Students conduct drug-free education campaign

Seventh-day Adventist schools are expected to live to their distinction as drug-free institutions. Community leaders and drug-free enforcers find this distinction working conspicuously for the benefit of the society.

Police Senior Superintendent Ronald Marapon dela Rosa, provincial director of the Philippine National Police-Davao Sur Provincial Office, spoke openly about such feat for South Philippine Adventist College (SPAC) during the launching of the Drug-Free Education Campaign for the community, August 4, at the college’s La Sage Auditorium in Matanao, Davao del Sur.

“South Philippine Adventist College is absolutely drug-free and our drug-enforcement office is happy for the school’s contribution to society,” said Superintendent dela Rosa.

The said launching enabled the SPAC students to volunteer their services to conduct information drives on buses and passenger jeepneys plying the national highways and by distributing leaflets and stickers to passers-by. Students who board buses and jeepneys told passengers about the advantages of a drug-free family and society.

“My happy family is drug-free, how about yours?” these students asked their passenger-audiences.

Also at the launching of this program, Dr. Chliejvferwyn C. Catolico, SPAC president, reiterated that the advocacies of the college and all other Adventist schools are to make families happy and become campaign leaders against drug abuse. “In fact, our teachers integrate these values in their respective classes and conduct seminars and community programs at summer breaks,” he said.

After the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement between the partners (SPAC and PNP), the energetic and enthusiastic student speakers were installed together with the policemen who were assigned to escort these students in their campaign on buses and jeepneys that ply the Digos-Bansalan, Bansalan-Digos City, and other routes.

While the campaign was being held, a series of interviews were conducted by the student leaders on those who benefited from the information drives. Several interviewees agreed to have their reactions published.

As regards benefits, Kyna Oberes, a young commuter, said that “the program is very good because it informs us that every family has the right to be happy by instilling the virtue of a drug-free home.” She was joined in by Geraldine Espino, a mother, who thanked the initiators of the program because she “was given guidance on how to help her children abstain from drugs.”

“The ill-effects of drugs were made clear to us,” said Abner Sabate, another passenger. “And I appreciate the efforts of the school and the police for conducting this very important and informative presentations,” added Reynaldo Hernandez.
“As parent, I am so thankful for the lectures on how I can deal with my children on the evil effects of drugs,” May Catane, told the interviewers. “It is very enlightening to us who were not given the privilege to gain such knowledge before.”
There were young people, upon seeing the enthusiasm of the SPAC students also took the challenge of becoming purveyors of a happy family. “I will help with drug prevention drives so that other young people will refrain from this debilitating practice,” said Buddy Makulaw, an 18-year old student at STI in Digos City. Alejandro Chan, was also amused at the program. “Helping parents cope with drug abuse problem is such a noble task,” he said.
The “My Happy Family is drug-free! How about yours?” Program is a collaborative effort between SPAC through the Guidance Department under its director, Mr. Zarcarias C. Escobidal; and the PNP Davao del Sur Provincial Police Office. Its prime objective is to disseminate and inform the public on the preventive measures against drug abuse by instilling family values and good parenting. The program was spearheaded by the College Student Government and Peer Counselors Society under the guidance of the college administration, faculty and staff.

“This is just the beginning of a partnership between SPAC and the PNP in educating the community to keep their family happy by being drug-free!” concluded Police Superintendent Amelia V Tugade, PCR WCD of the Davao Sur Police Provincial Office.

Said program was in line with Republic Act 9165 or known as The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, where it stipulates that, “there is a need to integrate the Drug Education Program in the school instructions specifically on drug abuse prevention and control in all levels of education – elementary, secondary, and tertiary curricula of all public and private schools, whether general, vocational, technical, or agro-industrial as well as in non-formal, informal and indigenous learning systems.” [Robin Charles Ramos/SPAC BEAT]

Philanthropy seminar goes to Bangladesh and Myanmar

Two seminars organized by the Philanthropic Department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the southern Asia-Pacific region (SSD) were conducted in Bangladesh, July 27-29, and Myanmar, August 10-12.

Held at the headquarters of the church in Bangladesh (BAUM), Mr Joel Habaradas, SSD philanthropic services director, and Ms Glenda Antonio, chief executive officer and president of Spring Rain Global Consultancy, Inc., were the main presenters. Attended by the BAUM officers and department directors, field presidents, school principals, college officers and department heads, and officers of the Adventist Development Relief Agency (ADRA), the seminar dealt with Fundraising as Friend-raising endeavor.

