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OzARK Bible College Library

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JANUARYAND FEBRUARY. 1968NEWS LETT?^'^' I 6480;
FROM CHARLES AND ROBERTA SELBY
PHILIPPINE MISSION CHURCHES OF CHRISTOF NORTHERN LUZON
Furlough Address: Falrfleld, Nebraska 68938
Forwarding Agent:
Mrs. R. L. Tolliver
Falrfleld, Nebr. 68938
Tele. Area Code 402-726-4681
With the coming of the ne\
year Is gone. This Is Indeed a busy time tor us.
1968, we
Address until June 1st:
Lincoln Christian College, Box 178
Lincoln, Illinois 62656
Tele. Area Code 217-732-3995
ddenly realize that more than half of our furlough
It has been such an Inspiration to visit among the
Churches and Bible Colleges, and see the greatly Increased Interest In the spreading of the Gospel
around the world. We are strengthened through the wonderful Christian fellowship we enjoy every
where we go, and It Is such a joy to see the growth of the Lord's work. In numbers and In spirit In
nearly every Church and Bible College. It Is significant to note that the Churches which are giving
the most to "missions" are the most alert and zealous for the proclamation of the Gospel at home.
It Is my privilege to be teaching some lecture courses on missions at Lincoln Christian
College the second semester. Roberta and I are settled In an apartment In Lincoln for the time
being, and are enjoying our fellowship with the students and faculty. I am free to speak almost
any night of the week and will be gone most week-ends. As usual, we are far behind with office
work, and we hope to catch up with some of that while we are here. Thank you for your patience
In waiting to hear from us. We are very grateful to all who are helping so regularly and faithfully
In giving to the work of the Lord In northern Luzon. We are still having difficulty In keeping up
with financial demands of this ever growing work. Regular monthly gifts are the great need. Just
twelve Churches giving $200.00 each month would underwrite the present work. Regular monthly
gifts, whatever the amount, will be greatly appreciated.
Lloyd, our oldest son, had a 30 day leave fromthe Army In September and October, prior to
his "free trip" to Viet Nam. He Is stationed there at Cu Chi, about 40 miles fromSaigon, 8 miles
from the Cambodian border. He Is a helicopter mechanic. He seems to have the ability to adapt to
almost any situation, and writes cheerful letters. His address Is SP-4 Lloyd Selby, RA 16980481,
242nd A.S.H. Co., A.P.O. San Francisco, California 96353. Rick Is a sophomore at Cincinnati
Bible Seminary this year, enjoying his Bible and music classes, and especially the privilege of
singing In the Concert Choir. Rob, our youngest, will graduate fromhigh school on May 24.
News from the Philippines continues to be encouraging. The Seminary continues In full swing,
with graduation exercises and the annual Conference on Evangelism planned for the first week In
March. We were shocked to hear that the whole business district of Aparrl burned to the ground on
New Years' Eve. Included In the buildings burned was the Drug Store of Mrs. Peneyra and the living
quarters of Mr. and Mrs. Amador Aguas. Bro. Peneyra has been the preacher In Aparrl for more than
50 years and Bro. Aguas Is the director of both of our Christian High Schools In the province of
Isabela.
Bro. Renato Agustln, the preacher In Callnaoan, writes that he has baptized several young
people from the high school there, and has an active and Interested youth group from among themand
other young people In the town, on Sundays. Preparations are being made to begin building the second
unit there. This will be needed If the 3rd year high school class Is to be added this next school year,
which will begin In July. Some few gifts have been received for this project, but the remainder Is
needed Immediately. The total cost of the building, furnished. Is $7,200.00. This makes the cost of
one class room $1,200.00. The cost Is actually only $1.65 per square foot, furnished. This building
Is 72 X30 feet, and two stories high, with cement floors and foundations and cement blocks up to the
window sills downstairs. The rest of the building Is Philippine Mahogany or better, with a galvanized
Iron roof. The above price Includes glass windows, and paint. Inside and out. Also Included are the
student chairs, blackboards and teachers desks. In addition to the above cost will be the laboratcx'y
equipment and required library books which will average about $800.00 per building unit, making the
total cost of each unit, completely furnished, $8,000.00. We are beginning a campaign to raise the
money for four more units to be added to the units already constructed, and for 3 more units to be
built In the near future, when one more high school will be established. Once the buildings are built,
and all four years of high school are operating, the schools should be completely self-sustaining from
tuition paid by the students, and school farmprojects. A planning committee of 5 men. Including my
self, Is working out the details of the campaign. Advertising will be sent out, special meetings planned,
and then a special offering taken at some future date, perhaps Pentecost Sunday. We will appreciate your
prayers for the success of this effort. Also please remember Mr. and Mrs. Sid Boudreaux and their Filipino
co-workers In your prayers. May God bless each of you In your service fw Him.
