Church of God Fellowship Manila

I will praise You, O LORD, with my whole heart;
I will tell of all Your marvelous works.
Psalm 9.1

This was something lacking in congregations we were in before. There really was no opportunity for people to tell the congregation the wonders God performs in their life. Years passed with everyone sitting and listening, fellowshipping among themselves, talking of things like high prices, basketball, politics, school, hurt feelings, complaints, the latest theory on where the place of safety would be. Feeling assurance in the mere knowledge that one was ‘in the church’ and ‘knew the truth’. Hardly any emotion or warmth or ardor about the Almighty God, the same way that for example, King David, did.

We truly need the Spirit of God to turn our minds away from worthless things. So the deliberate opportunity for everyone, children included, to speak of the wonders the Lord has done in their life has revealed countless wonders and miracles that would have remained hidden from view for all time.

Personal stories, Miracles, Wonders, Great works of God, The things that happen to us six days of the week, Our experiences with our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. This is how we get to truly know, and then love the Lord our God. Listening to stories of what happens when people choose to obey God instead of pleasing men. Gives flesh and becomes more real to us then, the words that we read, the passages we study. We seem them live.

Some children in the fellowship learned valuable lessons about work during school vacation 2003 by taking on extra work like doing laundry or selling diapers. When classes opened, Michael Dominic Flores did get that scholarship he was hoping for and had asked the Fellowship to pray about. He was even hesitant to share the news, thinking it was a small thing. But it wasn’t! It is a great blessing, and we should never ever fail to be grateful.
Young people also learned valuable lessons in loving and respecting their parents. What to do instead of answering back at one’s parents, or saying we want to run away at the slightest correction. Soon we realize how selfish and ungrateful we really can be sometimes.

Miadely Perona
“A general checkup last year revealed I had three sets of myoma. Two measuring 8cm. And one 6 cm. The last time I had been seriously ill was when my daughter was little, 20 years ago. This time I was worried about the lumps, but the gynaecologist was more worried about my constant bleeding than the myoma. I didn’t want any surgery. So I prayed. And the bleeding stopped!

But then, when I had another check, the scan showed the myomas had doubled in size! I had thought the added pain was just oncoming menopause. The doctor said, “We need to remove that, or else they will spread. If the situation’s still the same by December, we need to operate.” Four months away.

I called a sister in the faith, and said I wanted to be anointed. Her husband performed the anointing after services that Sabbath. You know, what happened was, while I was being anointed, my mind went blank. Outside conversation, noise, my own thoughts were shut out. I couldn’t hear anything else but what the elder was praying. I let out a long, deep breath. And then I felt something warm come out from me. “Oh no, this is it!” I thought. Afterwards, I was able to go to the Feast with my children. I prayed earnestly for healing. “O Lord, my children are still young!” Then I went to the scheduled checkup. I was so nervous that I almost fell off the examining table. The tests came back from the lab. The myomas had shrunk to the size of a rice grain! The doctor was speechless. She said “Ang tindi naman ng faith mo!” (How strong your faith is!) When she asked about my beliefs, she said, “You Christians are ok, except that you leave out Mama Mary, but let’s not debate about that,” she laughed. We were just in a happy shock at the results. Since then, whenever troubles come, I have learned to submit it all to the Father.”

“I grew up Catholic, but even in high school, I would sit in the chapel thinking, “There must be a better way to worship God, directly, spontaneously!” I grew up with parents who were perfectionists. It seemed all the striving I did was never enough for my mother. Once, I told my father I was no.10 in the university honors list and he said, “What? No.10? All your classmates must be dumb.” From then on, I never told them, even when I became a model employee. Once, someone told me, “Your poems are beautiful, why don’t you publish them?” So I discovered a talent. Since then, I always carry paper and pen, to write down inspiration.

“I wanted so much to get married. So much that I resigned from my job even if it was the top position in our department. My co-workers were aghast. From the start of my marriage, I wanted to be a full-time mother, but circumstances forced me to go back to work. I went through so many trials. But I always remember that it is the process God is working with us. Sometimes my children say it’s strange that I can still say “God, thank You for all the good things You have given me,” when it seems that all I have are hardships. I’m thankful that I’m still able to sleep at night. But my children have come to understand what I live for. I know God has a purpose why all these happened. He has delivered me so many times, even concerning daily needs. One time, many years ago, I said, “God, I haven’t tasted beef in a long time.” Suddenly someone brought a portion of meat. Or that time my son David was born, in 1980, and we were in dire need, with a single gas stove. 1984 came, and there was still gas in that tank! Unbelievable. But true.

