Iloco New Testament soon to be on CD

By March of year 2008, the Iloco New Testament of the “Baro Naimbag a Damag Biblia” will be in CD form. Recording work was done in the months of September and October at the Philippine Bible Society cottage in Baguio City with an Indian couple (Mr/Mrs David Yalla) as technicians.

This project is undertaken by a group called “Faith Comes By Hearing” and is supported by the Philippine Bible Society and a U.S. group called “Hosanna.”

Helping as listener and editor is our very own Eusebio Tanicala. While recording is done brother Tanicala listens to the pronunciation, accentuation and phrasing. Also watches for omissions. After a book is recorded, he sits down with the technicians and listen/review a whole book.

New Testament lines assigned to Jesus Christ, various apostles, disciples, angels, women, prophets, Voice from heaven, narrators were read by preachers and Bible believers from various religious groups.

When this will be available, it will be announced in this website.

Tarlac congregations to host 2008 fellowship

Tarlac province congregational leaders have agreed to take over the hosting of the Panagkakadua ‘08 (Fellowship 2008) from the Mangaldan, Pangasinan congregation. This annual fellowship of congregations in northwestern Luzon will be held in Sapang, Moncada, Tarlac during the so-called holy week in the year 2008. — Bernardo Panergo

Evangelism workshop in Kalookan slated for December

The New Evangelism Workshop & Seminar that is annually hosted by Metro Manila churches will be conducted on Dec. 6-8 in the chapel at Morning Breeze Subdivision, Kalookan City. The theme is “Evangelism — a sword that pierces the soul (Luke 2:35).” — Randy Macapagal

Gospel meeting in Ilocos Sur

A three night series of gospel lessons will be presented at San Emilio town in Ilocos Sur. At day time, church leaders will hold classes on Christian doctrines and how to teach Bible classes. To speak in the gospel meeting and teach the classes are Dick Baguioen and Eusebio Tanicala. — Leon Lais

Southern Mindanao PBC Alumni Chapter reunion

PBC Alumni–Southern Mindanao Chapter plans to hold a reunion in Makilala, Cotabato on Nov. 7-8. There are about forty alumni and former students of PBC living in the area. Brother Eusebio Tanicala will be the special guest and will also lecture on the topic “Copngregational Local Autonomy.” Gabriel Valdez, minister to the Kabacan downtown congregation is the president of the chapter and he coordinates this year’s affair.(Gabriel Valdez)

Practical Christianity in Action Seminar

The annual seminar “Practical Christianity in Action” sponsored by the Manila School of Evangelism will be conducted on October 31 and November 1. Guest lecturer is Ken Wilkey, missionary from Texas. Coordinating this year’s program is Philip Dumawa.

CHRISTIANITY and ISLAM – COMPARISON and CONTRAST

INTRODUCTION

This lesson is presented with the hope that PBC Alumni and Church Leaders will gain much understanding about Islam and Muslims. And with enlightenment on our side, we shall be able to talk and deal with Muslim friends in an enlightened manner.

Several years ago, a PBC alumnus complained to me that he didn’t know what to talk about when his Muslim neighbor insisted that Islam is the correct religion and Christianity is not.

A second member of the church asked me what she should bring out if and when a Muslim friend would want to compare Islam with Christianity. These two brethren made me start buying books so I could have more information about Islam.

A third factor that pushed me to make a serious study of Islam is the reality that the New Testament region of Syria and Asia Minor where the Apostle Paul labored and is romanticized in the Book of Acts have been lost to the Orthodox Church/Roman Church as a small minority and is dominated by Islam. Syria is about 90% Islam while Turkey which was Asia Minor is about 95% Islam.

New congregation established in Tubao, La Union

A new congregation of Christians was established by two Philippine Bible College graduates at Gonzales, Tubao, La Union, Philippines. The members were mainly from Pongpong Church Of Christ. Pongpong, Sto. Tomas is quite a distance to Gonzalez, Tubao. The Eldership of Pongpong considers the establishment of another church as growth.

