3 Wise Men Visit Singapore

The angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds and the glory of the Lord shone round them and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.  And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”  (Luke 2:9-12).

Just like this message two thousand years ago, it brings good news to the SDA Filipino Ministry in Singapore as God unravels and paves the way for the long envisioned SDA Filipino church. As early as 1997, the forerunners of the Filipino Ministry has already aspired of having their own separate church. Years passed, people have come and gone and yet the vision remained. It was then only this year, with fervent prayers and positive outlook, that this vision has slowly taken its pace.

Starting off with the proposal of getting a Filipino pastor to cater to thousands of Filipinos in Singapore, the Singapore Adventist Mission, working hand in hand with the FM core group, shortlisted 3 promising hopefuls  amongst 14 candidates from the Philippines and some neighboring countries for the pastoral position – after  thorough procedures and deliberation coupled with unceasing prayers from the entire Filipino Ministry.

A three-weekend call to worship and fellowship activity was set for the the coming of the 3 pastoral candidates which took place last September 25 to October 11 commenced the fulfillment of this dream. Each pastor was given a weekend schedule to be with the Filipinos for the Vespers, Lesson study, Divine  Service and the AY program.

The first pastor to arrive on September 25 – 27 was Pastor Isagani Valencia. A graduate of Adventist University of the Philippines with a Bachelor in Theology and Bachelor of Arts in History and Philosophy of Religion. He is currently serving as the District Leader in SMM2 district, Central Luzon Conference (CLC). He is also actively involved in the Voice of Prophecy Radio Ministry and Internet Evangelism of CLC and has certifications in Chaplaincy, Youth Leadership, Classroom Management and Teaching Internship. He was an enthusiastic and a dynamic speaker, being able to draw the congregations full attention in all of his sermons.

The second arrived on October 2 -4 in the person of Pastor Gamaliel Valencia who is  a  graduate of Central Philippine Adventist College School of Theology and is currently pursuing his Masters in Education, Major in Social Studies degree at AUP school of Graduate Studies. He is an Instructor at the History and Social Sciences Department of Adventist University of the Phillipines (AUP). A servant leader who finds no greater joy than serving the Saviour and the people for whom the Saviour died. He was most remembered by his warm contagious smile and calm soothing singing voice.

Fresh from Spain, Pastor Fernie Romero came on October 9-11.  Also a graduate of Adventist University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Arts in History and Philosophy of religion. He has been a Church Pastor in Tarlac and Batangas, Philippines. Being away from the ministry for quite sometime, after joining his wife in Spain, he was overjoyed to see the warm welcome of the Filipino Ministry. Gifted with meekness and humility, his lasting message of  vigilance to the spiritual health touched the hearts of many as well.

Inspite of the many apprehensions and doubts felt by the whole congregation during this course of time, still the messages they brought to us left an imprint in our minds and our hearts, the experience they had here would also be an endearing one for all of them and just like the coming of our Saviour, two thousand years ago, the selection of the long awaited pastor to lead us in cultivating and nurturing our talents and gifts not only for the LORD’s use but as well as to equip ourselves in our ultimate goal of soul winning on this foreign land, would bring us closer to our aspiration of having our own independent church. (Francis Fabela and Joy Lumancas)