“Learning the trade is a good way to participate in changing lives by giving and caring,” said Habaradas. In this regard, the leaders of the Bangladesh Adventist College and Seminary, headed by Dr Myun Ju Lee, president and also BAUM philanthropic director, recommended that a subject on philanthropy can be a part of the college curriculum.

In Myanmar (MYUM), the seminar was also held at the church headquarters (MYUM) on August 10-12 and conducted by the same presenters.

“We were extremely blessed by the presentations,” said the participants at this venue. “Many subjects we learned were eye-openers and are very useful as we expand the Lord’s work in our country,” said Pastor Muller Kyaw, MYUM president.
Specific courses at both venues included workshops on managing organizations during challenging times, writing effective fundraising letters, and preparing successful grant proposals. These topics were presented by Habaradas, while Ms Antonio presented institutional sustainability, institutional financing and planning, and other related topics. [Milton Das/Myo Chan]

Seminar participants recommend one LE per church

From all over the country of Bangladesh, 38 literature evangelists (LEs), publishing directors, and pastors met at the headquarters of Seventh-day Adventist Church in Bangladesh (BAUM) to attend the publishing seminar, July 22-25. This was organized by Pastor Edward P. Chambugong, BAUM publishing ministry director and executive secretary.

Antonio Rom III, recently retired vice president for marketing at the Philippine Publishing House, was the main presenter during the seminar. He presented topics that teach the ministers of the printed page how to face challenges that confront them as they work for the Lord. He laced his presentations with true-to-life experiences that attended his 42 years as literature evangelist, director, and marketing manager.

“This is not selling books but it is sharing the bread of life to people who await such blessings,” said Rom.
The presentations were inspiring to the participants as shown in their countenances. “His experiences which were seasoned by challenges and joys altogether give us the courage to provide our best as we bring the printed page to homes in our field,” participants were heard saying of Rom’s presentations.

Besides the daily topics, the morning devotional messages given by Pastor Isaac P Bairagee, BAUM Adventist Mission director, and Ms Sweetie Ritchil, BAUM treasurer, were also inspiring.

The 4-day seminar came up with a vital recommendation that each local church sponsors at least one LE per year by providing him canvassing samples and prospectus. The support can also come in personality grooming necessities, special training opportunities and spiritual encouragement. [Milton Das]

Church ordains first Laotian national pastor

The Adventist church in Laos will mark May 23 as a special day to remember. On this day the first Laotian national pastor was ordained. Several officers and department directors of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Southeast Asia (SAUM) with headquarters in Singapore joined with Pastor Rungsit Satyavaksakool, ministerial secretary for the church in Thailand, to take part in the ordination of Pastor Bounpranee Vannady, one of the full time pastors in Laos. His wife, Khounmy, and two daughters, 7 year-old Martha and 2 year-old Malee, joined him in the ordination service.

God’s work in Laos was started in 1957 by Pastor Richard Hall and family. After the fall of the country to Communism, the work in Laos was halted until 1991. Now there are three full-time ministerial workers and about 15 lay pastors.

One of the largest churches in Laos is the Ban Huay Hae Church in the Muankon District. This church was started with funds raised by Mrs. Judy Aitken of the Adventist Southeast Asia Projects (ASAP) and completed with funds from the Laos Projects Fund.

After the ordination service, the group of visiting ministers visited the Ban Huay Hae Church, where more than 300 worshippers meet each Sabbath.[SHINING LIGHT IN THAILAND, July issue]

Seminar seeks professionalism in church’s treasury

A professional enrichment seminar for the treasury staff and leaders of the Adventist church in Myanmar was held at Sane-Le-Tin country resort, Kyaik Hto Township, 68 miles from the capital City of Yangon, Myanmar last July 27-29.

A total of 33 participants from all over Myanmar benefited from the team of presenters who discussed important aspects of treasury work. These presentations dealt with policies and procedures, techniques and accounting practices, and updated information on accounting and other matters.

The team of presenters, who came from the treasury department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the southern Asia-Pacific region (SSD), consisted of Mr Keith Heinrich, treasurer; Pastor Moldy Mambu, associate treasurer; Gay Tanamal, financial controller; Pinky Jago-on, chief accountant; Denny Rumambi, SunPlus coordinator; and Fredrik Tabelisma, General Conference Auditing Services associate director.

The seminar was believed to have inspired and encouraged the participants to accelerate their performance, enabling them to become good stewards of God’s church properties and assets.

