God Moves at Faith Fellowship-Israel!

Dear Prayer partners,
Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It has been more than a week that we are experiencing the favor of God here in Israel. We arrived here on the day that Israel is celebrating their 61st year of independence. We stayed in the hotel for 3 days and after that we moved to the church where we could stay for the rest of our time here in Israel.

When we arrived at the hotel, my Brother Samzon and his wife Mejani with their son Shan and also with his employer visited us and brought us to the beach adjacent to the hotel. There are more than 60,000 Filipinos in Israel working as care giver for the elderly.

Since it was Independence Day for Israel many Filipinos took advantage of the holiday to have some sort of relaxation in the beach and it was a perfect timing for us because there we met my sister whom I did not see for more than 13 years. She is working in Israel with her husband for a long time.
My Sister and her husband (sitting beside my wife) invited us in their church “The Lord Our Righteousness Ministry” for a dinner. This is one of the Filipino Churches in Tel Aviv, Israel. We had fellowship with their pastors, a couple, and their daughter (sitting beside me). They told us how their church is helping the Filipino communities especially for those who have babies; they founded in their church a nursery for children taking care of the babies while the Filipino parents are working. At present they accommodate more than 40 babies in their nursery and one of their full time workers is my sister Elisa.

When we finally checked out from the hotel and went to our church building we were met by some of the members who are so excited to see us including the sisters of my wife who are also working here in Israel.
Our church “Faith Fellowship Israel” covered our expenses for our trip including our accommodations.

I was surprised when I saw the church building because of what God has done in a short period of time; their musical instruments are almost complete, they are renting the building for 3,500 shekels if converted is more than 35,000 pesos, the members are working together for the growth of the church and most especially I have observed how they commit themselves to preserve their testimony as true followers of Jesus Christ.

The following day May 2 our church celebrated their 2nd anniversary. Their theme “We are the salt and light of the world” reveals their commitment and purpose of existence here in Israel. I have seen their joy when I read the portion of Ptr. Brent’s report to the general conference about Israel Faith Fellowship and how he supported the vision for the ministry of the OFW.



The service started at 7 pm and lasted for almost 3 hours. The event was attended by at least 80 people and some of them received the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior while some recommitted their lives to the Lord.
I was blessed when I personally heard the narration of the church history. Bro Samzon and Mejani Ocampo stepped out of faith to start the church and later they were joined by Rosie Vallente and Jeana Ocampo who are members of Sta. Ignacia Faith Fellowship in the Philippines. At first they were even ridiculed by some Filipino believers here in Israel who had no idea of the vision that drove them to start Faith Fellowship Israel. But the Lord has blessed the church by sending trained workers like my sister Jenny who is a graduate of Faith Bible College.

Today, there are 8 fully committed workers and leaders in this church and at least a total of 27 regular members.



After the service it was just like a reunion for us because we met some relatives and friends whom we haven’t seen for a long time.

Most likely all Filipino workers here in Israel are looking forward for Saturdays to be refreshed and be strengthened by the fellowship with their relatives and friends. Our church is taking advantage of this free day to worship God together at 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Some members stay in the church until Sunday afternoon and they go back to their work until the next Saturday.
During working days some members of the church, friends and relatives are inviting us to visit them in their work and meet their employers. We praise God we experience the hospitality of the Hebrew people.

After their anniversary, the following Saturday was a different setup of worship service because I divided them into small groups and discussed with them thoroughly the importance of our core values.
They enjoyed and learned because they participated in the discussion focused on the core values of our denomination.
We will make use of every Saturday while we are here to discuss and learn more on our mission and vision as a denomination and how to achieve them through cell group strategy.


We ended the worship service last Saturday by honoring the mothers and they were very happy when the church gave them red roses and few minutes free call to their children and love ones in the Philippines
Please continue to pray for our time here in Israel that we may contribute for the spiritual development of our leaders here. Pray also that God will send and develop more workers in this church that they may reach their vision to build strong and multiplying Filipino Churches in every key cities of Israel. Also pray that they may help in the fulfilment of the rapid multiplication of churches in the Philippines by referring their families and friends to our church planters who are close to their homes.

