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 32 – Our 3rd Year Ministry at MCEC –
Conscientization & Social Awareness, Mobilized Prayer Groups with NFSW &
Workers Strike in La Carlota, Held
Violin Concert in Bago City with Dr. Gilopez Kabayaw.
Our third year
ministry at MCEC tried to widen
our ministry starting the 3rd Quarter of 1975 until the end
of 1976. We tried to learn new technics on management and leardership building and
mobilizations,. We invited Rev. Conrad Brown, for a 2-day seminar
on conscientization and socio-political awareness, involving
most of our church leaders and members.
To upgrade me on
church works, I often sat with Rev. Esfe Tandog whenever he comes home as
Minister of Negros Kasapulanan. I always come when he comes, and share lunch
with him and Mrs. Nelly Tandog at their home. I tried, to get secretly some of
his ideas and thoughts on the ministry. Often, I also visited Rev. and
Mrs. Floripe Herradura in Maao Evangelical Church, trying to get his experiences
on his evangelization ministry. During their time, they helped build 4 church congregations in Barrio
Maao.
One time, we invited Rev. Conrad Brown, American missionary and
in-charged of the Center for Education
& Research (CER), a project of the CPBC. He has skills
on organizing, conscientizations and peoples' mobilizations. I have joined him in some seminars and
workshops in Iloilo and saw the need to involve the church
in this ministry. Rev. accepted our invitations. It was for a 2-day workshop,
that starts at 9:00 AM on Saturday and
ends at 10:00 AM. On Sunday,
We request Con Brown
to pay for their transportation. He invited Rev.
Larry Leysa, a parttime staff of CER and Promotional Secretary of Iloilo
Kasapulanan of Baptist Churches to join
him. Mrs. Nelly Tandog and her younger sister, Gloria, attended the
seminar. A few weeks later, we baptized Gloria, Atty. Wally Hidalgo,and two other young people..
We have a 2- day affair, from Saturday morning to 10:00 PM. Then on Sunday, we started at 8:30 AM to 9:00 in the evening. On Sunday,
from 8:30 -11.30, we have a process
education that includes the worship service. A group prepares food for all. . .
It was a very helpful education process. The young people were there. The Baptist Women
and Baptist Men. Members of the Board of Deacons and Board of Trustees. The
choir were there. Some younger young people, the Junior high came. We invited anyone who has time to attend, from 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM the next two days. It was a great learning process.
That Sunday, we continued with the process. We
started at 8:00 AM. The worship service continued with Dr.Brown and Rev. Larry
Leysa leading the worship. The worship situation was different from our
worship services before. We have songs, the
kind we called “Struggle songs.”
The sermon was different. It was not preached at the altar. Nor on the the pulpit. The message was preached on the church floors, where all of us setting together. On the middle was Dr. Brown. .
That morning, we
were all preachers. Rev. Brown made a
reflection based on a gospel story. Then he called us all to share our understanding
of Jesus messages. He
encouraged all to speak, including the
Junior highs. Everyone spoke. We all
shared our messages. A three minutes reflections, 2 minutes, 4 minutes, 7
minutes, 10 minutes. We were all encouraged to
speak. All of us preached short messages that day..
Then Rev. Brown, stood at the front of us all.
He stood on the floor. He summarized all we have shared. That was his message
for all of us. Dr. Brown taught us, new
methods of teaching and preaching. Not
on the pulpit above the people. He
preached standing on the floor. No
microphones. He stood, on the same level with the people on the sanctuary.
That afternoon, and evening
we continued with the process. And at 7:30 PM, we came for the last session. It was sharing again of all we learned during the
day. We were also called to share what we hoped to do and accomplished in the
worked of the Lord the next 3 years. At
closing, Rev. Larry Leysa prayed for all of us. He entrusted us all to
the Lord.
That seminar helped
provide us with additional ideas and skills on leadership, and mobilizing of people for
action. The need for continued change
process in the leadership of our church at Maao Central. It was an experience,
most of us learned and use in our inistry.
As I reflect on what we hoped to happen the next 3 years, as Dr. Brown challenge
us to think and consider, lots of potentials came to mind. For May 1976, were very important days. Its the election of officials – President, Vice President and 7
members of the Board of Trustees. It will be followed in June with the
election of the General Secretary.
That night, with all participants gone home and Rev. Brown sleeping, Rev. Leysa and me, talked about the future
leadership of the Convention. We need
new leadership, the President, Vice President, the 7 members of the Board of Trustees and the
next General Secretary. Together we
prayed for the future. And we tried to identify possible people to be on the
leadership of the Convention. We decided
to visit some leaders in Negros and Panay. And planned with them on the future
leadership of the Convention.
With the Young People and the
Choir, we looked for ways to make them a
strong partners in our ministry. We need to explore new means for the
development of MCEC music ministry, the
choir and the “The Joyful Singers.” Last
year, our choir was invited to sing at
the Negros Kasapulanan of Baptist Churches assembly. We were invited together with choirs of Bacolod
Evangelical Church, Bacolod Cosmpolitan Church, Bakyas Evangelical Church and
La Carlota Evangelical Church. We also begun working for a possible
Musical Concerts on 1976’s Valentines
Day and
Christmas Cantatas.
I tried to recall in
my mind, our choir un those days. We have one of the best choirs in Negros
Occidental. The choir members were
young and lovely, all unmarried, headed
by Elmer De Asis and Art Samson, directors -- Deding Moncay, Hesther, Hilda
& Rachel Alvarez, Emelia Abilarde,
Lota and Linda Bulaclac. Daday & Rosario Doronila, Alpha & Omega Hermosura, Jean and Mja
Inocencio, Erle, Tata and Jiji Gonzaga.
