InTouch Vol. 1 2014 by Asian Theological Seminary

45th Anniversary Issue

Vol. 1 2014

INTOUCH The Official Newsletter of the Asian Theological Seminary

Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flame in ATS

www.ats.ph

Dr. Cecilio Pedro

Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Flame Within

Dr. Stewart De Boer

Hearts 04 Burning That Started ATS Rev. David Cheung

Flame That 06 The Sustained ATS

ATS Vision

To become the leading evangelical seminary in Asia that produces outstanding servant leaders.

ATS Mission

To glorify God by providing quality theological education for Christian leaders to effect biblical transformation in the Church and society in Asia and beyond.

Bishop Cesar Punzalan III

10 Embodying Servanthood Batch 2014 Graduates

Keeping the Fire Burning

Dr. Lydia Mapile

Joy Burning 21 The Within Leslie Lofranco-Berbano

the 23 Spreading Flame: ATS Theological Forum 2014

INTOUCH STAFF President

Rev. Timoteo D. Gener, PhD

Editorial Staff

Ella Abigail Santos Glevy Baybayon, Marizol Duran, Junette B. Galagala-Nacion, Honey Belle Wong

Contributors

Dr. Timoteo Gener, Dr. David Cheung, Dr. Stewart De Boer with Corrie De Boer, Dr. Isabelo Magalit, Dr. Lydia Mapile, Dr. Cecilio Pedro, Bishop Cesar Punzalan, Leslie Lofranco-Berbano, Ariel Siagan, Tano Emboc, Tricia Mazo, Paolo Xavier Saldevar, Doni Wijaya, Henry Baldevarona

Layout Artist: Faye Castillo Dr. Isabelo F. Magalit

Worker 27 AApproved by God

On the cover: Generations of students, faculty, and staff built the ATS community for over four decades.

ATS at 45:

“It is You, O LORD who give us light!” (Psalm 18:28)

Holistic transformation through service and community. Evangelical confidence in the Scriptures and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sensitivity to context and culture. All these and more are at the heart of Asian Theological Seminary, which celebrates 45 years of the Lord’s goodness this year. The seminary is testament to the fruit of Evangelical engagement that is rooted in faithfulness to Scripture and lived out in the myriad expressions of ministerial diversity. If you would notice, the ATS logo has fire burning on top of God’s written Word. That burning fire is the light of God. In this 45th year of ATS, we affirm it is the LORD who gives us light, the One who “causes our lamp to be lighted and to shine” (Amplified Bible). It is this light which we pass on in equipping Christian leaders for ministry. In the Bible we’re shown that an encounter with Jesus Christ opens up the Scripture and makes people on fire, moved by God and burning for Him (Luke 24:32). ATS thrives on this encounter with the living Lord. Striving to create global impact through its diverse training programs and grounded in an international community of Christ-followers, ATS combines commitment to the Scriptures with engagement in ministries that transform churches and societies. What you will see in this Anniversary issue of InTouch is a collage of stories that portray the way ATS has encountered and continues to meet the living Lord on the road while serving Him. With every heart that is changed, every hand that still seeks to serve, and every mind that grapples with the truth of Scriptures, we have every reason to celebrate the Lord’s faithfulness. Amid the constant changes in an increasingly multifaceted world, it is the fire from our walk with God and passion for God’s mission that transforms our vision and enables us to act in ways that please Him. We bless the Lord who began and sustained ATS—and will bring us into more strategic focus and direction in the coming years. God alone be glorified!

DR. TIM GENER

God’s Flame Within By Dr. Cecilio Pedro

or 45 years, Asian Theological Seminary has consistently produced leaders of the Christian faith. Each one is called to share the unchanging promise of God’s love in these constantly changing times. Together with them, we as members of the ATS family, also share in this work. And in this time when Christianity faces blatant disregard, it is the flame within that bonds us together in defense of our faith. The gospel of Jesus Christ is constantly attacked in the world we live in today. Many Christian churches are embattled by forces that influence believers away from God. It might seem that this is the worst of times but in God’s eyes, this is the best of times. Christians should accept this challenge of declaring our faith and allowing God to work His power so that more are drawn closer to Him.

The truth needs a voice and ATS can easily be at the forefront with InTouch. Everyday, we are bombarded with horrific stories that discourage us. However, InTouch, with its collection of personal testimonies, fills us with the knowledge of Christ and fires our spirit to move forward even through rough situations. Our work never stops. Moving forward, we should capitalize on the tools afforded us to continue sharing the truth and love of God. We have to speak the language the world today understands. This is the trial for ATS and InTouch, to reach this social media-crazed generation and bring it to an enlightened state of being. Let us take advantage of the Internet and maximize it for the furtherance of

Christianity. I thank God for our ATS family. I am equally grateful to God for using InTouch to assert His truth. I am certain that He still has so much in store for everyone that lives to serve Him. To my ATS family, thank you for allowing our heavenly Father to work through you. I look forward to more years of working alongside you in God’s name. My prayer remains that we take each opportunity to make a difference for His glory.

