, with feeling that brethren in WestVis have confidence in our capability on delivering the job. On PIBS-Aklan Bible School. This humble Bible School is seven months old now and keeps on extending blessings to other church servants in Panay Island. They are benefiting one-way or the other from Bible School’s concise yet practical program. We started with one priority in mind; to train and more or less equip Aklan’s local church workers.
From January up to the present we had already covered variety of subjects for study. More than half of this year’s lined up subjects was already thought:
This month of July before the furom came in, we spend the first two days (July 10 & 11) studying the introductory lessons on the book of James. PIBS-Aklan is going a long way!
The Church Anniversary Celebration. More or less 50 adults and 20 young people and children are present during the church celebration of its 5 years existence in Kalibo, Aklan. Many of them are friends whom we labor with the Word through Seekers Bible Correspondence and Home Bible Study (HBS). Three speakers from the preacher’s forum remained just to be our guests and Sunday School Teachers. Bro Reuben Emperado preached an evangelistic sermon entitled “One Thing”, Bro Eusebio Tanicala thought in the Adult Bible Class with the topic “Who is Jesus to Me” based on Hebrews chapter 2, while Bro Merare Garovillo lead the young people’s Bible Class with the topic about the Church of Christ. Sis Janel Sinco thought the class for our young children. Bro Christian and this writer lead the songs and presides the worship service. As tradition goes, good foods were served after the worship service and the lechon was there among the “chows”. It was a happy fellowship with full of great memories.
Other Development. Kalibo chapel was repainted on time for the WestVis Forum and anniversary. The ladies donated the materials, paints and others and the men did the painting. The worship hall is looking good and dainty than before on its white walls.
Kalibo Sunday worship service schedule is changed to 8:00AM from 9:00 the usual time. We desire the Church to start that early so that we could finish at 10:00 AM giving us ample time for the afternoon travel to Batan to conduct services at 3:00 PM. And in addition to Batan, starting August 6 we will be conducting the first worship in Tangalan, Aklan (19 km from Kalibo) also scheduled at 3:00 PM.
Batan Outreach. We conducted an ocular survey of the lot that we are proposing to rent in Bay-ang, Batan to be used by the church as a site for chapel. The land was own by Prado Family, currently it was being taken care by a younger brother of Bro. Jaime Prado, Simon Prado. As the negotiation progressing, Prado Family offered us the good location with an area of 500 square meters. They guarantee that we can use the land as long as we want and could erect- semi permanent structures on it. For the rent, the younger Prado told us “it is all up to you (us) to give the price”. Simon and his wife show interest in the Bible study, sincerely I told him that sooner or later he would be a Christian if that is their attitude with the Bible and he gesture positively. The vast property was not partitioned yet among the siblings and if the lot where the chapel erected falls to Bro. Jaime’s care, Bro Jaime is willing to donate the site to the church. We are now on the process of visualizing and sketching the plan of the semi-permanent structure for the chapel, which is made of light materials (cement flooring, fiber board sidings, nipa shingles for roofing and GI pipes for supports). Our timetable for this project (Lord willing) will be on December this year. Cost estimates will be available soon. We need to install hand pump for water supply. The electricity source is readily available.
There are many children and young people, I think we could establish nursery and pre-school when the church and chapel is permanently planted. We will be having a tract distribution and door knocking there this coming Sunday and take pictures of the site and some installations round about Bay-ang, Batan, Aklan. A petite medical mission is considered, we have mentioned this matter to our brother surgeon, Dr. Jerry Teves in our telephone conversation last night about the possibilities and he is agreeing. There will come a time and it is nearing when a vehicle that could carry more or less a dozen Filipinos is a big help in making our plans realized. Please continue on praying with us.
Brothers this is all for now. I’m attaching herewith some photographs and there’s still more coming. I hope this news would broaden your knowledge concerning our ministry that we both keeping as partners. Again thank you very much for your continued support and encouragement and prayers. God bless you all. In His Service,
Sammy and Janel Sinco
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