Baguio City, Philippines

The phrase that this year’s Feast is “the best Feast ever” is an understatement for the Feastgoers in the Baguio City Festival site in the Philippines!

Baguio City—known as the summer capital of the Philippines due to its cool weather, fresh air, and pine trees—is a favorite Festival site for a lot of the brethren in the Philippines. Set among the mountaintops of Benguet Province north of Manila, Baguio is about a five-hour drive or about an hour flight from Manila.

There were a total of 107 registered Feastgoers coming from three local congregations (Baguio, Dagupan, and Manila) and two foreign congregations (Hong Kong and Macau). With an actual peak attendance of 115 during the Last Great Day, the GSP-Ang Ating Tahanan conference hall was filled to capacity.

Mr. Eriz Dizon, pastor of the Baguio and Dagupan congregations, welcomed the Feastgoers during the opening night service on October 6 and provided them with a glimpse of what the Millennium will be like and an overview of the responsibilities that await the brethren.
Whole day Church services were held on the first day, with Mr. Rey Evasco, pastor of the Manila congregation and Festival coordinator giving the main message in the morning and Mr. Eriz Dizon giving the main message in the afternoon.

It has been a tradition at the Baguio Feast site that a free “fellowship lunch” is provided at the GSP compound after each morning Church service; however, some brethren helped out during the fellowship lunch by sharing some of their financial blessings.

Family Day was on the second day of the Feast (October 8); fun and games for the entire family awaited the brethren in the afternoon, with a lot of prizes for the participants. The Family Day ended with a Movie Night (“Ice Age 2”) and Videoke Night in the evening.

Though this was not the first time that a Feast was held in Baguio, there were a couple of “firsts” at the Baguio Festival site this year . . .

“Turning the Hearts of the Fathers to their Children and the Hearts of the Children to their Fathers.”

The youths (primarily from the Baguio and Dagupan congregations) were responsible for ushering during the Feast (reporting to an adult head usher) and they were also responsible for videotaping the messages given during the Feast.

During the Youth Day, which was on the third day of the Feast (October 9), the youths were given more opportunities to participate during the actual church service. The songleader was Chekhov Agayo (a youth from the Baguio congregation), the opening prayer was led by Aunell Angcos (a youth from the Manila congregation), and the closing prayer was led by Gino Dizon (a youth from the Baguio-Dagupan congregation). The special music was given by the Baguio Festival Children’s Choir. The afternoon and the evening were filled with fun and fellowship as the youths participated in physical and mind games and learned some ballroom dances. The youths also learned a few things on etiquette in preparation for the Seniors’ Social.

Seniors’ Day was on the fifth day of the Feast (October 11). Mr. Generoso Santos (a senior from the Manila congregation) gave the sermonette during the morning church service and the youths served during the Seniors’ Social in the evening, dubbed “An Affair to Remember.” The entertainment during the sit-down dinner was provided by some seniors sharing a vignette of their lives—a poem, and/or a song. The evening concluded with a message from Mr. David Baker, our Senior Pastor, who thanked the seniors for having served as examples to the youths in the church.

The Festival Show was on the evening of the sixth day of the Feast (October 12). The Festival Show highlighted dances from all over the world including the Philippines: Virginia Reel (USA), Hukilau (Hawaii), Yanko (China), D’Hammerschmiedsgselln (Germany), Siege of Ennis (Ireland), Gathering Peascods (England), Tanko Bushi (Japan), Dunantuli Ugros (Hungary), and Sayaw sa Bangko and Tinikling (Philippines).

The history, costumes, music, and steps of each of the dances were researched to make the “look and feel” of each dance as authentic as possible, given the available resources. The Festival Show participants came from the three local congregations of Baguio, Dagupan, and Manila, making the preparation and rehearsals more challenging and more exciting for all the participants.

Whole day church services were again held on the Last Great Day (October 14), with Mr. David Baker giving the last main message in the afternoon service, walking the brethren through the scriptures and expounding what Jesus Christ would say on that Last Great Day of the Feast.

As pictures were being taken and as goodbyes were being said, the once busy GSP-Ating Tahanan conference hall slowly faded into silence . . . awaiting the return of the brethren to once again keep the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day at this site . . . or better yet, awaiting the World Tomorrow, which will indeed be the best Feast ever!

—Abraham Lorenzo

Davao City, Philippines

Davao City—adjudged “The Most Livable City in the Philippines” by Asiaweek magazine—hosted 420 members, affiliates and children from 17 congregations in Mindanao, as well as guests from Luzon, the Visayas, the United States and New Zealand, at the GSP Training Camp in Toril.
The Festival video, “Life Anew in a New Land,” was played on the opening night. Compelling messages, great weather, pleasing special music, delicious food and seemingly nonstop fellowship characterized the Feast. In order to streamline registration and Festival administration, everyone was issued a bar-coded and plastic-laminated name tag that kept track of attendance, accommodations and meals.

Free lunch was served every day of the Feast. Also, on both Holy Days, a roasted calf was added to the menu. One member also sponsored ice cream following the last service on the Last Great Day.

Other highlights included a night of fun, fellowship and games on the first day; city tours on days two and six, leadership seminars for three consecutive nights for the local leaders; a challenging seven-station outdoor game for the teens and singles simultaneously held with the seniors’ social on the third day; livelihood workshops (virgin coconut oil production, herbal soap making and flower-card making) on the fourth day; baptism counseling and a Bible study forum on the fifth day; a colorful and entertaining variety show on the sixth day; and a fun-filled sports day and fruit festival on the seventh day.

