Chapter 4 -I Reached Maao Central Evangelical Church, Bago City; A Place I Never Heard Before

                                     Chapter 4

      I  Reached Maao  Central Evangelical Church, Bago City;  A Place I Never Heard Before

                                                                           

It  was  2^nd  Quarter of  1974 when an opportunity opened for my ministry  in Negros Occidental.    After I resigned from Cawayan Baptist Church, I went to Jaro Evangelical Church. Rev. Levi  Lahaylahay, was pastor there.  In 1975, he was appointed General Secretary of the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches until 1976.  

Several weeks before,  we met.  He asked me if I would like to work at   Polo Baptist Church in New Washington, Aklan.  Polo was his home church. In 1974, Rev. Lahaylahay was  still pastor of Jaro Evangelical Church. I went to Jec with my belongings ready to go to Aklan.    But when I arrived  in JEC, in Iloilo City,  I was informed that Rev. Lajaylahay was in Manila. He will be back in   two weeks time.

Since I do not have anything to do while waiting for him, I called a  friend in Bacolod City. Manuel Jimenez, was with me at Lyceum of the Philippiines.  He finished  Foreign Service but was challenged  to radio broadcasting. He trained for several  months  with  Manila Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), in Manila. Then he was assigned with MBC in Bacolod City.

When he started his radio broadcast, he changed his name, to Pete Rivera.  It was his rado name. He became known with his new name, Pete Rivera.  Almost no one, except his family and close friend knew  who Manuel Jimenez  anymore.  Pete Rivera   became a well known name  to most radio listeners of MBC  in Negros  and Panay. 

Manny  Jimenez   was  happy I called him. I got his phone on the MBC lists. One time, I was listening to MBC newscast. It was late at night. When I tuned-in, I heard a familiar voice. I knew his voice. I continued listening until the newcast ended. He ended  his broadcast  with this invitations. 

“Please tune again tomorrow night. Same time. Same Station. This is your friend. Pete Rivera”   I knew  his voice. But I have not heard of the name.  When I arrived in Iloilo City. I  looked at the directory. There was no Pete Rivera there.

 I called MBC and inquired for Pete Rivera.  The woman who answered,  asked to identify myself. I told her, I’m Rudy Bernal from,  Agence  France Presse. I still have my   ID.  The wowan called Pete, telling him Rudy Bernal was calling. Pete was very happy learning I am at the end of the line.line.  We have not met for 5  years. He asked where I am. I told him I’m in Iloilo.

Pete  told me to get the trip that afternoon. If possible before  4 PM. He will met  me at    Banago pier.   He always visit me at Agence France Presse  in Manila  before.  He asked me to bring  some  clothes so we could have time to be together for some weeks or months.

When  I  took the  boat trip at 3:30 PM, with “Princess of Negros”  to Bacolod City that day,  the course  and directions of my life has changed.   The   Bacolod trip  opened me  new opportunity for a wider Christian ministry, which I could never have reached, if Rev. Levi Lahaylahay has introduced me to Polo Baptist Church. Polo has its own potentials.

But it could not have opened for me,   the Urban Industrial Missions works that God  was calling me to undertake. For in that mission, I must  learn the skills on Labor Education and Organizing  that   God was calling  me to undertake. 

Pete Rivera was already married. His wife was  lovely and  intelligent high school  teacher. She’s a Japanese mestisa. Pete  told me he was ready to start a small business.  A Record Bar  at Bacolod Supermart  at Yusay Building.  Bacolod Supermart was owned by Mr. & Mrs.  Felix Yusay,  owner of Sugarland Hotel in  Bacolod City. 

Pete said, he  will sell long Playing Records and Single Records. He will get his stock from Electro Sound  Company and Vicor Music  Corporation, on credit. Unsold products will be returned.  He asked me to help him start his business. 

We built his small  Record Bar display  inside Bacolod  Supermart.  He  got some   some 200 pieces of Long Playing Records and about 1,000 pieces of Singles. He got a Salesgirl.  And his business has started. Often, I and Pete met there at the Record Bar. Many young girls came to buy music songs at the Record Bar. 

Listening songs at the Record Bar, I begun to love songs of the 50’s and 60’s, the songs of Matt Monroe, Karen Carpenter, Doris Day, Diana Winner, Julie Andrews, Andy Williams, Joan Baez,  Patti Page, Barbra Striesand, Elvis Presley, Perry Como and Mary Hopkin.  I listened to these songs.  I cannot sing. I do not know how to sing love songs.

One day,  we  hang  in his   Record Bar. That day, I saw   Rev. Esfe Tandog  at Bacolod Supermart.   Esfe Tandog was buying something, when  I spotted  him.  I and Esfe Tandog were  working students  back in 1962, at   CPU. We did not met since I left CPU, in 1964.    We sat for a snack at  Supermart’s  Snack House.

We have good conversations and flashbacks on memories.  After finishing his theological studies,  Esfe Tandog,  worked at    Maao Evangelical Church, in  Bago City. After several years at MEC,  he resigned and went to radio broadcasting works. He was taken by Atty. Alex Espino, President of West Negros College  to work with ther   radio station, DYWN.   

We sat for a while  and talked  about  about the past.  I  told him of  my life since I left the College of Theology and  and  my ventures  in Manila.  Esfe   shared that he left  also the ministry. He went to  radio broadcasting  for several years. 

