In the Hands of the Master Planner

Just as the Lord prepared everyone else in the Bible when He gave a task, so was He still in the business of preparing His servants today...

Pastor Mar testifies a lot on how the Lord has prepared him for the huge responsibility of being the National Coordinator...

• As the Senior Pastor of Faith Fellowship Dagupan, he was able to plant daughter churches in five years...

He just said that he won't leave Dagupan, but when it was the Lord who said "Go!" who are we to say no?! so he accepted the responsibilities... God's ways are not our ways.

• Before he finally took over as the National Coordinator in April, a summit was held in Antipolo among FECPI Board of Trustees and OMS International leaders to have an agreement on the church planting method to use here in the Philippines... that really set the stage for him to take over the ministry. A direction was already set by the Lord--where to go and how to go about it.

Last day of the summit held at Faith Fellowship Ministry Center

some pictures taken during the discussion held at Gem's Hotel in Antipolo

• The Lord not only prepared his ministry but even their house in Manila, the Lord has provided. From Dagupan they had to transfer to Manila so he would be near the main office. His relatives and his wives relatives were mostly in Tarlac and Pangasinan but Belle's sister bought a house in Montalban which he criticized because it was so expensive and far from their relatives.

"I didn't know that even that the Lord as prepared for us. April was already approaching and we didn't know where to stay then Belle's sister arrived from abroad and asked them to stay in her house in Montalban."

Those are just some of the many blessings they have received from the Lord. If we are faithful, God is more than faithful to bless His servants.

Pastor Mar and Belle hold on to God's promises in Jeremiah 29:11 which was proven true in their life. The future is in the hands of the Master Planner!

Jeremiah 29:11 says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

A New Milestone... A New Calling

Click image for a closer view of the Ordination Banquet Programme

The Lord has been doing marvelous things in the lives of our FECPI church planters. Just recently, we have witnessed how the spirit of these servants were ignited during the FECPI retreat at Pranjetto Hills, so much so that their faces were glowing with joy and excitement as the new vision, mission and core values were formulated and established for the common interest of all members of the FECPI family. Glory to God! It's such a wonderful experience to see how God's people with different personalities, backgrounds and experiences could just come together and unite in spirit and in mind for the purpose of pleasing, serving and glorifying the one true God!

And now, another milestone, another challenge, a new calling: Four of our church planters, along with 3 other FECPI pastors, made it through the screening, interview and "heart" examination to become ordained pastors. It's not just a title, so we say. It is a calling.

What does it take to be ordained? What does it involve? What lies ahead? Hmmmm we wonder... But whatever lies ahead, we are but sure it is all under God's masterplan, and goodness follows according to His perfect will and purpose. Hallelujah!

Congratulations to our newly ordained FECP Church Planters and pastors:

(From left)Jun Pinili, Jerry Cruz, Jonathan Trino, Noel Penaranda, Alice Penaranda, Aileen Dabandan and Let Malaluan.

Also in this picture are FBC President Ermalee Hidalgo, NSC for churchplanters Mar Ocampo, and FECPI President Brent Burdick.

May you look forward to what lies ahead, press on to reach the end of your race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling you.

Shalom!

Saying Hello to Greater Responsibilities

The pastor who just said goodbye to a church is actually saying hello to the churches.

Pastor Mar's goodbye to Dagupan was his hello to greater responsibilities entrusted to him by FECPI to be the National Coordinator of FECPI Church Multiplication Teams...

ON the first day of April...

Pastor Mar first met with the Regional Coordinators of the church planting teams. They have meeting for three months already for planning and brainstorming but this was his first meeting with them as the National Coordinator.

The First Visitation

Together with other Regonal Coordinator, Pastor Mar and wife Belle visited the church multiplication teams... Their first destination was Cavite province where the church planters of Region 4A gathered.

The second destination was in Pangasinan where they met with pastor Emil and then to Quirino province where they met with the church planting teams of Region 2.

The visit was highlighted by prayer time with the workers. That was actually the first and most important agenda of the new National Coordinator--to gather everyone and pray believing that more would be accomplished starting with the most essential yet neglected part of the ministry--PRAYER!

The visiting team stayed with the church planters to encourage them and listen to what they have to say. That was the time also to show them where the church planting teams are going and should be going with the right vehicle to ride on and proper instructions to follow...

Pastor Mar even shared a testimony that on the first two days that he was going to the office in Aurora Blvd. from Montalban where they are now living, he got lost. That happened not just once but twice. He knew how it felt to be lost. With the new and clearer direction the Lord is leading the church planting teams, he was encouraged and that's exactly what he shared with the rest of the church planters which encouraged everyone as well.

"It is not hard to follow a leader who knows where he is going..."

Pastor Mar & Belle got a lot of testimonies to share when it comes to how the Lord has prepared them for this ministry... Watch out for those stories!

Part of the visit was to mingle and have fellowship with the rest of the teams and their spouses. The visit wasn't only encouraging but it was also fun exploring the caves in Aglipay, Quirino!

when a pastor says goodbye...

Pastor Mar & Belle Ocampo said goodbye to Faith Fellowship Dagupan in March. They served in Dagupan for 5 years after Pastor Mar graduated from Faith Bible College in 2004. Those years have been very productive. Their commitment and faithfulness in the ministry gave birth to two other churches--Faith Fellowship San Carlos and Faith Fellowship Malued.

Now it's time to say goodbye...

Faith Fellowship Malued prepared a farewell party for the couple on the same day Pastor Mar & Belle were celebrating their 14 years of marriage. Through the messages of the members you would know how the couple has served the church and how they have impacted the lives of the people. Mr. Martinez, the uncle of everybody, was critical of God and the Bible. He kept challenging Pastor Mar about the Bible but he was surprised by Pastor Mar's honesty & humility which led him to get to know God.

The church also gave a plaque of appreciation to Pastor Mar & Belle. It was hard for them to lose a dear pastor who served the Lord faithfully but were very grateful and with the blessing, they released their pastor to serve on a higher level of leadership.

Pastor Mar is now serving as the National Coordinator of FECPI Church Planting Teams.