Dr. Cecilio Pedro is the Asian Theological Seminary Board of Trustees Chairman. He is also the chief executive officer/president of Lamoiyan Group of Companies. He worships at United Evangelical Churches of the Philippines, where he is also an elder.

4 Dr. Stewart de Boer

Burning Hearts That Started ATS Dr. Stewart De Boer, with Corrie De Boer, as told to INTOUCH

orld War II had just come to a stop. Several American soldiers, who were stationed in Manila, finally stripped off their uniforms. Missionaries saw their need and began Back Home Bible Studies with them.After more than two decades, two institutions were born from this group—a college-level Bible school and a graduate-level seminary. Mission boards needed trained leaders and ATS was the platform to train leadership at a Master’s level at this time.

The intention then was to develop national Filipinos to take over the administration and

“

for these roles; he wanted to step out of the administration and teach instead. Even after his

Why not set up the seminary here [and not rely on training our people overseas]?

faculty. I came up with the idea, inspired by my father’s example. He was a missionary in India, the president of a college. He had set up the school to be eventually taken over by Indians in the administration, funding, and faculty. To do this, he trained the nationals

”

untimely death at age 44, I had already imbibed my father’s perspective. It was in 1969, when two missionaries from Dallas Theological Seminary (Drs. Elliot Johnson and Cary Perdue) agreed to serve in the seminary for two years. The first Board was

“I want to see the alumni in active ministry, bringing the kingdom into communities.” composed of delegates from Overseas Missionary Fellowship, Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines, and Far East Gospel Crusade (now SEND). ATS still represents these organizations in its Board today. Recruiting a huge number of faculty, ATS became the training vehicle to work with the missionaries. In the 1980s, missionaries had been sending Filipinos overseas to train but some of them did not come back. Why not set up the seminary here? At the time, the global church growth movement was also gaining ground and ATS produced leaders to shepherd the growing movement. So ATS developed its Master of Theology program, which many of ATS’s senior faculty took—all of them were my former students. My role had been to develop a strong core of national and international Asian faculty. I organized a team of American

missionaries to train the locals. They went abroad to get their PhDs then they returned to teach. After the Filipinos received their PhDs, the Swiss, American, and British professors stepped down. We also bought the ATS property in Scout Madriñan in 1980. We used to hold classes at the Ben-lor Building on Quezon Ave., then along Panay Ave., and also on Roosevelt Ave. I worked

workers, which we did through ATS’s Center for Transformational Urban Leadership and in partnership with Bakke University. I also advocated for ATS Extension Programs, which had centers in Davao, Cebu, and Bacolod. I saw myself as an encourager, a Barnabas. I stepped down after six years because I believed in the importance of national leadership. Although one more American served as president after me, Dr. Isabelo Magalit took over the reins in 1989 as first Filipino and Asian president. Turning over

Dr. De Boer is third in the line of ATS’s first four presidents, all of whom are American. He continued to teach three to four subjects until the mid-2000s. Today, the entire ATS staff is Filipino while 80% of the faculty is Asian. The professors are also practitioners in their respective fields of expertise.

closely with the Board, raised funds, and finally purchased the present campus. In 1984, I helped set up Mission Ministries Philippines, which is the learning laboratory of ATS for work among the grassroots with the urban poor. We strived to provide access to Master’s and PhDs to urban poor

the leadership had its challenges, particularly economic. There was no need to pay expat workers but we had to raise the salary for local staff and faculty. Overhead costs increased. Tuition had to go up but slowly, the expats exited. I had always wanted the seminary to be self-sustaining.

6 Now, I would like the church to grow under the leadership of the alumni. It used to be

that the school was in the church, the student was a practitioner. I want to see the alumni in

active ministry, bringing the kingdom into communities.

The Flame That Sustained ATS By Rev. David Cheung, PhD President Emeritus, Asian Theological Seminary

nstead of talking about spiritual principles in the abstract, may I share with you the concrete testimony of how the Flame sustained ATS during the crisis years I served as ATS president. After the Lord guided me to assume the post, Cesar Punzalan told me I had a three-month ‘cushion’. That is, if the financial problems were not resolved, ATS would close down in three months. We will not be able to pay our electric bill, water bill, salaries, everything. I knew beforehand there was a fund crisis but I did not know it was this bad. Some thought I came into the presidency with a solution. I did not. I did not even know the true size of the problem. I accepted the task only because the Lord so directed me. Later I discovered that the money in our general fund was good for three weeks. This was the cash figure on the 14th day of my Presidency! But the Flame sustained us. During my first week, the finance officer told me: “Mr. President, you need to raise 300,000 pesos within a week.” I was told this was to meet mid-month salary release. I was then occupying a desk in the Business Office since the President’s Office was under renovation. I could not even locate my stapler and ruler. Much less find P300,000. So that night I told Ester and my 11-year-old son: “I need to raise three hundred thousand in a week. So, Matthew, can you pray for me?” He replied: “Okay, Dad. Is it (US) dollars or pesos?” I told him it is pesos. So he asked the Lord for it, then went to sleep peacefully. I went to sleep as well – but less peacefully.

