There have been many “wins” to celebrate over the past several months in our BBFI owned and affiliated colleges. Recently, thanks to the generosity of Greg Lyons, I was blessed to represent the BBFI Education Committee in one of those celebrations. On March 16, Baptist Bible College Asia held their 19th Commencement at the Ynares Sports Arena in Metro Manila, in which 735 graduates received their diplomas, including their first graduates from their School of Missions. Ken Goodban, the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in Bellflower, California, was the commencement speaker, and I was blessed to give the charge to the graduates.
It was exciting to see the joy of the graduates and to hear some of their stories. BBCA graduates are not only impacting the Philippines but are reaching out to other nations, such as Cambodia and Thailand. It was so heartening to hear the testimonies of how God had changed lives, how they are serving, and how many are preparing to serve in other countries. It was also a joy to see faculty members like Louise Warner and Collette McGuire who raise their support to come and teach at the college.
Because of the vast population and heavy traffic in Metro Manila, classes are held in 23 different locations throughout the area, and the professors travel to those locations to teach. I was blessed to preach on Sunday in one of those locations, the Community Baptist Church in Cogeo. Pastor Emmy Rebollido has a wonderful work, with many young people as part of the congregation.
Many are won to Christ, not only through the local churches in Metro Manila but also through the incredible ministry of the Highlands Camp, which is about 5 hours north of Metro Manila. Over 100,000 are brought to the camps each year, with thousands and thousands saved. The week I was at the camp, 2,319 were in attendance, and 1,333 made professions of faith. Many of these students are from impoverished areas and have incredibly rough backgrounds, including gang activity, drug abuse, and gender confusion. A group of us befriended some teenage boys at dinner, and many of them were dressed in drag, wore makeup, and so on. After dinner, we prayed not only for all the students but particularly those who sat across from us. It was so thrilling to see many of them trust Christ that night! I was also impressed with the thorough system of follow up as camp staff and volunteers dealt with each person concerning their profession of faith, as well as a discussion about baptism and discipleship.
There’s so much more that could be said, but after hearing about how God is blessing the ministry of BBCA and all that is involved with Global Surge, it was so incredible to see a small part of what God is doing! There are so many ministries going on, and I wasn’t there long enough to see it all.
The bottom line is this, our colleges affiliated with the BBFI are worth supporting. None of us can support all of them, but we certainly can have a part in what God is doing.
