PHILIPPINES | ORO BIBLE COLLEGE – Report from Director Ma’am Nely Gamayon

Ma’am Nely Gamayon, Director of Oro Bible College in Cagayan de Oro, recently forwarded this report covering the activities of the college for the 2016-2017 academic year.

Please pray for Ma’am Nely’s health – she was recently hospitalised and diagnosed with typhoid fever.

“Director’s Report

The school year 2016-2017

We thank the Lord for His faithfulness, guidance and protection. The school year 2016-2017 is over; we just finished our summer class offerings. Summer classes started in the first week of April. Reniel taught Exegesis of a Gospel for two weeks to students of the regular schedule; New Testament Book Study and Major Religions to the COEMA pastors taking Friday and Saturday classes for April and May. The director taught Literatures of the World and Humanities and the Arts to students of the regular schedule for the whole month of April. Jessie taught Eschatology, and Billy, Advent Christian Distinctive. On May 1 through 12 Rev. Jeff Vann taught Church Leadership and Management to the COEMA pastors and Rev. Penny Vann taught Theology 3 (Christology) to students of the regular schedule. The Jesus Is Alive Community Church missed out on the class of Jeff Vann, so they requested a separate training for the pastors and church leaders on May 23 through 26. The classes taught by Sir Jeff and Maam Penny really helped the students and COEMA pastors and leaders seeking for advancement in their equipping for the ministry.

We would like to thank all our supporters in the Advent Christian Churches of America, the WHFMS and ACGC Central Office. We thank the Lord for your faithfulness in supporting us through prayer and finances. Your support goes a long way in the spread of the gospel as students, faculty and staff of the College preach, teach and minister to as many places as we could reach though our program of ministry skills, National Service Training Program with our children’s ministry of tutorials, values and Bible lessons and feeding activities, our internship and promotional programs. Thank you for sending aid through the AAMS for the checkup and medicines of the faculty, staff and students during the recent flooding.  Your help is a great encouragement to us at Oro Bible College, especially during a calamity.

After the flooding, the termites on the first floor moved up to the second floor. Towards the end of the semester, we were afraid that the floor of the chapel would fall to the offices on the first floor because much of the wood flooring is already eaten by termites. Another thing, the flood washed away the sand and gravel on the pavement of the entrance to the college. When it rains, the children, students and faculty find it difficult to pass through because of the muddy hole and dirt. We hope this will be concreted before the rainy season because of the students, faculty and staff as well as the parents of the preschool pupils. Please continue to pray for us because flooding is now a big problem of OBC like the rest of the city.

Regardless of the calamity that we went through we are still joyful in the Lord and praise Him for His majesty and faithfulness. We were able to finish the semester and hold our comprehensive and oral examinations for the graduating class for the AB Theology; moving up exercises for the preschool and graduation for the college. We held our anointing and commissioning ceremonies at the Blessed Hope Christian Church with the invitation of the father of one of our graduates, Joshua T. Udang. Their church, Blessed Hope Christian Churches International is an independent church but a big one in Cagayan de Oro. Bishop Genesis Udang is the Senior Pastor and he is also the current chairman of the Cagayan de Oro Evangelical Ministers Association (COEMA).

Thirteen children graduated from OBC preschool this year. One of them, 4^th boy from the left (first picture) is Reniel’s son Elisha Grant. Perlita P. Comajig, an alumni of OBC was the graduation speaker.

The sanctuary of the Blessed Hope Church where we held our anointing and commissioning. Five young men (third year) were commissioned this year to do their internship for the first semester of the school year 2017-2018. Three are Advent Christians and two come from independent Pentecostal churches in Cagayan de Oro and Misamis Oriental. Two of them will be interns at the Calinan Davao Advent Christian Church, one in New Life Fellowship Iligan, one in In Christ Glory Church, Iligan, and the last one will be in Alubijid, Misamis Oriental.

Seven fourth year students were commissioned to go out into the world and preach the Gospel.  From the left: Joshua T. Udang from Blessed Hope Church, Eric Evasco from Presbyterian Church, Cavite City, Charmina D. Takiang from Mindagat Advent Christian Church- Bukidnon, Sarah Tuico from Mt. Olive Church Pangantucan Bukidnon, Gaylie Morala from an independent church in Cagayan de Oro, Fernando Relatado pastor of Lord Jesus our Redeemer Church, Carmen Cagayan de Oro, Joey Enanoria of Talakag Baptist Church, Bukidnon. The fourth year students of school year 2016-2017.

Front row are the graduates of the school year 2016-2017. From left: Gaylie Morala, Charmina Takiang, Sarah Tuico, Joshua Udang, Fernando Relatado, Eric Evasco and last Joey Enanoria. Behind them are the director, faculty and staff, board of trustees and the Speaker, Pastor Ronie Comajig.

We also thank the Lord for the OBC Alumni Association for preparing a Thanksgiving dinner to the new graduates welcoming them into the association and into the real world of church ministry. Above is a picture of the alumni who attended the activity. The alumni president-elect is Pastora Edilberta Naelga. Seated are from left: Pastoral Edilberta Naelga – Alumni President; Nely A. Gamayon, OBC Director. Standing behind are the alumni officers and members with the new graduates.

There’s one graduate that we are most thankful to God for. His name is Joey Enanoria. He finally graduated from OBC after 15 years. On his second year at the Bible College, he met a young lady whom he finally married after one year. His wife was also a student and they both left OBC to start a family. But then the wife got sick, she suffered from diabetes that she inherited from her parents, and after two children were born, her condition worsened. They tried coming back to OBC to finish, but then they had to stop. Last year, the wife died and Joey is left with two children to take care. We encouraged him to finish his internship and enrol in the second semester so he could graduate. Praise the Lord, even with all the trials he went through, finally, Joey graduated. He now pastors a Baptist Church in Talakag, Bukidnon.

Students for the first semester of the school year 2016-2017. First year to third year, all male. The seven fourth year students were out on internship during the first semester.

Some of the COEMA pastors who were enrolled for the Saturday class schedule. Four are not in the picture.

As part of our ministry, students and faculty are called upon to minister to people in need at the church or anywhere else within the region where the Bible College is located. Pictured above is Pastor Jess giving the message and students singing songs of comfort and encouragement to the bereaved family and friends of the one asleep in the Lord.

The picture shows one of our students teaching a Bible Class in one of the Advent Christian churches. Students go out to the different churches in the city and province to minister to the local churches they are assigned to do their ministry skills.

OBC also reaches out to the community to minister in any way it can. Above is a picture of a seminar on counselling conducted by OBC to the officers of a Barangay in Cagayan de Oro. The seminar was participated by the Chairman and members of the Barangay Council. Students rendered songs for the opening and closing ceremonies.

School Calendar for 2017-2018:

Prayer Items:

• Increase enrollment in the preschool and college
• Health of faculty and staff
• No flooding to enter the school campus
• Qualified faculty to teach the new General Education courses
• Qualified faculty to teach professional courses in the concentrations of: Pastoral Ministry, Missions and Religious Education
• Repairs of buildings destroyed by termites
• Concreting of the pavement at the entrance of the school
• Replenishing budget deficit
• Sponsors and partners to support the school
• Stronger relationship between alumni and the school
• Stronger support of the local churches (Advent and non-Advent) to the ministry of the college
• Funds to pay retirement pay of retiring faculty and director

Submitted by:

Dr. Nely A. Gamayon

Director”