Then,  few months ago,   he went back to the ministry as Provincial Minister of Negros Kasapulanan of Baptist Churches.  His  residence  and office with his wife, Nelly  was at Bacolod Christian Center.

 I told Rev. Tandog that  I also went back to the ministry and pastored two years at Cawayan Baptist Church in Carles. I resigned after two years. I am planning to go to Polo, New Washington, Aklan.   Rev. Levy Lahaylahay will introduce me to Polo Baptist Church  as pastor.

Rev. Tandog,  told me that  Maao Central Evangelical Church,  was looking for a pastor. He told me  next   Sunday, he will speak at Aliansa Baptist Church,   about 3 kilometers  from   Maao Central Evangelical.  He said, “Rud, if you want to join, we can go together. We will visit Maao Central Evangelical Church. I  will introduce you  to the church President, Mr. Childe Alvarez.”   

Three months  before, I have  met   Mr.  Childe Alvarez   during  a  Lay Leadership Training led by the Baptist Convention at  Camp Higher Ground in  Barotac Viejo.  We attended together  with some 50   church pastors and lay  leaders,  a  training on stewardship and church management.  We were together in  our group of  5 persons  for 4 days. 

Our bed were near each other. And we became  friends. We shared something of  our lives. He told me he has  7 children, 5 girls  and two boys. I told him, I am single and  looking for a wife.  Mr.  Childe Alvarez just  smiled.  He has four girls all of  marragiable ages. I never thought, his second child, will become my wife two years later.

Rev. Tandog accompanied    me  to the home of Mr.  Childe Alvarez. We have a short sharing and he left for Aliansa Baptist Church that afternoon.

That Saturday  evening,  I was guest at the home  Mr. and Mrs. Childe and Leonor Alvarez.  Together with us  at  supper, was Hesther, one of their  lovely daughters. The two daughters,  Gilda and  Rachel were practicing in the  church choir. The eldest, Rosea  was teaching at Good Shepherd’s Fold Academy in Guimaras.   The two sons, where  still out.

I got a good  conversations with Mr. and Mrs. Alvarez and Hesther.  Her voice, she said was  not well, and she did not join the choir practice.  She  remained  at home. And we have little time for conversation that  night.

The following day,  during worship, I preached.  I  prepared  my  message. I knelt down and prayed. My Bible reflection was in Ilongo, our dialect, with few English words and phrases. I delivered my message extemporaseously. I felt my message touched some listeners in the congregations.  I hoped it reached their hearts.   In closing, I prayed for the members and the church.

After the service,  the Church Board came together for a meeting.  That morning,  they  decided to call me Pastor of  Maao Central Evangelical Church. The call was written,  signed by the  Church Secretary.  It was  noted by  the Church President. After reading the church call,  I told Mr. Alvarez  I  accepted  their   call.  I will be ready to assume the post in 2 weeks time.

Two weeks later, I came with my bag of clothes, two  cartoons,  and started my pastoral ministry in Maao Central Evangelical Church. The church was located  in the vicinity of  Maao Sugar Central Company, with  thousand hectares of sugar cane plantations around,  and  hundreds of trucks lining every day on the highway, waiting for their turn to deliver the sugar canes from the farms to the mills in Maao Central Sugar Mills.

At the center was the Sugar Mill station, which  was   surrounded with the staff houses and the 4 villages were the sugar workers have there houses.

It  was the first time I saw and entered a  sugar milling plant in  my life.  I am in a new venue in my   ministry,  a rural –industrial venue, where  more than a thousand employees and workers worked  during most of the whole year. I thought, my experiences with PANELFU, also a labor  union,  will be helpful in my ministry here.

That Sunday morning,  I took  the pulpit. I preached my  maiden  sermon as Pastor of Maao Central Evangelical Church. I studied my message. But I decided  not to write  it.  I will master it’s central points and essence.  I will preached from my mind and heart.  It was a ministry that I have prayed for. I don’t know how  our ministry will go and  grow.  But I felt,   it will. I prayed that our  ministry will affect the lives  of the church and the community. 

I prayed  that God will empower the message.  That God will take charge of my mind.  That He will touched  my tongue.  I need to preach a  simple  and clear  message that will be easily understood  by adults, the  youths and the younger folks. I asked God to help me use the  right words.  The right phrases. The needed intonation. And touch  my heart when I   make  the challenge.

We have   a siezable audience. And as I preached,  I felt  a certain sensations in my heart.  I felt my message was not good. It  was long.    About 18 minutes.  But I felt, it reached  there  hearts.    I closed the message with a prayer.  I entrusted my  members to the Lord.  I went with our Liturgist to the entrance of the Church. I stood and extend my hands to all who were going out. I  clasped each  extended hand. 

That afternoon, I received  one  very positive response to  my  message delivered   that morning.   It  came from one of  the young people. Tongue  Innocencio.   a  talented  youth leaders. He later became a pastor in Cebu.  He  called one  of the young people  who had not attended worship for sometimes. Tongue said before me:  “Brod, you must go to church now. We have a new pastor.  He preached  a  short message”. 

God, I think used Tongue Inocencio,  to teach me how to preach  a  kind of an effective sermon.   Short   sermons!