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Ed Maquiling/ Churches of Christ in Mindanao: A History (1)/ September 27, 2010

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Churches of Christ in the Philippines: A History

First in the Series

Editor’s Note: This is church history written like no other, and poetic license is our only reason for this fixation. How God’s saving grace reaches hearts in ways we oftentimes cannot understand, at great costs we oftentimes cannot imagine, is a great story, and it needs to be told! While some churches tell their stories, or have other people tell their stories, some heroes of the faith have remained unrecognized, and the churches that have grown out of their efforts and their hardships and sufferings— and out the martyrdom of some of them— have remained untold. Our history has many gaps. This history will strive to fill in some of those gaps.

The movement that resulted in the founding of the congregations of the Churches of Christ in this country today came from three streams. The first stream of our movement began in Muñoz and was transplanted in Cotabato in

1937. I must say it started with Leslie Wolfe, a man of admirable qualities, who came to Manila in 1906, put up a school and established a work that endures even after he departed. The coming of an equally admirable man, George Benson, to Mindoro in 1928 (an interregnum and a last-minute option to save him from the dangers in China) was a blessing to the

movement. His work, resumed by such noble souls as Henry G. Cassell and Pedro Asada when Benson went back to China, was the stream that became the catalyst to refine the movement in Cotabato in 1939 and 1941. And with the arrival of Floyd Hamilton in 1946, and then by others like Harold O’Neal,


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Leland O’Neal, Charlie Garner, Ray Mayhue, and Charles Sheppard, the three streams became one. The movement in Mindanao has produced hundreds of congregations, has expanded to many areas of the country, and is still growing.

You must be reading this history on the internet. If so, we urge you to visit this site: http://mountainviewcoc.wordpress.com once in a while. The paragraphs you read today may not be the same paragraphs you will read tomorrow! We keep adding facts, and keep revising this work to fit those facts. Facts don’t change. We do.

We will firstly dwell on the history of the earliest congregation of the Lord in the whole Mindanao, the Church of Christ in Pinaring, in the town of Cotabato (now Cotabato City), making use of as many facts as we can gather

including the seven-page narrative by sister Minnie Villanueva–Belo (left photo), daughter of the late Antonio Villanueva (d. 1978), one of the main characters in this history. The narrative is titled “Early Beginning of the Church in Southern Philippines,” written in July 2007 at the request of Jack Belo. Minnie was born in 1923 and was already a Christian when the family moved to Mindanao in 1937. She saw how the movement began, how it expanded and grew during the war years, and how its churches multiplied after the liberation. Mistreatment she had suffered with them at the hands of the cruel Muslims; hardships and hunger she had endured with them. She had witnessed how their number

was decimated by the plague, but she had also seen how God was glorified by their increase! Minnie married Onofre Belo, an uncle of brother Jack. She now lives in Union City, CA.

We make use too of the information from Jack Belo’s narratives, “History of the Church of Christ in Mindanao” (published in four installments in The Preacher magazine in 1966), and “Mindanao: History of the Lord’s Church” (which came out in The Voice of Truth International, vol. 30). Brother Jack saw how the movement grew in Mindanao after the war, and he himself, as


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well as others, has played a very significant role in its expansion in the Visayas. Article by brother Kenneth J. Wilkey (“The Philippines: A Field Ripe for Harvest”) which too came out in The Voice of Truth International together with Jack’s, is another. Brother Wilkey had met both George Pepperdine and George Benson. We really cannot measure the great value of the information he has provided us because this brother, our mentor in our Bible college days, had sat with the greats! And yes, The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement, published by Zondervan, is another; we quote liberally from this book facts about the significant roles George Pepperdine and George Benson played in starting the movement in the Philippines, with the assistance of Leslie Wolfe. And brother Eusebio Tanicala— how can we fill in the gaps of information about Villanueva and Asada without this brother’s help? We have made use of his information in his emails to us. Add to this brother Art Madlaing, for he too has some info about the great contribution of the Golden Gate church to the cause of Jesus in this country. And to check some data we have in our hands, and to add to what we do not have, we turn to the internet. There’s a lot there that we found especially about the two Georges— Benson and Pepperdine!