“It was indeed an opportunity given us as treasury personnel of the church in Myanmar (MYUM) to upgrade our skills with the latest techniques of financial activity of which we hope to implement to become better guardians of God’s properties,” said Perry Sein, MYUM associate treasurer. [Myo Chan]

Health Expo creates impact in Johor Bahru

“There has never been an event like this in Johor Bahru but the Seventh-day Adventist Church made it first to happen to reach out to the public in such a huge scale,” said Pastor Samuel Money, district pastor for the Adventist church in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, about the City Health Expo held on August 2-3.

During this event, 15 volunteers drove from Kuala Lumpur to Johore Bahru to join with the local team in this first expo organized by the Seventh-day Adventist church in cooperation with the City of Johor Bahru and the local government.

The expo kicked off with the opening ceremony headed by Y.B. Mok, municipal councilor of the area. Y.B. Datuk Shahrir, Member of Parliament, was expected to attend but he did not make it due to a pressing appointment. He, however, sent his financial contribution in appreciation to the services provided by the Adventist church to the community.

The 60-member volunteers consisting of four medical doctors, five nurses, four Information Technology specialists, four pastors, elders, youth, mothers, and church members tirelessly worked to serve the community through health screening, counseling, cooking and hydrotherapy demonstration, exercise, and temperance awareness, among others.

It was a sight to see church members from the far districts of Pontian, Kulai, Skudai, Kota Masai, Mega Ria, Ulu Tiram, as well as from nearby churches in Johor Bahru came in full force to support the event.

“The event was a showcase of God’s love to His people,” a participant was heard saying. “What you have been doing is very noble. Mind you, everything is free, the doctors and other staff services. Why do you do this?” she asked.

“Of course she got my quick and humble answer: ‘As members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, God has blessed us with a lot of things—good health, most importantly—and we want to share these to people like you’.”

Health expo leaders observed that the impact created by this program expo will go a long way in advancing the Lord’s work in this field of labor and the management recognizes the all-out support of church leaders and members in making this a success. [Jane B Yap]

On-Line: The way to go

Modernity is shaping everybody’s mind on all aspects of communication. The Seventh-day Adventist Church considers technology as God’s wonderful gift that can be used to expand the Lord’s work in modern times. Employing it for evangelism brings the church closer to the professionals, the elite, and the technology wizards. Through the Internet, many people are given opportunities to learn the Scriptures that eventually invite them to take sides with the truth the Scriptures offer.

Responding to the “Tell the World” program of the Seventh-day Adventist world church, local church leaders saw the versatility of the Internet to reach out to the people of southern Luzon in the Philippines and beyond. One of these leaders, Melvin Roy Garbida, Voice of Prophecy coordinator of San Nicolas Adventist Church in Iriga City, felt the need to share his expertise in technology with those whom he can get in touch with. He organized and coordinated with the Worldtech Resource Institute (WRI), where he serves as computer instructor, to reach out to his students and to those others beyond his classroom.

“I have been thinking of how to reach out to professionals who are our acquaintances in the workplace,” said Garbida. “When I presented it to the church, we came up with the idea of ‘One Reach One!’ We then agreed to study the lessons ourselves so we can teach and sponsor at the same time,” added Garbida.

The fruits of the labor of this team of teachers and sponsors paid off when 34 of their VOP enrollees finished their courses. During the first graduation this year held on February 22, to the delight of the church members, the graduates included WRI school administrators, teachers, and graduating students.

“I have attended graduations like this in the past, and thus far this is the best. Next time I will see to it that my husband gets enrolled in these Bible classes and graduates from them,” commented Ms Arlene Malaya, WRI administrator, when asked for her comments at graduation time.

“The Amazing Facts on-line lessons were very timely. As the students answered their lessons on-line, they were excited to know immediately the results of their quizzes,” Garbida further said.

At the graduation, Pastor Joven Histosis, ministerial secretary of the Adventist Church in southern Luzon (SLM), gave the message. With the support of Ric Moreno, district pastor, and the church members, such program signaled a more vibrant participation of church members in future events.

“I found out that our enrollees performed well in their lessons. Most importantly, our church members who were sponsors and instructors were more benefited as these became review sessions on Bible doctrines,” Garbida furthermore commented. “In fact, the spouses of the enrollees also got interested with the lessons and they promised to finish them in order to join the next graduation event,” he concluded. [Eden N Lumbao/AND Staff]

Health seminars enrich skills to reach out

Three successive events were held to enrich volunteers who are involved in the health ministry of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Myanmar (MYUM), July 29 to August 9.