The next day the finance officer came again: “Mr. President…” I said in my heart: Not another amount to raise, please. She continued: “The money has arrived.” How? I wondered, for I did not make a single phone call or write a single letter. “It was wired in last night – and it was over 300,000 pesos.” From this episode I realized two things. One, if the Lord is with us, what crisis can defeat us? Two, Matthew should have been the president – I am willing to take his place in Grade 5 class at Light Christian Academy. In my week two, I discovered from old files that we had been negotiating to buy the adjacent corner lot for many years. As we were running short of space, I called up Mrs. R – whom I found to be a nice old lady. She asked P34.4 million. I said the amount sounds too big. We talked some more but stalemated at her price. Finally I heard myself saying: “Actually, Mrs. R, the problem is not simply you giving us the land and we the cash to you.” So what’s the problem? she asked. “The problem is you are renting out your land to businesses of sin.” It is true her land was leased to Hunks and Babes, a second night club and also a beer house (with hospitality ladies and an upper room which the leasee refused to show me when I visited later). But I wanted neither to condemn her – which I just did – nor to start a quarrel with this nice senior lady. This was but our first conversation. And on the phone too – we had yet to meet in person. Oh no, how could I just mess up everything with such a thoughtless remark! Dr. David Cheung pastors Immanuel Christian Reformed Church in British Columbia, Canada and served as ATS president from 2007-2009. Pictured with him are his son, Matthew (L) and his wife, Ester (R).

Then Mrs R replied: “Oo, nga, eh (Yes, it is true).” So I said, “Since you and I agree on this, let us work together to transform the moral climate of our neighborhood.” She affirmed and then asked me to name my price. Throughout the conversation, the Flame sustained ATS – despite my ineptitude at social diplomacy and business negotiation. In week five, I had a special meeting with the ATS board. I proposed ATS buy the corner lot and build a 9-storey edifice aboveground plus a two-level underground parking facility. Someone asked the budget, so I announced P334 million (or US$8 million – by Manila-California minimum-wage equivalence). There was silence for about 400 years. With the general fund dwindling fast, I suspected some board member may be regretting we got a president who is poor at math. Anyway, Ef Tendero and the board graciously allowed me to continue negotiations over the land. I called up Mrs R and said we offer P30 million. She said she will go ask them. “Them who? I thought you and I agree on it and it’s done…” No, she explained, I don’t own the land. My husband and his siblings do. “How many siblings?” Four – they inherited the land from their late mother. Now this is tough. I learned the land is nearly P40M in the market. So how can four people agree to P30M and lose P10M altogether or P2.5M per person? All it takes is

“Yes, it was the Flame which sustained ATS during those crisis years. That Flame was the Lord our God.” for one sibling to say he wants his P2.5M, and the price goes up to the full P40M. Mrs R continued over the phone: By the way, one of the siblings just died. I nearly said, “Praise the Lord” but didn’t. The Flame knows when to make us say things and when to silence us. Mrs R added: The dead sibling is replaced by her five adult children. Oops, from four siblings to three siblings to eight people – this means complicated negotiations. Soon I found myself at a Makati coffee shop with eight people, not counting their driver/bodyguards. The R family is all business folks – operating a restaurant, a catering service, real estate, etc. One was accounting officer at a multinational company, knew tax laws by heart, and can compute big numbers without a calculator. Sitting across the eight-person team, I was protected by nine coffee cups and about to be out-negotiated. But the Flame was there to sustain. In the end, they agreed to P30M. After I updated the ATS board, they decided to install an administration fee into it. This is common practice, for any institution carrying on a major capital project normally gets a big dip in the general fund. Fortunately the admin fee was only 10% – instead of the

usual 20-30%. Adding an allowance for tax and legal expenses, the project totaled P35M. The next step was to negotiate the payment scheme. Cecilio Pedro helpfully coached me on an installment plan. I asked Mrs R for 36 months to pay. She wanted 18 months. We settled on 22 months. So the thing was named Project 8-30 – we were to down P8M (on August 30) and finish paying the whole P30M by June 2009. To finalize things, we met at a coffee house in Pasay City. The R family insisted on giving us the land title after full payment. Atty. Alex Parco – whom I brought along – suggested ATS issues 22 postdated checks and the title be held in a bank escrow account. This was rejected. So we offered to take out a huge bank loan and pay the whole P30M in one go. This was agreed. But the Flame has prepared things way in advance. Paul Ung gave me very wise advice on loan options. Bank manager Janet Q – my churchmate from the 1980s – granted a super-friendly deal. Our account officer, Donna M attends, my childhood home church UECP, which was then supporting me as missionary for theological education. In February 2008, we paid the R family, got the land title for a few minutes, and quickly handed it over