Minnie’s father, Antonio Villanueva, like his father Simprosio, was immersed into Christ in the early 1930s in Muñoz, Nueva Ecija, in Luzon, by a Disciple, a student of Leslie Wolfe (1876-1945). After their conversion, Simprosio and Antonio Villanueva organized a Disciples church that met on their property in Muñoz (Minnie Belo, “Early Beginning of the Church in Southern Philippines,” p. 2; shortened hereon to Early Beginning). Moving to Mindanao, they also established the first Disciples church ever founded in southern Philippines. So the Disciples story that began in Muñoz finally ended in Cotabato, ten years after, for it was another Disciple who helped turn this Disciples church in Pinaring around! Here is their story: _________________ THE MUÑOZ BEGINNINGS. The roots of the Villanueva clan came from Muñoz, in the Tagalog province of Nueva Ecija. On the map (see page 1), Muñoz is above Cabanatuan, and is on the northwest of it. Cabanatuan is the capital of the province, and both Muñoz and Cabanatuan, together with such towns as Gapan and Bongabong, had a role in the Philippine Revolution against Spain. A branch of this family later migrated to Mindanao and sowed the seed of the gospel in Muslimland. The patriarch of the family was Simprosio, a Spanish-educated godly man from Muñoz, who owned some


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parcels of land (Early Beginning, p. 2). (Photo below: Antonio Villanueva and his wife Binay Aquino).

Although he was truly devoted to Catholicism, Simprosio Villanueva owned a Tagalog Bible. The Word of God in the vernacular at that time was the domain of American missionaries who learned the dialects of the people and the Filipino Protestants, and both served in the translating body. For example, W. Hanna (1872-1948), Disciples missionary, started mission work in Manila in 1901 and later moved to Laoag (Douglas Foster, Paul M. Blowers, Anthony L. Dunnavant & D. Newell Williams, The Encyclopedia of the Stone-Campbell Movement, p. 33; abbreviated hence as ESCM)). Having spent much time doing missions in the Ilocano-speaking regions, he must have acquired fluency and facility in the language to be able to translate the Bible into

Iloco. His name now appears in the files of Philippine Bible Society as one of the early translators of the Iloco Bible, says brother Eusebio Tanicala who is a member of the present pool of translators (Eusebio Tanicala’s Email, Sept. 20, 2010).

For Simprosio, owning a non-Catholic version of the Bible, in a Catholic environment, was very uncatholic; your parish priest would not encourage it; your Catholic neighbors would shun you for it. It’s a book better read in the privacy of one’s domain, or under the dim light of one’s gasera (gas lamp) in the night when neighbors are asleep. An ordinary day laborer could not afford it. But it was one book Simprosio Villanueva read religiously.

One of Simprosio Villanueva’s farm tenants noticed the Bible which he kept with him and suggested a Bible study on Sundays (Early Beginning, p. 2). This tenant, Minnie says, was a student of a Bible seminary in Manila, founded by Leslie Wolfe (1876-1945), a missionary of the Disciples of Christ (photo above). It was this tenant who also told them that


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Felix Manalo was one of the students of that seminary, who later disassociated himself from the Disciples of Christ due to a “conflict with the administrative structure” and joined the Adventist Church. The tenant said Felix Manalo was later disfellowshipped by the Adventists over an affair with their deaconess; eventually Manalo also left the Adventists and founded his own church, the “Iglesia ni Kristo,” in 1914 (ibid.). Read Leslie Wolfe’s letter, written in 1933, about Felix Manalo, here: http://www.pipeline.com/~selfsoft/coc1933/coc1933.htm

CHURCH OF CHRIST IN MUÑOZ. The Sunday Bible study sessions with the tenant eventually led to Simprosio’s conversion and baptism for the remission of sins. After he embraced the faith, Simprosio Villanueva offered his lot as a place for the church to gather on Sundays. His knowledge about the true God and his devotion to the cause deepened by his constant listening to the preachers and his unceasing meditation on the Word. It would be the only faith from which Simprosio never wavered till his dying day, as we shall see later! Antonio his son also became one of the faithful converts (ibid.).

