Inside this issue

From the Pastor’s Heart ........ 2

On the Bright Side ................. 2

Missions Connect .................. 3

Vaughan Outreach ................ 4

Holy Week Cantata 2013 ....... 5

Water Baptism ...................... 6

Family Day Sportsfest ............ 6

Youth Ski Trip ........................ 7

Kids Corner ............................ 8

Upcoming Events

MAY 12 - Mother’s Day

JUN 1 - Single’s Fellowship

JUN 16 - Father’s Day

JUL 10,11,12 - Vacation Bible School

NORTH VICTORY BAPTIST CHURCH www.northvictory.org

Henry Manansala - Senior Pastor

Narciso Tuyadang - Assistant Pastor

Ramiro Basical - Liaison

Mylene Mallari - Editor-in-Chief

Grace Salgado-Corpuz - Associate Editor

Chinky Manansala - Advisor

Gerry Manabat - Writer Jerush Nava - Writer Leslie Sideño - Writer

Cristina Queddeng - Layout Artist

SPRING EDITION April 2013 Volume 1, Issue 2

A newsletter of North Victory Baptist Church

NVBC’s New Place of Worship It is every believer’s desire to have his own place of worship. A place he can call his own – his home. This is particularly true with North Victory Baptist Church. The church has prayed for years to find a building where the congregation could worship God freely and not be bound by time constraints.

Owning a building will yield plenty of benefits for the congregation. It will lessen the expenses of the church in renting facilities during trainings, special occasions, workshops and/or seminars, which are necessary for equipping the leaders and members as well as to those who have not yet realized their need of a Saviour.

The Lord is truly faithful, for He has answered our church’s petition. In November 2012, the leaders made an offer to an existing church building at

432 Rogers Road, Toronto, ON M6M 1A4. On March 27, 2013, the deal was completed. The building has an area of 10,000 sq. ft. and parking is available at a nearby Catholic school, which is about 250 steps away from the church. Praise the Lord for all the help of the brethren, who assisted in any form; for all the fervent prayers and generous contributions, which put the church in a position to buy this building. There were many challenges in the process, but thank God, they were overcome by His grace and mercy. Pastor Henry Manansala would like to extend his gratitude to Brothers Marvin, Renard, Ramir, Jim and Joel, for directly getting involved in the buying process. Moreover, special thanks to the Lord for a dear servant who extended a loan to the church to settle a much-needed HST amount immediately. The church will recover this HST via rebate in about 3 or 4 months. God bless his heart!

The leadership is encouraging everyone to please get involved in the cleaning up and renovation. Nehemiah 2:18b says, “Let us rise up and build. Then they set their hands to this good work.” By the middle of April, the church will be holding activities in the new building, such as prayer meetings, youth fellowships, choir practices, and meetings. And Lord willing, the first worship service will be held there as well on May 5, 2013. Pastor Henry is asking everyone to keep on looking upward and moving forward.

To God be all the glory!VoVVoV

Main worship hall

Church Building and Church Planting in 2013 by Pastor Henry Manansala

As I mentioned in the first VoV issue, we are currently engaged in two major endeavours: the purchase of a building and the Gospel Hour in Maple. Now that the Lord has given us the building at 432 Rogers Road, we will have our hands full in fine tuning the building to suit our needs. The preparation will include renovations, Sunday School classroom divisions, cleaning and many more. On procurement of the building, we will be able to maximize its use and step up our ministries such as the Youth, Training sessions, Evangelism, Couples, Ladies, Men, etc. The Maple Outreach will also mean that a good number of our men and women will be focused in that ministry; hence, we will need more servants to fill in the workers needed in NVBC. These are challenging moments and we need God’s help to achieve “victory” in all these.