to the bank. Eventually, we paid off the whole bank loan in seven (instead of 22) months. Meanwhile, the general fund did not dip. At one time, it grew up to 2000% (yes, two thousand). As to foreign-vs-local donation income, we went from 30% local funding to 70%, then to 93%. As you know, 2008 was the year of the financial tsunami which seriously affected our western donors. For this, the Flame prepared our local givers in advance. With the financial crisis resolved and the land acquired, I stepped down from the presidency in 2009. Throughout the journey, the Flame that sustained ATS guided me and my fellow sojourners. May I thank the latter – the board, faculty, staff, students, alumni, the many donors, prayer partners, encouragers, and especially the executive committee members from those years, who graciously and generously supported me in the lonely post of the presidency. Yes, it was the Flame which sustained ATS during those crisis years. That Flame was the Lord our God. And He continues to sustain. Truly, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want” (Psalm 23.1). Glory to His great Name! May we depend on Him always and pray more. ATS acquired the vacant adjacent lot in 2008

Embodying Servanthood By Bishop Cesar Vicente P. Punzalan III

ne of the functions of the church is diakonia. It means service. Diakonia is the root for the word deacon. Deacons are servants. The members of the body of Christ in many ways are to serve. The Philippines has been called a nation of servants and some years ago, a dictionary defined a Filipina as a domestic servant, to the howls of protest from our national thought leaders. God called us to serve but why is it shameful to be called a nation of servants? We understand servanthood from the perspective of servitude. Servanthood as servitude is a mindset borne of more than three centuries of colonization by Spain and 50 years of American occupation. As per Oxford American Dictionary, servitude is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the state of being a slave or completely subject to someone more powerful. It further means being born to a life of servitude slavery, enslavement, bondage, subjugation, subjection, domination, and historical serfdom.â&#x20AC;?

Photo | davecrabb.com

It is a life of bondage. A bondservant in the Bible wears a ring on one ear to announce his

survival. It doesn’t really matter how hard you work, what matters most is whom you are connected to. In order not to offend potential benefactors, we “Servanthood is the develop a culture of decision to be engaged pakikisama. Structural evil is largely ignored. because Christ has But we must respond called us to serve.” to the vilest form of personal evil, and to the onslaught of natural tragedies lifelong servitude. For a time, the such as severe typhoons and men of China wore pigtails to earthquakes. We have yet to unite remind them that they were once our discordant voices as Christ’s a conquered nation. Some other church and harmonize it to speak cultures, including ours, have the mind of God on the evils of invisible earrings and pigtails that culture in our midst. are far more destructive than visible Diakonia is servanthood. Jesus marks of servitude. They have values used the word doulos to describe based on inequality, resignation, His servants. The word describes corruption, and hopelessness. someone who is devoted to another It is a life of hopelessness. It person’s wellbeing in disregard for is a life based on the philosophical his or her own interests. foundation that some are created Among the evangelicals in the more equal than others. There are Philippines, diakonia as a function servants and there are masters. of the church is very much ignored But poverty can be conquered by a and misunderstood. It seems that deep sense of hope. Servitude is an today, we evangelicals spend more endless cycle of bondage. hours, financial resources, and Biblical servanthood on the time devoted to our own interests. other hand, is transcendent. The We spend more money building gospel provides a natural economic sanctuaries than evangelizing the lift through hope, so the destitute lost, speaking the mind of God first generation believers become in the public square on matters of parents of emerging middle class structural evil, or even addressing believers. the appearance of evil in our midst. Second, we have our own We somehow believe that if we cultural experience of servitude. build those magnificent temples, For three centuries, servitude has people will come and they will hear created a lifestyle of hopelessness the word of God. And we believe for our people. The padrino system that somehow they will deal with makes corruption necessary for

12 evil after they heard the word of God preached in those magnificent temples. Jesus touched the leper before He healed him. Barnabas sold his lot. Believers brought their resources to the apostles’ feet. The Macedonians gave out of their poverty. Throughout history, Christ’s disciples took care of their sick and their poor as well as the sick and the poor of others. George Mueller took care of London’s orphans. Mother Teresa held the hands of the dying destitute of India and the world understood how compassionate her God is. Samaritana Transformation Ministries provides hope and life renewal to prostituted women in Metro Manila. Mission Ministries of the Philippines reaches out to the children of the slums and trains teachers to disciple and educate the children in the margins of our city. The ATS Center for Continuing Studies continues to serve those who are in the ministry field by providing practical, non-formal theological training. The ATS Center for Transformational Urban Leadership program trains men and women of God to focus their ministry on the people on the margins. The ATS formal theological programs train young men and women to serve in churches all over Asia at a fraction of the actual cost of the education. The ATS board and administration officers labor beyond the call of Christian duty so the institution can continue to serve. These acts of servanthood draw unbelievers to Jesus.

