Main Topics: An Urgent Call to Biblical Unity, United in What we Believe, How we Behave, and What we Become, United in our Affection, Attention, and Appreciation.
Main Speakers: Rev. Arleen Fidel, Rev. Genovevo Lubaton, Rev. Edwin Ormeo, and Dr. Pio Tica
Dr. Joel R. Beeke, President and Professor of Systematic Theology, Church History, and Homiletics at Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, and editor, contributor, and author of several books and publications, will be the featured lecturer of the SMO Lecture Series. Dr. Beeke’s talk of “Reforming the Man of God” will cover topics on: Reforming the Head (Theology), Reforming the Heart (Piety), and Reforming the Hand (Application).
Mary Beeke, wife of Dr. Beeke, will give a separate talk to women on “The Law of Kindness” based on the book she wrote. Her topics would include: The Kindness of Jesus, The Kind Wife, and The Kind Mother.
The SMO Bible Training Institute (SMO-BTI) held its 5th Commencement Exercise on March 30, 2009 at the SMO Youth Center. Six students finished their three-year Certificate in Youth Ministry, they were: Roselyn Era Alcala, Hoppilen Caalem Cabaya, Raffy Flores dela Peña, Jay Pee Panoncillon Erespe, Jesus Agaha Montille, and Regi Salgado Tibulan.
This year, the SMO-BTI also commended Michael Mag-Aso (1st Year), Michael Jade Asplico (2nd Year), and Regie Tibulan (3rd Year) for excelling in their studies.
Pastor Freddilo P. Jagorin, Pastor of City of Refuge Christian Church, and Faculty Member of the Institute, gave the challenge.
Mrs. Nenita S. del Mundo, Dean of Academics, announced that Enrolment for School Year 2009-2010 will be on June 1 and 2, with Regular Classes starting on June 8, 2009. The Institute offers a three-year course leading to Certificate in Youth Ministry and a four-year couse leading to Bachelor of Theology in Youth Ministry.
Graduating students of Maranatha Christian College, Bacolod City interacted with SMO Bacolod Staff and Bible Training Institute students on love, sex, and abstinence. Maranatha has been regularly inviting SMO to conduct these kind of talk to their fourth year students as a way of confronting prevaling liberal standards of today’s youth. “True Love Waits”, locally published by Church Strengthening Ministries (CSM) is the main material that is being used.
Forty first-time campers participated in Camp Forever 14 at Hacienda Kaftrees, Murcia last December 26-30, 2008. We thank our speakers who delivered powerful messages and our sponsors for their generosity and heart of sending a young person to the camp. Our gratitude also goes to our hard-working student leaders. God be praised!
More information on http://smocampforever.wordpress.com/
Snapshots from our 31st Anniversary
From the Desk of Pastor Renato del Mundo, SMO National Director:
This year’s anniversary theme, “Together for the Gospel”, made me think of a partnership between two faithful workers of the Lord – Barnabas and Saul. Barnabas, also known as Joses or Joseph mentioned in Acts 4:36-37, was a Levite who sold his property and gave the proceeds to the early Jerusalem Church. In contrast, Saul, who later became Paul was a former persecutor of the church who eventually became a believer through a personal encounter with the Lord Jesus himself. Both Barnabas and Paul became teachers and ministers to the Church in Antioch Syria where the early believers were first called Christians. They were then chosen by the Holy Spirit and commissioned by the church to become official missionaries and team partners for the mission work in the neighboring countries.
The Book of Acts chapters 13 and 14 recorded the mission trip events of Barnabas and Paul. As mission partners, they were “together for the Gospel” having one heart and mind, agreeing and uniting for the same cause. Their unity was based on these three principles: They were committed and passionate about the same Mission they Performed, about the same Message they Proclaimed, and about the same Motivation they Pursued. Through their mission trips we can get strategies and insights on how to work together as fellow workers in the Lord’s ministry. Firstly, Paul and Barnabas were focused on their Mission: “Go and Make disciples of all nations…” (Matt. 28:20-21). In obedience to the Great Commission, Paul & Barnabas became witnesses of the Lord Jesus in every place they visited. With all zealousness, they went about taking the gospel from one synagogue after another, city after city, reaching out to the Jews, as well as to the Gentiles. As the Holy Spirit led them, they were bold in performing their mission regardless of the opposition, persecution and rejection.
Secondly, both of them have the same passion about the message they proclaimed. Their Message: “Gospel of Jesus, The Christ of God”. Paul and Barnabas proclaimed the gospel by proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the anointed of God, the Messiah as prophesied, and that salvation and justification is by Grace alone through Faith in Jesus’ finished work on the Cross (Acts 13:16-41). They introduced to them the Gospel of Jesus which resulted in the salvation of the Gentiles, as well as persecution from fellow Jews.
Thirdly, both of them have the same Motivation: “Glory of God & Expansion of His Kingdom”. In Acts 14: 8-18, there was an incident when the people from Lystra, a place where Paul and Barnabas healed a crippled man from birth, that the people exalted them as gods and were to present a sacrificial offerings for them. When Paul and Barnabas learned about this, they rent their clothes and forbid them to do such, acknowledging that they were only men and that the glory belongs only to God who made the heavens and the earth. They were very careful not to receive the glory but to offer it only to the One who truly deserves it- GOD alone. So, regardless of the hardships and troubles, even Paul’s experience of death but was later revived by the Lord, they both persevered because they understood that after all, God’s kingdom is not about them, but it’s about God’s glory.
