Inaugural visit in General Santos and South Cotobato

On Tuesday, 22nd of October 2024

District Apostle Edy Isnugroho, accompanied by Apostles Samuel Tansahtikno and Medie Sabal recently completed a week-long visit to the region from October 12th to 20th, 2024. This visit marked the District Apostle’s inaugural visit to eight congregations: Lamkanidang, Lalawan, Lamtlosong, Upper-Linan, Datal-Ngisi, Datal-Bukay, Estorninos, and Almatac.

New District Rectors were appointed

Five District Rector were appointed: District Evangelist Joseph Singkan to work in District Lake Sebu; Priest Jupiter Mamolo to work in District Jose Abad Santos; District Evangelist Belardo Singkan to work in District Tiboli; Priest Ricard Pascual to work in District Tupi and General Santos; Priest Renante Tol to work in District Glan and Kiamba.

The journey was not without its challenges, as many congregations are located in remote mountainous areas requiring extensive travel—sometimes up to six hours on foot or rugged vehicle paths. Notably, reaching the Almatac congregation involved crossing 16 ditches and streams. Apostle Sabal has arranged visits of District Apostle to congregations that can be reached by car, motorbike, or just a few minutes walk. Church buildings are generally modest, some even emergency or temporary buildings.

Despite the humble settings, District Apostle and the Apostles were welcome with great joy and deep faith, making the experience truly uplifting. His visit brought spiritual nourishment and encouragement to these congregations.

On October 19th, the District Apostle visited the Estorninos congregation in Kiamba, where many members had recently relocated from temporary shelters in Pansulan. Thanks to the generosity of a local landlord and assistance from the government, they have moved into new, permanent housing built by the National Housing Authority. In July 2024 they moved to a new place and lived in the houses provided. The place was named Estorninos after the name of the landlord. The church building was still temporary.

Unity in Diversity

During the service, the District Apostle delivered a message based on Galatians 3:27-28, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus”. The message emphasizes the unity among believers, regardless of their diverse backgrounds. “All believers have the same opportunity for salvation and eternal life,” he stated, reinforcing the idea that God’s love is inclusive and unconditional. He urged congregants to embody Christ’s values by renouncing evil and living according to the gospel.

Apostle Paul wrote to the congregation there, and he knew there were all kinds of Christians in that congregation. He wanted to explain to them: “You are all different, but each one of you can be saved”. All children of God can enter His kingdom and be heirs of God. That´s still valid today. There are so many kinds of children of God. All of us are very different. But each child of God can obtain eternal life, be an heir of God, and enter the kingdom of God. God has no preference. He loves all the countries and all people with the same love. If they are accepted at the return of Christ, ministers will receive the same inheritance as all other believers: there is nothing greater than eternal fellowship with God!

To have eternal life, we have to put on Christ. In the old times, there was a saying: “What you wear shows what you are”. So, that’s why he uses this image of putting on Christ. To be saved, and to obtain eternal life, we have to put on Christ. We have to be reborn out of water and the Spirit, to be baptized and sealed,  but that is not enough. We also have to keep the promise we have given to God. We have promised to renounce evil. We have to renounce lies, envy, and violence. Those are just three examples. If we put on Christ, we don’t want to lie, envy our neighbour, or use violence.

We also have to conform to the gospel of Christ. His gospel is the same for everybody, for every nation, for every people; whatever the situation they live in. We have to kill your old Adam and become a new creation in Christ. We can do it because God helps us. The sacrifice of Jesus Christ is valid for everybody. And it works for everyone. He helps us through His word. He gives us the same word, the same gift of the Holy Spirit, and the same Holy Communion. But the effect produced by the sacrifice, the word, the Holy Communion, and the Holy Spirit, depends on us, on our faith, and on the decisions we make.

Paul mentions the different situations: some are slaves, and some are free. It´s the same today. One could say, “That is unfair”. We have in our Church very rich people and very poor people. Some seem to have a healthy and happy life, and others are always sick and have problems, and everything goes wrong. Why does God allow this? There´s no explanation for this. But we trust the justice of God. We do believe that He grants us all the strength we need to deal with the situations for our salvation.

If we put on Christ, then the differences we see in the congregation no longer matter. We do not need to become all the same. We don´t have to give up our personality. We can keep our personality. We can accept our neighbours as Christ accepts them. We can overcome these differences and accept one another as Christ accepts us. This is unity in Christ.

The retired Apostles: Mercurio Nuyad and Alfredo Pascual always accompanied the District Apostle’s service. This showed that the retirees supported the apostolate. This adds to the joy of all.