Legal seminar, Soldiers of Christ Baptist Church, Sta. Maria, Bulacan, August 15

I will be conducting a seminar for pastors and workers in the Bulacan area on Friday, August 15, 3 PM at the Soldiers of Christ Baptist Church. Topics will be the essential provisions of the Family Code of the Philippines, relevant laws affecting the Filipino family like RA 9255 and RA 9262, the need for SEC registration of churches, freedom of religion under the 1987 Constitution, the DepEd regulations on the teaching of religion in public schools, among others.

Missionary-Evangelist Siegfred de Guzman (www.scgem.org) is organizing the seminar. Host pastor is Rev. David Eisma. For more information, please contact Ptr. Fred at fred@scgem.org or at fbcmsmi@yahoo.com.

WorldTeach Annual National Convention, September 4 to 6

For more information, please call Jackie de Guzman at 925-6775, 383-0123, 0918-392-6972, and 0917-793-1347.

“A Crude Lifesaving Station” (a modern day parable of and for the church)

The most popular post of this blog is the directory of Baptist churches, missions and ministries in the Philippines. There are some 3,000 churches and missions all over the Philippines, and every Sunday there are probably dozens of churches celebrating their anniversaries.

I would like to share with you a classic modern day parable written way back in 1953 by Thedore Wedel. As you read this selection, the meaning and significance to the goal, purpose, function of churches and the danger of a church losing its focus become very clear. I first read Chuck Swindoll’s version of Wedel’s parable in his book “Growing Strong in the Seasons of Life” many years ago. Posted below are Wedel’s original version and an adaptation by Pastor Dave Miller of Southern Hills Baptist Church in Sioux City, USA.

“A Crude Lifesaving Station” by Theodore Wedel

On a dangerous seacoast where shipwrecks often occur there was once a crude lifesaving station. The building was just a hut, and there was only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea, and with no thought for themselves went out day and night tirelessly searching for the lost. Many lives were saved by this wonderful little station, so that it became famous. Some of those who were saved, and various others in the surrounding area, wanted to become associated with the station and give of their time and their money and their effort for the support of its work. New boats were bought and new crews were trained. The little lifesaving station grew.

Now some of the members of the lifesaving station became unhappy, in time, however, because the building was so crude and so poorly equipped. They felt that a more comfortable, suitable place should be provided as the first refuge of those saved from the sea. And so they replaced the emergency cots with beds, and they put better furniture in the now enlarged building, so that now the lifesaving station actually became a popular gathering place for its members. They took great care in decorating it beautifully and furnishing it exquisitely, for they found new uses for it in the context of a sort of club. But fewer members were now interested in going to sea on lifesaving missions, and so they hired lifesaving crews to do this work on their behalf, and in their stead. Now, don’t misunderstand, the lifesaving motif still prevailed in the club’s decoration and symbols — there was a liturgical lifeboat (symbolic rather than fully functional) in the room where the club initiations were held, for example — so the changes did not necessarily mean that the original purposes were totally lost.

About this time a large ship was wrecked off the coast, and the hired crews brought in boatloads of cold and wet, half-drowned people. They were dirty people and they were sick people, some of them with black skin, some with yellow skin. The beautiful new club, as you might imagine, was thrown into chaos, so that the property committee immediately had a shower house built outside the club where these recent victims of shipwreck could be cleaned up before coming inside the main clubhouse.

At the very next meeting, there was a split in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the club’s lifesaving activities for being so unpleasant, as well as for being a hindrance to the normal social life of the club. Some members insisted upon lifesaving as their primary purpose, pointing out that, indeed, they were still called a lifesaving station. But these few were finally voted down and told that if they wanted to save the lives of all the various kinds of people who were shipwrecked in those waters, they could begin their own lifesaving station down the coast. And so, they did just that.

Now as the years passed, the new station down the coast came to experience the very same changes that had occurred in the older, initial station. It evolved into a club, and yet another lifesaving station had to be founded to restore the original purpose.

