“Our Life Work Journey”

UCCP was established in 1948 as an organic union of five churches in mission from the United States of America. After almost 50 years of mission work in the Philippines, the United Brethren Church; Congregational Church; Disciples of Christ; Philippine Methodist Church; and the Presbyterian Church agreed to a union forming the UCCP.

Today, the UCCP has grown to include 2,714 local churches, 16 schools, 4 hospitals, 5

seminaries, with a membership of 1.2 million. It has established itself as an outspoken valiant defender of the poor and oppressed, often suffering persecution for its courageous presence.Evolving as a result of an ecumenical agenda of forging union,

the UCCP has endeavored to maintain its active participation in ecumenical bodies. It is a founding member of the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, and the new United Evangelical Mission. It is also a member of the Christian Conference of Asia, the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, and the World Council of Churches. It has also forged relationship covenants with other church bodies in the Philippines and throughout the world.

NWMJ at a Glance

Northwest Mindanao Jurisdictional Area (NWMJA) of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) is part of the mainline Evangelical & Reformed Protestant Christian denomination in the Philippines. NWMJ is one of the 7 Jurisdictions of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. It composes of 7 Conferences namely; Bukidnon Area Conference, Central Mindanao Area Conference. Lanao District Conference, District Conference of Northern Mindanao, District Conference of Northern Zamboanga, District Conference of Southern Zamboanga, and Western Mindanao Conference. It covers the Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX), Northern Mindanao (Region 10) and Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao

ORANGE Zamboanga Peninsula (Region IX) MAGENTA Northern Mindanao (Region X)

GREEN Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM)

There are 463 Church Workers of the Jurisdiction and is classified as follows: 132 Ordained Ministers, 118 Licentiates, 39 Retired Ordained, 43 Retired Licentiates and 131Lay Preachers).

These Church workers are assigned to 556 Churches (292 Local Churches, 124 Worshipping Congregation, and 63 Outreaches).

The Jurisdictional Area has a total individual UCCP membership of 58, 886 coming from the different ethnic groups.

NWMJ has a Jurisdictional Office whose mandate is the translation to concrete ministries the coordinated plans of the Jurisdictional Cabinet. The Jurisdictional Office serves as an extension of the UCCP National Office. The Bishop assigned in NWMJ is Bishop Melzar D. Labuntog. Bishop Labuntog is assisted by Rev. Rey Alejandro L. Lazaro, the Jurisdictional Program Coordinator and Ms. Emmylou D. Bitayo, the Office Assistant.

Our Jurisdiction also has 5 Church-Related and Church Owned schools which are as follows; Pilgrim Christian College (PCC), in Cagayan de Oro City, Gingoog Christian College (GICC) of Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental, Dansalan College Foundation (DCFI) in Marawi City, Lanao del Sur, Farmers Institute (FI) of Bonifacio, Misamis Occidental and Jimenez Bethel Institute (JBI) in Jimenez, Misamis Occidental. These schools cater to Lumad, Christian and Muslim people in Mindanao. And has established a strong Community outreach/ministries in their areas. In Dansalan in particular we have a Center of Islamic Studies. We also have 55 Early Childhood Education Schools all over the jurisdictional area.

The Jurisdictional Cabinet is composed of the 7 Conference Ministers namely: Rev. Arturo Veladiez BAC, Rev. Rufiniano C. Cabada - CMAC, Rev. Danilo Tobias-LDC, Rev. Abner V. Saycon-DCNM, Rev. Jesse Baclayon-DCNZ, Rev. Gerson Senturias-DCSZ and Rev. Diosdado Marquez-WMC as well as the Conference Chairpersons

the Jurisdictional Presidents of the Church Recognized Organizations (United Church Men, Christian Women Association, Christian Young Adult Fellowship, Christian Youth Fellowship, United Church Workers Organization, Ministerial Spouses Association, and Retired Church Workers and Spouses Association) and the heads of the Church Related and Church Owned Institutions. The Jurisdictional Cabinet holds a meeting quarterly that updates and discusses the life work of each conference; church recognized organization, and the whole ecclesiastical life of the UCCP.

Our Context

Mindanao is the 2nd largest island in the Philippines and 19th biggest island in the world with a land area of 101,998 square kilometers. It is located just above equator and part of the Pacific Rim of Fire. It is mountainous and contains active volcanoes, including Mount Apo, the highest peak in the Philippines. Islam spread throughout Mindanao in the 15th century. It was visited by Ferdinand Magellan in 1521. It was later claimed by Spain, but the resistance of its Muslim inhabitants kept it largely independent of Spanish authority. The Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao, in the western and southwestern portions of the Island, was created in 1990.

