November 9, 2008
Speaker: Pastor Dave Trinidad
Passage: 1 Corinthians 3:7

Have we noticed the change in this place since we got here? More importantly, are we feeling the changes from within? The call is for us to change our attitude, our views, from the inside out. Are we the same person with a different attitude now? Are we excited to see what God’s going to do in this place?

Pastor Dave encourages everyone to feel the place, to go around — do a Jericho walk! — and imagine what God has in store for us in this place. He prays for God to transform SBCC. To change our hearts, change our eyes, change our vision to one that is in tune with His purposes.

Jesus said, “I will build my church!” This church is His church.

We have one purpose. While each one of us is doing something together, each one will be rewarded according to his our labor. We are God’s worker, and we are also God’s garden. We are God’s building. How deep can we go in our spiritual life will determine how tall our building can be.

What kind of foundation do we have? That foundation is how far we can go. Jesus is building His church. He is causing the growth, and we are His partners and co-workers.

What is the purpose of God for SBCC?

We start the month with the theme, “God’s Unstoppable Vision”. It is not OUR unstoppable vision. NOT Pastor Bob’s unstoppable vision. Not Pastor Dave’s unstoppable vision. It is GOD’s unstoppable vision.

Pastor Dave discusses the purpose of the church based on:

• The ministry of Christ on earth
• The images and names of the church
• The example of the New Testament churches

God is transforming us from glory to glory. We cannot be drinking and allowing ourselves to get lost in worldly desires one day, and expect ourselves to be holy the next. There should be progress in our walk with Him! (Amen!)

The church is a flock. You cannot be alone and call yourself a “flock”. When one is lost, God our Shepherd pulls us back to the right path. The church is a community. It is an army.

Our duty is to understand the purposes Christ has for the church and to implement them. It is not our job to create the purposes of the church but to discover them. While the programs may change in every generation, the purposes never change. We may be innovative with the style of ministry, but we must never alter the substance of it. The substance is always, and should always be, worship.

We must ask ourselves

• Why does the church exist?
• What are we to be as a church?
• What are we to do as a church?
• How are we to do it?

The Five Purposes of the church

Based on Acts 2:42-47

1. Devotion to the word. Loving God’s Word. Faithfulness to God’s Word. Maturing in God’s Word. Doing God’s Word. Teaching God’s Word. Equipped to serve!!

2. Dedication to fellowship (Acts 2:42). We must have a deeper understanding of what “community” is. Are we just a Sunday community? Or are we a community from Monday to Sunday? Our being a community, our commitment to strengthening the fellowship, our loyalty and sacrifices for the sake of the community — these are the mark of what God wants a community/church to be.

Let’s understand and try to see what a community is in a new lens.

3. Faithful Stewardship (v45). Faithful stewardship means faithful ministry.

Christian stewardship in a broad sense means using and managing everything that God has entrusted to us for His purposes and honor. How can we use our time, talents, work, money, possessions, and even our very lives?

Loving God is not loving Him partially. Loving Him is giving Him everything.

4. Zeal for Worship (v46-47). Worship as celebration and adoration. Everyone is praising God, grateful to God. Jesus’ passion for God’s house consumes Him.

The greatest commandment is, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.”

Loving God is not loving Him partially. Loving Him is giving Him everything. On Sundays, we shouldn’t come to church late and unprepared. He deserves more.

5. Commitment to the Great Commision (v47). As you go, make disciples — Evangelism! Baptizing them — Incorporate them!

SBCC’s Mission Statement

For the glory of God and our commitment to Christ’s Comission, we help build lives and transform communities through faithful stewardship and aggressive church-planting among Manila’s ubran poor and beyond.

We build lives and transform communities through God’s Word for God’s glory!

SBCC: Building Lives, Transforming Communities

1. It starts small but the goal is big.

2. It is based on God’s Word. Unless we love His Word, unless we obey His Word, we cannot change lives.

3. It is for God’s glory. For the glory of God, we sweep the floor. We feed the hunger. We go out, we labor, we sacrifice, we give, we share, we use God’s resources. ALL for God’s glory. No more, no less.

4. It is participatory! Through collective effort, every member must contribute towards the goal, we must all believe and embrace our mission.

*Mission Statement still for Board’s approval, but everyone seems to be saying AMEN.

SBCC’s new home, which used to be a bus terminal, was acquired as a foreclosed property from Rizal Commercial Banking  Corporation  (RCBC) in August 2001. The church, however, has to uneasily endure waiting when the original owners decided to engage RCBC in a long-drawn court battle that lasted for 7 years.

Last August, the same month when our dear Pastor Bob Sanchez signed the Contract to Sell Memorandum of Agreement with RCBC exactly 7 years ago, SBCC finally took possession of the contested property following the conclusion of the legal suit in favor of RCBC.

So, on November 2, 2008, SBCC will hold its first ever Worship Service in its new address in Lacson, surely a momentous event that every church member should not miss.

On Pastor Dave Trinidad’s (SBCC’s Head Pastor) own words, ‘the church saga can be likened to Israel’s exodus to its Promised Land. The feeling is ambivalent – there is triumphant joy because we are finally home, yet saddening because like Moses, Pastor Bob will not be around to set foot in our Promised Land’.

by Mar Hernandez (ERRATUM: It was Tito Mar who wrote this one, not Tita Vibay. She was just the one who emailed it.)

