In a meeting with Nazarene Compassionate Ministry (NCM represented by Rev. Ilde Detalo, Dan Balayo, Glen Loyola, and Rev. David Phillips) last February 8, 2010, the President of Visayan Forum Foundation Inc., Ma. Cecilia Flores-Oebanda expressed her desire for partnership with Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (APNTS represented by Dr. Robert Donahue, Dr. Lee San Young, Rovina Hatcher, Nativity Petallar, Rene Aril, and Calm Mijares) in the near future. This is given the fact that NCM is already a bonafide member of Visayan Forum (VF) after the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that was conducted on February 11, 2010 during APNTS chapel.

During the meeting, Dr. Robert Donahue, APNTS Step-up Coordinator asked Ms.Oebanda if APNTS could have a partnership with APNTS since the latter is a theological institution and not a non-government organization. The President of VF agreed favourably to Donahue’s suggestion. Being a partner of VF means that the beneficiary would receive funds for the purchase of 2 computer units, one printer, and LCD projector and P40,000 per quarter for IT, Life Skills trainings, and maintenance of utilities for 18 months.

The main objective of this partnership is to fight trafficking of persons in the Philippines. APNTS and NCM have been very active in the Stop Trafficking and Exploitation of People through Unlimited Potential (Step-Up) program by training trainers and out-of-school youth (OSY) since last year. APNTS has trained 165 persons (15 years old and above) in computer basics, life skills, job interview issues, and resume making.

Visayan Forum representatives expressed their desire to do further exploration with APNTS and NCM on large-scale programs in the prevention of human trafficking in the community, church, and school levels. They are so excited to do trainings and advocacy among pastors, teachers, and seminary students. While being in the campus, the APNTS representatives showed the VF representatives the fourth floor of the Nielson’s Center for Christian Education (NCEE) Building and they suggested that when the conference hall is done, they would want to conduct one of their events there. Ms. Oebanda also expressed excitement over the Alternative Learning System (ALS) sessions that will be conducted in APNTS beginning this summer. She asked if APNTS could accommodate two trafficking survivors who are currently in their halfway house in Antipolo City. The APNTS team gave her a positive response since the purpose of the ALS is to alleviate the life situation of children and youth in the community, a common cause that both VF and APNTS share.

Today both NCM and APNTS are used by God to bring about a positive change in the lives of people, not just with those who are already Christians but especially with those who have never experienced the love and grace that only Christ can give.

“The APNTS Web Team will soon launch the new interface and structure of the APNTS website. The new coming website will make much easier for us to use and it has more improvements.  This Website Team is spearheaded by Ms. Arlene Fabros, and the effort for the web design has been contributed by Mr. Jarrett Davis with the coordination of Mrs. Calm Mijares and the entire Web Team. Still more to come! God bless APNTS!”

APNTS Celebrates 26 years!
By Jarrett Davis
SBO Editorial Chairperson

Surrounded by a host of guests from over the Metro Manila area, Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary celebrated the 26th anniversary of it foundation this past November 20th with games, music, and special performances. This was a two-day celebration emphasizing the history, mission, and purpose of APNTS.

The entire school came together to coordinate this memorable APNTS event. Faculty and SBO Council collaborated with the Administrative Council to invite special guests and present even some personal photo albums and memorabilia to display for celebration. Architect Eric Sanchez, General Services Manager for the school, worked late into the nights with his staff setting up tents, hanging lighting, and building the stage on which the culminating “Foundation Day” celebration would take place.

The festivities began on Thursday as the campus community celebrated “Heritage Day” with a well-choreographed chapel service as a means of remembering and celebrating the school’s history and roots. Faculty and students were challenged by Philosophy of Religion professor, Rev. Larnie Sam Tabuena as he shared a bit of APNTS’ History and ethos in a Heritage Address entitled “Blessed to be a Blessing.” Following this, faculty, staff and students shared together in an multi-cultural potluck, enjoying a global pallet of flavors and cuisines.

Friday’s “Foundation Day” event, began early in the morning with a sports festival and continued with an ongoing cultural fair, featuring booths and displays from a few of the cultures currently represented at APNTS. A “heritage booth” displayed nearly 30 years of APNTS memories, with faculty photo albums and historical archives from the library. The afternoon featured a program for community children with clowns, snacks, and games.

