LUZON – MINDORO SECTION
From 1921 until 1950, Oriental Mindoro was a province of the Philippines before being divided into Oriental Mindoro and Occidental Mindoro. The words “Mina” and “De Oro,” which refer to substantial gold deposits, are the origin of the word “Mindoro.” Miguel Lopez de Legaspi, the first Spanish Governor General of the Philippines, first discovered Mindoro. Many people have migrated to Mindoro since 1921 from various provinces. Mindoro thus has a wide variety of dialects, including Ilocano, Bicol, Tagalog, Ilonggo, Cebuano, and Visayan. It is an agricultural province, Oriental Mindoro. The means of subsistence include fishing, farming, planting rice, and maintaining fruit-bearing trees. Although Oriental Mindoro is an ecclesiastical province of various sects, many barangays still require evangelization.
EFC-Oriental Mindoro
Oriental Mindoro, a region with 14 towns and one city, is home to some JECPP Churches. Our JECPP Mindoro sectional office is situated in Bethel Victoria, Oriental Mindoro. Rev. Eddie Falla first met Rev. Salvador Lachica in 2006, who was looking for pastors willing to start churches through JECPP Pastor Eddie Falla who was pastoring an independent church at the time.
He was brought to Calapan for an interview by Pastor Lachica. As a result, nine pastors were interviewed, and he is the remaining JECPP worker in the Mindoro section. Following that interview, he sought the Lord for the best location to plant a church for JECPP. God guided him to San Cristobal after a month of prayer. Pastor Eddie Falla started evangelizing once he received approval from the barangay captain.
God blessed him one day when he met their volunteer leader, brother Jessie Yasona. After hearing the word of God, he and his family gave their lives to Jesus and offered their home for gatherings every Sunday afternoon. After one year of meeting in their home, he donated a small lot to the church building. They now have a stunning Evangel church structure in San Cristobal.
After hearing Rev. Dr. Robert Lim preach about church planting in 2010, God began to open his eyes. On that day, he received a challenge to begin more church planting. The pastor was also blessed by the vision God gave him. He conveyed that vision to his leaders as a church planter.
God prompted Rev. Dr. Robert Lim in 2011 to pursue a new course of action: developing leaders utilizing T4T (Training 4 Trainers). This is a valuable material for church growth and the training of leaders and members. He was chosen to serve as the core leader of Mindoro in the middle of 2013. Although accepting this responsibility required much faith in God as it was difficult. The pastor encouraged every church planter in Mindoro to teach T4T following the skills that God has given him as a new core leader. The Mindoro Section carried on the ministry after Pastor Jetro Novero assumed leadership of the Luzon Region Ministry.
During the pandemic years 2020-2021, the Mindoro Section never stopped. The use of social media for their weekly gathering on Sundays via live streaming on Facebook is made possible by technological advancements. Due to his membership in the Philippine Coast Guard Auxiliary, the pastor can visit his church members even during the pandemic. When the time came, they could reassemble in the church. The members had doubled in number from the previous membership, which astounded them.
Rev. Eddie Falla, the Mindoro Section Coordinator, appointed Pastor Dwight Ryan Falla and his wife, Jeannie Rose M. Falla, to take over the leadership of EFC San Cristobal and the ministry in 2019. By God’s grace, the EFC San Cristobal continues to grow.
The Mindoro Section established a new church building in Upper Bambanin this year with Bro. Alejandro and Sis. Ashley Dechosa, whom he appointed to lead the church in Upper Bambanin, thanks to God’s grace and faithfulness. Evangel Family Churches in Mindoro are currently progressing. God be praised for His grace.
