North Philippine Union Conference Workers Visit SePUM
Sixty-two happy North Philippine Union Conference (NPUC) officers and staff arrived at the Southeastern Philippine Union Mission (SePUM) for a study tour and benchmarking activity on October 3. Still, they had other previous visits to the Southwestern Philippine Union Conference (SWPUC) territories.
These two territories, the NPUC and SePUM, are unique in their own right. The NPUC, the oldest union in the Philippines, and SePUM, the youngest, are products of bifurcation and territorial realignments since January 2024.
As of June 30, 2023, NPUC had 1,631 churches, and 404,500 memberships in the provinces of Abra, Albay, Apayao, Aurora, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Benguet, Bulacan, Burias, Cagayan, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Cavite, Ifugao, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Isabela, Kalinga, La Union, Laguna, Marinduque, Mountain Province, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Palawan, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Quezon, Quirino, Rizal, Sorsogon, Tarlac, and Zambales Provinces, and the National Capital Region; comprising the Central Luzon, and South-Central Luzon Conferences; and the Cavite, Mountain Provinces, Northeast Luzon, Northern Luzon, Palawan, and Southern Luzon Missions.
Organized in 1917 with only a handful of churches, the NPUC has grown into a significant entity in Luzon. It now includes provincial and regional clusters such as the Cavite Mission, Central Luzon Conference, and others.
The NPUC delegation was a diverse group comprising office staff, HOPE Channel and Adventist Hope Radio crew , departmental directors, and administrators. They were led by Pr. Gerardo L Cajobe, Pr. Jose V Zabat Jr. and Elder Rabi J Velasco, who served as President, Executive Secretary, and Treasurer, respectively.
Pr. Edwin Magdadaro, SePUM Executive Secretary, introduced the host union workforce. In response, the NPUM spokesperson introduced the delegation.
Pr Danielo Palomares, SePUM President, had so much gratefulness and fatherly welcome in his speech, while Elder Laurence Lamera, the host union treasurer, had so much more to offer as well more than his amiable spirit.
The meet-and-greet was memorable, as our seashell-derived garlands were exchanged with a warm smile and amiable handshakes. Pr. Cajobe offered a soul-enriching prayer before they embarked on their journey to Southern Mindanao Mission (SMM) and South Central Mindanao Mission (SCMM), in addition to their itinerary in the previous days of visiting Southeastern Caraga Mission (SCM), Davao Mission (DM), and Northern Davao Mission (NDM).
Psalms 133:1 (ESV) says, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!” Through Mrs. Ellen G. White, the Spirit of Prophecy had a beautiful add-on. “Harmony and union existing among men of varied dispositions is the strongest witness that can be borne that God has sent His Son into the world to save sinners. It is our privilege to bear this witness. But, in order to do this, we must place ourselves under Christ’s command. Our characters must be molded in harmony with His character; our wills must be surrendered to His will. Then we shall work together without a thought of collision.” Counsels for the Church, 44.5 (SePUM Communication)