Our male choir
members were Tongue Inocencio, Nap de
Asis, Julios Samson, Mondo Aligonsa,
Doroy Ada, Merare Garovillo, Telo Bagaforo, Cecilio Villasenor, Elmo de Asis
and Conan.
Art Samson helped us
organized the Joyful Singers, a group of young people, that can be called upon
to provide special music during some
services’ It was composed of Hesther
& Hilda Alvarez. Lota and Linda Bulaclac, Erle Gonzaga and whoever that can join when
their was Special occasions. This group also provide a tape recorded songs for “Hour of Discovery” radio program.
Reflecting on this
today, May 18, 2017, Nap De Asis
said: “Thanks for sharing the memories
Pastor Bernal… I was a High Schooler then, when you served our home church…Maao Central
Evangelical Church where we grew as Christians and proud that Papang was one of the founding members…Precious
memories.
“We remember our Cantatas, with my brod Elmer and, Art as our directors…daigons,
concerts, campings…are all stored in my
memories and will be cherished always…damu gid kami nga batch during our young
people’s days. We made the church our second home… “simbahan lang permi”…as I recalled
my Mamang say, everytime we are out of his sight for the chores at
home…the best I can say …Thanks you
Maao Central Evangelical Church…you are part of our growing up to become
good Christians…growing up…or ‘laking
simbahan’ makes a difference…”
We moved out a
bit farther, trying to push Maao Central
Evangelical Church’s music ministry reached a wider overage. We
strengthened relationship among young people, with activities that try to build them up, -meetings, studies. swimmings, camping, cantatas, musical concerts. We camp anytime we have chances-, in the
church, in beaches with church members.
We have camping…swimming in small
rivers surrounded with sugarcane plantations. The young people always sung, wherever there were chance to sing.
We also dreamed of holding musical concerts not only in Maao Central but visiting other
churches in Negros and holding musical concerts. Not all our plans were realized. But we made one big efforts, that reached most
of Bago City residents and
reached the churches and
communities in Bago City.
It was our
partnership with Dr. Gilopez Kabayao &
Mrs. Corazon Kabayao, pianist, to hold the Gilopez Kabayao Violin Concert in Bago
Auditorium, Bago City with Maao Central Evangelical Church choir singing
gospel songs, during the two
intermissions on the Gilopez Kabayao Violin Concert.
While the Kabayao Violin Concert gaves beautiful music
–classical, kundimans, Filipino songs on violin – with audience that include the Mayor, Vice Mayor and some City Councilors - entertaining several
thousands of residents of the city and villages,
Maao Central Evangelical Church choir sung
gospel and spiritual songs that touched the hearts and souls of the people of
Bago City in big City auditorium. The
Kabayao Violin Concert and MCEC gospel
music was one of the great affairs in the city
that year.
The Concert was known all over Negros thru “Hour of Discovery” our Radio program
announcements and news report made by
the DYHB morning, noon and evenng News report, informing listeners the coming
Violin Concert sponsored by Maao Central
Evangelical Church.
I also tried to learn the works of Maao
Sugar Central Labor Union among the workers of sugar company. The labor union
of Maao Central was considered a yellow
union, the President of the union, being the brother of the Manager of the
Sugar Central. But the leaders of
the union, many of them members
of our church, tried hard to get the
best workers conditions in the CBA they signed
with the sugar central company.
As Pastor to MCEC,
I Rev. Floripe Herradura of Maao
Evangelical Church organized new
churches in Maao area, In our time, MEC was able to build 3 congregations around Maao, Bago City.
It was also in the
villages of Maao, with Rev. Herradura, that we met NPA cadres, both men and
women, still very young, some of them
from Manila, working to build the revolutionary movement in Central
Negros, to fight for freedom, justice
and the liberation of the people from
slavery in the sugarcane industry.
There were times, when we go the same way,
traversing the hills. They were going their distinations in the far flung
village. I am going to a village church,
where I have preached before. I was
invited by a woman lay pastor, to
baptized some members that afternoon.
I shared with the
young revolutionaries our dreams together. They shared with me something of their lives
and dreams. We know we were travelling the same road. The road, a pathway, that Jesus Christ also
travelled the rocky paths of Galilee
sharing his faith and dreams with young men and women of his time, under
Herod’s martial law regime.
I shaked the hands
of the young revolutionaries. Silently, I breath words of prayer for them. We parted.
We don’t know if we will ever met again.
But we knew we were doing God’s and the people’s well together. They moved on, with their task of educating people for equality and justice. I go that
afternoon and baptized 14 young men and women, who
followed Jesus way, for equality and justice.
We will help build a community
with equality and justice. We will help in the liberation struggle, exposing the
evils and oppressions in the sugarcane industry.
It was during the
last months of my ministry in Maao Central Evangelical Church
that big workers strike at La Carlota Sugar Central, assisted by the National Federation
of Sugar Workers (NFSW) in Bacolod City.
I joined with other church pastors and leaders –Aglipayans, Catholics,
Baptists and other groups giving
assistance and prayer supports to the workers in the Picket Lines of La Carlota Sugar Central and in the sugarcane field areas.
We joined in their struggles. We prayed for God’s
protection of the workers on the Picket Lines.
We joined the sugarcane workers
congregating in different areas, some
distance from the sugar central, ready to assist the picketers when it will be needed. We stood with them
and prayed with them. We prayed for the leaders NFSW as
they led the strikers.
We helped
strengthen there
struggles. We prayed
for God’s guidance and protection. It was a hard struggle, fighting to give families opportunities to live a better lives and better futures with the success of the workers’
strike in La Carlota Sugar Central.
This was our journey of faith. A journey for a wholistic ministry.
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