Sri Lanka (Beruwela)

Members from Sri Lanka once again kindly hosted brethren from around the globe, including India, Kuwait and the United States, to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. The location was the Club Palm Garden Hotel, located in Beruwela, which is 35 miles south of the capital city, Colombo. (Beruwela is located on the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka along the beautiful, soft-sanded shoreline of the Indian Ocean.) Thirty attended, several for their first time ever.

The Club Palm Garden is a lovely, very reasonable resort hotel on the ocean front, with fine and friendly service and delicious assorted foods. Members dined together, with meals including fine varieties of Sri Lankan favorites, along with Indian, Italian, French, German, British and American foods. Flavorful fresh fruits, and a wide assortment of delectable desserts were also offered. And, of course, an item Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon) may be best known for around the world, fine tea, was always available. In fact, tea and other tasty snacks were also provided in the meeting hall each afternoon.

Members shared a feast of fellowship, being together for most parts of each day, and growing together as part of God’s Family. That was indeed one of the greater joys of being together as a small group, and interacting with each other on such a regular basis.

A Family Day was held out on the warm, sunny beach, with brethren sharing their skills in balancing fresh limes on the spoons adroitly held in their mouths; attempting to avoid losing the ocean water held in sponges which were passed over their heads or between their legs as teams tried to fill soda bottles with whatever remained at the end of the line; and tugging or being tugged “in peace” across the non-battle line. The warm ocean waters were also enjoyed by many.

Other activities included a fun family dance, with local and international music, and a talent show, in which members from each family participated. Quite a few also joined together for a karaoke night.

The spiritual feast included messages focused on God’s awesome plan here on earth, the Kingdom being established by Jesus Christ, and our awesome calling to serve Him in doing so. It also included messages on staying focused on what the Feast is all about, lessons we can learn from Israel’s 40 years in temporary dwellings, the Holy Days and harvest seasons, what the family will be like in the World Tomorrow, the way to death and the way to eternal life, and preparing for the Kingdom of God.

As the Feast ended, and families prepared to return home, the members felt closely bonded together, looking forward to the time when all would be brought back together again.

—Dave Evans

Singapore

Fine tropical weather and warm local greetings welcomed 95 attendees to the Orchid Country Club in northern Singapore. This was nearly triple the attendance of 2006.

Eleven countries were represented—Australia, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand, Mauritius, New Zealand, Scotland and the United States. One Asian-American couple returned to the Singapore site for the first time in twenty years. It was a joyous reunion with so many old friends.

Services were conducted in English at the Club, a landmark featuring colonial architecture, manicured golf courses and modern sports facilities. Gorgeous orchids adorn the entire complex. Most brethren stayed at the Feast venue itself, sharing meals, tranquil lake views and engaging fellowship throughout the Feast. The Orchid Country Club is already reserved for the Feast in 2008.

Singaporean brethren are gracious hosts who happily share their lovely, modern city—including great restaurants and cultural locations. Activities included three banquets and trips to a variety of interesting places: Little India, China Town, Botanical Gardens, the colonial district and Arab Street.

One group walked along a wetland nature trail in northwest Singapore, observing water monitors, tropical birds, snakes and other wildlife in a natural mangrove swamp. Another group toured the local Tiger brewery followed by an Asian-European banquet and karaoke evening.
Since most Asian brethren meet for services just once a year in this region, it’s a special time for catching up with friends and meeting international brethren. They share life experiences and become spiritually rejuvenated for another year in their scattered areas. Eating, laughing and fellowshipping—sometimes late into the night—was truly a highlight of the Singapore site.

Sermons by visiting minister Bruce Gore and other elders encouraged everyone to envision the challenges and realities of actually establishing the Kingdom of God on the earth. During the last service of the Last Great Day, Mr. Gore encouraged us to be exemplary and courageous Christian soldiers in our spiritual lives over the next year in the nations where we reside.

—Jeff Caudle

Baguio City, Philippines

Baguio City was once again one of three Feast of Tabernacles’ sites for the United Church of God, AIA here in the Philippines. For the seventh consecutive year, the United Church of God’s Feast of Tabernacles was again held at the conference hall of the “Ang Ating Tahanan” grounds of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines located along South Drive in Baguio City.

The Feast started out with our traditional opening night service on the evening of September 26 with the opening night message being delivered to us by our pastor for Baguio and Dagupan City, Mr. Eriz Dizon. We were once again expecting a lower than the previous years’ attendance of only about 80 to 90 for this year due to a number of families transferring to other Philippine Feast sites. But we were very pleasantly surprised to see the number exceeding our expectations again as the attendance reached its highest on the fourth day of the Feast at 121!

Quite a number of those keeping the Feast with us for the first time turned up at the Baguio Festival Site. Some were new people attending the Feast of the first time and some from our former association.

This year’s Festival Video entitled “Threshold of a New Age” featuring our brethren in prophetic Europe was well appreciated by the brethren. This has strengthened their faith in the scripture which says that indeed “we have a more sure word of prophecy.”