Well, history continued to repeat itself, so that if you visit that seacoast today, you will find a great number of exclusive clubs along that shore. Shipwrecks are frequent in those waters, but most of the people drown!”

A Crude Lifesaving Station (adaptation by Ptr. David Miller)

Along a dangerous seacoast, shipwrecks often occurred. Grieved by the tragedies, a small group of people gathered together to establish a lifesaving station. They built a little hut, bought one small boat, and set out to save lives. They kept a constant watch over their coastline, and went out selflessly, day and night, to rescue those in need. This little lifesaving station became famous because they saved so many lives. Those whose lives were saved joined in the work, and folks came from all around the area to be a part of this noble project. They donated their money joyfully, gave of their time and effort willingly, and grew dramatically. They were able to purchase new boats and train new crews, so more people were saved than ever before.

Over time, though, some of the members of the lifesaving station became concerned that the hut was so crude and the equipment was so basic. They believed that a larger, better-equipped station would help them to accomplish their work more effectively. They built a large new station, replaced the emergency cots with comfortable beds, and filled their new station with functional furniture. In fact, the lifesaving station was now so nice and so comfortable that it became a popular gathering place for the members. They decorated and furnished the station exquisitely. They met and discussed the importance of lifesaving; they developed programs to teach their children about lifesaving. And they grieved together at how many ships were running aground.

But the members found that the maintenance and upkeep of the lifesaving station left them too busy and tired to go out on the boats. So, they hired crews to man the boats. Because the members still cared deeply about lifesaving, they held classes on lifesaving, sang songs about life saving, and gave demonstrations. All of the decorations in the station supported the lifesaving theme. They even had a large lifeboat at the front of the station as a constant reminder. Comfortable in their modern lifesaving station, and encouraged by the results of the professional lifesaving teams, the people felt good about themselves and more people continued to become a part of their lifesaving club. Every now and again a dispute would arise about which brand of boats was better for lifesaving, or about certain techniques and methods for the crews, but the lifesaving club continued to promote the concept of lifesaving.

Then, one day, a crisis came. A large ship foundered off the coast, and the hired crews made an heroic rescue. They brought boatloads of cold, wet, dirty, half-drowned folks into the lifesaving station. As you can imagine, the beautiful new lifesaving station was thrown into chaos. The rescued people made an absolute mess of the place. They dripped mud and water everywhere, soiled the sheets of the beds, and left the place smelling like dead fish. There were children who did not behave well and a few young people who did not show proper respect for the beautiful lifesaving club. Most of those rescued were foreigners, not of the same social standing as those in the lifesaving club. A few members were offended and vowed never to return.

So, the life-saving club did the only thing it could. They set up a shower-house outside the station. They mandated that rescued people must wash up and put on clean, proper clothes before they were allowed to enter the clubhouse. At the next club meeting, a sharp division occurred. Some members felt as if the lifesaving should be stopped, as it was so unsavory, disruptive to the club, and destructive to the station. Some of the original members and a few that had been rescued in the early days argued that they could not abandon their lifesaving purpose. Eventually, the majority won out and the lifesaving operations were suspended for the good of the club.

A few folks still believed in lifesaving, so they went down the beach and established a new lifesaving station. They did not have the money for a fancy clubhouse, so they erected a tiny, crude lifesaving station with one old boat. But many lives were saved. Soon, people began to join with them, excited about saving lives. They trained volunteer crews to save lives off the coast. The task quickly grew beyond their ability, and they hired the crews from the old lifesaving station and put them back to work. Some of the members began to wonder why the old lifesaving club had such nice accommodations, while theirs were so sparse. So, they erected a new lifesaving station. Eventually, like the first, they suspended lifesaving operations for the good of the club. A small group split from them and started a new lifesaving station, small and humble, farther down the beach.

