Gleaners Golden Jubilee Reunion
T
he much-prayed for, much-looked forward to, a once-in-a-lifetime- event finally came and we were not even prepared for the surprises it brought. The convergence of openness to the leading of the Spirit among the leadership of the attendees, the readiness to serve mind-set of the school administrators, the generosity of donors, the willing and joyful participation of faculty, staff and students of BBC brought about the singularly blessed celebration of the first golden jubilee reunion of a class in the history of BBC. Even with preparatory efforts to locate eighteen survivors of the class starting in 2009 we succeeded in bringing together only nine members of the class. From as far as the USA to as close as a few kilometers from BBC, the Gleaners came to renew the bonds and gratefully acknowledged the providence that brought their lives together in dear old BBI in 1960, to the place where their spiritual formation took firm roots and flourished strong enough to sustain them for the last 50 years of their faith journey. Ed Valladares took the first steps on sacred ground on Feb 2 to pave the way and make final logistical arrangements for the celebration. Lory Panaguiton came next from far away Mindanao and the rest of the attendees trickled in by Feb 5. Dr. Fermin Bercero made available gratis the green guest house and another guest room for the Gleaners. He assured us that more accommodations could be made available if there was a need for it. The final count was: from USA: Teofe Cubangbang Bala, Tina Sulpico Isaguirre and Ed Valladares; from Northern Luzon: Vangie Avarientos Arizo and Andy Rebucal; from Metro Manila: Lolit Bercero Balista and Pely Tagarro; from the Visayas: Angie Arellano Ababat; and from Mindanao: Lory Panaguiton. The geographical areas where the Lord of the Harvest scattered the Gleaners are the USA, Malaysia and regions covering the three major geographical divisions of the Philippines. While the celebration officially started on the evening of Feb 5, the streamer announcing
the celebration already greeted people coming on campus before the date. Thanks to the maintenance crew who set up the streamer before the event under the baton of the El Presidente. During Feb 5 Chapel Period Ed Valladares shared his faith journey through a reflective “going back to Bible School� after 50 years in the field. After the chapel period, there was a continuous flashing of cameras as people attempted to document this rare celebration in different poses for posterity. There was a lot of greetings from people who have not seen each other for years and attempts at catching up with lots of queries reverberating around the campus. The Gleaners made an informal courtesy call on the President after lunch with the students and before the start of the opening night ceremony. The Opening Night Ceremony was the most formal event of the celebration when the Gleaners wore their barong and Filipino dress. The faculty, staff, students and guests gathered in the dining hall to celebrate this momentous occasion. As most celebrations start, the kitchen staff made do of our limited funds to produce a delectable combination of Filipino cuisine fit for the occasion. Dr. Rose Engcoy, the AG historian, armed with a video camera was a roving cameraperson ready to document this once-in-a-lifetime occasion for posterity. At the time of writing the video is still getting some finishing touches before distribution. Pely Tagarro was master of ceremony. Ed Valladares gave the rationale for the occasion, a brief history of the class, the impact of the AG on the members of the Gleaners Class and the struggle to locate eighteen survivors of the class. Andy Rebucal and Lory Panaguiton shared their faith journey in the ministries where the Lord led them. The Gleaners sang their class song written by Nestor Salvatierra and set to music by Vic Gabuay. After the conclusion of the ceremony, more poses for posterity were done, more conversations with friends, faculty, staff, students and guests before we retired for the night. The morning of Wednesday was done in catching up with what was missed during the 50 long years of separation, sharing of family pictures and bonding. The Door of Faith was the arena of service that day. This Church which was founded by Rev. Pol Mazaredo, a Gleaner who passed away two years before the event and also before their Golden Wedding Anniversary. This would have been a double Golden Jubilee Celebration for the Mazaredos. The Door of Faith is the largest church founded by a member of the Gleaners class and we rejoice with Pol in the expansion of his ministry to other parts of the country and the establishment of Bible Schools for training people for the ministry. Ed Valladares shared with the students the theological and biblical basis for a holistic ministry with practical pointers on how to do it. The depth of the questions raised by the students during the sharing and after dinner shows much promise for the students who attend a very minimal period of training. Teofe Bala and Vangie Arizo shared their faith journey to the delight of the students. Pely Tagarro remained for the night service where his anointed preaching brought down the blessing of the Lord on the church. Much to the appreciation and gratitude of the leadership of the church. Thursday was one busy day. The Gleaners took charge of the chapel period. After the worship team led the worship in soul-uplifting songs, Lory Panaguiton introduced the four lady Gleaners who shared their faith journey. While each told her story from different family backgrounds and from different parts of the country, each acknowledged the spiritual formation that they imbibed in BBI which sustained them in
their ministries. The faith that carried them through their ministry took firm roots in BBI. Part of the plan for this celebration is to donate something of perennial value to the school. Since the school has been doing well on its infrastructure, and the need is to help with the book drive for CHED accreditation, a book donation was decidedly the best contribution to the school at this time. A box with over one hundred books from Ed Valladares’ collection was shipped to BBC in time for the reunion. This book donation was turned over to the school during chapel period and was received by Dr. Fermin Bercero on behalf of the school. Esther Javier prayed for the class donation, for the school and for the members of the Gleaners Class. As part of our immortality game, Pely Tagarro purchased ten calamansi seedlings to plant on campus for the future BBC family to benefit from. With each fruit plucked from the Gleaners calamansi trees future residents of BBC will remember that the Gleaners Class planted those trees for them. It will not only cool their mouths on a hot day, it will also nourish their body. At lunch, the students were treated to ice cream after having been exposed to the sun for sometime. In appreciation of the spiritual formation experienced at BBC and in the desire to be helpful to ministerial candidates, the Gleaners invited the faculty and staff for an informal conversation on theological education over dinner. While several issues sprung up, the conversation seemed to revolve around funding for students. Students come from families who cannot afford to support them through Bible School. BBC is often forced to find sponsors for them and also to involve them in work scholarships. Even then, the funds that come for this purpose are not sufficient to cover the expenses of the working students. The students end up with back accounts. The churches must wake up to the reality that the ministerial students are church workers who will benefit the churches with their services when they finish their studies. The churches’ investment in the students’ education now would benefit churches later. Theological education is not only the responsibility of the Bible Schools. It is the responsibility of the whole church and should involve the General Council, the District Council and the local churches. The leadership of the denomination should make theological education a matter of priority in their agenda. It is a worthy effort to visit and revisit these issues until the churches see the need to support theological education. The last day of the celebration was cut short because three classmates had to attend to their commitment at home. Instead of a closing night ceremony, the Gleaners ended the celebration during the chapel period with the students on Friday, Feb 8. Rev. Joe Ababat offered the closing prayer for the Gleaners class as the members kneeled and the BBC family laid their hands on them. As a token of appreciation for the presence and contribution of the class, the faculty presented the Gleaners Class with multiple gifts. The Gleaners really appreciated this gesture. Everyone proceeded to the Dining Hall from the chapel for lunch. The kitchen staff prepared a beautiful and delicious cake complete with decorations to commemorate this glorious occasion. Rev. Isaguirre led in closing prayer and the celebration ended with lunch. The celebration started with prayer and dinner and ended with prayer and lunch with an overflowing of authentic koinonia, a foretaste of, a longing for and anticipation of that Great Homecoming when we meet to part no more. Even so come Lord Jesus.