The culminating event, a lively “Cultural Extravaganza” brought together Community members, students, faculty, staff and alumni, for an evening of celebration and fun. Academic Dean, Dr Lee San Young comments that having a sense of honor and pride in being who we are can be the stepping stone for continuing our legacy. She adds,

We need to know who we are by knowing our history; we need to know ourselves to set the direction for our future.

Greetings from APNTS current and past Presidents:
Floyd T. Cunningham | LeBron Fairbanks | Hitoshi (Paul) and Mitsuko Fukue | John & Janice Nielson | Don Owens |

APNTS Foundation Day 2009 Greetings

from Floyd Cunningham,

November 27, 2009s


Greetings on the 26th anniversary of APNTS,


I so wish that I were there with you celebrating this great event of our twenty-sixth anniversary.


I am tremendously proud of each of the students and faculty members that have assembled at APNTS across the years – so thankful that Dr. Donald Owens invited me to become a part of this institution in its beginning years.


The spirit of APNTS has always been “bridging cultures for Christ,” and creating a “Christ culture” that transcends the barriers of nationality and ethnicity.


Those who have come to APNTS have had the opportunity of building lifelong friendships with those from cultures. About 50 graduates of APNTS are themselves today involved in cross-cultural ministries.


In the last years we have been “building new bridges” to those who are both near and far, drawing others into the community of Christ, and finding ways of partnering with other like-minded believers.


We are fulfilling and developing programs and ministries based upon the vision of APNTS, to be a center of academic excellence and to prepare men and women for ministries in Asia, the Pacific and the world.


As we prepare men and women for other times and places, we are also striving to be right now a holiness-aspiring people of God in the particular time and place that God has put us.


God’s blessings upon you as you participate in this great event,


Floyd T. Cunningham

from LeBron Fairbanks,

November 20, 2009


Dear friends and members of the APNTS community, grace and peace to you.


I greet you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.


I celebrate with you on Heritage Day, and wish I could join you in the chapel service. You will be blessed and challenged by Rev. Larnie Sam Tabuena’s message. I am in Argentina this weekend, preparing to speak at the graduation ceremony of the Nazarene Seminary of the Southern Cone, in Pilar, Argentina.


My wife, son, and I have great memories of our years on the APNTS campus. We learned so much from the students, faculty, staff and Christian community. Just two weeks ago, I spoke in the chapel of the Nazarene Seminary of the Americas In Costa Rica, from the APNTS scripture verse, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and man, the person, Christ Jesus” I Timothy 2:15.


Students on the APNTS campus and the Christians with whom we worshipped in the Philippines taught us by word and by deed that the simplicity of holiness is wrapped up in the chorus I heard them sing often,


I’ll say yes, Lord, yes, to Your will and to Your way.
I’ll say yes, Lord, yes, I will trust You and obey.
When Your Spirit speaks to me,
With my whole heart I’ll agree,
And my answer will be yes, Lord, yes.


May God’s grace and abundant blessings be yours on this special day in the life of Asia Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary.


Gratefully,
E. LeBron Fairbanks
Education Commissioner, Church of the Nazarene,
APNTS president, 1984-1989.

from Hitoshi (Paul) and Mitsuko Fukue,

November 17, 2009


To our beloved APNTS family:


We send a warm greeting from Japan to you all in the name of our gracious and compassionate God! We rejoice with you as you celebrate this special Foundation Day of APNTS. We wish we could be there among you to praise the goodness of our Lord together with you.


We have heard of the recent typhoon that hit the Philippines and caused much calamity. We also learned that many neighborhood people in Kaytikling took refuge under your wing and you immediately responded to the needs of these victims of the typhoon. You have shown that you are the light of the world and the salt of the earth through this compassionate ministry. And that is what the seminary education is all about. Our compassionate God is creating men and women of compassion for those in need. But as you all know, we need to be equipped to be of meaningful use for God rather than simply feeling compassionate toward needy people. And the equipping takes time and energy and hard discipline of mind, heart and body. This makes the raison d’etre of APNTS ever more clear. God is preparing you all for the ministry of compassion in all dimensions of life. And we are extremely glad that APNTS is there to help you in such well rounded theological and ministerial concerns. Let us praise the Lord for His gracious hand upon APNTS from the beginning of its history up to the present. Our prayers and love are with you as you continue to move forward with its great mission in Asia-Pacific and beyond. May His blessings and care be upon you especially on this special day of celebration. We miss you very much.