Sincerely yours In Christ,
A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE WORK OF PHILIPPINE
MISSION CHURCHES OF CHRIST OF NORTHERN LUZON
P. O. Box 49, Aparri, Cagayan, Philippines
United States Address: % R. L. Tolliver, Fairfield, Nebraska 68938
BEGINNINGS
The work of the Churches of Christ and Christian Churches in
the Philippines was begun in the early part of this century
by such well-loiown missionaries as Herman P. Williams, W, H,
Hanna, Bruce Kershner and Leslie Wolfe. As a result of their
labors, and those of others who followed and worked with them
there are now more than 450 Churches of Christ, and probably
60,000 New Testament Christians in the Philippines, Five
Bible Colleges located in all of the major geographical areas
of the Philippines are training hundreds of Filipino young
people to take the Gospel of Christ to their own people,
Charles and Roberta Selby were the first missionaries to lo
cate permanently in the area known as the Cagayan Valley,
They arrived there in July of 194? and settled in the town of
Aparri, Cagayan, The Selby's have three sons, Lloyd, Richard,
and Robert, In 1953* Norval and Dondena Campbell came to join
the Selbys in the work and lived in Aparri until 1957f when
"ttiey moved over to the west coast where they opened Philippine
Bible S^inary in the tovm of Vigan, Ilocos Sur, The Camp
bells returned to the States in 1963* where they are now work
ing with Central Christian College of the Bible in Moberly,
Missouri, In September of 1964, Sid and Marj Boudreaux and
their four children arrived in Aparri to join in the work,
APARRI BIBLE SEMINARY
In 1952 the APARRI BIBLE SEMINARY was begun by Charles and
Roberta Selby to fulfill the need of training Filipino
preachers and teachers to take the Gospel to their own people.
Average enrollment in the Seminary has been around 50 each
year. More than 4o have graduated from the Seminary, having
completed four and five year courses. Also, at least 35 girls
have received two and three year teaching certificates. Most
graduates are working full or part time in the Lord's work.
Girls teach from 1,000 to 2,000 children each svimmer in
D,V,B,S, A kindergarten is conducted by the Seminary to help
train girls. Full Bible courses are taught in the Seminary,
with related subjects. Faculty includes: Charles and Roberta
Selby, Marj Boudreaux, Faustino Peneyra, Laureano Lopez, Ben
and Guadalupe Castillo, William and Nita Bagain, Student
preachers are active on week-ends and during vacations in
preaching the Gospel throughout the Cagayan Valley,
EVANGELISTIC ViORK
In 19^7 "Uiere were but two preachers and about 10 Churches in
the Cagayan Valley. As a result of the training program of
the APABRI BIBLE SEMINABY there are now between JO and 40
preachers and some 60 Churches in this area. The some 30
Churches established during the past 20 years have been es
tablished by Filipino preachers. These same men have baptized
thousands of souls into Christ during the same period.
Every year a Conference on Evangelism is held at the Saninary
campus for the preachers and other Church leaders. Two
Christian Youth Camps are held each summer, one in Cagayan
Province, one in Isabela Province. Several rallies and con
ventions are also held by the Churches, completely planned
and conducted by the preachers and elders of the congrega
tions. Churches are poor and not yet completely self-sup-
porting, but are working toward that end. There is a great
desire among the Churches and preachers to bring about self-
supporting, self-extending Churches as soon as possible.
PRINTING MINISTRY
A Multilith 1230 offset press and a small letter press are
used extensively in publishing monthly papers in the Ilocano
dialect, and tracts in both English and Ilocano. With more
funds, -this printing ministry can be developed further to be
come a very effective tool in the evangelistic work and in
the bringing of o\ir Christian brethren to spiritual maturity
in Christ. The press is called the "Aparri Bible Seminary
Press" and is in charge of Laureano Lopez, William Bagain and
Benito Castillo, with Soninary students assisting in this and
the book-binding shop in connection with the press.
CHRISTIANS HIGH SCHOOLS
In July, 1967* two Christian High Schools were opened in the
province of Isabela. They are known as "Northern Isabela
Academy" and "Southern Isabela Academy". Mr. Amador Aguas, a
Christian teacher with 25 years* teaching experience in the
Public and Private school systems of the Philippines, is di
rector of both schools. These schools are staffed with Fili
pino teachers with B.S.E. degrees, vdio must meet government
regulations. Buildings, land, libraries, laboratories and
curriculum must also meet government regulations.
