1/13/14
Christian Fellowship Church of the Philippines, January 2014
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to see him in his temple.” Ps. 27:4.
This is the prayer of our hearts this new year of 2014! May the Lord keep us always close to Him and may He reveal His beauty to us!
We at Christian Fellowship Church look forward to a great new year in the Lord, and to all the good things the Lord will do for His people. We have busy schedules coming up, starting with a three day seminar in Sindangan town, in Zamboanga province on January 27-29. Our pastors and delegates from the north to the south of the province will be able to attend since Sindangan is a central location. This seminar promises to be a good time of precious fellowship in the Lord and spiritual refreshing!
Our Christian Fellowship Church Annual Youth Convention will be held here in Dumaguete City on April 14 to 17, with Commencement Exercises for the School of Ministry graduates on the 16th! The Youth Convention is always the highlight of the year and is very well attended! Besides the wonderful messages from the speakers, the youth will also enjoy Bible Games and Singing Contests! The youth are already anticipating the convention!
On May 19-21, we’ll be having our Annual Christian Fellowship Church Pastors’ Convention, also to be held here in Dumaguete.
After this event, we’ll begin enrollment for the new school year at the Christian Fellowship School of Ministry, our pastors’ training center. Classes will start the second week of June for the SY 2014-15.
Please uphold us in prayer for all these conventions and for a great move of God! Thank you so much for your prayers and support.
Have a wonderful year and God bless you!
Benito and June Pacleb
***
1/23/14
Mike,
Thank you for your mail! Thank you, too, for your prayers for the Philippines. Yes, we’re having strong winds and rain since the first of the month. Tropical Depression Agaton is lingering on here in the central and southern Philippines. I’m so tired of the terrible winds and rain! Many are suffering, especially in Mindanao in the south.
I’ll be travelling to northern Mindanao next week for a three day seminar there in Sindangan town. All of our pastors from north and south Zamboanga province will be there and we’re excited about this time to see everyone again and enjoy sweet fellowship in the Lord! I do hope the winds quiet down! It’s a five hour trip by ship across the open sea to reach the northern tip of Mindanao. Then additional hours by bus to Sindangan.
Again, thank you for keeping in touch! God bless you more!
Sis June
***
2/15/14
Christian Fellowship Church of the Philippines, February 2014 News Update
“I will praise you, O Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonders. I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your Name, O Most High!” Psalm 9:1-2
We had a good seminar in the town of Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte, on January 27-29, with our Christian Fellowship pastors attending from the Zamboanga northern and southern provinces. Although it was a small group, the fellowship was great and everyone was refreshed spiritually and encouraged to keep on doing the work God had entrusted in their hands.
Some of our faithful pastors from the southern mountain villages were unable to attend. That area is infiltrated by Muslim rebels who intend to overthrow the Philippine government. But we thank God for keeping our pastors safe there.
We were thankful for good weather and calm seas for our trip to Zamboanga! The three weeks before the seminar there was very strong wind and rain! Thank God, the weather cleared up for our four hour trip by inter-island ship!
I attach some photos of the seminar.
Thank you for your prayers for the ministry here. We look forward to fruitful months ahead! God bless you!
June and Benito Pacleb
***
5/4/14
On Sunday, May 4, 2014 4:38 PM, June Pacleb <junefpacleb@yahoo.com> wrote:
Christian Fellowship Church of the Philippines, April 2014
“Present yourself to God as one approved”, 2 Tim. 2:15. This was the theme of our annual Youth Convention on April 14-17! Praise God for a wonderful convention with great fellowship and a real move of the Holy Spirit. The attendance was very good with several hundred youth and their pastors coming from all over Negros Island and even Mindanao Island. We were so blessed to share the sweet fellowship of pastors and youth alike. The youth and pastors each had their own sessions and the youth also had Bible games and Singing Contests! We see the Lord causing the Christian Fellowship to grow spiritually and new churches are opening up, as well. Thank you for your prayers!
I attach pictures. Many blessings!
Sis June Pacleb
***
5/10/14
Thank you so much, Mike! It’s always encouraging to hear from you. Thank you for your prayers. They mean so much. As you know, there are so many needs here but we always know God is greater and He will take us through. The churches are growing, progressing and reaching out to open new congregations and save more souls. We have several new lay pastors added to the Fellowship in the past few months! Praise God for them!
We’re having our annual pastors general convention here on May 19-21, so we’re already getting ready for that!
Again, thank you for writing. It encourages us. God bless you!