Servanthood is the decision to be engaged because Christ has called us to serve. Pastors are to prepare God’s people for the works of service (Eph.4:12). When the body of Christ stops serving, evil succeeds. When the body of Christ serves, the hungry get food, the sick are cared for, the oppressed get an advocate, the victims of tyranny get justice, the sick and groaning land gets healing, the good news is preached. All of these

BP. Punzalan III is the vice-president of the ATS Board of Trustees. He served as OIC president in 2006.

move us to a culture of righteousness. Righteousness exalts a nation (Proverbs 14:4). There is no redemptive or transcendent value to servitude. But servanthood is God’s transcendent lift from the evil of becoming too engrossed with ourselves, and from structural evil that man imposes on his fellowman. InTouch’s Note: This article was first published in the Ministry Digest. Revised June 2, 2014.

Keeping the

Fire

Burning Batch 2014 graduates share their next ministerial steps and plans in sustaining their passion for God outside the walls of the seminary.

“My time in ATS truly developed my knowledge and understanding in seeing how God is working comprehensively to make himself known to all nations”

Doni Wijaya MA Intercultural Ministries After finishing my studies at ATS, I came back to Rebana Foundation, the humanitarian arm of the Union of Indonesian Baptist Churches. In this organization,we are not only capable of giving fish (caritative actions), but also able to train them in catching fish (development / empowerment), and educate them on what, where, when, and why should they fish (assistance / advocacy). Working in the humanitarian field allows us to be actively involved in the interfaith movement. This gives us the opportunity to display our Christian witness and develop mutual respect among other faiths. My time in ATS truly developed my knowledge and understanding in seeing how God is working comprehensively to make himself known to all nations and the entire creation. With this sense, I am always excited to experience surprises when I am involved in God’s redemption plan for this world. My hope and prayer is for God to continue equipping me to become a faithful agent of transformation and enable me to equip others through any way He allows me to. Soli Deo gloria!

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Self-denial, sacrifice, right grounding, and proper perspective will keep the fire of God burning in my heart.â&#x20AC;?

Ariel Siagan MA Transformational Urban Leadership I will be serving as the administrative pastor of our local congregation in Catmon, Malabon. Our congregation is located in an urban poor community so our ministries are geared towards the materially disadvantaged. At the same time, I will continue to work at the National Council of Churches in the Philippines in the Christian Unity and Ecumenical Relations program unit. Self-denial, sacrifice, right grounding, and proper perspective will keep the fire of God burning in my heart. The people I am serving are marginalized communities. I choose to be in this situation, and self-denial and sacrifice will surely sting the soul. Bits of these stings will help keep me grounded and give me the right perspective in the ministries I do for God.

â&#x20AC;&#x153; I am sure that the equipping I have received from ATS will enable me to realize a fruitful ministry.â&#x20AC;?

Paolo Xavier Saldevar MA Christian Education A month or so before graduation, my church informed me of an immediate opening for the position of Community Outreach Ministry Coordinator. I was both expected and encouraged to apply, having been given educational support by our church. I was then appointed for the position. I thank God for how He has smoothly transitioned me from ministry study to ministry work. The task would make me involved in the lives of community kids. I would oversee the teaching of more than 200 children every Sunday from economically challenged families and the handling of an educational sponsorship program that benefits more than two dozen of them! That would require much prayer, preparation, visitation, follow-up, and counseling of children on my part. I thank God for ATS. I am sure that the equipping I have received from ATS will enable me to realize a fruitful ministry. With the values of diligence, discipline, and discernment that I gained from seminary, I feel confident that God will use me much to help bring about kingdom transformation in my sphere of influence.

“It is God’s grace that keeps me seeking and listening to Him. The charity of Christ urges me on (2 Cor 5:14) to keep this passion burning.”

Tricia Mazo MA Pastoral Counseling In line with my background in social work and counseling, it is with fervor that I witness for Him and make a difference in the lives of women and children in oppressive situations. I sent my resume to an organization working in this field and I continue to trust God’s plans. He knows exactly where to put me and has already set the stage for this. Weeks before my graduation, professors suggested to me the need for a coordinator of the ATS disaster response initiative to typhoon Haiyan survivors. As coordinator, I am helping supervise ATS volunteer counselors who will be deployed in various areas devastated by the typhoon. We continued training volunteer counselors and had our first workshop on disaster preparedness and psycho-spiritual support with groups of pastors and church workers from 11 urban poor churches. The equipping of workers and follow-up visits on the sites provided with psycho social processing and trainings are in the pipeline.

It is a privilege to remain at ATS, having the honor of working alongside wise and Spirit-led leaders. It is God’s grace that keeps me seeking and listening to Him. The charity of Christ urges me on (2 Cor 5:14) to keep this passion burning.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Right now, we are trying to finish the OT because the community requested the whole Bible to be translated into our own mother tongue, the Matigsalug Manobo language in southern Philippines.â&#x20AC;?