That student of Leslie Wolfe must have done a great job in training Antonio Villanueva! For we heard of him doing some preaching too in the church that met in his family’s property. Leslie Wolfe left the Disciples in 1926 over the issue of open membership (ESCM, p. 35), and about three years after, when the Villanuevas were converted, that separation was still a fresh issue among the brethren. Antonio Villanueva is mentioned by brother Tanicala as “a member of the Samahang Tagapagpalaganap” (literally, Evangelists’ Group) of the Christian Church/ Church of Christ (Eusebio Tanicala’s Email, Sept. 20, 2010). If so, that means Antonio as a full-pledged “Tagapagpalaganap” must have visited Manila and attended the conventions and other gatherings of his church. He must have met Leslie Wolfe. At any rate we find this Spanish-educated teacher cum Protestant evangelist giving his best to the cause that he had embraced.

Around this time in Muñoz there were ruthless hacienderos–land grabbers who victimized the small landowners (Early Beginning, p. 2). It is said that they employed “guns, goons and gold” to achieve their aims; they would offer to buy your property at ridiculously low prices, intimidate you, or use their clout and political influence with the powers-that-be to dispossess you of your property. Some lands had indeed been registered in the name of the rich man without the knowledge of the poor landowner. Simprosio thought it wise to


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subdivide his land into small parcels and distribute these to his eight children (ibid.). They could decide to protect their rights to it, or sell it to the hacienderos.

However, Antonio’s land, his share of the inheritance, was not as productive as those of his siblings. A tenant of his, who was also courting his daughter Minnie (evidently this suitor was not a Belo), suggested that they go to Mindanao, encouraging them to avail of the offer of a free passage, or fares, for the whole family, and an opportunity to own land, by the then Gen. Paulino Santos (ibid.). (Gen. Santos City in South Cotabato was named after him, so says Microsoft Encarta 2003; article: “General Santos City”). Antonio’s wife Binay was then doing brisk business as a wholesaler of bagoong in Muñoz. His family was growing in number: Seven children

already, says brother Marvin Villanueva Osano, whose mother Marfe is the youngest daughter of Antonio (Interview with Marvin, Sept. 27, 2010). (Brother Marvin, left photo, is the in-house contractor constructing the main building of Leyte Christian College presently). For Antonio, the temptation to sell was great; the catch here however was that an unproductive land such as his could be sold only for a pittance.

Antonio however wanted to make as much money as he could from his land. So sell he did.

Brother Antonio’s wife Binay was an Aquino. The Aquinos of the Tagalog region had produced generals and soldiers who fought for the Fatherland. For example, Gen. Servillano Aquino, the great grandfather of Pres. Benigno Simeon Cojuangco-Aquino, led an army of Tagalogs under Gen. Aguinaldo during the Philippine-American war.

Aling Binay’s family in Muñoz must have owned properties themselves too. Brother Marvin remembers that his mother Marfe’s older brother, Sering Villanueva, later returned to Muñoz from Mindanao and managed a farm of the Aquinos, his mother Binay’s share of the inheritance (Interview with Marvin Osano, Sept. 27, 2010).


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Sering Villanueva, son of Antonio, has a daughter who had been to Zamboanga Bible College, 1968 to 1970. Her name is Ruth, a very amiable lady who made friends of everyone, and spoke flawless Tagalog. She now lives abroad and is married to a foreigner. While the mission of her grandfather Antonio was to help save souls from sins, Ruth Villanueva-Batten’s mission is to help save the environment. Marvin says Ruth is presently the secretary to the head of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) (Interview with Marvin Osano, Sept. 27, 2010).

ARRIVAL IN COTABATO CITY. In 1937, Antonio Villanueva, his wife Binay, and their seven kids as well as his father Simprosio left for Mindanao (Early Beginning, p. 2). Why the old man Simprosio Villanueva left his other kids in Muñoz and chose to go with his son Antonio’s family is a subject of my inquisitiveness. I thought that maybe Antonio was his eldest or youngest (in a Filipino family, either of these is the father’s favorite). Maybe he was already a widower at that time, and his security in his old age was his son. Maybe he liked Binay Aquino more than his other daughters-in-law (The axiom is true

that when a woman marries a man, she marries his whole family!). Maybe the old man found in his son Antonio a devotion to the cause that he never found in his other children (Antonio was the only preacher among Simprosio’s sons). Whatever might be the reason, Simprosio had made the right choice in moving to

Mindanao with the family of Antonio. Or he must have an inkling that his son was destined for greatness!