Freddie L. Villanueva from Tubao, La Union and Ruben Mendoza from Sison, Pangasinan thought of having worship services at Tubao, La Union.  Freddie was at that time a Deacon of Pongpong Church. He said that more people could attend worship services in Tubao if services were held there because some members consider the distance to Pongpong as
hindrance. Ruben offered his services to start the services on Sundays.

The new congregation rents a space near a public school for P500.00 a week. Fellowship lunch is held every after service on Sundays. The bulk of the members of the chuch in Tubao is Freddie’s family (wife and two children) Freddie’s Marivic and family and Salvacion and family and the parents of Freddie who were early members of the Pongpong Church.

Report from Pablo Lachica (pmlachica@yahoo.com)

PBCAA Forum

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The Board of Trustees of the Philippine Bible College Alumni Association in Baguio will sponsor a “PBC Alumni & Church Leaders Forum” on 24-25 October. Resource speakers are Santiago Sameon II, Antonio Balagot and Eusebio Tanicala. Theme for the forum is “Understanding Islam and Muslims.”

The purpose of the forum is to help alumni and congregational leaders gain more knowledge about Islam. Many people are ignorant about Islam and what Muslims believe and why.

Anglican church leaders welcome muslim leaders letter

This month of October, there appears in the internet a news item about the reaction of Anglican Church leaders welcoming a letter signed by several Muslim leaders inviting Roman Catholics, Orthodox Catholics and Reformed Churches to join with Muslims in building up their common faith.

The letter from the Muslim leaders say that more than half of the world’s population believe in the same God and it is for their mutual interest to live in peace with each other. Read the full article here.

Appendix upholds Creationism

For many decades, evolutionists sneered at the Bible and the creation theory of the universe. One small thing that atheists have laughed at is the appendix, a small  extension sack-like organ of the intestine. Some biologists said that the appendix is a vestige of evolution that soon would be discarded because it is useless.

Medical people, however, have not observed any change in the past several hundred years since the appendix has been identified. Which means that there’s no human behavior that discards the appendix from the human system.

But now scientists agree that there’s an important use of the appendix according to a science/medical article in the CNN website. It told about the appendix: “It produces and protects good germs for your gut. That’s the theory from surgeons and immunologists at the Duke University Medical School.”  The article further stated that when gastro-intestinal disorder happens and the intestines discharge good bacteria  “the appendix’s job is to reboot the digestive system in that case.”  The study in the medical school tells us that the appendix is a “bacteria factory, cultivating the good germs” that is needed by the human body to make itself healthy.

So the Bible remains correct when it says that God made human beings in a wonderful way.

Ed Maquiling holds discussion with sectarian preacher

Recently brother Edgardo Maquiling of Cebu City conducted a discussion with a “charismatic” preacher who denies the importance of water baptism. You may find a summary of the the arguments by visiting the following blogs:
(1) http://www.lcg.org/beliefs.shtml (2) http://sectsandcults.blogspot.com

Samar-Leyte harvest of souls

From Sept. 2-28, various evangelistic outreach areas on the twin islands of Samar and Leyte yielded forty seven baptisms according to a text report of brother Santiago Sameon II who worked in the area in association with several evangelists and church leaders.

In December seminars will be held in Ormoc City and Butuan City to clarify current issues affecting the congregations like the unity of the Godhead, church benevolence, and the Lord’s Supper, among others.

Web Log for a local church – come and visit

A new blog has been launched by the Ponpong Church of Christ. Click the link and connect with the saints here: Church in the Valley.

Family

I received this file from a friend. I want to share with you. The setting is American Family. However, the message is for us.

 

 

-Pablo Lachica

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
“Oh excuse me please” was my reply.

He said, “Please excuse me too;
I wasn’t watching for you.”

 

We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.

 

But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

 

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.

 

When I turned, I nearly knocked him down .
“Move out of the way,” I said with a frown.

 

He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn’t realize how harshly I’d spoken.

 

While I lay awake in bed,
God’s still small voice came to me and said,

 

“While dealing with a stranger,
common courtesy you use,
but the family you love, you seem to abuse.

 

Go and look in the kitchen floor,
You’ll find some flowers there by the door.

 

Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.

 

He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise;
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes.”

