by Pastor Abel Vergara | WMC Communication Director
November 21, 2023
In a pioneering move, the Western Mindanao Conference has officially endorsed a directive requiring all local churches within its jurisdiction to meticulously document and share their historical narratives on the WMC website. The comprehensive guidelines provided for crafting these church histories outline a structured approach, emphasizing key components to ensure a thorough and engaging account of each congregation’s journey.
The guidelines include an introduction to set the context, a detailed historical background of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, individual profiles for each local church, and a focus on key leaders and their contributions. The document encourages a narrative on congregation life, encompassing worship services, Sabbath School programs, and unique events or traditions. Additionally, it emphasizes the significance of documenting evangelism, missionary work, growth, and community involvement.
To enhance the narrative, historical photographs capturing pivotal moments and key individuals are encouraged, along with personal stories and testimonials from long-time members. The guidelines also highlight the importance of addressing challenges and triumphs, providing a holistic perspective on the journey of each church.
The directive places emphasis on denominational affiliation, explaining the relationship of local churches with the broader Seventh-day Adventist denomination and any connections with conferences or unions. Furthermore, the guidelines stress the inclusion of appendices containing relevant materials such as membership statistics, church bulletins, newsletters, and other pertinent documents.
The document concludes with a reminder to ensure thorough research, interviews with key members, and consultation of historical records to maintain accuracy and completeness. Additionally, writers are advised to consider the intended audience for the history, allowing for a tailored approach in both depth and style.
Underlining the collaborative nature of this initiative, the guidelines suggest acknowledging the contributions of individuals, organizations, or archives that have supported or provided information for the project. This inclusive approach aims to foster a sense of community and shared history among local churches within the Western Mindanao Conference.
photo by: SPUC
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Good morning pastor from midsalip western mindanao conference
Western Mindanao Adventist Academy Church is a church inside the academy campus located at Dumingag, Zamboanga del Sur. It was established on the year______ with Principal as Head Elder, and teachers as officers. Members were usually students, enrolled in the academy, coming from different local churches of Zamboanga Peninsula Mission, Western Mindanao Conference churches, etc. Teachers who taught in the academy within the school year were usually elected as church officers and election of church officers was done every opening of the school year since WMAA operates in a school year term. For Church Year 2023-2024 it has two (2) ordained Pastors, Pastor/Dr. Don Richards T. Generato and Pastor Joezer R. Villasurda. WMAA has a Senior Pastor from WMC , Pastor Aldren O. Rosales.These Pastors , together with Bible Teachers, AB Theology graduates Pastor Rashid Pabuaya and Pastor Algae S. Densing, worked hand in hand, received and handled programs from WMC and SPUC. Aside from the special programs, WMAA Church has its regular Midweek Prayer Programs wherein students were scheduled as speakers, Vespers Program with teachers as speakers and students were the participants, Sabbath School Programs handled by different Care Groups, Hour of Worship, Adventist Youth Programs, Sundown Worships on on Friday and Saturday afternoons, Evening and Morning Worships by dorm, Classroom Devotionals on Mondays and many more.WMAA had planted strong community engagements through the semesterly FEED OUR COMMUNITY Programs where students led and teachers acted as sponsors. FOC was handled and recipients of the said services were non-SDA families in the different baranggays of Dumingag. Dumingag has 44 baranggays so students, after being grouped, enjoyed the said activity by cooking food to serve, telling Bible Stories, teaching Memory Verses and finally giving of slippers and their contributions left a great impact. CERTIFICATES OF RECOGNITION from the different areas was receieved everytime WMAA Church had this Feed our Community Program.
The school year 2023-2024 was spectacular when students participated to the My Journey with God Season 4 where ________were baptized and participated actively to the first ever-SPUC-WIde Simultaneous Crusade where 6 students were baptized.