Philippine Bible Education Centers
Founded in 2013, the Bible Education Center (BEC) assists in coordinating and supporting preaching and pastoral work amongst the local ecclesias particularly in the southern and central Philippines.
The management committee of the BEC is predominantly senior Filipino brethren. Its work has expanded rapidly in recent years, supported by its staff and a large team of enthusiastic volunteers.
Some of its current activities have been:
- There are two shopfronts used for preaching and Bible classes, located in large commercial centers in southern Philippines.
- Coordination of weekly online Sunday School classes for over 600 children, predominantly from non-Christadelphian families.
- Weekly religious instruction classes, conducted in three major high schools in Mindanao, as part of the student’s study curriculum.
- Coordination of community preaching seminars in conjunction with local ecclesias.
- Annual Bible Camps and inter-ecclesial weekends. A five-day Summer Bible Camp, scheduled for April 2022, has over 200 young people currently registered to participate.
The COVID pandemic required the BEC team to rapidly explore other options to support the local ecclesias in coping with lockdowns, particularly those isolated in remote locations. Additionally, there were plans made to maintain and further expand its preaching and pastoral work. A Zoom platform was secured, and video production and coordination facilities were established in the BECs.
The current activities include:
- Coordinating a weekly combined memorial meeting, with responsibility for its conduct rotating amongst seven local ecclesias.
- Weekly online Sunday School classes, beamed to seventeen remote sites across the Philippines.
- A five-day online Sunday School workshop involving over 300 children across 27 remote sites was also coordinated last year as part of the WCF online global Bible School with their support.
- Bi-weekly CYC Bible classes and interactive activities for the youth. Three weekly online Bible study and “first principles” classes at the request of those living in remote communities.
- A website providing access to local exhortations, Bible talks, Sunday School materials, etc., as well as preaching materials in local dialects.
- Targeted welfare support for needy Sunday School children in our community, particularly from the non-Christadelphian community.
The work has been blessed with numerous baptisms, particularly from our Sunday School and youth work over recent years. We are grateful to our donors and particularly for our Father’s ongoing blessing for our humble labors in His service.
John Elton
Punchbowl Ecclesia, Australia