One of Simprosio’s sons, named Emeterio, a teacher like Antonio, moved too to Mindanao, settled in Cagayan de Oro City and begot a son who became a priest (Interview with Marvin Osano, Sept. 27, 2010). To this the account of


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Minnie Villanueva - Belo agrees (Early Beginning, p. 7). Some years after the movement became settled in San Felipe, Tantangan, South Cotabato in 1945, Simprosio stayed in Cagayan de Oro, and tried to convert his son and his family. He lived with them until Emeterio died. (Apparently he did not want to give up on his son’s family too!). Sister Minnie says that after the death of Emeterio, it was discovered that “the priest had a sibling” (ibid.). That “sibling” was Emeterio’s child with another woman! How the family handled this situation with calmness and understanding is a testimony to the old Simprosio’s belief on men’s moral corruptness and their great need for a Savior.

We would hear later that the grandson priest tried to convert his grandfather back to Catholicism; he wanted him to confess his sins, since he was already dying. The grandfather said, “No, I have a God whom you cannot see” (ibid.). Simprosio, the Villanueva patriarch who first heard the gospel from a student of Leslie Wolfe, remained faithful till his Lord took him home. He was buried in Cagayan de Oro (Interview with Marvin Osano, Sept. 25, 2010).

THE ILLNESS THAT OCCASIONS SOME CONVERSIONS. Upon their arrival in the municipality of Cotabato, Binay became sick and was hospitalized (Early Beginning, p. 2). The Villanuevas were eyeing the forested areas of Lambayong where many Ilocano families had settled (ibid.). Binay’s illness in Cotabato delayed their trip to Lambayong. How long sister Binay stayed in the hospital, we are not told. But it was long enough for brother Antonio to make acquaintances with some people in the ward. That delay was a part of the great plan of God for the ingathering of His people in Cotabato City, people whose names you would later meet in this history. For it was in that one small spot of the city (which they say was the first Catholic city in Muslim Mindanao) that the first congregation of the Churches of Christ in Southern Philippines would begin!

CONTACT WITH THE CALONZOS. While in the hospital, Antonio Villanueva met the Calonzos, who were natives of Bulacan (ibid.), and, like Antonio, they spoke Tagalog. The Calonzos lived near the hospital area. The soft-spoken Tagalog preacher used every opportunity he had to share with them the gospel of the God who died on the Cross. His message was simple, and he taught directly from the Bible. The style was to make a declaration of what one believes in, in response to the questions asked, and amplify those statements, with support from biblical texts.


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Although the Calonzos were the first to hear the gospel from Antonio Villanueva, they were not the first to be converted by him, as the facts below would show. The gospel had been sown. Sometimes it took time for the seed to germinate.

FIRST CONVERTS IN COTABATO TOWN. Shortly thereafter, the Villanuevas met the Camaganacan family, who owned a farm in Pinaring, Cotabato (Early Beginning, p. 3). Pinaring, according to brother Jack Belo, is ten kilometers from Cotabato City (Jack Belo, “Mindanao: History of the Lord’s Church,” The Voice of Truth International, vol. 30, p. 103; henceforth shortened to Jack Belo, Voice of Truth). The Camaganacan patriarch, Esperidion Sr., was from Cavite, and came to Mindanao as a surveyor of lands (Early Beginning, p. 3). A widower, he married again, this time to an Ilongga, and had three children by her (ibid.).

Antonio’s message of the Crucified Christ found a place in the hearts of the Camaganacans, and the couple were immersed. The Camaganacans were Antonio’s first converts (ibid.). Later, the brother of Mrs. Camaganacan, an Ilonggo who had been to law school, became a Christian too (ibid.). A very effective preacher, he converted many Ilonggos to the faith, sister Minnie says (ibid.).

