Davao Mission Friendship Camps Initially Welcome 621 New Members

The widely- participated SePUM Friendship Camporee 2024, involving five missions, 230 districts, 1294 churches, and 80 campsites, is finally over, and while waiting for complete consolidated reports from territories experiencing poor communication access, we will deliver the exciting statistics from the Davao Mission of the Seventh-day Adventists (DM), divided into seven clusters with seven campsites, who had total baptisms of 566 precious souls in different venues and time.

Central Davao Adventist Youth Organization (CENDAYO) held its camp at a deadspot site in the far-flung Barangay Callawa, Buhangin District, Davao City. There were 267 registered participants, 86 non-Adventist invitees, and 37 who committed their lives to Jesus through baptism.

Churches belonging to Cluster 2 or from urban districts availed of the campsite accommodation of Garcia Memorial Church and its country farm setting, gathering 220 participants, 70 visiting campers, of whom 60 were converted to the faith.

Churches from Calinan Central, Calinan /Tamayong District, Malabog, Tamugan, Marilog A, Marilog B, and Sahmyook International School, merging several churches from Bukidnon and Cotabato grouped as Cluster 3. They settled at Sahmyook International School, an institution established by Korean missionaries, and lately, they turned it over for DM supervision. In such a cold-weathered campus, 236 participated in the camporee, which included 80 invited friends. During the Sabbath, more than a hundred non-camper baptismal candidates from neighboring churches came to be baptized, and the total number reached 209 souls.

Young people from the congregations within Digos City and neighboring areas under Davao del Sur or Cluster 4 moved to Kapatagan, at the foot of Mount Apo, the tallest mountain in the Philippines. Surrounded by farms of high-value crops, 347 campers registered. Among them, 95 were non-Adventist friends, and the memorable sessions and exciting activities there brought 57 souls to Jesus’ feet.

Now, let us move to the Adventist communities of the towns of Matan-ao, Malalag, Talus, and Sulop, named Cluster 5. With 167 Adventist and 180 non-Adventist participants, 118 eager and cooperative new believers joined the throng through baptism at the baptistry near the South Philippine Adventist College water source, where the camp was settled.

There are two more camps to showcase in this report, so let us move to the farthest among camps, Cluster 6, serving the church youth from Little Baguio, Santa Maria, Malita Urban, Malita Center, and Caburan of Davao Occidental. With 114 baptized campers and 19 visiting friends, they marveled at God’s love when 24 souls yielded for baptism.

This year, the biggest Friendship Camp in the mission was at the Malacoma Church, Babak, Island Garden City of Samal. They gathered 412 campers, and 174 of them were visiting guests. The cool breeze from the beaches and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit moved 61 new believers to the baptismal waters with deeper devotion to obey Jesus.

The week-long on-field youth training was under the full supervision of Pr. Irnie Hemoroz, DM Youth Director, and the full-blast support of its administrators, Pr. Reynaldo Merin, Pr. David Bornales and Sir Raymund Robles, President, Executive Secretary, and Treasurer, respectively. Along with all directors and district/church pastors, parents, campers, and volunteering church officers and members, SePUM also designated Sir Rhoen Shane Catolico, Communication Director, and Pr. Danny Inato, the Publishing Director, will oversee the seven camps.

With the main objective of preaching the gospel using the friendliness and influence of our Adventist youth, we, as a unified church, have built more bridges and broken numerous walls and obstacles.

One SePUM Friendship 2024 Camp, One Davao Mission, 1249 churches, 7 clusters, 1930 total registrants, 1226 Adventist youths, 704 invited campers, 621 baptized, One God to whom all Glory and Honor belong! (SePUM Communication)

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