The Ministry of Rev. Ernesto Carvajal in Dumangas Baptist Church &...

M E M O R I E S:  Life and Time of Pastor Rudy Bernal, his Glimpses on

History & the People’s Struggle for Freedom

Chapter  13–The Ministry of Rev. Ernesto Carvajal in Dumangas Baptist Church

That was in  April,  the dry seasons of 1959. He stood on a small wooden pulpit in a movable

 20 x 40 foot,  “Church Tabernacle”,  a make-shift  movable structure covered  with roofings made of tent   with two-lines of 15- seats in the middle of the harvested  rice field.

 Nearly 500  people -   adults and youth with some children   in Brgy. Bacay,  a fishing village of   Dumangas were present  that evening, April 18  when he  preached.  His voice was strong, resonant vibrant and clear. There  was  no amplifier.  No loud speakers. But his words could be heard clearly nearly half a kilometre away.   He told stories of life -deadly sins, of hope,  God’s offer of   salvation and eternal life.

Rev. Ernesto  B. Carvajal preached his sermon that night  with  strength and power in the wide  fields with rice harvested about 2  months ago.  He influenced  the mood of his audience.  He makes them smile. They burst into laughter with his jokes. He asked them to reflect solemnly on the message he shared. .

 He led them to deep souls -searching as he shared  the story of  the love of God who sent His son to die on the cross, between two thieves  to redeem men from   their sins. He  called on  them to repent and surrender their lives of Jesus.    They responded.

When he extended  his  invitations,   under  the choir’s soft singing  “ Pass Me Not, Oh Gentle Saviour”,  asking them to come to Jesus  Christ and accept Him as their Lord  Saviour, scores  came  forward on the makeshift  altar. They  came and stood  on  the altar, some with thirst in their eyes.  Then, he led them in prayer, asking God to be with them, as they go  to start  their  new life, under His care and guidance.

The  wide  rice fields  that night,  under the spill of dry seasons in   April,    became a holy ground – where scores came forward  and stood on the   altar, heads solemnly  bowed,  committing and dedicating their lives to God and service to people. They  experienced  that solemn moment, when God,  in another time and  another place,  called Moses through a burning bush to come and follow His call and mission in life, bringing the Jews from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land.

Rev. Carvajal was a passionate  and dedicated pastor and evangelist.  His evangelistic meeting  that night  lasted  for 30 days, preaching every night under the lights of  kerosene lamps.  His listeners came  from distance  several  kilometres away, to hear him preached. At daytime, he and his deacons and deaconess held prayer meetings and  visited homes in the community.

 He organized the adults for visitations and  personal evangelisms. He grouped the young people to provide gospel  music and religious  dramas.  Some served as counselors and others participated with their presence. It was  never  easy to have a preaching sessions daily for 30 days, when you are not deeply committed to the task God called  you to do. The evangelistic  meetings headed by Rev. Carvajal in  previous and succeeding years in Dumangas, always lasted for 30 days. He has a  battery  of co-ministers, who came and preached one night, after his 3 nights preaching/

Rev. Carvajal earned his Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Theology and  Bachelor of Divinity  at Central Philippine University in 1956, 1969 and1970. He was among  the first batch  of  students who earned   Bachelor of Divinity at CPU.  He has been a well-known and  courageous pastor, evangelists and debater, who always have a formal debates  with the debating teams  of the    Iglesia ni Kristo.

 To learn the truth, the people helped  build the elevated platforms where the debaters of the Baptists and Iglesia ni Kristo stood and fought with their wits, wisdom,  fast  thinking and  great sense of  humour.  With his debating  partner,  Rev,  Eduardo Montoyo, they held formal debates with the Iglesia ni Kristo groups  in several venues – at  Jaro Plaza,  in San Jose   Plaza in Antique, in  Dumangas Plaza, at the back of Municipal Hall in  Buenavista,  Guimaras. Often thousands come and listen to the public debates with great interest.  I have listened to this debate  with his partners   in Dumangas plaza  and Buenavista, in  Guimaras,  with the Iglesia ni Kristo debater.  