Later that evening, a leaders’ dinner was held in appreciation of the men and wives who help serve the Mindanao brethren. Finally, on the Last Great Day, after more individual counseling, six people were baptized: Steve Budoyan, Jesusa Dique, Iyarmoon Dulay, Liza Evaristo, Jonathan Sagayno and Merven Samuel Tonog.

While space does not permit us to detail all the things that made this Feast so memorable, two things stand out: the sermons and the people. Both were, and are, unforgettable.

—Daniel Roy Macaraeg

Iloilo, Philippines

This year 144 people, including several foreign guests, have learned to fear God and rejoice for eight days in the beautiful and scenic resort of Punta Villa, Iloilo, for the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day.

Services started on the First Holy Day with a full day of services. We had daily morning services after that and a variety of wholesome outdoor activities in the afternoons.

Activities included were the Family Day, Youth Day, Seniors’ Night and Dance Night. An added feature that enhanced the festive mood of the celebration was during the Family Day when a number of members shared a roasted calf and ice cream with all the brethren.

Feastgoers also had the privilege to witness the wedding ceremony of Church members from the United States and Sabah, Malaysia.
The brethren were especially blessed with the presence of David Baker, the senior pastor of the Philippines, and his family who kept the Feast with us for three days.

The management and personnel of Punta Villa Resort gladly welcomed us. We’ve heard that the United Church of God is considered the only group of resort visitors that is well-behaved, humble and orderly.

This year’s Feast was truly one of the best. Thank you to everyone, particularly those who spent most of their time in the preparation for the Feast. Most of all we acknowledge and give credit to our loving Father in heaven who made this Feast wonderful and memorable.

—Florante Siopan

Singapore

We were struck immediately by the beauty as we traveled from the Singapore airport to the Orchid Country Club. Just miles from the equator, the tropical city is clean and manicured, without the graffiti and garbage we often see in big cities. The expansive guest rooms had lots of hardwood and marble, and we met in a modern and comfortable theater. Our rooms included breakfast—so each morning the members met and enjoyed the breakfast buffet.

Eleven countries were represented by people attending—Canada, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mauritius, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore and the United States. Thirty-seven people attended our meetings, conducted in English.

Our Singapore brethren are gracious and happily shared their lovely city—including great restaurants and cultural locations. Activities included three banquets, a bowling party, walking tours and trips to interesting places: Little India, China Town, botanical gardens, the colonial district and Arab Street.

On Sunday, we had an open house for Good News subscribers and five came! Two visitors came on the last Holy Day. A man who found us on the Web traveled all night from Malaysia, arrived on the third day and stayed the remainder of the Feast. Hotel management was pleased with our group; they overstocked our buffets with extra menu items that thrilled us—rice dishes, noodles, curries and other flavorful Chinese, Indian and Malaysian dishes with chicken, beef and fish. They invited us back for next year—which is in the works, according to Jeff Caudle, the Feast coordinator.

The city is very safe and we saw people of all ages, from young to very old, traveling without fear on the trains and buses. Singapore has a diverse population, which is also reflected in the congregation, largely made up of people from Chinese, Indian, Malaysian and Indonesian descent. We traveled all over the city on the modern and safe transportation system. Everyone spoke English and we were blessed to be able to share our lives and experiences and come home with a feeling of really knowing and understanding our brethren spread throughout East Asia.

—Linda Register

Beruwela, Sri Lanka

Twenty-six brethren from Sri Lanka, India, Australia and the United States enjoyed the Feast of Tabernacles 2006 in Sri Lanka. The location was once again the beautiful Neptune Hotel located in the village of Beruwela along the shoreline of the Indian Ocean. The Neptune Hotel is an all-inclusive beach resort with a friendly and courteous staff offering Feastgoers a wonderful example of South Asian hospitality.

The weather was perfect for enjoying the pool and beach, featuring warm, sunny days and tropical nights with very little rain.

The brethren enjoyed many amusing activities, including a talent show, Family Day, Bible baseball and a day trip to Galle Fort and a turtle hatchery.

Family Day took place on the beach just behind the hotel. There were games such as cricket, balloon toss, tug-of-war and rides on an elephant. Several nights during the Feast we played the favorite game of Bible baseball. It was not only fun but it helped us learn about the Bible and brought us closer together.

Brethren also enjoyed the outing to the Kosgoda Turtle Hatchery and Galle Fort. At the turtle hatchery Feastgoers were allowed to hold sea turtles that had just hatched the previous day and would be released into the sea the following day. Also those who were able and willing held enormous mature sea turtles.

Galle Fort was originally built by the Portuguese in 1589. The present fort was constructed by the Dutch in 1663. Brethren toured the museum and walked along the fort wall overlooking the Indian Ocean.

One of the highlights of the Feast was the talent show. Almost everyone present participated and the Sri Lankan brethren did an outstanding job in sharing their musical talents.

The activities were not the only excellent part about the Feast this year. The food, both spiritual and physical, was exceptionally good. The hotel provided many tasty meals featuring Sri Lankan curries and international fare. Most dinners featured entertainment with a live band playing Western and Sri Lankan music.

The sermons were stirring and inspirational, and the fellowship was warm and loving. By the end of the Feast everyone felt truly like family, and seemed eager to someday be together again. All aspects of the Feast of Tabernacles 2006 in Sri Lanka were superb.

—Brianna Waddle