God has some vital principles for us to be victorious in these endeavours. First, let us be reminded that it is only by God’s grace and help that we can be victorious. Romans 8:37 says,

“Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” 1 Corinthians 15:57, “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Zechariah 4:6 says, “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of hosts.” Second, we need a strong unity. Matthew 12:25, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.” In order to achieve unity, we need “...lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” Ephesians 4:2-3. While we are busy doing the work of the Lord, the enemy is also busy sowing seeds of enmity, impatience and pride. Let us not allow him to distract or ruin us! If we all look up to Christ in faith and maintain harmony, unity, love, understanding and forgiveness for one another, we will be able to move forward to the glory of God, the salvation of souls and growth of our fellow believers.VoVVoV

2

From the Pastor’s HeartFrom the Pastor’s Heart

Recalling God’s Faithfulness Through the Years by Pastor Narciso Tuyadang

February 17, 2013 marked NVBC’s 8th year anniversary. We were blessed to have a good number of guests who worshipped and later joined the fun in our Family Sportsfest. During the worship service, we were reminded of the “Unbreakable Word of God” from Pastor Henry’s message. He further explained that no matter what, the Scripture can never be broken just as God’s prophecies, promises, and faithfulness never change. Indeed, in the eight years of our church’s existence, God, by His grace, has always been there manifesting His unfailing and unending goodness to the church and in the life of every believer. Such faithfulness must be responded by a genuine act of worship, praises and steadfast service from His people.

In Psalm 116:12, the psalmist said, “What shall I render unto the Lord for His benefits towards me?” In the next few verses that followed, he expressed his personal commitment by using the words “I will.” What about us, what is our response to Him? He has been gripping our arms in spite of our failures. He has healed us, provided jobs, supplied our needs and comforted us. In Romans 12:1, “In view of the mercies of God, Paul exhorted the believers by beseeching them to present a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable which is their reasonable service”. And in

Joshua 24:1-24, Joshua made the Israelites recall how the Lord had been faithful to them from the time of Terah down to the time of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Joshua also reminded the people of the mighty deliverance from the Egyptian bondage, the wilderness wandering and their victory over the Amalekites up to the Moabites on the east side of Jordan. In spite of their unfaithfulness, the Lord has maintained His goodness to them until they reached the Promise Land. In verse 14, Joshua challenged the people by saying, “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth and put away the gods which your father served on the other side of the flood and in Egypt”. And in verse 15, Joshua modelled himself to them by publicly making a commitment hoping that his fellow Israelites will turn from idolatry.

My beloved NVBC brethren, in view of God’s faithfulness to our church, let us think of the ways in which God can be magnified and glorified. Let us remember the victory from every single battle we experienced. May we endeavour to fear and give due reverence to Him faithfully. Let us also aim to serve Him dutifully. And together with Joshua, let us all say, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”VoVVoV

On the Bright SideOn the Bright Side

3

Our missionary trip to the Philippines was born out of years of prayer while God is preparing our hearts. Despite the various challenges and circumstances that seemingly would keep us from pursuing God’s call, God made way for us to leave for the Philippines on January 20, 2013. The long trip opened doors to meet people with whom we had the opportunity to share the Gospel. By God’s providence, we arrived in the Philippines on the night of January 21, 2013. Jet lag would keep us awake through the night. However, God sustained us and allowed us to report for duty in the afternoon of January 22, 2013. Our introduction to the ministry in GMA Cavite began with a Bible study at the home of the Perez family. The Bible study was held every Tuesday. The average attendees were from 15-20 people.

The days that followed allowed us to see the joy and experience God’s mighty power at work in the lives of men. The Bible studies were held every Tuesday-2, Thursday-1, and Fridays-2. These Bible studies’ average attendance was 15-25 each gathering. God amazed us by allowing us to see people come to Him. Without fail, every Bible study would yield fruit from a minimum of 2 or more people accepting the Lord Jesus Christ into their hearts.

God challenged our hearts to spread the Good News in the neighbourhood in Monteverde, GMA Cavite. The two gatherings in the neighbourhood within the subdivision allowed us to share our missions’ purpose which is to bring the Good News of salvation, God’s love and their need to have a personal relationship with Christ rather than a religion. This resulted to startling consequences. The people in the neighbourhood now request for Bible studies to be held in their homes. They now understand why they need Christ in their lives and that they want to know Him more through His Word. Our hearts overflow with joy and amazement at how God worked and showed Himself faithful to accomplish His plans and purposes in our life

as well as to those whom He brought us to minister to.

The opportunity to share the Gospel is so abundant. People’s hearts are open. We recognize God’s work in them. God calls harvesters and we are privileged to be among them. Even in casual meetings and gatherings God’s powerful hands manifested clearly. Sharing the Gospel to neighbours, loved ones and friends was such a joy and privilege. We were thrilled by their positive responses to God’s offer of salvation.