Rev. Carvajal  was considered  on of the most effective  and successful pastor  and evangelist in Panay during his time.  A researched  and study by Rev. Moley Famillaran, faculty of CPU College of Theology in 1968,  that interviewed leaders of churches in the Baptist Convention area  showed Rev. Ernesto Carvajal rated Number One  on  the list of most effective pastor in the Baptist Convention during  that time. The study also revealed that the top 5 most effective ministers-  were pastors / evangelists.

He was a diligent student of the Bible,  of history, prophesies, biographies and current events. He anchored his preaching on the exhortations and  promises of the Bible.  He reads extensively. His library was filled with books  and  most of the current Christian literatures  and preachings   available at the time.

He has a strong sense of history. He loved  freedom and justice.  In the early 1960’s, most Filipinos thought   the United States was  a benevolent government and have   no   imperialist designs, that will bury Filipinos, specially  farmers in landless  poverty.   Rev. Carvajal already saw the evils of US imperialism. . He saw the  U.S.  greedy foreign policies  and how the  controlled and dominated the economic and  political life of the Filipinos. In a lecture he made “Spiritual Revolution”,  he spoke of US imperialism, feudalism and bureaucratic capitaiism, the  evils   that caused Philippine’s  malady and economic deprivations.

He said in his lecture to a selected audience: “We are victims of neo-colonial schemes and  greedy interests of US imperialism – the imposition of unequal treaties   and agreements  in the form of military basis agreements, the  military assistance programs, the Laurel-Langley Agreements and the Parity Rights Amendments to the Philippine Constitution.”  He said, this were one-sided treaties and agreements that put the interests of the United States and their business over the needs of the Filipinos.

“These arrangements preserved the country as a source of raw materials and foodstuffs for the  US industries and  people and as rich market for US finished  products in the country. The Philippine currency was tied to the US dollar- thus the Philippine economic life was  controlled in a variety of ways by the US capital.”  He said, while the Philippines has political independence,  it has no economic freedom.

He decried how the United States controlled the Philippines through  its multi-national corporations:

 “The Petroleum industry is dominated by five U.S. oil giant companies, profiting hugely from the monopoly of the oil industry. These  oil  company   profits hugely from the monopoly and the  large part of the profit were  withdrawn from the country and remitted to the U.S.

“ The tire industry  was  completely American.

“American manufacturing companies, like Proctor &  Gamble and Colgate Palmolive dominates the soap and cosmetic industries. Seven U.S. owned and controlled corporations were the controlling groups in chemical products.

“Some 170,000 Chinese and Filipinos were utilized as distributors of these different US products all over  the country.” During that time, a  lecture of this kind, he gave only to small and  selected audiences.

In the early 1960’s, specially after the election of Diosdado Macapagal Philippine President,  Rev. Carvajal  had spoken of the “bogus land reform  laws”   passed by the landlords dominated Congress with so many lopeholes that genuine land reforms could not be achieved.  He spoke of the worsening conditions of the Filipino masses if these  problems were not addressed.

 He said the strength of his ministry was  in prayer.  I  saw him  often in his studies with head bowed, in deep meditations, asking  God for a message to share with his people.  When he mounts the pulpit to preach on Sundays, he asked some of the church deacons to support him with their prayers, some in the prayer room, others on the pews.

When he preached in outdoor evangelistic rallies, he  gathered a small  group of friends in the church to support him with prayers. During his evangelistic meetings,  often  in the afternoons, they went to some isolated places,  setting on the rice paddies to commune with God, seek His guidance and prayed to give power to the songs and messages that will be  shared that evening.

In preparing his messages, he struggled to find the Bible references where his message will be anchored  every Sunday. He said he has to dig for wisdom from God’s words every day of the week to  feed the spiritual and mental needs of  his congregation. He has to mine for hidden treasures in the Scriptures,  words that could guide and direct, inspire, comforts and strengthen his members as they struggle under hard life  and  their problems  during the week.