Tano Emboc MDiv Biblical Studies I have been involved in Bible translation since 2006 as a mother tongue translator with Wycliffe Philippines. We had translated the NT and some books in OT and dedicated them two years ago. Right now, we are trying to finish the OT because the community requested the whole Bible to be translated into our own mother tongue, the Matigsalug Manobo language in southern Philippines. Aside from direct translation work, I am also helping some other teams in the Philippines primarily as consultant-in-training. Bible consultants are the ones who decide whether the translation is ready for publication or not. This means that revision is required or another series of checks must be done after a series of checking sessions. Hopefully, I will be able to finish my internship next year and become a legitimate entity-level consultant in Asia. Then I will be responsible in helping my team have an accurate, natural, acceptable, and clear translation of the Scriptures. I do a lot of lecturing, checking, facilitating, and mentoring work for my team and other teams also.

“I am praying that God’s grace will continue to develop my desire and passion, which ATS has imparted to my spiritual formation as a minister of God.”

Henry Baldevarona MDiv Pastoral Studies After ATS, I am praying about exploring more opportunities to develop and strengthen my gifts and potential as a minister of God. I have been pastoring for almost thirty years and I am currently the senior pastor of Provider Christian Reformed Church in Bicutan, Taguig. I am also a core member of church.net, which focuses on ministering to all pastors and churches that are in need. Our vision is for there to be no poor among all Christians through a deeper togetherness in work and life among poor and rich Christian communities. ATS has helped me so much in my development as a servant of Christ, especially in my heart and ministry for marginalized pastors as well as the churches God has entrusted to me. I have been traveling to Panay island almost every month for the past two years, leading the group of pastors in different churches and helping them develop their struggling churches. Pastors in Panay are having difficulties due to their limited access to resources. I encourage them to be accountable, have healthy relationships among one another, strengthen their spirituality, and cultivate their skills for the progress of their churches.

I thank God for this opportunity to be an agent of transformation and nurturing. I am praying that God’s grace will continue to develop my desire and passion, which ATS has imparted to my spiritual formation as a minister of God.

Congratulations to Dr. Andrew I. Liuson of Cityland Corporation for having been conferred the Honorary Doctor of Divinity during the ATS 45th Commencement Exercises. Dr. Liuson is the fifth recipient of the prestigious ATS honorary degree. The previous recipients were Drs. Isabelo Magalit, Bishop Efraim Tendero, Mike Harrison, and Arch. Erlinda Tan.

Faculty Award and Expository Preaching Award Tano Emboc Academic Excellence Award Ma. Angelica de Vera Christian Education Award Samuel Sumaoang

2014

Community Service Award Tricia Mazo and Doni Wijaya

AWARDEES

Cross-cultural Missions Award Doni Wijaya

STUDENT

Counseling Award Tricia Mazo

Theological Education Award Jonathan delos Reyes Transformational Urban Leadership Award Ariel Siagan

The Joy

Dr. Mapile teaches an extension class of Educational Principles and Methods.

Burning Within

Students, alumni, previous faculty and staff continue to love ATS

everal ATS alumni still communicate with me through e-mail. Others come to my office for personal visit, most of them sharing their experiences while in the seminary, which have enriched them particularly for their current ministry endeavors. All updates they impart deeply touch my heart. While several of these alumni gave me the privilege of listening to their heart sentiments while they were students, a few others did not seem to feel free in sharing about their inner selves. After graduating from their program, however, they become more verbal about their experiences. If as students they had to grapple with anxieties over academic requirements, they are now – as they have always been – thankful for everything they have learned at ATS. One of the most recent letters I received through e-mail is from a Malaysian alumnus. He shared openly what he had experienced as a student at ATS several years ago: “…Those times at ATS were very hurried times, just soaking in all the teachings, doing assignments… sometimes interacting with ATS faculty and students…all done within a period of two years. I’m grateful to the Lord for such times, short they may be, but really precious…” This is the same alumnus who came to visit me at ATS with his wife two years after his graduation. I was surprised when they delivered to my office a brand new computer (with a printer),

and he told me that I needed one to replace my old computer. Such generosity from an ATS alumnus affirmed and challenged me to keep on endeavoring to do my best as part of the ATS family, for God’s glory. If I were to share all meaningful experiences I’ve had at ATS, particularly with students, co-faculty, staff, and even our administrators, words will not be enough to express the joy burning deep within me. Current students and alumni have articulated the same sentiment. ATS, to them, is not only an academic institution; it is also a venue of emotional and spiritual growth, and this relates to me as well because I delight learning with and from my “classmates.” I call my students “classmates” with the thought that if I share with them my insights, I also glean wisdom from them, particularly through our classroom discussions. Their thoughts embedded in their papers, which they are required to submit, inspire me as well. Relating with students – and the ATS community as a whole – does refurbish my heart’s satisfaction and personal growth as well. This is mainly the reason I turned down several offers extended to me. I am deeply grateful for their invitations, but my heart was – as it has always been – at ATS, a “home” which gives me inner delight and passion for teaching. I do thank and praise God for my privilege of being part of the ATS family.

has served through ATS for more than three decades. After finishing her MA in Christian Education, she became ATS registrar in 1981. After seeing her teach a session in class, the former dean asked her to take a PhD so she could formally take a teaching position. She did finish her PhD even while serving at ATS and later became the department head of the Christian Education program. Even after retirement, she continues to teach several courses and is the first professor emeritus of ATS. “Tita” or “Mommy” Lyds never fails to give warmth as she greets or hugs ATS students, alumni, faculty, and staff – a valuable contribution to the community she calls her home.