Sis June
***
5/11/14
Christian Fellowship Church of the Philippines, May 2014 Newsletter
“Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.” I Tim.6:11. Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are happy to share with you some pictures of our Commencement Exercises of the Christian Fellowship School of Ministry, held on Wednesday night, April 16, during the Youth Convention here in Dumaguete City! We graduated three outstanding students of the 2012-14 class of the School of Ministry. They finished their academic studies with excellent grades, then accomplished six months of successful internship in local Christian Fellowship Churches under the supervision of local pastors. The internship program is part of their training and no student can graduate without successfully completing it. These three outstanding students did a fantastic job! We were so proud of them marching up to receive their diplomas in front of the whole convention of pastors and delegates!
Now these three pastors are continuing in their work of pioneering new congregations, two of them in Siaton, Negros Oriental, and the other in Manjuyod, Negros Oriental. We are so proud of these highly qualified and committed pastors! Please join us in praying for them and their ministries. Thank you and God bless you!
Sis June Pacleb
***
6/7/14
Christian Fellowship Church of the Philippines May 2014 Update
“Fight the good fight of faith, take hold of the eternal life to which you were called.” I Tim. 6:12
This verse was the theme of our pastors’ convention here in Dumaguete on May 19-21! We had a wonderful convention! There was a good attendance of our branch pastors coming from three provinces including far away Mindanao. The Spirit of the Lord moved among us and we felt the strong empowering of the Lord! The fellowship was great and there was sweet unity in spirit. Everyone was refreshed as they returned home to their churches. I attach some photos.
A brand new pioneering work started this month in the town of Siaton about an hour’s drive south of Dumaguete! Two of our new Bible school graduates are assigned there and are busy reaching out to the whole area. Their outreach includes Barrio Cama, an interior village where several families have accepted the Lord and are already meeting together! Please pray for the growth of the Siaton work.
Our Bible school, the Christian Fellowship School of Ministry, will open classes again on June 16 for the new school term. We have several committed young people from our branch churches who want to study to prepare for ministry. We’ll have our welcome service on Saturday, June 14. Please include the school in your prayers!
May God bless you more abundantly!
June and Benito Pacleb
***
6/26/14
Jesus said, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” Matthew 28: 19,20
The Christian Fellowship School of Ministry, our theological college, opened this month for the new school year of 2014-15! We enrolled nine new students and we had a welcome service and acquaintance party on Saturday, June 14! Classes started on June 16, and are on full-swing! We are so happy for the students the Lord has given to us this year, and we feel they will make fine pastors when they finish their training! They are six boys and three girls! They are already showing a high level of commitment and purpose, so we feel privileged to be a part of their lives in preparing them for future ministry! Please pray for them and for the faculty and staff, as well.
We do not charge tuition since our students are indigents and are not able to pay. So we need sponsors for the operation of the school. Please pray about what you can do to help finance the school. Any amount you can give monthly will be greatly appreciated! May we please hear from you by return email. Thank you and God bless you!
June Pacleb, Director
Christian Fellowship School of Ministry
***
8/24/14
Christian Fellowship Church of the Philippines, July/August 2014 News Update
“After Jesus had spoken to them, He was taken up into heaven and He sat at the right hand of God. Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere and the Lord worked with them and confirmed His Word with signs that accompanied it.” Mark 16:19, 20
Praise the Lord that the Lord is still sending out His disciples and working with them, as He promised! It’s great to be able to preach the good Word of God and bring Christ Jesus to the people! We’re so happy that we can serve Him with all the strength and ability He gives.
The Bible training center, the Christian Fellowship School of Ministry, is going on with the precious young people the Lord has called. Our skilled and dedicated faculty and staff are ministering the Word of God to prepare the students for the time when they will be out in full time ministry. In addition to their full academic schedules, the students are already assisting in some services and outreaches with local pastors and churches. By the second semester which starts in October, the students will be doing more of this off-campus ministry.
The School of Ministry is going on by faith that God will supply the needs and we know that all the costs will be met! It’s so very rewarding and fulfilling to invest in the lives of the precious youth! Thank you for your prayers and support for the School of Ministry and may God reward you more abundantly!
I attach some photos of the students.
More blessings!
Sis June Pacleb
***
9/12/14
Christian Fellowship Church of the Philippines, September 2014 News Update
“It is good to praise the Lord, and make music to your Name, O Most High; to proclaim your love in the morning and your faithfulness at night.” Ps 92:1,2.
Praise the Lord for His love and faithfulness to His people and for all the good things He is doing among us! It’s a joy to serve him!
We are so happy to train our young people in the Christian Fellowship School of Ministry to prepare them for a ministry of pastoring and church planting. We see in them a deep commitment to future ministry. They are attending services and activities in our Dumaguete City church and the Sibulan church. They are gaining experience in different areas of ministry including Bible teaching, outreaches, and music and worship. Thank you for your prayers for them!