When he attended ministers conferences, Kasapulanans and Convention assemblies, he was always attentive on  the lectures and messages  whether in small discussions, plenary or the sanctuaries.  He was seldom seen outside the assembly hall. He listened attentively to messages and lectures always with pen and notebook in his hands.

 He said, he has to “jot  down important points of the messages and lectures and tried to remember points  as well as  stories and   illustrations. Often, the messages of the following Sunday, and some other Sundays in his church were summaries of the important points of messages and lectures he heard  during   conferences  and assemblies.

He often said: “Speakers and lecturers in conferences and assemblies come with preparations. They come with new insights, new discoveries, new interpretations, fresh experiences and original stories and illustrations to share.  I have to capture these insights, thoughts, feelings and stories  to enriched  mine. I have to catch ideas and insights, wherever I can, to share and feed the needs of my church.”

Rev. Carvajal was sickly, even in his youth. He suffered from stomach trouble, and often in great pain   whenever it attacked.  He has a very delicate health.  He has to choose his food daily.  When he forgot and eat fatty and hard to digest foods, he was  attacked with the  stomach malady that he carried all his life.

Later, he has a stomach operations. His vile was taken. And he has to be more careful of his foods.

No more soft drinks. No coffee. No  chocolates. No  fatty foods. The soup  he has to take was carefully  sifted, so that fatty  and  oily substance were  taken out.  When visiting church members in their homes and something was  offered,  he politely declined and   only for a glass of water. He said, this was also good and helpful.  His members do not have to worry what to offer him  during times he calls  and  visit.

Visiting his members in their homes was a joy for Rev. Carvajal. Every Tuesday mornings and afternoons, Wednesday mornings and Thursday  and Friday mornings, he visited his flocks. His visit were anticipated.  These  were times for his members to share their, difficulties and problems. It waS also times to share their joys.

Before he ends his visits, he opened his Bible and read an appropriate verse and pray, praying for the shared problems and joy, asking God’s help, protection and guidance – a specific prayers for specific  personal and family needs. He said, major part of his messages on Sundays were responses to the shared problems  and difficulties  of  his members. “How could I provide relevant messages for my members , if I do not visit them always and knew their problems and needs?”  

Another reason why he remained  faithful visiting  members.  “They  responded and returned  my visits, They came   to visit me in church on Sundays.”

Rev. Ernesto Carvajal was a pastor and evangelist by heart. Preaching on different occasions, he always come to the central point of his message –Jesus Christ and His love,  his death and resurrection. He stood before his audience and solemnly, prayerfully and boldly  reminded each one,  even how dark their lives  and sins are,  even how heavy their burdens are, if they open their hearts to Jesus and accept Him as Lord, He will forgive their sins, cleansed  them and make them whole again.

As a minister, Rev. Carvajal  stayed long in his pastorate. In Barsasan Baptist Church where he was student pastor,  he stayed for 5 years. In Dumangas Baptist Church where he worked after finishing his theological studies,  he pastored 14 years.  At Jaro Evangelical Church, the First Baptist Church in the Philippines, he served  12  years, until his death.

His church  calls?  Most of his calls was only for one year. Every December as his term ends, he submit his Letter of Resignation.  And  every  year, he was recalled. Asking him one time, how he feels when the congregation was discussing his resignation and will decide to recall him or  not.  He said: “ In the Lord’s work, when one door closes, another door opens. We need  only to be sensitive to His call and guidance.”

Rev.  Ernesto B. Carvajal was called by the Lord  to join Him April 7, 1974. He was still young, only 47 years when he died.  He was the   pastor of Jaro Evangelical Church, when God called him to come home. . He expected it,  after an open and closed surgery on his stomach. He talked and prayed for his wife, Irene, her daughter  Erne and sons, Ernest and Rene Billy.  He entrusted them all to the Lord.  Before he died, he had made a request – that his  fellow pastors   carry his coffin to his grave.

 In his tomb, he asked that the words of St. Paul be written, a testament of His commitment of  service  to God and   his undying  faith and  hopes. It said:  “For me to live is Christ and to die is gain.”