These schools present tranendous evangelistic opportunities,
and this is the primary reason for their establishment. In
N.I.A., there were 86 students enrolled as freshmen and 42 as
sophomores, while in S.I.A. 88 were enrolled as freshman. Not
even one of the 88 at S.I.A. was a Christian. Bible classes
are taught every day by qualified Seminary graduates. We are
sure that most of these 88 will be won to Christ during their
High School days, and idien they are won, we know from expeiv
ience -tiaat Idiey will invite a preacher to go to their homes
to preach, thus givirg not only the opportunity of reaching
their own families, but dozens of other families in their
home villages. It is entirely possible that new Chxirches will
be established in every village from which these young people
come. Ve feel that these High Schools will double or even
triple ovir evangelistic work in the Cagayan Valley in a veiy
short time. By the time lliese schools have all four years of
classes enrolled, -Uiey should be completely self-supi)orting
from the tuition paid by "the students and from other projects
sponsored by the schools.
Sid Boudreaux is working at present in the developmaat of two
farm sites where it is hoped that two farm schools can be
opened in the near future. The main purpose of these schools
is to give an opportunity to students to work on the farms
and earn Iheir way throu^ high school. At least 505^ of
Filipino young people can not go to hi^ school because they
are too poor to pay tuition. Because of the farm projects,
students will be attracted from wide areas thus giving us
opportunities to reach into many \jnopened areas with llie
Qospel of Christ. Ve feel that such schools as these can
eventually be completely self-supporting through that which
is produced on the farms.
Besides the evangelistic opportunities, much good will be ac
complished in other ways as a result of the program of these
high schools. Many of the students will go out of the high
schools into the Aparri Bible Seminary to become preachers
and teachers of the Word of God. Many of them will go into
other Colleges and Universities in Manila and other places to
become Doctors, Lawyers, School Teachers, etc., and many of
them will go back to their home villages where they will be-
cOTie leaders in their local Churches as well as in their com
munities. Because of their good solid education and Bible
training, they are going to improve their own economic con
ditions and this will lead to the eventual economic stabilily
of the Churches of which 1hey are a part. This will, in tura,
bring ttie Filipino Churches to Ihe place vhere they can sup
port their own ministry and their own Bible Colleges and will
no longer need help from Churches in Anerica.
The Philippines is located in one of the most strategic areas
of the world, being in the center of a sort of crescent, witli
Indonesia on the south. Nationalist China on the North, Com
munist China to the northwest, and Viet Nam and the other
countries of southeast Asia to the west. All of these areas
are within two hours by Jet from Manila. The time is coming.
/
if it is not already here, when, if we are going to reach
these countries of southeast Asia with the Gospel, we are go
ing to have to do it through Asians, In all of southeast
Asia, the only place where we have the potential for doing
this is in the Philippines vdiere we have sane 450 Churches of
Christ, five Bible Colleges and hundreds of preachers of the
Gospel. It is important that the Filipino Churches be brought
to the place where "ttiey will be able to send idieir own
preachers into the countries of southeast Asia. We believe
the high school program along with the other phases of the
work in Northern Luzon will help us to accomplish this goal
in a much quicker time -Uian we could ever do it oliierwise.
FINANCIAL NEEDS
Our greatest need at the present time is for regular, sub
stantial, monthly support to undergird the entire evangelis
tic program in -tiie Cagayan Valley. This includes the Semi
nary, the evangelistic work, the printing ministry and the
Christian Hi^ Schools. Fifty Churches pledging $50.00 a
month would landerwrite Idie present needs.
Immediate financial gifts are urgently needed for the erec
tion of the second units of the hi^ school buildings at both
the hi^ school sites. One of these units is already under
construction and the other one must be built this year, if
possible. Each \jnit is 72* x 30*, two stories high, with a
cement floor downstairs and concrete block walls up to the
window sills downstairs. The rest of the b\iilding is Philip
pine Mahogony or better, with a galvanized iron roof. These
are bxjildings that will last for many years. The cost of one
unit, completely furnished, including laboratory equipment
and library facilities is $8,000.00, just $1.85 per square
foot. Plans call for the establishment of one more hi^
school, making a total of three schools, each having a build
ing consisting of three units. This makes a total of nine
units as described above. Two of these xsiits have already been
completed which means we need funds for seven more \jnits.
Therefore, a total of $56,000.00 is yet needed to complete
the "Uiree buildings. We feel that no greater contribution
can be made to the furtherance of the Gospel in the Philip
pines and in all of southeast Asia at the present time.
PRAYER NEEDS
Daily prayer for the Holy Spirit*s wisdom and guidance for
the missionaries and all Filipino preachers and teachers.
Prayer for the students in the high schools, that their
hearts may be open to the teaching of God's Word, that they
mi^t be won to Christ.