SINGING SONGS IN THE NIGHT. As his custom was, Antonio would often visit the Ilocano settlements in Cotabato, including Pinaring. In Pinaring, he became a farmer. And while waiting for the harvest season, he would share with them the Word of God (Jack Belo, “History of the Church of Christ in Mindanao,” The Preacher, Jan.-Feb.-

Mar., 1966, p. 21; henceforth shortened to Jack Belo, The Preacher). His ministry involved long walks to the homes of the prospects, and studies were done at night (Early Beginning, p. 3). As they walked toward the home where they would hold a Bible class, his daughters Minnie and Aser would sing hymns (ibid.). His two daughters also assisted him in singing when he conducted worship services (Jack Belo, The Preacher, Jan.-Feb.-Mar., 1966, 21). These must be hymns commonly sung by Christian Church people in Luzon during those times, translated into Tagalog. The wordings were so fine


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yet simple they could easily be committed to memory. (Photo above, L-R: Marfe Villanueva-Osano, Aser Villanueva- Sabio, and Minnie Villanueva- Belo, three daughters of Antonio Villanueva).

MAXIMINA DE LA TORRE. In Pinaring, Antonio taught Maximina de la Torre, the wife of Remigio de la Torre, half-brother of Fabian Bruno. Remigio had retired from the U.S. Navy, bought a piece of land in Pinaring and invited his relatives from Muñoz (the Belos, the Alegres, and the Brunos) to go to Mindanao, which they did (in 1936). The Villanuevas and the de la Torres were both from Muñoz, but it was in Mindanao that their paths crossed! Now this modern-day Lydia opened her heart and was baptized (Early Beginning, p. 3).

The new church in Southern Philippines now met in the home of Maximina de la Torre, their new convert. The church consisted of the Villanuevas, Maximina de la Torre, and the Camaganacans. Small in number. Visitors who were friends and relatives of the members of the church (like the Belos, the Alegres, and the Brunos) came and listened to Antonio. They all shared the same bond, for they were a bilingual church, at home with both Ilocano and Tagalog dialects (Interview with Jack, Sept. 21, 2010).

After worship the hosts would ask everyone to stay, and partake of what their generosity had prepared to be shared by all. Their love feast thus became a fellowship that gladdened the hearts. They knew devotion to God; now they would learn devotion to each other, for such was what they would need in times of persecution, which we shall mention later.

THE CALONZO MATRIARCH. Mrs. Calonzo, who first got acquainted with them at the provincial hospital in Cotabato town, made a living selling bananas in front of the public high school. She now became interested in the Word and was immersed, confessing her faith in the Son of God. She joined the church in Pinaring.

Because of her faith, Mrs. Calonzo became the object of her husband’s ridicule. Mr. Calonzo had no kind words to say about the new “sect” even if he knew preacher Villanueva to be a good man. As a result, the couple separated. Mr. Calonzo left for General Santos City with his son (Early Beginning, p. 3). (This was not a city at the time of Minnie’s narrative. Known then as Buayan, it was founded by General Paulino Santos in 1939. It became


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Gen. Santos town in 1954 and received its charter only in 1968. See Microsoft Encarta 2003; art. : “General Santos”). It was in Buayan that the Calonzo son met an accident and died. Because of the death of her son, Mrs. Calonzo tried to reconcile with her husband but he would not (Early Beginning, p. 3).

But Mrs. Calonzo’s two daughters, Sampaguita and Ligaya, became Christians like their mother, and they two were regular worshippers in Pinaring (ibid.). Sampaguita later married Aurelio Ebita, a native of Cotabato. He too became a Christian (Jack Belo, Voice of Truth, p. 103). Brother Jack Belo is not sure if brother Ebita was a Subanon or a Manobo, but he is sure that brother Ebita was not an immigrant from Luzon or Visayas (Interview with Jack, Oct. 3, 2010).