Over and over again, the process repeated itself. Today, if you go to that place, you will find the coastline populated with large, ornate, beautiful lifesaving stations.

For Filipino missionaries working in foreign fields

“Teaming with an interpreter” tutorial, from Speak Your Languages

This free course (with videos and text in MS Word or PDF) is for anyone who wants to communicate clearly with people who do not speak English. To communicate across a language barrier, you need the help of an interpreter who speaks both languages. But it’s a team effort. You can help your interpreter as much as he or she helps you. This course prepares you to work effectively with an interpreter, as part of a team. Working together, you will be able to communicate confidently and comfortably with people from all over the world.

Since it is about a team approach, interpreters will also find this course useful. All types of organizations will benefit, including businesses, professional services, non-profits, government entities and educational institutions. Highline Public Schools, near Burien, Washington provided support for development of this online tutorial in conjunction with professional interpreters.

Happy Father's Day!

The world will celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday, June 15. This early, I’d like to share with you a very popular selection entitled “Father’s Love Letter”, the video version of which has been viewed by million of people around the world. Father's Love Letter is a compilation of Bible verses from both the Old and New Testaments that are presented in the form of a love letter from God to the world. The Flash movie version (around eight minutes long) is available in English and more than 80 other languages. The website’s home page describes FLL in this way:

Father's Love Letter is a selection of paraphrased Scriptures. Each line in the Father's Love Letter message is paraphrased, which means we have taken each scripture's overall message and summarized it as a single phrase to best express its meaning.

The Power Of God's Word

This message has the ability to change lives because it is God's Word. The Bible describes God's Word as living & active, sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12) and promises not to return empty (Isaiah 55:11).

Countless Stories

We have heard countless testimonies from thousands of people all over the world who have had a life-changing encounter with God while experiencing the message found in Father's Love Letter.

This Letter Was Written For You ...

... and its words are penned from a God who loves you and desires to be the Father that you have been looking for all your life. Wherever you are in your journey, we hope that this love letter will encourage you, comfort you and guide you on your way home.

Misgivings about Father’s Love Letter

In a world of absentee or abusive fathers, FLL provides abundant hope, indeed a very rare commodity these days. I have misgivings, however, about FLL’s presentation, especially its failure to mention repentance. Yes, God is love but His love is filtered through His holiness. Without mentioning the need to repent of sins and that God's holiness calls for punishment of sin, FLL becomes a sugar-coated presentation of the Gospel. As Ptr. John Piper says in his book “The Passion of Jesus Christ” (page 29),

“There is only one explanation for God’s love for us. It is not us. It is ‘the riches of his grace’ (Ephesians1:7). It is all free. It is not a response to our worth. It is the overflow of his infinite worth. In fact, that is what divine love is in the end: a passion to enthrall undeserving sinners, at great cost, with what will make us supremely happy forever, namely, his infinite beauty.”

Be that as it may, below is the text of Father’s Love Letter. To view the Flash movie (English version), click here.

You may not know me, but I know everything about you. Psalm 139:1

I know when you sit down and when you rise up. Psalm 139:2

I am familiar with all your ways. Psalm 139:3

Even the very hairs on your head are numbered. Matthew 10:29-31

For you were made in my image. Genesis 1:27

In me you live and move and have your being. Acts 17:28

For you are my offspring. Acts 17:28

I knew you even before you were conceived. Jeremiah 1:4-5

I chose you when I planned creation. Ephesians 1:11-12

You were not a mistake, for all your days are written in my book. Psalm 139:15-16

I determined the exact time of your birth and where you would live. Acts 17:26

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Psalm 139:14

I knit you together in your mother's womb. Psalm 139:13

And brought you forth on the day you were born. Psalm 71:6

I have been misrepresented by those who don't know me. John 8:41-44

I am not distant and angry, but am the complete expression of love. 1 John 4:16

And it is my desire to lavish my love on you. 1 John 3:1

Simply because you are my child and I am your Father. 1 John 3:1

I offer you more than your earthly father ever could. Matthew 7:11

For I am the perfect father. Matthew 5:48

Every good gift that you receive comes from my hand. James 1:17

For I am your provider and I meet all your needs. Matthew 6:31-33

My plan for your future has always been filled with hope. Jeremiah 29:11

Because I love you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3

My thoughts toward you are countless as the sand on the seashore. Psalms 139:17-18