Also pray that they may help in sending people who are called in the ministry but have no capacity to pay their tuition and other bills for their training at FBC.
Lastly, I praise the Lord for the support of our leaders especially to Ptr Brent, he has been supportive to the ministry here in Israel and to the OFW since this vision was shared to FECPI leaders. Without the support of our leaders (BOT), pastors and members this mission for Israel remains to be a dream.
By God’s grace we will maximize our time to fulfil God’s purpose of sending us here in Israel.
To God be the Glory!
In Christ Service,

Ptr. Mar & Bell

Celebrating God's Faithfulness

Faith Fellowship Laoag church anniversary celebration on May 10...

Jasmin, Jaymar & Kenneth on the worship team
mark lead the opening prayer

during the praise and worship

and of course... eating time!

Many of us are being confused on how seeds grow and turn into plant that bears plenty of fruits, how the ugly duckling turns into a beautiful swan, or how Mt. Pinatubo maintains its perfect cone shape. Those simple yet difficult to answer questions continuously dig our deepest imaginations that can create different non-factual theories and explanations. But if we think and focus more closely to those issues, we can find out the simplest answer: Its God’s will.

Faith Fellowship Laoag celebrated its 6^th anniversary last May 10, 2009 at the Navotas-B Park. Pastor Emil Galzote led the program together with his daughter Jasmine who was the song leader. Pastor Let Malaluan, who was the former pastor of Laoag and currently leading Tagaytay Faith Fellowship, also joined the said celebration. Pastora Let shared us her testimonies and experiences while she was still here in Laoag some years ago. We reminisce all of our unforgettable experiences on how Faith Fellowship Laoag started with the other 3 Pastors, Ptr. Jonathan Cariaso, Ptr. Mau Rivera, and Ptr. Richard Teodosio, challenging activities, and all the joys that we share with each other for 6 long years. As Pastor Emil has said, those memorable scenarios help us to build a strong character that changes our views in life that encourage everyone to promote peace through fellowship. Pastora Let, was so flattered acknowledging the same faces, as well as new faces, continuously serving the Lord. After the program, we’re all gathered for our traditional packed-lunch.

Faith Fellowship Laoag will continue to plant seeds and harvest more fruits for us to build a strong foundation of love and fellowship with Christ.

by: Mark Moneda of Faith Fellowship Laoag

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.

Lucena City for Christ!

Fun, Fellowship & Family Day

It's only eight in the morning and the kids & youths were already in the resort, jumped in the pool and played while waiting for others. They brought their food to share with others for lunch. That's how excited they were for the event.
The program started with a praise and worship, followed by water baptism when Kuya Jun adn Julie Ann decided to obey the Lord through water baptism. The testimonies were really moving stating how the Lord has changed their lives.

a recognition given to Nanay Emma for preparing the food during the youth activity in December

There were also a lot of games for the fathers, the youths and the kids. Prices made the games even more exciting and fun!

check this slide for more pictures

The Right Worship to the Right God

Dagupan Faith Fellowship had their youth camp on December 29-30 at Barangay Sta. Cruz, San Jacinto, Pangasinan. The youths were accomodated by some Christians there during the night while their sessions were held in a church building nearby.

34 youths from pre-teens to young professionals attended the camp. The youths came from Dagupan Faith Fellowship and its daughter churches in San Carlos, Malued and Pogo Grande. Sherilyn de Sola, one of the youth leaders, reported that these youths are already involved in praise and worship because the camp's theme is about "the Right Worship to the Right God" which discussed also the manners of worship and the use of music to worship our One True God.

Sherilyn reported a list of what they have learned during the camp. Here they are:

• that we should offer our time, talent, treasures, and our temple to the Lord
• that the worship leader should know the songs and not just imitate other known song leaders but be creative with his or her own style.
• that song leaders should also be a worshipper and not seek to be worshipped... remember that God looks at the heart
• that the instrumentalist should also be worhsipping and singing while playing their instruments
• the back-up singers should know how to modulate the voice so as not to overpower the song leader
• and for everyone to be true to self and offer a genuine worship to the Lord

they also learned to do household chores and were able to meet new friends as they stayed in the houses of the Christians in San Jacinto.

The camp resulted to transformation and realization among the youths and they are definitely looking forward to the next camp meeting.