 

By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.

 

I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
“Wake up, little one, wake up,” I said.

 

“Are these the flowers you picked for me?”
He smiled, “I found ‘em, out by the tree.

 

I picked ‘em because they’re pretty like you.
I knew you’d like ‘em, especially the blue.”

 

I said, “Son, I’m very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn’t have yelled at you that way.”
He said, “Oh, Mom, that’s okay. I love you anyway.”

 

I said, “Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue.”

 

FAMILY

Are you aware that if we die tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don’t you think? So what is behind the story?

Do you know what the word FAMILY means?

FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

New Bible Translation now available

We received an email message from bro. Tommy Mapalo informing us that there is a new translation of the Great Book. According to bro. Tommy four of the seven translators are members of the Church – Lewis, McCord ,Woods and Hadwin.

He sent this:

BRIEF HISTORY ABOUT THE TRANSLATORS

International Bible Translators, Inc. is located principally in New England . It has been established since 1975 and is comprised of a small body of scholars who specialize in theoretical linguistics, cultural anthropology, biblical Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, lexicography, computer programming, exotic typography, and field testing (psycholinguistics).

 

 

The Chairman of the Translation Committee of The Plain English Bible is Dr. Stanley L. Morris. He served as an editor in the Translation Department of the American Bible Society from 1968 to 1972 under the world- famous linguist, Dr. Eugene A. Nida.

 

 

While in New York City , Dr. Morris was also privileged to work directly with renowned New Testament scholar, Dr. Bruce M. Metzger of Princeton University .

 

 

Dr. Morris is a 63-year-old scholar who has dedicated his entire life to translating the Bible. This particular project has taken more than 22 years to complete. He is qualified in New Testament Greek, Old Testament Hebrew and Aramaic, Biblical theology, theoreticallinguistics, cultural anthropology, and typography. He was also one of the first to pioneer in the field of Bible software.

 

 

Listed below are the scholarly members of the Bible Translation Committee:

• F. W. Gingrich, Ph.D. (a renown Greek lexicographer)
• Jack P. Lewis, Ph.D.; Ph.D.
• Hugo McCord, Th.D.
• Clyde M. Woods, Ph.D.
• S. T. Kang, Ph.D (a world class expert on Sumerian)
• Gary T. Burke, Ph.D.
• Milo Hadwin, D.Min.

 

Book Description

The Great Book is a fresh, new translation of the Word of God. It reads so smoothly that it doesn’t even seem to be a translation, though it is painstakingly accurate according to the best Greek manuscripts. The true meaning that God intended comes through loud and clear—in plain English!

 

 

Because The Great Book communicates so well, it can be used effectively in many ways:

* For teaching kids of all ages, especially teenagers.
* For teaching English to non-native speakers.
* For those who have never read the Bible before.
* For prison ministries.
* For evangelistic outreaches in America .
* For missionary distribution programs around the world.

 

 

The Great Book is written at a 5th grade reading level in order to reach the greatest number of people in the world. The original Greek New Testament was Koine (common) Greek. Let’s face it, we could all use a little help with the most difficult New Testament books such as Romans, Galatians, Hebrews, and Revelation!

Pangasinan fellowship a success

The 50^th Pangasinan-speaking churches of Christ Fellowship and Seminar recently held at the Mangaldan church of Christ chapel was a resounding success, this despite the bad weather that was encountered last September 29, 2007. Close to five hundred in attendance including the brethren from La Union and other neighboring provinces, feasted on God’s Word ably expounded by Brothers John Quiniones Sr., David Quidem and Arnold Zambrano. Attendees were likewise treated with roasted pigs, aside from the ordinary servings, as the occasion was the 50^th celebration.

More than the festive atmosphere, the occasion afforded the needed fellowship among the Pangasinan-speaking churches as problems relating to congregational cooperation and province wide problems were discussed, though, due to time constraints not all the questions and resolutions were amply threshed out. It was agreed by the assembly that the next fellowship and seminar will be held at Oligan church of Christ chapel at Barangay Oligan, Pozorubio, Pangasinan this coming December. (Junas T. Sagurit)