God rewarded with the joy of seeing people come to Him. He also gave us breaks that refreshed our hearts. How blessed we felt we are as God’s missionaries. We cannot out-give God. His blessing is so rich and abundant. We pray for God’s permission for us to come back next year to follow up on what was started in the hearts of those we ministered to. We look forward to see the increase God wrought. All glory and praise be to our Almighty God!

Special thanks to Pastor Henry, North Victory Baptist Church and those who gave toward this endeavour for your prayers and support in various ways! We treasure your partnership with us in the Gospel. God reward you and bless you more abundantly.VoVVoV

M issions Connect

Our First Missionary Trip by Brother Emilio and Sister Ofelia Labro

At Taal Vista Lodge with our hosts Pastor

Arnold Sodsod and his wife Fely Sodsod.

Bible Story Time for kids

Speaking before the women of

MCGC at a Women’s Fellowship

Street Bible Study for Adults

Leading a family to a prayer of

acceptance of the Lord Jesus

4

“Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.” Psalm 145:3

In more than eight years of its existence, North Victory Baptist Church finally gave birth to its first Outreach Ministry in Vaughan, by the grace of God. On Sunday, February 3, 2013 at 4 pm, the first Gospel Hour Worship service was held at the Patricia Kemp Community Centre, 7894 Dufferin Street, Vaughan, Ontario. The friendly usher and usherettes, headed by Brother Dave Montoya, greeted members and guests as they entered the banquet hall. A great number of brethren showed their support by simply being there and by giving a hand in music, social committee and attending to the visitors. About 76 people came, 10 of whom were visitors.

The master of ceremony, Brother Romel Queddeng, was very happy and excited to greet and welcome everyone at the start of the service. Brother Eric Labayne led the praise and worship singing. It was noticeable that there were twelve men of the Gospel Hour team, who rendered a special number entitled “All The Way My Saviour Leads Me” by Lowry Robert. Then, before Pastor Henry Manansala delivered God’s message, he candidly shared that the twelve men somehow symbolizes the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ in Vaughan’s Outreach Ministry, which

is a very good sign. The message from God’s Word was taken from Acts chapters 13 and 14 which is about the missionary journey. He emphasized the importance of church planting. And with this happening, opportunities are created both in the old and the new church. He said, “God will do great and mighty things in His people. The more you hold talents and gifts, the more you hinder the Word of God to spread.” In closing, Pastor Henry challenged the brethren to always remember the 4 E’s - Equipping, Exaltation, Edification and Evangelism. Benediction was led by Pastor Nars Tuyadang.

There was a fellowship after the Gospel Hour. Light snack was served. It was wonderful to witness the hands of God working in the church and in the lives of His people. Everyone is invited to attend the Gospel Hour every Sunday at the Patricia Kemp Community Centre.VoVVoV

Outreach Ministry in Vaughan

Brother Eric Labayne The Twelve Disciples of Vaughan

Brother Romel Queddeng

Pastor Henry Manansala

5

Another year, another opportunity to present and commemorate the sacrificial death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Once again, the choir of North Victory Baptist Church, under the leadership of Brother Darwin Mallari, performed this year’s musical and narrative presentation of the cantata entitled “Who Do You Say I Am?” in three venues: the William Lyon Mackenzie’s auditorium, the Patricia Kemp Community Centre in Vaughan and Hamilton International Baptist Church, to bring glory to the Most High, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. All venues were packed with members and visitors. The voices were arranged, practiced and joined together into a majestic orchestra that gave life to the most amazing story, history has ever known. This cantata refreshed our memory about the humble manifestation of the love of God by being one with us; suffering and dying for us.

Souls and hearts were touched with the songs and heartfelt narrations which were delivered by Mark Manansala as John, Jenelle Cardinal as Peter, and Abbey Espiritu as Mary, Mother of J e s u s , t h r o u g h o u t t h e presentation. An excerpt from the book describes “Who Do You Say I Am?” as “an imaginative blend of dramatic monologues, choral pieces and solos. The musical creates a continually unfolding portrait of Jesus, ultimately proclaiming Him the Christ, the Son of the living God.”VoVVoV

Holy Week Cantata 2013: Who Do You SayWho Do You SayWho Do You Say

I AM?I AM?I AM?

