Keeping the Vision More Alive - A Literature Evagelism Awareness, Revival and Nurture (LEARN) Seminar for CLC Pastors

By Pastor Geronimo M. Viernes, Jr. and Brother Bonifacio B. Guevarra

In the vision that initiated the publishing work of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, Ellen G. White saw the publishing ministry as having small beginnings which would be like ‘streams of light’ that went clear around the world (PM 16:1). Both the leaders of the Publishing/SOP Ministries Department and the Central Luzon Conference administrators realized long ago that they must gain the involvement of the whole church in the publishing ministry if this work were to achieve the degree of success God planned for it.

With that ultimate goal, the CLC Publishing/SOP Ministries Department conducted a two day Literature Evangelism Awareness, Revival and Nurture (LEARN) Seminar from August 18-19, 2009 at the Literature Ministry Seminary in Bugtong, Lipa City, Batangas for the entire ministerial workforce of CLC. One hundred CLC pastors thronged the LMS from the different territories of CLC to feast on the Word of God provided by Elder Howard F. Faigao, General Conference Publishing Ministries Director.

Brother Bonifacio B. Guevarra, CLC Publishing/SOP Ministries Director welcomed the CLC Pastors: “I’m so elated because you, our dear pastors, responded positively to our invitation to this very rare occasion, a first in the whole NPUC. As you all know, after 100 years in existence, the Publishing Ministry in CLC has just today made this historic gathering of all the pastors of CLC to study the part they can play in spreading the Gospel through literature. I am myself a testimony to the great value of this ministry, for without the ministry of literature evangelists I and my family would not have known about Seventh-day Adventists. Lest we forget, it was also this same ministry that opened up the Philippines to Adventism a hundred and four years ago.”

In his keynote address, Pastor Carmelito U. Galang, Jr., CLC President, asked, “What is the sign of a true church? … [O]ne of the signs of a true church is ‘prayer’. My dearly beloved Pastors, as we do our work in His vineyard, let us do it in prayer for us not to rob the glory of God what is due to Him. His household must be managed His way and not in our own ways”, he continued.

Next, our guest speaker Elder Howard F. Faigao asked: “Why does the Church need the publishing ministry?” First, because written words endure; second, it reaches places where pastors cannot go; and lastly, it surely is God’s plan,” he concluded. “To tell you honestly, my heart bled when I heard that our publishing ministry had been downgraded. Don’t you know that the publishing ministry started in the mind of God?

“When the Lord finished speaking to Moses on Mount Sinai, He gave him the two tablets of the Testimony, tablets of stone inscribed by the finger of God.” Elder Faigao quoted Exo. 31:18. “God did two things at Mt. Sinai. He spoke and He published. The message was God’s love; the first editor was God Himself. The first paper used was stone. The first book was the Tablets of God’s Testimony. The first literature evangelist was Moses and the first customers were the Israelites,” he reiterated.

This program was coordinated by the administration of CLC and correspondingly sponsored and ardently supported by SSD Publishing Director Elder Ven Bermudez and NPUC Director Brother Manny Sales. Elder Bermudez welcomed and introduced the guest speaker who came all the way from the United States on his itinerary to India. Elder Bermudez introduced the next scheduled missionary book of the year entitled “When God says, Remember”, written by Elder Mark Finley. Brother Sales and Brother Tim Jimenez, LMS Director, were instrumental in the facilitation of our venue and the excellent food preparation at the LMS building.

During the commitment service Elder Faigao highlighted his remarks with an appeal to all the CLC pastors to list the number of their members in the churches under their care so as to find out how many missionary books they could distribute. When the list was tallied, it yielded a total commitment of 500,000 copies to be sponsored and distributed by the church members.

Elder Faigao concluded with the following appeal: “Please support and pray for our publishing ministry.” The seminar elicited plenty of positive responses from the CLC pastors.

1) Pastor Diosdado Fofue, CLC Ministerial Secretary, about to give his welcome remarks during the opening session of the Literature Evangelism Awareness, Revival and Nurture Seminar at the LMS Bldg., Lipa City.

2) Brother Bonifacio B. Guevarra, CLC Publishing/SOP Ministries Director welcomes the entire Ministerial Workforce of CLC as Pastor Carmelito U. Galang, Jr., CLC President waits to give the keynote message. He was joined in the platform by Nestor Fabelina, the Associate Pub. Director for Division 2 and Brother Atemio Jimenez, LMS Director.

3) The Ministerial Secretary with the CLC pastors.

4) The attendees as they seek the Lord’s will in prayer.

5) Elder Howard F. Faigao, General Conference Publishing Director, lectures on the plan of God for the publishing ministry program of the Church.

6) Elder Vivencio Bermudez, SSD Publishing/SOP Ministries Director introduces the 2010 Missionary Book of the Year, “When God Says, Remember” written by Elder Mark Finley.

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