However, their unity doesn’t necessarily mean uniformity, where the two of them were exactly alike in all things. Like any other workers, we all have varying perceptions or opinions. On their supposed second mission trip (Acts 15:36-40), Barnabas and Paul had a serious disagreement regarding John Mark who deserted them during their first mission trip. Their sharp argument caused them to part ways. Barnabas brought John Mark with him to Cyprus, while Paul decided to take Silas to be his mission partner to the regions of Lycaonia and Macedonia. ‘Though there maybe differences of opinions between them, they didn’t allow their differences to hinder their service to the Lord. Both of them continued on in the ministry where God wanted them to go and what he wanted them to do. They maybe serving the Lord in different places, or in different ways, but they were united in their Mission, in their Message, and in their Motivation. They remained partners in the Lord’s ministry. That was somehow proven that later in Paul’s Roman imprisonment, he requested to send John Mark to assist him.
Likewise, the SMO ministry serves as a partner to Christian Churches, schools, and our government in fulfilling the Great Commission, in proclaiming the message of Christ, and pursuing the glory of God. Together, we can be partners for the Gospel in Christ!
Rev. Dr. Quek Swee Hwa flew in from Singapore to be one of the guest speakers of SMO’s 31st Anniversary held last August 17, 2008. Close to 370 students, pastors, and alumni filled the grounds of the SMO Youth Center in Bacolod City and listened to Dr. Quek speak on the importance of being together in the proclamation of the gospel. This year’s theme is “Together for the Gospel”. Prior to his message, some alumni and church leaders shared their partnership with SMO in their personal lives and the church life as a whole. Pastors present were duly acknowledged and given tokens of appreciation. Dr. Quek and his church has been a ministry partner of SMO for nearly ten years now.
The other speaker was Pastor Brian Golez Najapfour, a young Masters in Theology student. During the anniversary, he preached the Gospel message after students of SMO Bible Training Institute (BTI) presented a pantomime with a gospel theme.
Song numbers were given by the Afterglow, young people of Faith Baptist Church, alumni Ephraim Sabordo, and Ivah Mae de los Reyes with her sisters. SMO members and the alumni came up front to be together in singing the final song that day titled “We shall Stand”.
Ten schools and eight churches were represented during the event.
The following day, August 18, a special one day equipping event was held at the youth center. Dr. Quek, principal of Singapore-based Biblical Graduate School of Theology and a licensed tour guide and lecturer in the Bible lands, lectured on Biblical Archaeology. While Pastor Najapfour, who is finishing his Masters in Theology at the Puritan Reformed Theological Seminary, gave a lecture on Bible Versions and Dynamic Equivalence. Sixty pastors, Bible students, youth leaders, and lay people participated in the event which was held at the youth center.
Visit this link for more Anniversary Photos.
Praise God from Whom all blessings flow! Our youth ministry is now 31!
Our Activities:
August 7 – 17th Anniversary of “Ang Panong” (The Flock), our Bible study group at Technological University of the Philippines-Visayas. Speaker: Engr. Xerwin Ceballos.
August 8 – “Don’t Waste your Life”, evangelistic campaign at Murcia National High School, Negros Occ.
August 17 – “Together for the Gospel”, 31st Anniversary Celebration (inter-church/inter-school fellowship), 1:30 pm, SMO Grounds, 15 Lizares Ave., Bacolod City. Speakers: Pastor Brian Najafour and Rev. Dr. Quek Swee Hwa.
August 18 – “Explore”, 1day special event lecture on Biblical Archaeology (Rev. Quek), and Understanding Bible Versions (Pastor Najafour).
Join us!
Students from the provinces of Palawan, Negros, Camarines Sur, and Albay heard the messages loud and clear, and they are up and ready to make a stand for the “TRUTH” when school season begins this June. “Fighting for Certainty in an Age of Deception” was one of the major topics that were preached during the 12th SMO National Biennial Conference held on 7-11 April 2008 at Naga View Adventist College, Naga City, Camarines Sur. The conference theme “Stand for the Truth” couldn’t be more relevant especially when the nation faces a period of uncertainty in almost all realms (politics, economy, faith). “Stand for the Truth” Series, Spiritual Disciplines, and the urgency of the Biblical Evangelism and Discipleship were among the topics that were preached.
The conference were attend by 160 students, youth leaders, missionaries, pastors, and lay people. Pastor Edgar Santonia, SMO Coordinator in Naga, delegated responsibilities to his church members and his network of friends to make sure that the conference flowed smoothly.
Since this is a “youth” conference, some fun time could not be discounted. It’s great to see students from different cultural background could find unity in Christ. It’s also encouraging to that the days and weeks after this conference, friendly relationships have been formed and maintained through “texting” (sending SMS) and linking up with anyone’s Friendster account.
On the sidelines, some of the delegates were brought around the province and neighboring Albay for a day-long tour. Among the significant stops were a visit at a village completely wiped out by lahar during a recent eruption of Mayon volcano. The scene was nothing but eerie. Just a few kilometers away stood the residence and church of Pastor Batalla (the ministry’s new worker in Legazpi), which was spared from nature’s wrath.
SMO thanks those who have supported us in their prayers and those who have extended financial support to make this year’s conference a success. To God be the glory.
