CARIGARA, Leyte — Thirty-nine individuals were baptized June 20 during the Harvest Celebration, which marked the conclusion of a weeklong public evangelism campaign held June 14 to 19 in the Carigara-Capoocan-Barugo District.
The evangelistic campaign was organized in partnership with Adventist-laymen’s Services and Industries (ASI) and Sabbath School and Personal Ministries (SS/PM). Meetings were held simultaneously in four churches: Carigara, Sawang, Daraupay, and Nipa.
Pastors, church leaders, volunteers, and members from across the district participated in the event and supported the evangelistic initiative.
During the weeklong simultaneous evangelistic meetings, the speakers included Pastor Godofredo S. Romanillos Jr., SS/PM and communication director for the East Central Philippine Union Conference, as well as directors from the East Visayan Conference.
These speakers from EVC included Pastor Bartman Barrientos, communication director and executive secretary; Pastor Apolonio Pastera Jr., SS/PM director and Adventist Community Services coordinator; and Pastor Emmanuel Paul Barcenas, youth and NDR-IEL director, and ASI-Ad Pro coordinator.
In a social media account, Romanillos shared a message saying, “Bring one Messiah to the community. One Message. One Movement.”
On the other hand, speakers during the Sabbath program and harvest celebration focused on biblical teachings about heaven and encouraged attendees to remain steadfast in faith.
Church leaders and speakers honored the contributions of the health lecturers, missionaries, volunteers, children’s ministry teachers, lay workers, elders, CA-ART members, women, youth, singers, participants, and facilitators to the evangelistic meetings.
“Carigara, Leyte, reminded me: souls are not statistics. Every chair filled, every hand raised, every prayer whispered was another story Jesus came to save,” Romanillos shared in a private interview.
The campaign concluded with a baptismal ceremony, where 39 individuals joined the church. District leaders said they plan to continue evangelism and outreach efforts in these areas.
Jeriel P. Nuñez | Adventists Eastern Visayas
The article’s original version was published on the official news site of the Adventists Eastern Visayas.