Mindanao has 18 million populations; 13 millions non-indigenous groups, 3.6 million indigenous peoples, and 1.4 million Moro (13 tribes). It has been recognized that Mindanao is a Tri-people populace, Christian, Muslim, and Lumad are living together harmoniously with each other.

Mindanao has been known to be the land of promise simply because of the richness and vastness of its natural resources. It’s the food basket of the country that provides agricultural products both in Visayas and Luzon islands and to the whole world. Mindanao has various minerals such as gold, copper, nickel, iron and manganese. It also has opulence found in Philippine Deep and Luguasan Marsh

Though known to be the land of promise but still the sad reality remains that its people are suffering, wallow in deep rooted problems and conflicts. These are as follows:

•Economic Poverty. 1.4 million Families are in hungry. 60% live below poverty threshold.

Land Conversion. Aggressive penetration and expansion of foreign agribusiness producing high value crops for export occupies 40 % of the prime lowland areas. This leads to eating up lands planted to food crops.

•Landlordism. Half of the farmers’ poppulation are non-landowning farmers, they are farm workers. Theses farmers faces the problems of expensive farm inputs, 30% to 40% of their harvest goes to the landlord and usurious loan practices which is as high as 360%-480% per annum.

•Extra Judicial Killings. Killings of Church workers and church leaders who were labeled as sympathizers of the masses. Illegal arrest and savaging are few of the evil schemes. There are 26 church workers and lay leaders who were murdered.•Militarization. Communities have been harassed and displaced from their homes and farms.

•All-Out War in Mindanao. Since 1970, more than 100,000 persons killed, 50 bombing since 2001 where 128 were killed and more than 700 were injured. The cost of war for the last 28 years reaches more than P 80 billion which is 40% of the Philippine Annual Budget•Islamophobia. The irrational fear of Islam, Muslim or Islamic culture. Encompasses the belief that all or most Muslims are religious fanatics.

•Ethnocide. The sum effect of policies and programs that erode cultural integrity and identity of indigenous populations. These are the forms of ethnocide; Militarization, Mining Act of 1995, Land grabbing, Logging operations, Large Dam projects, Recruitment into paramilitary groups & cults, Food blockades & forced evacuations, Culture of impunity, Summary killings and Human rights violations•Human Trafficking. Modern day slavery where human especially children were recruited and sold as slaves. Some were sold to prostitution and for human organ donor.

•Urban Issues. Urban poor are now increasing cause by massive migration coming from the hinterland. Prostitution both men and women is becoming rampant which is the leading source of sexual transmitted infection, HIV and AIDS. •Environmental Issue. Illegal Logging, Mining, Pollution from Multinational Companies, Misuse of Farm inputs, and illegal fishing brought doom to Mindanao natural resources.• Bureaucratic Graft and Corruption. Fertilizer scam, rice crises and other scams lead to mistrust.

NWMJ-UCCP’s Being

Northwest Mindanao Jurisdiction adheres to the Vision, Mission and Goals of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. It also works within the framework of the UCCP Quadrennial Program Thrust.

Our Vision The United Church of Christ in the Philippines, a responsible, empowered, self-reliant and caring community of Christian believers committed to pursuit of a transformed church and society towards an abundant and meaningful life for all.

Our MissionIn light of such vision, the United Church of

Christ in the Philippines, therefore commits itself to the mission of establishing and uniting the community of faith for the proclamation of the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ towards the transformation of both church and society.

Our Goals The United Church of Christ in the Philippines

will translate its mission to the life-work that will focus on the restoration of its relations a foretaste of God's reign or shalom.

Program Thrusts of Quadrennium 2010-2014The gains in the past quadrennium inspire us to renew our commitment to the continuing challenges of mission and the call for discernment and obedience in these critical times. Hence, we shall continue to pursue, rather more intensely, these thrusts: •Unity in the understanding of the faith of the Church;•Vibrant and contextualized worship life of the congregations manifested in a deep, warm and caring fellowship within and among faith communities;•Faithful and responsible stewardship of God-given resources and greater capacity of the Church to support its mission and ministries; •Steadfast prophetic witness of the Church amidst wounds of conflict and despair;•Strengthened cooperation and coordination with and among church-related institutions and organizations as companions in faith journey and as partners-in-mission;•Stronger and meaningful interfaith, ecumenical, and international relations;•Intentional, coherent and integrated programme ministries that give priority to the nurturing and proclamation of the faith, and inspire responsible stewardship, prophetic witness and collective response to contemporary challenges;•Rationalized human resource development programme that ensures capable, responsible and effective leadership for present and future generations;•Clear and coherent organizational and structural mechanisms that are known, understood and upheld by the broad constituency of the Church; and•Commitment to the overall ministry of the church.