We are also happy for the four branch Bible training centers, located in four districts of Negros Island and Cebu Island: Binalbagan, Carcar, Banay-banay and Dumaguete City. These centers give basic Bible teaching for lay-pastors and church workers.
Our graduates from the School of Ministry last year are already pioneering churches in Campuyo, Manjuyod and Poblacion Siaton. The Campuyo church is feeling revival since our new pastor took over. Two young men from this congregation are students of the School of Ministry! This month the church is constructing a roof for the pastor’s kitchen! They will use galvanized, corregated iron roofing sheets.
In Siaton, we are helping to rent a place for services, and we have provided plastic chairs for the services! The new pastor there is working hard to evangelize and several families are now gathering.
Hopefully, by next letter, I’ll have some pictures to share of some of these different outreaches. For now, I attach recent photos of Pastor Benito and myself. Again, thank you so much for all your prayers and support!
God bless you!
June Pacleb
***
10/8/14
Christian Fellowship Church of the Philippines News Update, September 2014
“Sacrifice thank offerings to God, fulfill your vows to the Most High, and call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you and you will honor me!” Psalm 50:14, 15.
Praise the Lord for the sweet promises of God! The above verses were the theme of our thanksgiving service at the Campuyo Christian Fellowship Church on September 28, 2014, where I was invited as the guest speaker. We had a wonderful service with God’s people! Everyone felt the blessing of the Lord as we all rejoiced and sang together. The church was overflowing and everyone was refreshed in soul and spirit! The pastor there, Jerson Pacatang, is a recent graduate of our School of Ministry and he’s doing an excellent work!
Please continue to keep this church and all the Christian Fellowship Churches in your prayers. Thank you so much! I attach photos of the occasion.
God bless you more abundantly!
Sis June Pacleb
***
10/18/14
“Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, …and be thankful’. Col. 3:15.
Praise the Lord for the great thanksgiving service we had on October 17 at the Christian Fellowship Church in Owakan, Jimalalud! What a beautiful place it is and what beautiful people are serving the Lord there! The church was overflowing for the occasion and five Christian Fellowship pastors also attended. They came from local churches in the area, some walking long distances over the mountains to attend and others riding their sturdy motorcycles up the mountain on the terribly rugged trail! Owakan is 17 kilometers away from Jimalalud town up in the lovely, green mountains of northeastern Negros. The name literally means “place of crows” since ‘owak’ is the local name of crows! The people are farmers growing corn, rice, banana and coconut. They are simple people who have a strong faith in God and who serve Him with everything they have. The congregation there has recently completed their beautiful church building!
The young men led the worship service with lively songs and praises. I gave a simple message to challenge the people to love and serve God and to spread the Gospel fervently! Then revival came on the people and many came to pray and call out to God. Even the young children were sincerely crying to God, including a young boy about five years old who had tears freely flowing down his cheeks! I believe that these children are the future pastors of the churches, because I see God already dealing with them.
It was really an adventure for me to make the trip there, leaving Dumaguete City on the bus at 3 a.m., arriving in the town of Jimalalud by 5:30 and then going up the mountain trail by mountain bike! It was an hour’s trip up the very steep, slippery and precarious road. Thank God for His protection! I was also thankful it didn’t rain because some places in the trail were thick mud from the rain the day before, but God gave us a lovely sunny day! I had promised to go “rain or shine”!
Thank you for your prayers for all the churches here in the Philippines, and for all the faithful pastors who are sacrificing so much and are doing a fantastic job!
God bless you more abundantly!
Sis June Pacleb
***
11/5/14
“For God is the King of all the earth; sing to Him a psalm of praise. God reigns over the nations; God is seated on His Holy Throne.” Ps. 47:7,8.
We had our Christian Fellowship Church Semi-annual Convention at Dumaguete City on October 20-22, and enjoyed a great time of fellowship with our pastors! Our branch pastors came from two provinces in Negros, as well as from Siquijor Island and far away Mindanao island. The Lord gave us an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and everyone felt encouraged and refreshed in the Lord! How good it was to rejoice and praise the Lord together! Truly, how sweet it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
Our Bible school students had a two week break at the end of the first semester on October 17. They went home to their home churches and enjoyed the opportunity to preach and teach in their own churches and local outreaches. Two of the students joined in a three-day salvation-healing crusade held in a basketball court in Dauin, a short distance south of Dumaguete. They had a wonderful time, and there were new believers added to the Lord! Praise God for the new ones who are now attending Sunday service there! Now classes in the Bible school have resumed on November 3 for the second semester. The students are going out in the community for soul winning on weekends!
Thank you for all your prayers for the work of the Lord here. Surely, God is answering them! God bless you!
