Chapter 35 –Rev. Edwin Lopez, Choice of Rev. Famillaran as General Secretary; We Opposed. The GS Must Come from the Ranks of the 3 Field Secretaries.
Rev. Moley Famillaran, immediately with his election as CPBC President, focused on the searched for the General Secretary that he believed could respond effectively to the problems, challenges and need of churches under the current social and political situations.
For some years, the CPBC has few staff and the ministry was hardly felt. The three programs - Evangelism, Christian Education and Stewardship respectively under Rev. Penuelito Sacapano, Rev. Apolonio Francia and Rev. Alfeo Tupaz, though committed and dedicated leaders, but the programs under them were struggling under a very limited resources. They cannot respond effectively to the need of the churches and communities. Strengthening and revitalization of the programs of the Convention was greatly needed.
Rev. Famillaran decided to get Rev. Edwin Iglory Lopez as General Secretary. They were together in the College of Theology, and they knew each other well. Rev. Lopez was a dynamic preacher. We heard he has capacity for mobilizing people under his leadership.
But we have scant knowledge of his work in the churches. We have little knowledge of his work in some regional programs of the Convention. In the 70’s, he worked as director of a Family Planning program in Romblon. There were feelings, that Rev.Lopez may lacked the skills and experiences as General Secretary of the Convention. Rev. Famillaran was decided to take Rev. Lopez as General Secretary.
The young Baptist pastors and church leaders again met. They decided to oppose the plan of the President Famillaran to get Rev. Lopez as General Secretry, unless a dialogue is made, and we will be have a chance go see Rev. Lopez at close range – learning his first moves as General Secretary if ever elected. We wrote a letter to the President and the Board of Trustees. In our letter, we opposed the plan to get Rev. Lopez as General Secretary.
We proposed to the President and the Board, the next General Secretary must come from the ranks of the 3 Field Secretaries, who were the top executives of the Convention. They knew the problems and have knowledge of what to do.
We sent our letter to Rev. Moley Famillaran, President, copy furnished all members of the Board. We sent the letters by Registered and Special Delivery mails.
The letter was signed by Rev. Eliseo Fantilaga, Pastor Antonio Elequin, Rev. Hilarion Leysa, Pastor Domingo Bernal, Mr. Fred Bat-og, Mrs. Victoria Bat-og, Rev. Esfe Tandog and Pastor Rudy Bernal.
We do not knew how the Board will react reading our letter. It was, I think, the first and last letter received by CPBC President and Board of Trustees related to the appointment of a General Secretary. It was a soft letter, that was both a request and a demand.
What will the President and the Board think of our letter? How will the Board react reading it? Perhaps, they will just ignore it. And proceed with the election of the General Secretary that June 1976.
The Board listened to us. They postponed the election of the new General Secretary that June; They requested Rev. Famillaran to call the young pastors and church leaders for a dialogue with the Board, the President, Vice President and Rev. Edwin Lopez. That was a victory. The President, Vice President and the 13 members of the Board, listened to us.
The dialogue in Bacolod City was open and fruitful. President Famillaran facilitated the dialogue. We were introduced to the Board. We have sharing of our works and plans. Then, we shared the reasons for our letter. The Rev. Moley Famillaran, introduced Rev. Edwin Lopez and asked him to outline his plans, if he will be elected General Secretary. Rev. Edwin Lopez presented his initial plans for the Convention, if elected General Secretary. It was plan for 3 months.
His plans for 3 months, include the following:
1) To call for Program Planning workshop with representatives of churches and staff of the Convention to see the needs and priorities;
2) To pursue, a 2nd Phase of Program Planning with sectoral groups, Kasapulanan representatives from provincies and regions together with the CPBC institutions;
3) On the 3rd Phase, to involve all members of the Board of Trustees, CPBC Staff, Presidents of Kasapulanans, some representatives of big city churches in Panay and Negros in the planning process. Consolidation of outputs of the program planning workshops.
4) Writing the draft of the consolidated reports. From this consolidated report, the program of the Convention will be drafted and written.
After Rev. Lopez summarized the proposed plans, the young pastors and church leaders asked further questions. After some more discussion , we accepted the plans. We also verbalized our support to the planned program of the Convention.
On July 16, 1976, the Board elected Rev. Edwin Iglory Lopez, General Secretary. That election helped much in putting the CPBC in the spotlights as one of the churches that soon made fast growth in evangelizations and church planting; in Stewardship and in Christian Education.
Under Rev. Lopez leadership, CPBC started a dynamic and creative efforts for evangelism and church planting, a decisive Christian Education works with Sunday School guides for all ages. It developed a creative Stewardship ministry that organized massive education that seek to train church members to give there tithes to the church.
Rev, Famillaran said the Board will meet in July 1976 and elect the General
Secretary. He said, he needed people to join him in the work. He asked some of those present to assist him. He will propose to the Board the following: Rev. Esfe Tandog as Executive Assistant. Mr. Fred Bat-og and Mrs. Victoria Bat-og as Directors for the Pilot UIM project at Insular Lumber Compnay (ILCO) in Hinobaan, Negros Occidental.
He asked Rev. Larry Leysa to serve as CPBC Iloilo Minister in a partnership with Iloilo Kasapulanan, in joint ministry. He asked Rev. Eliseo Fantilaga to continue his services with NCCP but assist CPBC in some tasks. Pastor Tony Elequin will continue in his task in Antique. Pastor Bernal was asked to go on with his ministry in Central Maao and pursue the radio ministry with possible assistance from the Convention.
But Mr. Fred Bat-og decided not to accept the offer to head UIM Pilot Ministry, He had some other priorities, the Negros Kasapulanan Baptist Youth Fellowship where he served as Officer- in -charge that time. Pastor Bernal was asked by Rev. Lopez to head the UIM pilot in ILCO.
That year, Pastor Bernal resigned from Maao Central Evangelical Church and joined CPBC. He was assigned to start the Pilot Urban Industrial Mission (UIM) project in Insular Lumber Company, in Bacuyangan, Hinobaan, Negros Occidental.
Rev. Moley Famillaran and Rev. Edwin Lopez, that year started their ministry with the Baptist Convention. It was a beautiful journey of Rev. Famillaran, as Secretary to the Mayor of Bacolod City, to the Convention Baptist, Then he was called by Cosmpolitan Church of Manila as their pastor. He was asked by the Board of International Ministry to be part of the world Baptist ministry.
Rev. Edwin Lopez also made the great journey of faith. As General Secretary of the Baptist Convention, he was called to be staff of the Asian Baptist Fellowship. Then called to be General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance (BWA), for Asia.
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