Hopping from one venue to another, Pastor Abraham Carpena, health ministry director for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the southern Asia-Pacific region (SSD), joined the team of presenters leading out in the activities of the three events in coordination with the health ministry department of MYUM.

The first of the training events, July 29-31, was held in Yangon, the capital city of Myanmar, for 28 community healthy promoters. The team conducted lectures, presentations, and demonstrations on NEWSTART (Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunshine, Temperance, Air, Rest, and Trust in divine power), massage, and hydrotherapy.

On August 3-4, the team went to Pathein, the capital city of the Ayeyarwaddy division about 140 miles from Yangon. Attended by pastors and church leaders, the health training focused on Regeneration.

About 180 miles further from Yangon, the team travelled to Mawlamyine, the capital of the State of Mon, to meet with 37 participants, who were as enthusiastic as those who attended the two previous training seminars. Also focused on Regeneration, the training enabled the participants to have greater zeal, pledging themselves to reach out to their community with the health message in order to expand the everlasting kingdom of God in their own field.

These events made it possible for the participants to learn that the health ministry forms the Christ-centered support group as a tool for evangelistic efforts and activities.

“What a great advantage for us to understand the Adventist health principles and how we can use these for reaching out to people of their health needs,” said Ms Khin Sa Htay, one of the participants. “This is not only good knowledge to be imparted to others, it is more beneficial if we practice them ourselves,” concluded all the participants. [Htway Lay/Myo Chan]

Church’s social work meets community needs

The central region of Myanmar is predominantly Buddhists. Christians find difficulty penetrating this area with their message. The Seventh-day Adventist Church, however, is at work here through the ministry of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) where social alleviation was the felt need.

At the July 15-19 assessment tour of the board of trustees of ADRA Myanmar, Pastor Muller Kyaw, chairman and also president of the Adventist Church in Myanmar (MYUM), and his party visited the project sites in the dry zone area of Pakokku district, 200 miles from the capital city of Yangon. This district is located near the ancient city of Nyaung-U, which is famous for pagodas built by the Bagan dynasty as recorded in the history of ancient Burma. There, the party met with community leaders and asked them how the projects have been helping them.

Voicing out his community’s recognition, a leader said that they have “high respect for the workers of ADRA who bring to us relief and development projects that respond to our needs.”

“This is the most difficult area to reach with the gospel but we are glad that ADRA foreruns the implementation of the church’s mission of sharing God’s love to the community,” said Maung Maung Myo Chan, an ADRA board member and communication director for MYUM. “’As ye have done it unto the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto Me’,” is very much reflective of our church’s social amelioration programs,” added Myo Chan.

On July 18, Pastor Caleb Paw, MYUM ministerial secretary and a member of the board, encouraged the ADRA workers to keep the agency’s commitment to becoming a vehicle for introducing God’s love on top of its mission to provide the needs of the community.

“ADRA Myanmar has been greatly blessed with the opportunity to work here where non-Christians can see how their brother Christians become no respecter of religious beliefs as long as they can provide the people’s needs,” concluded Teddy Din, ADRA country director.

Typhoon shortens writing seminar at NELAST

Less than seven years ago, Northeast Luzon Adventist School of Technology (NELAST) was destined for closure. Buildings were dilapidated, finance was rock bottom, students few, and alumni support was nothing; and worst, a typhoon wiped out the roofs. A visitor during that time may not find any reason to come back to this school again. But “those were the days…” runs a popular song in the 70s; NELAST today deserves a second look!

If you are keen to the place where NELAST was located a few years back, it will surprise you to find the school looks new from the gates to the insides of the campus! The buildings—auditorium, elementary, high school, guestrooms and other facilities—all new—and tiled floors, painted walls, and cemented pathways, literally, a metamorphosed species!

“A very strong alumni support has transformed this school to what it is now, and we credit the leadership of our director for tapping the golden hearts of the former students and community members to recreate a new environment for us,” said Henry Borromeo, school treasurer.

NELAST was the last of the recent venues of seminars for effective writing design, and electronic publication organized by the communication department of the church in the southern Asia-Pacific region (SSD) for the first and second quarters of 2009 in northern Philippines (NPUM). The July 15-17 training seminar, though, was cut short to only a day due to the weather bureau’s hoisting of storm signal 2 mandating closure of elementary and high schools for safety measures. All 40 participants consisting of teachers and students, had to reluctantly adhere to the announcement but requested that on future days, the team of presenters resume the training.

Pastor Romeo Mangilaman, NPUM new communication director, promised to bring back the team during the first quarter of 2010 for the said seminar. [Jonathan C Catolico]

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