The Festival Show this year was held on the fourth day of the Feast. It featured folk songs and folk dances from different countries around the world like Israel, Latin America, Hawaii, Hungary and Italy as well as a good number of Filipino songs and folk dances. A native Filipino music piece was again performed by our small “Rondalla” composed of a number of brethren playing native stringed instruments similar to the mandolin called “bandurias” and “octavinas,” and accompanied by a guitar. Because of the rains, most of our activities were done indoors but hardly anyone was bothered by the rains as all enjoyed the activities participated in by the young and old alike as well as the whole family. Among the other Festival activities were the youth day and family day, as well as the seniors’ night where for the second year, the teens and young adults organized themselves to serve a special dinner for our seniors at the Feast. There was also a film showing and a “videoke” in the evening after the family day on the sixth day of the Feast.

With all the fine fellowship, enjoyment and the spiritually inspiring messages we received during this Feast, everyone present felt they experienced a greater degree of unity among the brethren in this Festival site. Indeed, the just concluded Feast of Tabernacles and Last Great Day stood out as the best so far in many years.

—Rey Evasco

Iloilo City, Philippines

This year, 138 people including children attended the Feast of Tabernacles and the Last Great Day at Punta Villa Resort, Iloilo City, Philippines.

The Feast kicked off last September 26 with an opening night service. For eight days the brethren experienced a glimpse of the World Tomorrow when the meaning and significance of the Festivals were explained thoroughly by assigned speakers, discussing the events that are still in the future but are sure to come. Given much focus was the coming Millennium when the Kingdom of God will be established by Jesus with His saints, people who have been called, chosen and have remained faithful until the end. The Bible calls them “the first fruit of God’s harvest.” The picture of the World Tomorrow was vividly portrayed in the Bible, much of which was never understood by the great majority of mankind, even by many of the so-called Christian churches of this world.

We are privileged to have at this year’s Feast our guest minister Mr. John Cafourek from Oregon, U.S.A, who gave three Festival messages and a Bible Study in the afternoon of the Sabbath. The Festival Video titled “Threshold of a New Age” was greatly appreciated by the brethren. That video gave the brethren a clear idea of what to expect in the near future as much of prophetic events foretold in the Bible are being fulfilled right before our eyes.

Many of our visitors who attended and experienced the Festival for the first time in Iloilo came as far as New Zealand and from the mainland U.S.A. Some have families in the Philippines whom they invited to share the rejoicing with God’s people and also to learn the wonderful truth and plan of God for mankind—a truth which they never heard in their particular Christian group.

Different uplifting activities were held in the afternoon except for the Sabbath when there were whole services. Activities like the Family Day and the Youth Day were especially enjoyed by all the brethren. games, camaraderie, and food—not to mention that one whole ox was roasted and shared by everyone—were much appreciated. The entertainment during the Family Dance Night was a double treat as performers gave their best talents to the enjoyment of the audience. After which, everyone shared the floor in a night of ballroom dancing.

United Church of God members continue to reap praises from the resorts’ management and employees for the brethren’s orderliness and good behavior for the whole duration of the Feast.

This year’s Feast was one of the best feasts ever for God’s people in the central part of the Philippines. The brethren eagerly look forward to next year’s Festivals.

—Florante Siopan

Davao City, Philippines

The Davao City Festival Site hosted four hundred attendees this year, and for the first time included the greatest number of overseas guests coming from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States numbering 20. Included in this count was Mr. John Cafourek (and his wife Sandra) from Salem, Oregon, who volunteered as guest speaker in two Philippine festival sites this year.

Starting with the opening night service featuring the festival video: “Threshold of a New Age,” the momentum of spiritual messages and other activities moved on to inspire and edify, even as we were blessed with bright and good weather throughout the Feast.

Afternoon activities included tours; livelihood workshops on various trades; fun-filled activities for children; challenging events for youths and singles; a relaxing seniors’ social; an eventful family sports day with an appetizing fruit festival; and an enlightening Bible Study with Q&A on the Sabbath afternoon.

Other evening activities included a fellowship & acquaintance night; family dance night; a Church leaders’ dinner (in appreciation for their help in serving among the 17 active congregations scattered in Mindanao); and a colorful and entertaining variety show. But a new and much appreciated feature this year was conducting Practical Christianity Seminars and devoting an evening each for: Married Couples, Singles, and Youths.

Due to some generous donations, this Feast featured again special blessings as daily free lunch for all; a bonus of roasted calf for lunch on both the first and last day; distribution of breakfast food items to all families and individuals twice; distribution of children’s coloring books, and giving away of gift items in the course of the many activities.

Our list of spiritual highlights included blessing of three infants whose parents live in remote regions; and baptism of five individuals namely: Ricardo & Daisy Gepanaga, Teresita Zayas, Ramil Bartolaba, and Geruel Ortega. We also had five ordination to Deacons and two for Deaconesses. They are the following: Manuel & Betty Valdez, Gem & Sarah Nagtalon, Merlito Tonog, Osias Eturalde, and James Presbitero.

Most say that the Feast this year was again blessed by God to be their greatest thus far. One overseas guest who attended in Davao this year wrote me: “Just want you to know that I had one of the best feasts ever, and there have been 38 in all [my life].”

—Edmond Macaraeg

© 2007 United Church of God, AIA - Pilipinas