Meantime, Mrs. Calonzo offered to sell their farm to Antonio Villanueva (Early Beginning, p. 3). Mr. Calonzo never returned to his wife (ibid.). Brother Antonio did not take the offer; we would soon find him and his family, and eleven other families, moving, first to Alip, where he and his fellow evangelists would be establishing other congregations. The ingathering of the unsaved in this land of the lawless continued to be the motif in God’s scheme of things. These preachers were the men to do it.

BELOS AND COMPANY. The Belos were already in Pinaring, Cotabato, having migrated there earlier (in 1936) with the De la Torres, the Alegres, and the Fernandos (ibid.). The head of the Belo clan was Rufino (Interview with Jack, Oct. 3, 2010). All were Ilocanos. While some of these Ilocanos were Catholics, the Belos were Methodists (Early Beginning, p. 3). People would often come together because of religion or blood relationship. Living in hinterlands, a common affinity with people who believe in something you believe in will help you to battle the odds. The poet John Donne said it in another vein:

“No man is an island, entire of itself; / Every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; /… Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; / And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; / It tolls for thee.”

In 1936, Laureano Belo (1912-1996) was already married to Cecilia Sadulang. Cecilia’s family and siblings proceeded to Mlang. In 1938, Laureano and Cecilia were blessed with a son, whom they named Dominador, nicknamed


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Jack. In 1940, the Lord blessed them with twins, whom they named Samuel I and Samuel II. (Interview with Jack, Oct. 3, 2010). (Photo below: Laureano Belo and his wife, Cecilia Sadulang)

BAPTISM OF BELO AND ALEGRE. In Pinaring, Laureano Belo and Cornelio Alegre would often question Antonio Villanueva about his religion (Early Beginning, p. 3). Imagine the two talkative cousins arguing with the soft-spoken preacher! Villanueva’s line of reasoning would be the same Belo and Alegre would use later in debates with the sects: “Christ says, I will build my church. One church, not

many churches. What is that church? It is Christ’s” (Interview with Jack, Sept. 28, 2010). They were not taught about grace and the power of the blood to erase man’s guilt for they knew that already. They were not taught that the Bible they were holding in their hands is an inspired book or that God is Spirit, for they knew these too from their Methodist preachers. They needed new truths. And the truth about the distinctive identity of the Lord’s church was one of those that set them free from Methodism. Their curiosity answered, they made a declaration of their faith and were baptized by Antonio (Early Beginning, p. 3; Jack Belo, The Preacher, Jan.-Feb.-Mar. 1966, p. 21). A nearby creek in Pinaring served as their baptistery (ibid.).

It should be noted here that the baptism of these two, Laureano Belo and Cornelio Alegre, opened the gridlock for the progress of the Lord’s work in the whole Mindanao later. Villanueva’s health was failing. Because the ministry of saving men must go on, God raised other leaders to assist in the work. God saw in Cornelio Alegre, with his logic and wit, and Laureano Belo, with his indefatigable energy, courage and zeal, humility and ability to overlook a wrong, the gifts that He would use to further His kingdom. In the difficult situations the church would later find itself in, such as in Alip, as we will soon find out, these three—Villanueva, Belo and Alegre— rose to the challenge.

FABIAN BRUNO. Fabian Bruno was also in Pinaring. He was taking a course in agriculture in the American-administered Central Luzon Agricultural


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College in Muñoz and was there for a vacation. He heard the gospel Villanueva preached at church; convinced of the truth, he too was baptized by Antonio (Early Beginning, pp. 3-4). We would later hear of Fabian Bruno becoming the minister of Salunayan and then of Midsayap churches. Salunayan is a barrio of Midsayap.

REMIGIO DE LA TORRE. Maximina’s husband Remigio was the first grandson of a certain Mrs. Cojuangco. She would have wanted to give her grandson some property but there were objections from members of the family. He joined the US Navy, made good, retired, and also began owning lands in Pinaring (Early Beginning, p. 3). When cousins Belo and Alegre came with their families in 1936, Laureano Belo became a tenant in the farm of the De la Torres (Interview with Jack, Oct. 3, 2010).

