by Lito Roldan
November 27, 2011 will always be remembered in GSCC’s history as the day it celebrated the first Sunday Worship at its own church building emblazoned with a new logo on the door of its main entrance. Part I of its renovation completed on schedule, the new temple was ready to host some 130 congregants who could not contain the excitement over the privilege to worship in their own facility they fondly and reverently referred to as “The Boat.”
The date likewise marked the first time in six years GSCC held its Sunday School for Kids with classes in the PreK-K, Grades 3-4 and Grades 5-6 levels conducted by teacher volunteers and their assistants in renovated rooms specially repainted and designed for children. Adult Sunday School also met for the first time at its own spacious classroom where Pastor Jun Caruz will henceforth be able to conduct classes without the unnecessary interruption of reserving or looking for a venue.
Pastor Virgil Fernando, whose birthday coincided with the historic event, led the believers in expressing joy and gratitude to the Lord for “The Boat is Here” while at the same time issuing a challenge: “Now What?” His message focused on GSCC’s great responsibility that comes with the privilege of acquiring its own church building. “The Lord expects us to be good stewards of this building. We are to reach people and help them to become faithful followers of Christ,” he intoned .
He reiterated the congregation’s responsibility to set out to the deep and go fishing, exhorting them to go forth in unity and with a sense of mission as they “row the boat gently down the stream,” handing out an oar everyone took hold of to give them a symbolic yet concrete notion of their participation in the Great Commission as expressed in Matthew 28:19-20: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded.”
Quoting from the Parable of the Talents, the pastor impressed upon the congregation the talents everyone has received from the Lord which he said must be invested wisely and put to good use in the spirit of accountability as stated in Luke 12:48: “ From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
As long as we continue to be faithful stewards of what God has entrusted in us, he will give us much more and abundance the Lord will bestow us, he said, if we learn how to manage three areas of our life, namely: Time by committing ourselves to things of eternal value for time lost is gone forever. James 4:14 warns of boasting about tomorrow: “Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.” Talents by not lacking in seal in serving the Lord according to the grace He has given to us as in Romans 12:6-8; “ We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; . . . if it is leadership, let him govern diligently…” And Treasure by using it honestly to serve God and others. Luke 16: 10 states: “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will be dishonest with much.” The pastor concluded his message by reiterating the challenge: “The Boat is here and our responsibility is to reach out to the lost, to reach out to the community one life at a time.”
The occasion was also an opportunity to give due recognition to Manny Amado, the architect who volunteered his services to design the layout for the two-phase renovation of the building. Kaye Amado, a former member of the GSCC choir, complemented her husband’s generosity with a special vocal rendition of “Great is Thy Faithfulness.” Praising the Lord and giving Him the glory for the “great things He has done” for GSCC, the choir gave a touching performance of Bradley Knight’s arrangement of Tommy Walker’s “To God Be the Glory.” The historic event was capped with a sumptuous lunch prepared by Pastor Oyette’s family in observance of his birthday.