Sis June Pacleb
***
12/4/14
Christian Fellowship Church of the Philippines Update, December 2014
“Teach me your way, O Lord, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart that I may fear your Name.” Psalm 86:11. How wonderful it is to walk in the ways and truth of the Lord with an undivided heart! How blessed is each and every day!
The Lord has been moving in the churches here giving encouragement and strengthening the pastors. We have divided the churches into districts such as north, south, east and west districts. A dedicated supervisor is over the churches in his area. The district churches have monthly and quarterly fellowship meetings, and this is a great source of encouragement and strength. The fellowship meetings are growing! Our northern Negros Island district has a hundred pastors and lay workers attending from his district alone! Many of the churches are located in the secluded mountainous areas which are difficult to reach except by walking or riding a mountain bike or horse! But that doesn’t hinder the pastors from coming from far distances from their own villages to fellowship together. Monthly fellowships are held in various village churches, to give everyone a chance to host them!
The southern Negros Island district has a two days’ monthly Bible training, or equipping, to give supplemental training to local lay pastors. This local Bible training has been going on for several years and is very helpful!
A few of the Negros churches are in church construction, or renovation, and they are believing God to supply the building materials. When work on a certain project is scheduled, the district pastors get together to donate their free time and labor to lay cement blocks or put up walls or roofing! This practice is a part of Philippine culture called “bayanihan”, which means working together to accomplish a task. Willing hearts and hands working together!
Our Bible school students from the School of Ministry here in Dumaguete City are going out every Friday afternoon to evangelize and teach Bible studies. They go two by two as Jesus recommended! Immediately, they became successful! After the first door to door visitation, they were invited to hold Bible studies in homes. One elderly lady admitted that she had only attended church twice in her whole life! But now she invited the students to teach in her home every Friday! Now our students are conducting three new weekly Bible studies!
Our students are anticipating going back to their home churches at Christmas to preach and do outreaches and they’re getting pretty excited! Truly, it’s “harvest time”!
Thank you for your prayers for us and for the good work the Lord is doing here! The Lord is really answering those prayers! God bless you!
Sis June Pacleb
***
12/13/14
Christian Fellowship Church, December 14, 2014
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means God with us.” Matt. 1:23.
We celebrate the Christ of Christmas, and we’re so happy He is here with us! All praise and glory to God! The Christian Fellowship churches all have their own thanksgiving celebrations this month so it’s such a busy time for all. On Dec 22 I’ll be going to the northern Negros district to join their celebration in the mountain village of Pacuan. It’s a 28 kilometer rough ride up the hills by mountain bike! Several pastors of that district will gather together for this district thanksgiving!
We had our Christmas party at the Bible school Saturday December 13, with the students and faculty. The students decorated freehand the big chalkboard with colored chalk and did a beautiful job! It was a happy time of special songs by faculty and students and games for the students before we had exchange gifts and a wonderful meal! The students especially enjoyed the treat of young coconut with the coconut water and milk!
After lunch the students prepared to go back to their homes for Christmas break. They will be ministering in their home churches during the break which will be a big help to their pastors.
I attach a few pictures of the occasion! Thank you for your prayers for the School of Ministry!
Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!
June and Benito Pacleb
12/28/14
Christian Fellowship Church News, December 2014
“I will not offer anything to God that costs me nothing!” 2 Samuel 24:24; “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercies to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1
These were the theme verses of my message at the 44th Anniversary Celebration of the Guihulngan City Christian Fellowship Church on December 29! I explained the background of chapter 24, and how, when David came to make an offering to God, he refused to accept something less than his own great sacrifice! God deserves the pure and complete commitment of His people, offering continually day by day their bodies as a holy sacrifice to Him! As David followed his principles and did not give way under pressure, we are to be people of principles, too! Among other things, I stressed seven principles to follow: be consistent in your Christian walk; have a tender conscience; make sacrifices; pay the price; have a heart attitude of holiness; let your life speak; and give to God what belongs to God!
The Guihulngan City church was full to the brim with maybe 500 people, including the city mayor who also gave a short, encouraging talk! The praise and worship was so lively and spontaneous and everyone was so happy and blessed! We celebrated the 44 years’ anniversary of this church, which we planted in 1970!
I also was blessed to speak to our Fellowship Thanksgiving in Pacuan, in the mountains of northeastern Negros on December 22. The Pacuan church was also one of the first churches pioneered here in Negros Island in the early 1970s. I rode as a passenger on a motorcycle over the very rugged and slippery trail 18 kilometers up in the hills! Our local pastors came from their villages in the area to join in the celebration and we had seven dedicated pastors!
We look back at the many wonderful victories of the past year, and forward to great things ahead in 2015! Thank you so much for your prayers that help so much!
We love you in the Lord!
Sis June Pacleb