Remigio, as his habit was, would do some cleaning around the house and the church building. He referred to the Christians as “kayong mga banal” (literally, “you guys who are holy”), and became curious about the message he heard (Early Beginning, p. 3). Cousins would huddle in a corner, and Belo and Alegre would use logic and moral persuasion to convince Remigio of the reasonableness of the faith they had just embraced. Remigio finally was convinced and desired to be baptized too. However, he did not want to be immersed by Laureano Belo nor by Cornelio Alegre, but by Antonio Villanueva himself! (ibid.). This amuses me as I read the account of sister Minnie Belo. We sometimes are choosy about who would dunk us into the river, as if that itself is a factor for our going to heaven! They were kinsmen, but this did not factor into the equation; Antonio’s educational qualification perhaps did. And so brother Remigio got what he wished!

FIRST MEETING PLACE IN PINARING. Maximina de la Torre offered her lot in Pinaring where the brethren built a small chapel (ibid.) (photo below). It was here that Antonio Villanueva would preach each Sunday. The little congregation in Pinaring became a close-knit family. They knew that salvation was not theirs alone. They thought of themselves very fortunate to have heard the gospel at such an early time, and the more they read their Scriptures the more they were convinced that others too should be given an equal opportunity, even once, to hear the Word. This zeal for the cause they first saw in brother Antonio Villanueva; they got infected with it. They kept on searching their Scriptures and learned much from it. Cornelio Alegre, who


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seems to be the more argumentative in the group, was refining his wit and logic. Meanwhile Laureano Belo started proclaiming the faith he had embraced, and sought all members of the Belo clan, and taught and baptized them: his father Rufino, his mother Juana, his sisters Francisca and Elena, and his younger brother Onofre. Laureano must have baptized also Alberto Fernando as well as Eugenio Fernando, husband of his sister Elena Belo. Another sister, Florencia, must have been taught by him also (Interview with Jack, Oct. 3, 2010).

The congregation grew in number by the conversion of other settlers in the area and of some natives of the place. These all came to listen, and obeyed the gospel by putting on their Lord through baptism. No one who studies this church can describe it in just one sentence: A little group that sprouted in one little corner of the country. No seminary graduate among them. All they had was love as well as a sense of urgency in proclaiming the will of their God. Having these, they walked miles in order to find a soul whom they wanted to share with them the joys of heaven!


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Pinaring church now consisted of the Villanuevas, the Aquinos, the de la Torres, the Camaganacans, Mrs. Camaganacan’s brother (a lawyer), the Belos, the Alegres, the Fernandos, the Ismaels, the Salditos, the Ultiveroses, the Traspes, the Tamayos and some Ilonggos whom Mrs. Camaganacan’s lawyer brother had converted.

This church, with its lot and building still stands today, the first church of the Lord in Southern Philippines (1939).

A VISIT THAT TURNS THINGS AROUND. Around this time (1939), Pedro Asada (d. 1942) visited the church of Christ in Pinaring. He came from Kolambugan, Lanao, with an American missionary, whom sister Minnie called “Russell” (Early Beginning, p. 4). “Russell” was actually H. G. Cassel (b. 1889), who in 1928 continued the work that brother George Benson (1898-1991) had begun in Mindoro. Brother Benson stayed only a few months, a few months that in fact were very fruitful, resulting to the establishment of four or five congregations in the island. Asada, a Disciples preacher, was now Cassel’s co-worker in Mindoro. Asada and Villanueva had been friends during their Samahan days in the Disciples of Christ. Now Asada had changed. Change too was coming to the Disciples church in Pinaring.

THE INTERREGNUM. Truths don’t all come in one platter, and the church in Pinaring had some of these truths revealed to them, though not miraculously, through the preachers God sent to them. After the visit of brothers Asada and Cassel, brothers Belo and Alegre saw the need for Pinaring church to be reformed, if not restored to the true path. As we shall find out later, these two pushed Villanueva to the point that he had to decide.

The Christians remained in Pinaring for some three to four years (till 1941). Like pilgrims and refugees, they were a church on the move. War brought clashes, so they sought safety in the vastness of Muslimland. They had been looking for better homesteads where they could live permanently, so they moved to Alip. And when they did, some members remained in Pinaring. But their evangelists kept coming back to Pinaring for short visits, to renew old fellowships, or nurture the weak among them. (To be continued).


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