“Sometimes, the trial looms so large, that it is truly only on the Sabbath that I am able to rejoice.”

Brenda Coria
“My condition is better now than last year. Sometimes I have three weeks of continuous bleeding because of these myomas. But this bleeding has cured my dismenorrhea. I used to collapse because of the pain. Now it’s totally gone. This condition has caused much good: My husband is more patient with me now, and our only son has grown much in being responsible. Now he volunteers instead of waiting to be told. They realize the hard work involved in maintaining the home. I realized how important it is to watch what I eat, that literally ‘you are what you eat.’ Even among “clean meats,” much are injected with hormones, feeds.

“Then there’s also junk food. My son and I used to munch down chocolate stuff and chips. Now I’ve had to stop all that. I’ve had to study what is good for me to eat. I have to eat mostly fish and vegetables, occasionally, a small slice of chicken. Whenever I feel like a melting candle, I ask my husband to anoint me. I notice that God’s answer to my prayer doesn’t come immediately. As time goes on, I get to see my own sins, because I’m so hardheaded. I am able to repent. Meditate. Develop patience. Overcome my weaknesses.

“Also, the love and concern of the brethren help to heal, especially those verses which a sister in the faith points out. It really makes a difference to write down these verses in the Bible instead of just reading them. Now I have this inner joy I can’t explain, even when I’m able to help others with what I have, learning agape. Then I find that the process of healing is not just physical, but mostly spiritual...” (As of 2004, the Corias no longer attend with the Fellowship, but this story is true)

“My father was a Bible-believer. My mother was Catholic. But even while young I never went to mass, so many people were angry at me. In sixth grade, I read the book of Revelation, and realized what my father said was true. I entered the Sta. Catalina convent, and worked for a time as personal maid to Cardinal Sin. I didn’t stay long there, because the nuns wanted me to serve indefinitely in exchange for my education. I wanted to find work fast, to help my parents. So I left, and took all kinds of odd jobs in restaurants, garment factories. Once, when I was 18, I prayed “O God, Where is my life going? Where can I really find the truth? Please, God, please show me because I’m so confused.” Everything I was reading in the Bible was different from what I saw in the Catholic, Charismatic, Born-Again. I saw verses about ‘Feast of Trumpets’ and ‘Ten Commandments’ which they didn’t teach.

“While I was working in a dormitory, I met Nelson de los Santos. I was puzzled why there seemed to be a lot of ‘don’ts’ for him. I wanted to find out a lot of things. He asked me to attend WCG so I could find out for myself.

“I forgot about finishing college. All I wanted to know now was the truth. I figured this search would end all my confusion. But in WCG, I began to wonder, “Why is this so? If these people are true Christians, why are they scrutinizing me head to foot? It still seems there is a distinction between rich and poor people.”

“Eventually Nelson and I were married, and started a family. My parents were furious and didn’t even give us their blessing. But even then, I kept writing to them and sent our photographs. When troubles in WCG, we stopped attending.

“For four months, we stayed home, even on Sabbaths. Nelson had steady work, but our life was in shambles. It seemed we were always in a fight within our neighborhood. Some would even throw stones at our house. My children got involved in fights. I asked my husband, “What has happened to our life?” Then I remembered God. We had forgotten Him. We forgot the Sabbath. What will our life come to? One of these days, we might find ourselves massacred, just like that. Yes, we have work, but we also have many enemies.

“I prayed for forgiveness, for everything in our life that needed to be made right. Eventually, the troubles passed. And then we came to the fellowship.

“Then in 1998, something happened which I still consider the greatest answer to my prayers. In October, before I was buried in the waters of baptism, I asked God for a miracle. “Please, God, help my parents to forgive me. To finally accept me. Please give them a clear mind to see that what I’m doing is not wrong. And that they will give our marriage and our family their blessing.” Up to then, they had seen not seen their grandchildren.