Yours in Christ,


Hitoshi (Paul) and Mitsuko Fukue

from John & Janice Nielson,

It took great faith, for the founders of Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary to believe that it was possible to bring people from many cultures and languages to one place and that they could live, study, and worship together in community. But they had that faith, knowing that it was possible through the working of God’s Spirit.


It took prayerful innovation for them to build such a community, for there were no books to guide them and few models for their task. But they knew that such a place could be built if it’s foundation was God’s Word.


It took faithful commitment for many through the years to maintain and strengthen what was begun . . . to celebrate differences, and live together on the basis of the faith we share . . . to be spiritually alive and educationally strong and ministerially relevant. But they were able to do so by relying on God’s Power.


Now new generations must exercise that same faith and implement that same innovation and demonstrate that same commitment. The task will still be totally dependent on God’s Spirit, God’s Word, and God’s Power. “May all who come behind us find us faithful.”


We send our warm greetings, our deep gratitude, and our heartfelt prayers as you celebrate Heritage Day and Foundation day together.


Grace and Peace,


John & Janice Nielson

from Don Owens,

November 15, 2009


Dear Colleagues and Friends of APNTS:


It is my honor and pleasure to send greetings to you at this important juncture in the life and ministry of Asia-Pacific Nazarene Seminary. Thank you for choosing this moment for reflection on what we are about in a theological enterprise that seeks to “Bridge Cultures for Christ.” I am deeply grateful for the impact that this institution is having in the Asia-Pacific region and beyond.


My admiration for your administration and faculty knows no bounds. I sense personal fulfillment and joy in knowing that the initial vision for such a theological center continues with increasing effectiveness.


May I present you with two of my favorite quotations in the context of the “full-service” mission of the Church and its work. “A person may travel seven thousand miles to communicate Christ, but it is the last thirty inches that makes the difference.” Another one, “In presenting the Gospel in its full-orbed nature, we do well to remind ourselves that a hungry person has no ears.” To build bridges, we must begin where people are. To learn…to serve…to be…that is what we are about at APNTS. The learning environment is wonderful, opportunities to serve are everywhere near at hand, and in the process we become the people of God that He desires that we be.


Recently, my heart was stirred as I learned of the devastation and suffering of our beautiful Filipino people due to the horrendous floods in the greater Manila area. But, I am also moved at the outpouring of compassion and love that the faculty, staff, and student body demonstrated in their response to the mounting needs in the area. That is Christ-likeness in its fullest expression, and in the process of learning and serving, you are discovering that building bridges must begin at home. I am proud of you…..but even more important, our Lord Jesus Christ of the “Good Samaritan” story must be very pleased indeed. May God bless your gathering with a strong sense of His presence. You are in our daily prayers.


Sincerely yours in the Mission,


Don Owens

NOVEMBER 20, 2009

APNTS Foundation Day

SPORTS FESTIVAL
8am – 12pm, APNTS Grounds
HERITAGE/CULTURAL FAIR
All Day, APNTS Grounds
CHILDREN’S PROGRAM
2pm-4pm, Wooten Chapel
CULTURAL EXTRAVAGANZA
6pm-8pm, APNTS Grounds
(Bands, Performers, Cultural Presentations)

APNTS “Bridges Cultures” to Bring Medical Help to Surrounding Communities.

by Jarrett Davis
SBO Editorial Chairperson

Since its inception the motto of APNTS has been “bridging cultures for Christ,” believing that great things can be done as cultures partner together in Christ. Perhaps this past November 2th and 3th epitomized that mindset as medical mission teams from Susanville, California and Kiev, Ukraine converged on the APNTS campus, to partner with the school’s Student Body Organization (SBO) and the Supervised Ministry Class, in order to bring free medical care, pharmaceuticals, and pastoral counseling services to the surrounding communities of APNTS.


This event is a part of the continuing commitment and partnership of APNTS with its surrounding communities. Most patients seen in the medical mission came from “Rowenas,” a low-income community located just behind the APNTS compound, on the banks of the creek that flows through the school’s campus.


The SBO council organized the mission, sorting medications and setting up a temporary clinic and pharmacy in “Nazareth Hall,” located on the APNTS Campus. SBO Academic Chair Abby Galzote recalls the intriguing experience of doing “three-way” translation. One of the medical doctors on the mission team spoke only Ukrainian and many of the patients coming to the medial mission spoke only Tagalog, it was Galzote’s job to translate the patient’s Tagalog into English, so that it could be retranslated into Ukrainian and then returned as the doctor responded.


