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San Emilio PFWB - Bamboo Church Gets a Boost!Bulletins
We are so blessed here at New Beginnings! We have begun some great projects to improve our facilities. Our children now enjoy the playground and swingset and the new cleared areas for fun and games. We have been hard at work getting the sound booth completed and will begin with the next phase which will include the stage upgrades. It always brings an ere of excitement during these times of improvements. It is no different in the Philippines. They need and desire nice places of worship as well. The problem is the extreme poverty that is there and this lack of funds prevents them from moving forward very fast. Don’t get me wrong, the Filipino people are hard working and will use what they have as they work towards the goal but sometimes that can take MANY, MANY years without the help of others who may be more fortunate. We all know that God blesses us to be a blessing and that He expects us to help those less fortunate - especially in the kingdom of God - and when we do, God in turn will bless us. We don’t do it for the blessing, but instead, we do it because God tells us too and we love Him. It should be an act of obedience and gratitude.
I was so fortunate to visit Brother Gabat and his congregation again and had the privilege of preaching there at their Sunday service.. What impressed me so much was how they have grown. They were small in number at the church plant but now have nearly 60 members. They have great ministries going for their people and they were proud to show me what has been done thus far in building their permanent building and what is needed to finish it. They have secured cinder blocks already for the walls and just need a roof system to get it closed in. That will take steel trusses and thick tin at a cost of around $1500 and they need cement and sand for the blocks and floor - another $500. Please be in prayer for this church and their needs. Be in prayer for the ministries and the people. God bless you, Pastor Ray
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Pastor Cesar Gabat and wife Melita: About 2 years ago, I visited a church in the mountains of the Philippines called San Emilio. A pastor named Rev. Cesar Gabat had a call and vision to plant a church. He had no money or equipment so he used what he had and went in the hills to cut down bamboo and made a shelter. They gathered rice straw and made a thatched roof and that became the church! I was amazed. It touched me so much with what I saw that I shared that with the PFWB churches through the MISSION: NORTHERN PHILIPPINES newsletter and asked for help.
The hearts of Jack and Vivian Severe of Springview PFWB Church were touched and they donated $2000 to help with a permanent building. This was enough to build the concrete frame of the church (the most expensive part of the church building) and to build a more permanent structure while the main church is completed with a tin room and bamboo-weaved walls. 
Church Service
San Emilio PFWB Church currently has bamboo-weaved walls, dirt floors and bamboo pews
5 young people accept Christ (ages 9-12)!!
Praise and Worship
Sunday School Class - under shelter outside (children)
Sunday School Class - inside church