NWMJ Life-Work: 7 Program Ministries

The Northwest Mindanao Jurisdiction engages in responding the call of the time through working with God’s people through the 7 program ministries of the church. These are as follows;

1. Evangelism and Church DevelopmentECD is an affirmation that the church exists for mission.

Generally, it serves to help nurture and equip local churches to respond to the call for discipleship, witness and service. The various initiatives undertaken by the local churches and conferences will increase in the number of congregations as the commitment of the church to the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ.

•Each Church Establishes One New Outreach Per Year•Each Member Bring Two New Members•Each Conference Aims for Ecclesiastical Growth•Focusing Evangelism Effectively Today•Evangelism: Its Tools and Methodology•Church Vitality Program: Grow, Glow and Go

2. Christian Education and NurtureCEN is the educating and nurturing arm of the Church. From

conceptualization towards publication, this ministry provides materials for local church and supports technically the ECE centers

with training and equipping of ECE teachers in teaching skills and handling children properly.

•Sunday School Materials •Liturgical Guide (Advent, Lent, others)

•ECE Materials & Trainings of ECE Teachers •Hymnology•Education and Training Workshop•Vacation Church School•Christian Education Trainers’ Training•Reiki: Health Ministry •Children Ministry

Community Ministries

The NWMJ- UCCP believes that the primary locus of the mission is the local church, therefore local churches need to be nurtured and equipped to carry our various forms of ministries in areas that include advocacy for human rights, justice and peace, children and youth ministry, community integration and service, and the protection of environment and God's creation. This ministry implies developing and sustaining ministries that are meaningful, appropriate and relevant to communities where local churches are located.

Health, Human rights, Justice and Peace ministry provides assistance to the victims of variable human rights violations and forms such as harassment, abduction, arrest, detentions, disappearance and killing of UCCP Pastor and church workers. This ministry provides legal assistance to victims and their families including scholarship assistance.

•Human Rights Victim: Advocacy, Legal Assistance, Sanctuary/Shelter•Relief Distribution•Children Ministries: Community Based Education, Street Children’s Program•Human Trafficking: Advocacy, Rescuing, & Sheltering•Feeding•Medical Mission•Health Ministries: Alternative Medicine

Partnership and Ecumenical Relation

PER program is based on the premise of the mission of the church that the church is running on a global scale. Binding with other faith communities globally conveys the responds on global challenges and issues.

•Exchange Program•Ecumenical Internship Program•Joint Partnership Program

•Interfaith and Inter-sectoral Relation (Asian Journey for Peace, Ecumenical Bishop Forum, & CONCORD) •Ecumenical Relation with National Council of Churches in the Philippines Members•Tri-People Forum (Christian, Lumads & Muslims)

. Stewardship and Resource Development

Developing the capability of the local churches, conferences and church-related institutions to develop and manage properties is one of the main concerns of the Church. SRD serves in stimulating and accelerating the stewardship capability at all level in developing properties towards sustainability and self-reliance.

•25% Wider-Mission Support•Financial Management Implementation•Church Building Construction/ Renovation •Human Resource Inventory•Property Development•Safekeeping and Church Property Management

Institutional Ministries This program facilitates the church related/ owned

institutions of the UCCP to become an arm of pursuing God’s missiological life work to God’s people.•Ministerial Formation Centers•Church-Related Educational Institutions (Dansalan College Foundation, Marawi City,Jimenez Bethel Academy, Pilgrim Christian College, Gingoog Christian College)•Church Related Service Institutions

The Office of the Ministry and Lay Empowerment

This program focuses on the development and finalization of what is envisioned to be a Magna Carta for Church Workers. The Magna Carta compiles and synchronizes all the policies of the Church related to its church workers. It is an encompassing document covering the church workers' recruitment, training, recognition and status, terms of settlement, benefits and retirement.It supervises the work of the conferences in ministerial formation, examination and ordination and Settlement.