CHRONICLE’S 2009 NEWS ROUND

By : Romy Sison

YEAR in and year out, as the Baptist Chronicle looks back, another milestone is added like a feather in a cap. We praise GOD for giving us donors, partners and readers like you this opportunity to work in this ministry. Today, by God’s grace, this humble paper has passed the 5th year.
As the year 2010 starts it is our prayer that all of us who labored shall remain steadfast and may God find us faithful until HE returns. Your continuous
support and labor shall not be in vain as the Lord promises. While many brethren has ceased to support our labor and ministry, for some reasons
only God knows, we thank them and we pray that the Lord will richly bless them still and be revived. Let us now look back at major events in 2009.

JANUARY Pasay City
BLOOD LETTING AT BBC PASAY
REV Jose Francisco C. Sauco, senior pastor of the Bible Baptist Church of Pasay City led the church in donating blood to the Philippine National Red Cross at a blood letting activity last January 17 setting off a monthly series of events leading to the congregation’s 25th Anniversary. Among the programs and activities done monthly for the whole year were sharing of the Gospel to various communities in nearby localities, feeding, free haircut, medical and dental services, gift giving, anti rabies shots, Barangay cleaning and distribution of school supplies to the needy among others.

FEBRUARY Iloilo City
FIL-CANADIAN MISSION VISITS ILOILO TWO medical practitioners from Canada, Dr Josephine Boumata along with Josie Dayao and about Eight of the their counterparts from Manila, four nurses and dentists flew to Iloilo bringing some One Hundred Thousand pesos worth of medicine last February 19, 2009. The team worked for a 10 day evangelistic, medical and dental mission work organized by the Grace International Ministries, Reverend Gerry Falco, founder of GIM in Canada told the Chronicle. The team from Manila doctors was headed by Dr Joel Ruiz along with Dr Norman Alvez and Dr Ding Diokno. Meanwhile, Overall Philippine Missions Coordinator pastor Luel Declarado reported that some 2,000 people of young and old were recipients of free medical, dental services, dozens of boxes containing assorted drugs and vitamins. The mission group was also joined by
the Armed Forces of the Philippines medical team from Barotac Viejo headed by Army major Arlyn Tupas composed of two Doctors, two Dentists
and four barbers. The mission team by God’s grace reportedly won hundreds of unbelievers to the Lord. Praise the Lord!

MARCH Cebu City
CEBU BIBLE BAPTIST CHURCH
WINS THOUSANDS SOULS SINCE January towards the end of March The Cebu BBC, believed to be the largest Baptist Congregation with more than 20,000 in terms of membership in the Philippines today is continuously winning thousands upon thousand of souls for the Lord. A total of 257,000 unbelievers got saved in a non stop saturation drive in Negros Occidental alone. Dr Armie F. Jesalva the church patriarch informed the Chronicle after the church 52nd Anniversary held last March 29, 2009. Reports reaching the Chronicle said that a great number of church members joined the massive drive in soul winning not only in the province of Cebu but including all nearby provinces in the Visayas. Praise God!

APRIL Toronto, Canada
M I S S I O N F E S T D R AW S THOUSANDS THOUSANDS of Christians from across the Greater Toronto Area(GTA) joined the Three day Toronto Mission Festival at the International Center in Etobicoke, Mississauga to celebrate the continuous success of missions work to reach out the
lost souls for Christ that started last April 16 to 18,2009. The Mission Fest which is now on its 14th year was participated in by many multi- Cultural religious groups such as the Baptists, Messianic Jews, Evangelical, and other mission hearted Christian denominations. Among the participants were Galcom International, a Radio Ministry, Tyndale University, College & Seminary, Christians For Israel, Canada; Light Of Messiah International (LOMI); Latin American Mission, Christian Service Brigade; Providence College & Seminary; Briercrest Distance Learning, Operation Outreach; Radio Bible Class Ministries; The 700 Club; Neil Boron Live-DWDCX 99.5; JESUS In The City Festival; The Christian Herald, one of Canada’s largest Christian newspapers, Compassion- Sponsor A Child and many more.

MAY PRISONERS FREED
Pili, Camarines Sur
FREED AT LAST! Some cried with joy as some 50 inmates of the Tinangis Jail and Penology in Pili, Camarines Sur were freed from the bondage of sin during a touching yet exhortative message of the Good News of Salvation delivered by a missionary preacher last May16, 2009.The inmates who were led to the Lord by Preacher Romualdo Sison of the International Bible Baptist Church in Mississauga, Canada flew with his wife Vangie for a missionary trip to the Philippines which included the towns of Caba, and Naguillan in La Union province, Bambang Nueva Vizcaja, Naga City also in Camarines Sur and in Masbate City. The mission trip by God’s grace yielded some 98 souls to Christ. Praise the Lord!

