NACOCO Week at Maa City Jail

October 19, 2009 marked the beginning of the 15th National Correctional Consciousness Week. It's a celebration held across correctional institutions across the country. For one week, the inmates host all sorts of different activities for families and friends.

For the first day, the warden in the Female Division of Ma-a City Jail wanted a religious activity. So we decided to dress up -women in blue and the men in white- and practice a couple of songs for the gathering.

Besides us, several other churches and ministries came to take part in the program. The theme was "Be a Light to Others... An Instrument of Healing and Reconciliation." So we sang "Let Your Light So Shine" and "Ipakita si Kristo sa Tanan," both telling about how we should witness for Jesus.

Here are a few photos from the activity.



with the jail warden and the correctional chaplain




with the representatives from other service providers




the Ma-a City Jail Female Division has its own choir

Another Fellowship with Our SDARM Brethren

Sabbaths are always wonderful. It is a time we devote fully to the praise and worship of our mighty, loving God and to the study of His sanctifying truths.

However, the past Sabbath had been more wonderful than usual, thanks to the 50 or so brethren who came to worship God with us at the Royal Valley SDA Church.

The visitors were mostly brothers and sisters from the SDA Reform Movement, coming from Davao City, Digos City, and Tagum City. But there were also friends from Mati and from Laguna.

A Song of degrees of David. Behold, how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to dwell together in unity!
[It is] like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, [even] Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon, [and as the dew] that descended upon the mountains of Zion: for there the LORD commanded the blessing, [even] life for evermore. -Psalms 133


This has been the second time that our SDARM brethren came to fellowship with us. The first time had also been wonderful. Lots of things to share and learn. Since then, we have been able to visit worship with them for a Sabbath afternoon in their church in Matina Pangi.

Last Sabbath, we were filled with health messages from Bro. Jeoffrey Laguit, Bro. Daniel Serrano, and Bro. Manasses Dumaguit.


Bro. Daniel Serrano

The worship was completed with beautiful song renditions from their youth and children.








We look forward to many happy returns.

Camp Meeting's Coming Up

The brethren of the Royal Valley SDA Church are now preparing for the annual camp meeting. This year, it will be held at the church's camp site in San Miguel, Arakan, North Cotabato from October 28 to November 1.

Themed Onward, Ever Onward! the camp meeting will be a venue for prayer, meditation, and study of God's Word.

Aside from the regular members of the church, brethren from other congregations are also expected. Everyone is invited to join us for this very special gathering.

Those interested are to contact us via email: royalvalleysda@gmail.com for more information.

We should improve every opportunity of placing ourselves in the channel of blessing. . . . The convocations of the church, as in camp meetings, the assemblies of the home church, and all occasions where there is personal labor for souls, are God's appointed opportunities for giving the early and the latter rain. FLB, 246.

In Remembrance of Christ: The Communion Service

The Communion service points to Christ's second coming. It was designed to keep this hope vivid in the minds of the disciples. Whenever they met together to commemorate His death, they recounted how "He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father's kingdom." In their tribulation they found comfort in the hope of their Lord's return. Unspeakably precious to them was the thought, "As often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till He come." 1 Cor. 11:26. {DA 659.3}

On October 2, 2009, the Royal Valley SDA Church celebrated the Holy Communion, in remembrance of the ordinance instituted by Christ at the Last Supper. Remembering the priceless offering of His own blood and flesh, we pay tribute to His eternal love. Remembering His humility, we are ourselves humbled. And remembering His promise, we look to that blessed hope that very soon we will be able to dine with our Lord and Savior in our eternal home.

These are the things we are never to forget. The love of Jesus, with its constraining power, is to be kept fresh in our memory. Christ has instituted this service that it may speak to our senses of the love of God that has been expressed in our behalf. There can be no union between our souls and God except through Christ. The union and love between brother and brother must be cemented and rendered eternal by the love of Jesus. And nothing less than the death of Christ could make His love efficacious for us. It is only because of His death that we can look with joy to His second coming. His sacrifice is the center of our hope. Upon this we must fix our faith. {DA 660.1}

May the true meaning of this blessed ordinance be ever kept in our hearts and in our minds.