Steven Jones, a medical technician and one of the team’s leaders found the two-day project to be a moving experience. In the process of working together with APNTS faculty and students, he was brought deeply into the midst of the lives of the people living in the community.


Perhaps the timing for such an event could not have been more appropriate. The Rowenas community was strongly affected by Typhoon Ondoy (International Name: Ketsana) only one month prior to this event. The community experienced the loss of many homes and several lives in the storm. Understanding this, the SBO Council members intended for this event to meet the “holistic” concerns of the surrounding communities, not only addressing their medical concerns and bringing physical wellness, but also providing a chance to talk, build relationships, and bring mental and spiritual healing as well.

It was a difficult decision to cancel all classes for a whole week when we just sent home those 289 evacuees we had housed in our old library, having offered them shelter, food, and medical care for two days. It all happened during the Reading and Research week when Typhoon Ondoy hit us here. Without water, phone/internet, the small number of students and faculty members who were on campus at the time took care of evacuees around the clock. No water to do dishes, or to wash their faces. Nevertheless, a handful of our students, faculty members and staff, in comparison with the number of evacuees we had taken in, 289, had to cook, and took care of them. Can you imagine gathering up rain water, carrying it up and down the stairs to flush toilets? They had to sanitize bathroom floors cleaning up the filth overflowing from the toilets that were not working properly. I wish we had captured with pictures the sunken eyes and haggard look on students and faculty members’ faces –Frank, Dinga, Adam, Rober, Dr. Land, Prof. Hatcher and many more. They had done all these by themselves!!

After the evacuees were sent home with a packages containing clothes, canned food/noodles, and separately a Crisis Care Kit, our students and faculty members had to, again, clean up our flooded chapel where the floor was caked with mud, including the baptistery (we caught a snake in the baptisry!) and prayer rooms. Out soaking in the rain, in the open space in front of chapel, they had to wash the muddied benches, dry and carry them back into the chapel.

Crisis Care Kits

Enough! I thought we had done and gone through enough already, and it was time for our school to function as a school. Although our school was also affected by the flood, and it would cost us a small fortune to fix up the damages done to the walls and housing on our campus, we could still have classes. Going back to a normal life, at least, on our campus would hasten the process of society at large going back to its normal life, after all, I thought. Also it was “depending on the school condition” whether to open school or not, so was the decision made to have classes. There was silence from the majority of people on campus after the announcement was made, about the decision, I, as the Academic Dean made. Soon after, however, I had to reverse the decision I made a few hours before. When I was directed to read a note from the government recommending/declaring suspension of classes, which finished with the sentence “…so that schools can be a resource center” for the communities around them, I felt compelled to change from the decision I had made to have classes, to “not to have classes” so that we could help out our neighbors around us as community.

Our God is a God of compassion...

WOW! The enthusiastic responses to the reversed decision I made I got from students and faculty members were overwhelming. Their responses were pouring in by text messages, “Thank you so much”, “Smart decision you have made”, “Weighty decision to make, yet, you are doing a good job”, “Thank you”, …,. At that, I wanted to exclaim, and I exclaimed, “Long live APNTS!!” I thanked God for such a healthy seminary whose members are interested in practicing what they learn and teach in their classrooms, –to communicate God’s love with people who are in need of God’s love. Taken that those responses are a reflection of how well we are doing and functioning as we are suppose to as seminary, I could not help being proud of all of us at APNTS! I could sense that our campus became revitalized from the state of silence and resignation, to bringing back bright smiles on students’ face, cheerful spirits in everyone around campus! We did not waste any time from the moment the decision was reversed. We called for a meeting for all students and faculty members on campus to discuss how to help affected people around us. We divided into groups to investigate communities around us and to offer help to them, –cleaning, washing and fixing up. Some of us went out to help cleaning up; some of us went out buying and packing things to distribute. On Friday, we invited 200 families to receive rice, canned food/noodles, and clothes, and separately, another 236 children were invited to receive clothes, school supplies (notebooks, pencils, and glue) and slipper, –the things we purchased with the donations made by all of us. We wanted to communicate with those who have lost almost all they have, the love of God who is “compassionate and gracious” who knows what they are going through because our God also experienced the loss of His own Son for our sake. Thanks be to God!!

~Written by Dr. Lee San Young, Academic Dean