6

Water Baptism “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:4

Water baptism is an important step in the life of a Christian. It is an act of obedience to the command of our Lord Jesus Christ. On Sunday, March 17, 2013 at 4pm, North Victory Baptist Church shared the joy of celebrating the water baptism of its five new members namely Sister Edna Mallari, Brothers Rector and Paul Latoza, Michael Comedes, and Eduardo Grimaldo in a worship service officiated by Pastor Henry Manansala held at the First Filipino Baptist Church. Each one of them gave their encouraging testimony. The service was followed by a fellowship with light snacks prepared by Sister Mary Glen Buelo and team of the Social Committee.

If you have already accepted Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour and would like to follow Him in water baptism, please approach Pastor Henry, Pastor Nars or any of the elders namely

Brothers Jim, Hudson, Ramir, Gerry, Marvin and Richard.VoVVoV

Family Day Sportsfest On February 17, 2013, NVBC celebrated its annual Sports

Festival, which also coincided with the church’s 8th year anniversary as well as the observance of Family Day long weekend. As per customary, the celebration started with the opening prayer by Pastor Narciso Tuyadang followed by the community singing of the Philippine National Anthem “Lupang Hinirang” and the Canadian National Anthem “O Canada” led by Sister Maribel Nicer. Pastor Henry

Manansala delivered the opening remarks and officially opened the tournament. With Brother Samuel Montoya as the Master of Ceremonies, the four competing groups of Matthew (Red), Mark (Blue), Luke (Yellow) and John (Green), who were aptly named after the first four Gospel books of the New Testament, battled it out in the cheering competition. The children stole the attention of both guests and participants when they enthusiastically took part in cheering with their team members. The program organizers wanted to ensure that the children were included in the festivities so they teamed up with some volunteers from our brethren in providing some parlour games for them.

As the games progressed, the Red team won the championship title in basketball category and trailing behind them by one point was the Blue team. In volleyball, the Yellow team bagged the gold while the silver went to the Red team. Overall, the Red team was awarded first place followed by the Blue team in second place. The Yellow team trailed behind in third place while the Green team took the spot for fourth place.

The indefatigable Social Committee staff members were also on hand to serve snacks and thirst-quenching drinks to exhausted but energized players. Family Day Sportsfest is always fun and

enjoyable for everybody and this year was no exception. The participants gave their very best in every game they played in. Although some teams emerged victorious over others, nobody was disappointed of the outcome because everybody was already a winner even before the games began!VoVVoV

John Team (Green)

Matthew Team (Red) Mark Team (Blue)

Luke Team (Yellow)

7

On a sunny day in February, the North Victory Baptist Church’s youth held its first activity for the year 2013 at Snow Valley Ski Resort in Barrie, ON. The estimated attendance totalled to about forty teenagers, half of which were visitors. Some adult members of the church as well as a few children who tagged along with their parents accompanied the youth. God provided a perfect weather as the backdrop for the event. Everybody tried out various winter activities such as skiing, snowboarding and tubing.

The response to the invitations to attend turned out to be a huge success that Pastor Nars, head of the youth ministry, decided to rent a school bus to accommodate such a large group of people. Although the activity was organized to provide fun for the young people, the main purpose was to evangelize to the visitors. Brother Gerry Manabat led a short but meaningful Bible study that catered specifically to their needs.

The exhausted group left the resort at around 4:30pm. The ride back home was very quiet because everybody fell asleep instantly. God’s travelling mercies were upon the group the entire time as everybody

arrived at Downsview Station safe and sound.

One of the goals of this event was to provide a closer bond between the group and the look on everyone’s face was enough proof that the goal was accomplished with flying colours. Please watch out for more exciting activities in the youth ministry in the near future.VoVVoV

Ambassadors for Christ (YOUTH) at Snow Valley Ski Resort

How many people can fit in a giant snow tube?

Spectacular view on the way to the top of

the hill

The chaperones

Striking a pose in front of a ski patroller’s snow mobile

8

CORNER

VVACATION ACATION BBIBLE IBLE SSCHOOLCHOOL

Lots of Fun & Adventure!

July 10, 11, & 12, 2013 from 10:00am to 2:30pm

Children from 2 - 16 years old are welcome!

REGISTRATION FORMS ARE COMING OUT SOON!

WORD SEARCH