WHO IS THE DURHAM FIL-CAN SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH?
HISTORY
In view of the growing Filipino community in the Durham Region, particularly in the Oshawa-Courtice area, Filipino members from the College Park Adventist Church felt God’s call to establish a Filipino congregation with a special mission to reach out to fellow countrymen in the area.
The initial effort to establish Filipino Adventist presence in Durham took place on Friday evening, September 22, 2006 at the Guarin’s residence in Oshawa. Present were the Arriola, Flores, Guarin, McCarty, Quiambao and Rosa families. Prayer, study of God’s Word and outreach were paramount to the life and ministry of the group. But as years passed by, majority of the group members became more assimilated into the various ministries of College Park Adventist Church (CPC), which put the church planting plan on hold for a while.
Thankfully, after six years, the desire to plant a Filipino congregation in Durham was rekindled. On May 7, 2012, the Filipino Adventist Minister’s Association, under the chairmanship of Pastor Joseph Batiancila, voted to pursue a 10-year church planting plan to be participated in by all Filipino churches in Ontario. Five cities/municipalities were chosen to be the focus of this concerted effort with Oshawa being the first in the list. Dialogues were arranged between the Filipino pastors and CPC’s pastoral staff to discuss ways on how to materialize the said plan.
Then on the eve of September 21, 2012, forty-five (45) individuals (adults and children combined), met at the Orijuela-Martin-s place in Oshawa to pray together for God’s leading – and this marked the beginning of the weekly Friday vespers meetings that united the group in purpose and mission. In attendance were the Arriola, Babida, Bautista, Bongato, Dela Cruz, Lubiran, Martin, Moncada, Orijuela, Pascual, Pornillosa, Rey, Telebrico and Tuburan families. The number of weekly attendees continued to increase. Different families hosted the weekly vespers service on a rotation basis and various speakers were invited including Pastor Leo Launio, Pastor Jesse Anunciacion, Pastor Gerry Pasikatan and Pastor Sereivudh Lee. This paved the way for the establishment of the Durham Filipino-Canadian Group.
BELIEFS
Seventh-day Adventists accept the Bible as the only source of our beliefs. We consider our movement to be the result of the Protestant conviction Sola Scriptura—the Bible as the only standard of faith and practice for Christians.
Currently, Adventists hold 28 fundamental beliefs that can be organized into six categories—the doctrines of God, man, salvation, the church, the Christian life and last day events. In each teaching, God is the architect, who in wisdom, grace and infinite love, is restoring a relationship with humanity that will last for eternity
GOD
We believe that God Loves
God is love, power, and splendor—and God is a mystery. His ways are far beyond us, but He still reaches out to us. God is infinite yet intimate, three yet one, all-knowing yet all-forgiving.
LIST OF OFFICERS
Group Coordinator – Efren Moncada
Assistant Group Coordinator – Ada Babida
Secretary – Bless Ariola
Treasurer – Mary Ann Ruego
Communications – Aileen Pornillosa
Outreach Coordinator – Romy Orijuela
Worship Coordinator – Mina Joy Rey
Family Ministries Coordinators – John and Gina Bongato
Music Coordinators – Alpha and Prince Pascual
Adventurer Club Director – Amor Bautista
Pathfinder Club Director – John Philip Habaradas
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