Dr. Lydia Mapile

Spreading the Flame ATS 2014 Theological Forum Highlights

“Jesus’ incarnation was a movement downwards while human migration tends to move upwards—so that we can return home to God.”—Dr. Athena Gorospe

By Leslie Lofranco-Berbano

iminal was the word of the day during the ATS Theological Forum held last February 6-7 at the Greenhills Christian Fellowship Church, Ortigas Center. The theme was “God at the Borders: Globalization, Migration and Diaspora.” Liminal aptly describes the experience of migration as a difficult transitional period characterized by ambiguity and uncertainty. When migrants leave their homeland for economic reasons, or to escape persecution, war, or natural disasters, they undergo a period of alienation and disorientation as they cross borders and try to make a new life in

unfamiliar conditions. Migration has become a global phenomenon. More than 230 million people crossed international borders last year, many as refugees. There are now 10 million overseas Filipino workers. Wars and natural disasters cause internal displacement, as in the Zamboanga siege and the supertyphoon Yolanda tragedy. The theological challenge is to discern the heart and movement of God in this global trend, and deduce how the church can best respond in order to fulfill God’s purposes. To lay down the theological foundation, plenary speaker Dr. Athena Gorospe, ATS professor of Old Testament, gave a

Forum Highlights

comprehensive overview of what the Bible says about migration. Dr. Sadiri Joy Tira, the Lausanne Movement’s Senior Associate for Diasporas, outlined the spadework that led to the formulation of the diaspora missiology framework and strategy presented at the Lausanne III Congress in 2010. Dr. Calvin Chong, Associate Professor at Singapore Bible College, spoke on the impact of global flows on spirituality and justice, and their implications on pastoral ministry and missions. Twenty break-out seminars discussed practical ways for the church to understand and address Filipino diasporas. Subjects covered were OFWs and their families, displaced communities

in situations of armed conflict and in disasterstricken areas, Muslim refugees, and Filipino migrants from the provinces. The forum drew more than 400 participants from churches and faithbased organizations from Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, and as far as La Trinidad, Benguet. Overall satisfaction rating was high. Many commended the forum for the “high quality of presentation,” the sufficient time given for the Q&A portion, and the “beautiful” and “sensitive” indigenous music and liturgy. One remarked that it was a “gathering of Christian brains in one conference.” As we lit our candles during the closing liturgy, the concept of the migrant

God accompanying our migration and diasporas resonated with us. The nuggets of insight served as fuel for our personal ministries and collective vision. We were burning with revelation in our guts. The venue itself served as an objective correlative of the liminal experience. In traversing its labyrinthine hallways, where hallways branched out into further hallways leading to unexpected floors and doors, we were reliving liminality on a micro scale. But because God was “surely in this place,” we knew God was with us—and with each migrant—on our respective journeys in the world, redeeming each liminal space and giving hope that He would turn it, eventually, somehow, into the lucid and luminous.

Flaming Through the Years

#atsthrowback

Guess your professor! The ATS faculty circa mid-‘90s.

Greetings from Our Anniversary Guest Speaker DR. HOWARD SNYDER Congratulations to Asian Theological Seminary for 45 years of faithful service to church and mission — both in the Philippines and worldwide. In today's currents of globalization and digital interconnectedness, ATS is strategically placed. The challenge before today's church is to be radically faithful to God's Word and the promise of the Kingdom of God while creatively engaging surrounding cultures—locally, regionally, and globally. Seminaries that maintain this focus effectively prepare men and women to be pastors, evangelists, disciplers, church planters, and culture-transformers. The world needs not just Christian believers, but faithful disciples who redemptively carry the Good News to every people and who care for God's good creation. ATS has laid a strong foundation for fulfilling this mission in coming decades, and I am happy to join in saying congratulations and in praying for God’s continued blessing on this fine institution.