“After the Feast, I broke down in tears, because, upon arriving home, I received a phone call from my brother telling me that my parents wanted to see me and that they would be staying in our home. I cried right into the telephone. I was speechless for a long time after that.

“When they came, we hugged a lot and cried a lot. I saw that my parents had changed. They prayed before meals. They never did that before. They told us that both of them had started reading the Bible. In turn, many of our relatives, including my brothers were angry at them. I said, “Well, just let them. Wherever the truth is, there will always be provocation to do the opposite.”

“That night, my mother told me, “You know, you probably were the way so we could find the truth.” I cried for joy, and said “No, I was just God’s instrument…”

When did it all begin for you?
“This fear of God, I don’t know why, exactly, but from childhood, it seemed built-in. Awareness. For instance, while walking home from school in the noonday heat, I would pray “God, please cover the sun with clouds, its so hot, and I’m so tired…” simple things like that. And in a moment there indeed would be cloud cover.

“But I wasn’t really interested in studying the Bible. My mother tried to coax me “Come, I’ll read something to you”. After a while, I gave in. It was something from Revelation “time will come when the sun will burn seven times…” That night, I had a dream of someone saying “very good, very good” which I took to mean it was good that I took heed. From then, I began studying the Bible, then, with a Church of God Seventh-Day fellowship. Even if the pastor was blind, I could see that what he taught was in the Bible. It didn’t matter to me, even when I was already a lawyer, that we were only six present. I used to bring one rose every Sabbath as a flower offering. Neighbors used to ask how come we sang as if we were a larger crowd. Later, I was the only one who got out of COG-7th Day and joined WCG.

“I was not ambitious, thinking,“When I grow up, I want to be…” that sort of thing. I only studied law because it cost a lot more to be a doctor. I didn’t even want to get married. I just wanted to serve God. I figured, if I didn’t finish my studies, I could do laundry, or be a maid, no matter. Even when the first WCG office opened in the Philippines and they offered me a job, I said, “No salary, just my food and lodging.” Mr. Arthur Docken said, “Oh no, Priscilla, God is not a pauper.”

“My family, especially, persecuted me and mocked my beliefs. They had many troubles, and I decided to leave only when the minister said, “You are proud, you think you are the only one who can support your family.” One suitor proposed marriage as a solution. But I wanted to get out from that kind of life. I wanted to do what the Bible said.

“When I left my life in God’s hands, the same way like I did when I was a child, things changed. There are always trials in every phase, but my life has always been a series of events showing that God will always do what He says He will do.

“Now I am married, have a family who is one in serving God, and I have the opportunity to serve His people. God is faithful. “My Word will not return to Me empty.” He who is faithful in little is faithful in much. If one is not faithful in little, he is not ready for the ‘much’ that is in God’s hands to give.

With all the heartaches through your experiences in the church, are there times when you really want to give up serving?

“God must have really kept me from thinking that way. It’s too deep, that “seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you.” It is more difficult for me not to serve, like that time, long ago, when I was told I may not sing for special music because I couldn’t control my emotions.

When did complete dependence on God return, after many years of depending on the structure in WCG?

“I was strengthened by what my husband said, that even if it would come down to just our family, we would continue to serve God. And God always opens a way. Also, it was at this time that we got to know Mr. Norman Edwards, who encouraged us to nurture the fellowship in our area.

“Probably 50% of what I learned through the years, I learned in this fellowship. Much of what Mr. Armstrong used to say, I only understand now. For example, “God IS God.” What does it mean? I used to wonder. It takes years and trials to understand.

“It would be possible for Church of God fellowships to work together today, even maintaining what they believe, if we take off our focus on ‘people’ or ‘this is my work’. If people understand that God’s people are scattered all over the world. ‘Be it according to your faith.’ In an atmosphere where people can grow in grace and knowledge, appreciating, in the light of God’s Word, the best of both worlds.”

Some texts translated from Tagalog interviews by Anna Cardona

“That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving,
And tell of all Your wondrous works.” Psalm 26.7

‘Remember His marvelous works which He has done,
His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth…” Psalm 105.5

“Declare His glory among the nations,
His wonders among all peoples.” Psalm 96.3