by Jon Konnerup
Just before spring came, I was off to the Philippines to help with the celebration for two big anniversaries.
The first event was to celebrate the 50th Annual Mission Conference with Mt. View Baptist Church of Angeles City. The church celebrated their 50 years of missions with uplifting music, pictures through the years, and a show of appreciation to the missionaries who brought the gospel and taught Faith Promise years ago.
Howard and Eleanor Quinlan, approved in May 1957, started this church, and from the beginning taught the people the importance of the Great Commission. Over 300 have graduated through their Bible college, of whom many are in the ministry today as church planters in the Philippines and around the world. In fact, nearly 70 pastors trained through this ministry were present at the historic celebration.
John and Pam Quinlan have, for nearly 36 years, continued leading these churches with an emphasis on evangelism and church planting. They have seen this church give faithfully of their finances to missions and give their best young people as missionaries to various parts of the world. God is blessing this church and their efforts. This year they promised to give a little over $1,100 USD a week to missions. In fact, the first Sunday after the conference they gave over $1,600 USD for missions.
It is wonderful to see that our missionaries are faithful to teach churches in foreign lands to observe all things according to the Scriptures. These churches then take up the task for missions, and God takes what we all do together and blesses it and uses it around the world. When you invest in the lives and works of our missionaries, your investments keep on giving and going around the world over and it pleases our Lord and His name is glorified!
The second event we celebrated was the 60th anniversary of Bethany Baptist Church in Manila. Following is an abbreviated history of the leadership and God’s hand upon this church:
December 7, 1951, a U.S. Army veteran, Joseph Vella, together with his wife Marguerite, sailed for the Philippines to be missionaries. They began inviting people to Bible studies in the carport of their home. The fledgling mission work grew and was eventually called Bethany Baptist Tabernacle.
The mission work increased in number and within a year relocated to a two-story apartment and made plans to organize the church. So, on February 14, 1954, five BBFI missionaries came to Bethany, including Frank Hooge, who acted as secretary and a new missionary to the Philippines, Loral Douglas Woosley who acted as the moderator. Unfortunately, not long after the organization, the Vellas had to leave for the U.S. due to Mrs. Vella’s serious illness.
Under the leadership of Pastor Woosley, the members of Bethany continued to grow. When he had to take an extended leave of absence, Pastor Reyes was called to Bethany. He was a faithful deacon and among the first batch of graduates in the Baptist Bible College, and he was much loved by the members as a dedicated pastor and an outstanding Bible teacher. He was succeeded by Gerardo G. Nable. By God’s grace and the people’s faith, many more opportunities opened for Bethany to fulfill the Great Commission, with the opening of the L.D. Woosley Bethany Colleges, the introduction of annual World Mission Conferences, and more men and women following God’s call to foreign missions.
Today the ministry takes advantage of opportunities to minister to public and private school students, teachers, and administrators, as well as parents through the Values Instruction Class Ministry, Campus Ministry, Teachers in Service Training and Parenting Seminars. Annual revival events such as the Youth Quest and Soul Winning and Leadership Conference, as well as evangelistic events such as monthly evangelistic meetings, Campus Connections, and year-end Sunday School Children’s Department evangelistic meeting are also in place to seize every opportunity to reach as many people as we can in our Judea with the precious message of Salvation.
Indeed God has given Bethany a wonderful heritage. Pastor Nable is praying that many more men would continue to rise up from the ranks and likewise answer God’s call to lead His people into a closer and more intimate relationship with Him. Praise the Lord for Bethany Baptist Church.
Today, Bethany Baptist Church is a major force in world missions, sending out over 35 missionaries. They are tent-making missionaries and faith-based missionaries supported by Filipino churches spread throughout parts of the world, from the Middle East to Vietnam. What a joy it was to participate in their 60th diamond anniversary and be the main speaker for their 14th World Mission Conference.
Nearly 300 pastors and 50 missionaries attended their mission conference, which is designed to challenge and encourage their members to do more for missions. And to think, many of you had a part in this by sending our missionaries there to begin with. During the meeting, they gave tribute to the early missionaries who went to the Philippines with the BBFI, and as they showed their pictures they expressed their loud appreciation.
When our missionaries go and we support them, lives are impacted for eternity. We really don’t know all that God is doing around the world. But as we partner with our brothers and sisters everywhere it is amazing to see the awesome work of God. Isn’t it wonderful to know we have thousands of others like Bethany Baptist Church and Mt. View Baptist Church working right along with us — for the same purpose — to reach people with the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?