DALLAS – The need for intentionality and unity framed the conversation at the recent annual meeting of the Filipino Southern Baptist Fellowship of North America.
The Filipino Fellowship met June 9 in the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, a day before the start of the 2025 SBC Annual Meeting.
“Let’s commit ourselves to the agenda of our Lord Jesus Christ, not our agenda,” said President Pablito “Lito” Lucas, pastor of Philippine International Christian Fellowship in Lakeland, Fla., after reading 2 Peter 1:5-8, “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith ….”
Following praise and worship led by Biblical Community Church East in Mesquite, Texas, where Victor Dela Cruz is pastor, representatives from several SBC entities spoke. This included Jeff Iorg, president and CEO of the SBC Executive Committee, who was the event’s keynote speaker.
Introduced by Filipino Vice President Valantino “Val” Natcher, pastor of Filipino Bible Church in Anchorage, Alaska, the following brought greetings and information from their entities: Jeremy Sin of NAMB, Ezra Bae of IMB, Hoon Im of Guidestone, Adam Groza of Gateway Seminary and Charles Grant of the SBC Executive Committee.
Bae, the IMB’s Asian Network Strategist told his listeners of the seven Filipinos serving overseas. “We need more,” Bae said.
Grant, SBC EC associate vice president for convention partnerships, thanked his Filipino listeners for their Cooperative Program giving and unity in the Gospel with all Southern Baptists.
“Southern Baptists are a force for good,” Grant said. “In the Rocky movies, winning wasn’t the goal. Rocky Balboa wanted to prove he belonged in the ring.
“I want to encourage you,” the Partnerships leader said. “Keep serving the Lord faithfully. Keep giving generously through the Cooperative Program so we can keep sending out more missionaries and church planters, supporting our seminaries and other entities. Keep doing what you’re doing, and God bless you.”
Iorg presented a challenge to his listeners to work intentionally with the Executive Committee and with others for the sake of the Gospel.
“You may be the ‘knownmaker’ who lets people be known by your influence and recommendation,” Iorg said. The way for people to become known throughout the SBC is for others to notice their potential for leadership, prepare them for leadership, and then nominate them to a leadership role.
“Moving into the future requires partnership,” the president said. “Partnership means more than working together in projects or even pooling resources. Partnership means sharing leadership.
“One of the challenges I have for you this afternoon is that you will work intentionally with the Executive Committee and others to facilitate more Filipinos being represented in the leadership of the SBC,” Iorg continued. “This does not happen via politics or any backroom influencing.
“It happens when you commit yourself to giving generously to the Cooperative Program, leading your church to practice in accordance with the Baptist Faith and Message 2000, and then preparing people in your community who can serve in leadership roles like trustees and other things, and being prepared to nominate them and place them before the eyes of the people who make those decisions.”
Southern Baptists are a diverse people, the president noted.
“That diversity is a result of our missionary enterprise, getting the Gospel to more people and places. But listen now: Our diversity is also our future,” Iorg said. “The SBC, to have a strong future, must have a future that reflects the diversity of our world. Thank you for being a representation of the missionary enterprise of our past and also an indication of where the strength of our future must come.”
Iorg read Ephesians 3:7-13 – “I was made a servant of this gospel by the gift of God’s grace….” – and said, “Your missional responsibility began with your salvation experience. The Gospel cannot move around on its own; it needs a vehicle, a transport, a servant who picks it up like a pack and carries it to someone else and delivers it to someone else. No one is disqualified.
“Secondly, your missional responsibility is a call to people, not places,” Iorg continued. “Your missional responsibility is to reach people with the gospel, not go places. The going is not the mission. The people are the mission. Third, your missional responsibility involves us in God’s eternal purpose. You do something that matters forever.”
There are about 200 Southern Baptist churches that worship in a Filipino, Filipino-American or Filipino-international context, noted Dan Santiago, the group’s executive director. Since more than 4 million Filipinos live in the United States, “there is a need for many more churches,” Santiago said.
Filipino attendees heard of the $23,313.11 spent on expenses over the last year. Two-thirds of that was used for church planting, Santiago said before encouraging all Filipino churches to give to the FSBFNA.
National Filipino leader Peter Yanes nominated all officers be re-elected for a second two-year term, which was approved by a unanimous vote.
Officers are: Executive Director Dan Santiago, pastor of Covenant Christian Church in Jacksonville, Fla.; President Pablito “Lito” Lucas, pastor of Philippine International Christian Fellowship in Lakeland, Fla.;
Vice President East, Darius Nable, pastor of The Church of The Good Shepherd in Cherry Hill, N.J.; Vice President West, Valentino “Val” Natcher, pastor of Filipino Bible Church in Anchorage, Alaska;
Treasurer Vener Rafael, pastor of Filipino American Christian Church in Miami Shores, Fla.; and Secretary John Paul Arceno, pastor of Union Community Bible Church in Annandale, N.J.
“Overall, the leaders were satisfied with the outcome of our meeting,” Santiago told Baptist Press. “Pastors were encouraged to know that we are fulfilling the vision of our ministry predecessors 50 years ago.
“More pastors now have a clear understanding of why they need to support and participate in the ministry of the fellowship,” the executive director continued. “We gathered expressions of sincere commitment to replicate the value of cooperative effort in reaching out the Filipino American community.
“At the least, everyone is looking forward to attending our next meeting to hear speakers like Dr. Jeff Iorg, who really addressed their needs as ministers of the Gospel,” Santiago said. “The officers were encouraged when given another opportunity to serve for another term.”
With reporting by Chauna R. Sidwell, a writer in Utah.
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