Anniversary Devotional

A Worker Approved

GOD

2 Timothy 2:15

By Dr. Isabelo Magalit Why do people come to ATS? To know the Scriptures.To grow in their knowledge of God and become more like Jesus. To discern and nurture their gifts for ministry and employ them for building up God’s church. All three are related and justify the existence of ATS, but let me focus on the first one, to know the Scriptures. 1. Do your best (spoudazō) In the AV (1611), 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.” “Study” fits well with those in seminary. However, spoudazō means “to be zealous or eager, take pains, make every effort” (BAGD). “Do your best,” says the 2011 NIV. My favorite illustration of doing one’s best is Sir Sebastian

Coe, chairman of the 2012 London Olympics Committee. Some thirty years ago, Coe was the fastest man to run the mile, a distance of 1,609 meters. In the international track meet in Zurich, Coe stayed with the lead pack for most of the race. With 200 meters to go, at the signal from his coach, Sebastian pulled all the stops. He strained forward and gave it all he had! He did his best and won the race. Paul says to Timothy (and to us): Spare no effort, burn the midnight oil, struggle to understand your text, agonize in prayer over your people and their pastoral needs, exercise discipline over your body and its appetites, be careful in all your relationships. Do your best! 2. For God’s approval (dokimoi) Not for the approval of men. Do not work to please your professor. Do not work for high grades. Do not work for your congregation’s admiration. Can

28 preachers be man-pleasers? Oh yes. Unfortunately, yes. Do your best only for God’s approval, only his commendation counts. God’s approval means we will not be put to shame, particularly on the Day of the Lord. We aim to hear on that day the words of commendation: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come, and share your master’s happiness” (Matthew 25:21, 23). Dokimoi, approved, also includes the idea of faith being shown genuine after testing (1 Peter 1:2). So the word includes passing the test, being proved genuine. We may ask: Are the people we serve being built up in the faith by our ministry of preaching and teaching the Word?

Dr. Isabelo F. Magalit is the first Filipino and Asian president of ATS. He served from 19892005 and is now senior pastor of Diliman Campus Bible Church.

That is God’s seal of approval. The worker who is approved by God, who does not need to be put to shame, is the one who “rightly divides the word of truth” (AV). Or, “who correctly handles the word of truth” (NIV 2011). 3. Correctly handling the word of truth (orthotomeō) The word means “to cut a path in a straight direction, or cut a road across country (that is forested) so the traveller may go directly to his direction” (BAGD). In 2 Timothy 2:15, it means to guide the word of truth along a straight path, without being turned aside by “quarreling about words” or “godless chatter” (2 Tim 2:14, 16). It means straight and correct interpretation. Straight teaching is contrasted with the false teachers Hymenaeus and

Philetus who have swerved (RSV) or wandered away (NIV) from the truth. How does one get to the other side of a mountain? Usually by going up a winding road on one side, and going down a winding road on the other side. The short way is to go through a tunnel! I did that once, in Göschenen in Switzerland – through a 10km tunnel! In 2 Corinthians 4:2, Paul says he sets forth the truth plainly and in Colossians 4:2, he asks the Colossians to pray that he may proclaim the mystery of Christ clearly. We aim to preach and teach

the truth, rebuking error, correcting wrong conduct, and training us in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16).

Conclusion Some people say seminaries are passé. They are an expensive and useless luxury. ATS should be renamed ATC – Asian Theological Cemetery. I have not earned a degree from seminary but I believe in seminaries. The seminary is the repository of the evangelical tradition. Dr. Oliver Barclay, for many years the leader of the intervarsity movement in Britain often said: We cannot maintain the

“We are not infallible but Scripture is, and we desire for Scripture to fulfill its four-fold function of teaching the truth, rebuking error, correcting wrong conduct, and training us in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16).”

plainly and clearly so our people can grasp the truth readily, and obey it enthusiastically. We teach our people not only content but also method. Hermeneutics is part of our job. We desire our people to be like the Bereans (Acts 17:11). As we preach the truth, and as they examine the Scriptures, we want them to say: Oh yes, that is what the Scriptures teach! We are not infallible but Scripture is, and we desire for Scripture to fulfill its four-fold function of teaching

evangelical tradition without serious work in scholarship. I am not a scholar; I am only a pastor who loves to study! How privileged have I been to have had access to the scholars. My mentors – mainly through their books – have included B.B. Warfield, Bernard Ramm, Leon Morris, Howard Marshall, Derek Kidner, Henri Blocher, James Packer, Martyn Lloyd-Jones, F.F. Bruce, and John Stott. What a pleasure to say I

30 know some of them personally! Of course I must include Martin Luther and John Calvin. Many of these scholars went to seminary! Where else can one learn how to do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the Word of truth? ATS is not the only place, but what an excellent place to do it! A well-stocked library, classmates as highly motivated as you are, over the years coming from 100 denominations, and some of the finest theological faculty in the land, and in Asia!

Fifty-five years ago, we were welcomed as freshmen of the U.P. College of Medicine. The professor said: We have a great hospital here (PGH), a very fine medical library, and particularly our great faculty, some of whom did post-doctoral work in Harvard, Johns Hopkins, and Cambridge. The opportunity is here for you to learn as much as you can. What you do is your responsibility. Here is ATS. Learn all you can here. Do your best to become Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s approved worker, correctly handling the word of truth. Then God will get the glory.

ADMISSION TEST

Exam dates: August 18, September 29,

October 20 and 26, 9:00am-12:00nn Graduate Diploma