*Be part of history!! Don’t miss our first Worship Service at Lacson NEXT SUNDAY!! See you there!

And not to justify the delay of this launch *ehem* we really think that the timing couldn’t be any more perfect than this. Along with our new name and our new property comes a whole new cyber estate to fill with story after story of God’s goodness and faithfulness to Sampaloc Bible Christian Community.

We’d love to tour you around, but we’re still in the process of building up content. But for now, may it be known that our vision for this website is grander than the four corners of your new Macbook. (Okay, I just had to add that part.) While our main goal is to keep our community updated with news and other inspirational stuff from our very own members, the grand idea is to let the world(wideweb) know that there’s a small church in the heart of Manila, who desires nothing more but to love and know God, and to have this amazing love overflow to everyone across the nation and the world — online and offline.

the grand idea is to let the world (wide web) know that there’s a small church in the heart of Manila..

So what to expect from this site in the coming weeks? A lot!

• Sunday Worship blog and audio coverages!
• More photos, news, and videos!
• You want to see our pastors blog?
• Online prayer request forms!
• Praise and worship music!
• Book and music reviews!
• More info about our ministries and how you can help and support!

The list could go on. The possibilities are endless. So bookmark this site and stay tuned!

*Much gratitude to Rico Sta. Cruz for all the help with the design and construction of this website. May God bless you tenfolds.

We thank God for the team added to our usual dental assistance and rendered oral prophylaxis to Payatas residents—the CEU Dentistry students c/o Camille Miana, who is a member of the JoyClub fellowship.

Aside from medical and dental services, SBCC also gave out chinaware and reading glasses to the residents of Payatas. They also were counseled with God’s Word and given Scripture selections c/o Philippine Bible Society.

It was a blessing to have 5 doctors, 2 dentists and 9 dentistry students, and more than enough volunteers from SBCC and Living in Light Ministry, Inc. to serve our brothers and sisters in Payatas with medical and dental help. The mission was set only from 8AM-4PM yet volunteers are more than glad to be of assistance and didn’t stop until everyone was given aid. It has been another successful mission for SBCC.

On October 18, SBCC had another activity in Payatas and this time had fellowship with the residents through counseling in parenting, marriage, etc. and donated clothes and toys for all the Payatas families who were present.

Photo Gallery

SBCC pays tribute to their three beloved pastors for Pastor’s Day: Senior Pastor Dave Trinidad and associate pastors Pastor Lito Carag and Pastor Pio Edillo. They were called on stage just before closing Sunday’s worship service and the congregation showed their love and gratitude to their hardworking pastors through songs and heart-warming messages for faithful service and love to the Body of Christ.

Check out our multiply account for Jason Hernandez’s special composition for our pastors as well as some photos of the celebration. After the service, SBCC enjoyed lunch, which was generously served by Josiah’s Catering, courtesy of Chef Jasper Versoza who celebrated his birthday the day before.

Photo Gallery

Pastor Bob shared this vision to his young congregation which birthed the “Lot and Building Fund”. From then on, SBCers faithfully raised funds from creative means and some, even from their college baons, for the building of Sampaloc Bible Church. The funds raised were kept safely until the perfect time to purchase the land. After a long yet prayerful search, God led Pastor Bob to Lacson Avenue.

Little did they know that God was up to something—a plan that would put every SBCers faith to the test and experience His faithfulness nonetheless.

We all waited, prayed, fought, cried, claimed, and surrendered—7 long years. It caused sufferings and sacrifices. Yet, God is faithful. He is good all the time. His plans are always perfect.

And now, the time has come

After thirty four years in C. Lerma Street, SBC, now Sampaloc Bible Christian Community (SBCC), is finally moving on to their promised land. God is uprooting SBCC from Lerma and is taking them to conquer new grounds.

Yet, God is faithful. He is good all the time. His plans are always perfect.

Pastor Bob who led SBCC for 33 years—to disciple faithful followers of Christ and to prepare them for greater work—has gone to be with the Lord, for his job is done. Now, with Pastor Dave Trinidad’s leadership, we take on the challenge to step into the land God has promised us 34 years ago. Akin to Moses passing on the task to Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land, Pastor Bob is confident that Pastor Dave is able to do the same. With God on his side, Pastor Dave courageously takes on the mission—building lives and transforming communities for the glory of God.

Great is Thy faithfulness, as SBCC would always sing. God is great indeed. In all those years, SBCC never lost hope that God will see them through. And He has… every step of the way.

SBCC’s impact in Lerma would not be missed, for it will leave touched lives that will carry on the torch of Christ. A flaming passion to reach out and share the Good News to every soul encountered. Years of lovely memories in Lerma will surely be missed, but SBCC is keen to make new ones in Lacson and be God’s influence in this new community. Everything is almost packed and ready for transfer. SBCC is now geared up for the BIG move.

The sign’s up: SBCC MOVED TO LACSON AVENUE!

by Normi Alvaira

Photo Gallery