Can bees plant a church? Well, of course not. Not really. Bees cannot plant a local church. But do you know that a local church was planted at Barangay Antipolo, Rizal, Laguna because of beekeeping? That’s right! It’s quite an amazing story so last September 25, 2016 I visited this beekeeper to find out his story.
Beekeeping Pastor
It all started when Pastor Tom Sotalbo got interested in beekeeping. This gave him a livelihood and source of income which eventually made it possible for him to get a beekeeper job in Canada.
This is the Love of God Christian Fellowship, a local congregation of Grace Communion International in Barangay Antipolo, Rizal, Laguna, Philippines.
Having lost their jobs, his brothers also got interested to become beekeepers in order to support their families. So he trained his brothers as well. But before the training, they studied the Word of God first. Other friends and relatives got interested too. Pastor Tom shared the Word of God to them first before the beekeeping training started. That is how that church was planted in their local community. It’s now called the Love of God Christian Fellowship (LGCF), a local congregation of Grace Communion International(GCI).
Another Beekeeping Church in New Zealand
But that’s not the end of the story. Just a few months ago, a new local congregation was planted in Masterton, New Zealand because of beekeepers! These are mostly Filipino beekeepers and their families who have moved there to work as beekeepers. Pastor Tom trained many of them. This is another GCI local church planted because of beekeeping. Isn’t that amazing? God truly works in many amazing ways.
Together with my wife, I went to the Payatas garbage dumpsite of Metro Manila last September 4, 2016. We went there to visit the Payatas Family of Christ Church which is a local congregation of Grace Communion International. This congregation was obviously sharing love in Payatas. They were sharing the love of God to all the neighbors in their Payatas community at the dumpsite.
Ptr. Fred Millamena (right) and me (left) at their Sunday worship service in Payatas.
Having lost his arrastre job at the South harbor, Ptr. Fred Millamena went to Payatas to look for a place to live in which was rent-free. He was also at the same time looking for a means of livelihood in the area. Being passionate about God’s love, he also shared the good news of Jesus Christ to his neighbors. A small group of several families was formed which was eventually became a a local congregation since it started in 1997. The church has continued to grow and serve the community of poor people in the community. The church has grown a lot since we last visited them sometime in the year 2000.
This is the Payatas Family of Christ Church, a local congregation of Grace Communion International.
Here’s a video of Ptr. Fred Millamena himself telling the story about how the Lord has reached out to the poorest of the poor at the Payatas garbage dumpsite:
One of the highlight of my recent visit to Palawan last January 27-30, 2017 was my visit to the Taw-Kabui, a school for special children in the city of Puerto Princesa. I interviewed the school president, Pastor Solomon Rosario along with his wife Ofel. It was inspiring to see their dedication to help the children in the city with special needs. The school for special children has been in operation for some ten years now.
A young German volunteer teacher shares her time with the special children at Taw-Kabui.
Taw-Kabui, a Ministry for Special Children
Pastor Mon, his wife and his team went through a lot of challenges when they started this ministry and the challenges continue but they have persisted in this ministry knowing that the Lord is with them all the way.
Taw-Kabui is a ministry of the Touch of Grace Christian Fellowship (TGCF), a local congregation of Grace Communion International (GCI) in Puerto Princesa, Palawan. Taw-Kabui is a word from the local dialect which means “share a life.”