JUNE DEAD SEA SCROLLS
EXHIBIT IN TORONTO
Toronto, Ontario
AN EXHIBITION of the Dead Sea Scrolls reportedly found in the caves between the border of Israel and Jordan in 1947 opened last June 27, 2009 at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in downtown Toronto. The Dead Sea Scrolls discovered which can be considered to be of paramount significance has nailed the foundation of the Christian faith. The discovery of these Biblical artifacts is believed to be one of the greatest archeological finds of
the 20th century containing the earliest record of the writings of Biblical patriarchs of prophets of the Old Testament embraced by Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

The exhibit of the ancient Scrolls is a huge attraction to all peoples of the world and a rare opportunity to watch the display of this ancient discovery. The said exhibit lasted until October 2009.

JULY KIDNEY TRANSPLANT
Toronto, Canada
FILIPINO-CANADIANS afflicted with renal diseases seeking kidney transplant or treatment outside Canada can sigh relief as Canada Aid Relief Project or CARP and a Medical Tourism representative announced during a news conference held at a popular restaurant in Toronto. Dr Francisco Portugal, a long time medical practitioner in the province of Ontario, and founder of CARP with Nick Paman, acting executive d i r e c t o r a n d Me d To ur representative from Manila and Danilo Barrido, a kidney patient met with Filipino local newsmen at the Aristocrat restaurant, a popular newsmen’s
hub in the city. During the conference, Dr Portugal presented Barido, a 56 year old local businessman from Hamilton who has been suffering from kidney ailment for more than three years sought the assistance of CARP which assisted in getting funding from the Ontario Health Insurance
Plan ( OHIP) for kidney transplant in the Philippines. Portugal made representations for Barido with St Luke’s Hospital because of its proven
capability and high tech facilities on kidney transplant. He added that the Philippines is noted as having high success among other countries in the
world.

AUGUST BBC CEBU LAUNCHES WTTE
Cebu City
A NEW EVANGELIZA-TION PROGRAM known as Workers Trained To Evangelize the world, an acronym for WTTE was jointly launched by Dr Jack Baskin, lead pastor of Western Hills Baptist Church in Geogia, USA along with Rev Kent Jesalva, of the Bible Baptist Church in Cebu City during the 10th World Missions Conference held last August 17 to 20, 2009. The target of this program, according to the young Jesalva are Christian overseas workers worldwide who would be equipped to win souls and bring them at the foot of the cross in their respective workplaces abroad.

SEPTEMBER ONDOY LEAVES SCORES
DEAD Manila HUNDREDS of people died and more than 40 were reported still missing as super Typhoon Ketsana locally known as Typhoon Ondoy whipped the country particularly Metro Manila and suburbs last September 26 leaving its path wi t h widespread devastation. Reports said that as heavy rains poured within hours, flood waters rapidly rose in the rivers of Pasig and Marikina where thousands of shanties are built nearby and along these riverbanks. Hundreds of houses in these areas were submerged in water and residents were forced to stay on rooftops. While hundreds died
in the country, two killer quakes jolted Western Indonesia killing thousands, while giant tsunami swept across Southern Pacific Samoa and American Samoa that also killed more than One Thousand people and more than thousand missing and injured in an island off Sumatra.

OCTOBER 99 SOULS GOT SAVED AMID STORMS & FLOODS
Pasay City
MANY PEOPLE could hardly believe these 99 souls out of more than a Hundred and Fifty first time visitors who professed faith to the Lord and His saving grace amid storms and floods at the Bible Baptist Church in Pasay City during her 25th founding anniversary last September 27,2009, Rev
Joey Sauco senior pastor of the said church reported. A jammed packed auditorium of some One Thousand people unfazed by the inclement weather joined the festivity and witnessed the baptism of Five new believers on the same day. The profession of faith by the new converts were done barely a day after Typhoon Ketsana locally known as “Ondoy” killed hundreds of people in Metro Manila, Laguna, Batangas and Northern Luzon provinces last September 26,2009.

NOVEMBER PASTOR, THREE OTHERS
DIE IN JEEPNEY MISHAP Bontoc, Mountain Province AT LEAST FOUR people died and 13 others were injured in a fatal crash after a vehicle carrying some 17 people plunged in a deep ravine going to Sagada to Bontoc, Mountain province last October 31, 2009, Dr Rexton F. Chakas, senior pastor of Cordillera Highlands Baptist Church this province reported. The fatalities were identified as Pastor Victor Batcagan 43,pastor of Bethel Baptist Church in Banaue,Ifugao, his wife Beatriz 37, their one month old baby girl and Batcagan’s sister in law. Others injured were the Batcagans Six other children
and some unidentified relatives of the victims. The said vehicle was reportedly driven by Pastor Batcagan when the vehicle crashed on that fateful Saturday afternoon.