And I rejoice over you with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

I will never stop doing good to you. Jeremiah 32:40

For you are my treasured possession. Exodus 19:5

I desire to establish you with all my heart and all my soul. Jeremiah 32:41

And I want to show you great and marvelous things. Jeremiah 33:3

If you seek me with all your heart, you will find me. Deuteronomy 4:29

Delight in me and I will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

For it is I who gave you those desires. Philippians 2:13

I am able to do more for you than you could possibly imagine. Ephesians 3:20

For I am your greatest encourager. 2 Thessalonians 2:16-17

I am also the Father who comforts you in all your troubles. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

When you are brokenhearted, I am close to you. Psalm 34:18

As a shepherd carries a lamb, I have carried you close to my heart. Isaiah 40:11

One day I will wipe away every tear from your eyes. Revelation 21:3-4

And I'll take away all the pain you have suffered on this earth. Revelation 21:3-4

I am your Father, and I love you even as I love my son, Jesus. John 17:23

For in Jesus, my love for you is revealed. John 17:26

He is the exact representation of my being. Hebrews 1:3

He came to demonstrate that I am for you, not against you. Romans 8:31

And to tell you that I am not counting your sins. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

Jesus died so that you and I could be reconciled. 2 Corinthians 5:18-19

His death was the ultimate expression of my love for you. 1 John 4:10

I gave up everything I loved that I might gain your love. Romans 8:31-32

If you receive the gift of my son Jesus, you receive me. 1 John 2:23

And nothing will ever separate you from my love again. Romans 8:38-39

Come home and I'll throw the biggest party heaven has ever seen. Luke 15:7

I have always been Father, and will always be Father. Ephesians 3:14-15

My question is…Will you be my child? John 1:12-13

I am waiting for you. Luke 15:11-32

Love, Your Dad.

For high school students from Metro Manila: Join the Legal Awareness Club!

Starting this school year 2008-2009, I am organizing a club for high school students in the Metro Manila area to be known as the “Legal Awareness Club.” This organization seeks to provide high school students (2nd year up to 4th year, from public and private high schools), with a functional knowledge of the law and legal procedures in order to help them become more productive members of Philippine society.

This organization is inspired by a pioneering program of the Georgetown University in the USA and the “Popularizing the Law” program of the University of the Philippines. It will complement the Human Rights Education program of the Department of Education which was incorporated into the Basic Education Curriculum several years ago.

Activities of this club will include observation of actual courtroom proceedings and barangay conciliation proceedings, interviews with lawyers and judges, essay writing competitions, and lecture-seminars on public speaking, argumentation and debate and various legal topics. Certificates of merit and of attendance will be awarded to the participants.

Chapters of this club will be organized in different schools. Each school chapter will meet once a month for the activities mentioned above during an agreed upon schedule. All chapters will meet once a month for a general meeting at a time and venue to be arranged later.

For those who are interested in this organization (school principals, Human Rights Education teachers, Values Education teachers, and students from 2nd year up to 4th year), please e-mail me for more information at gtgalacio@yahoo.com.

Preventing the sexual abuse of children; keeping our churches safe

Republic Act 7610 is our country’s law on the prevention of child abuse and exploitation. Section 3 (b) of the law enumerates the various forms of child abuse, among others, as psychological and physical abuse, neglect, cruelty, sexual abuse and emotional maltreatment. In this post, I will focus on the issue of child sexual abuse, how parents can deal proactively with this problem, and how local Baptist churches can ensure a safe environment for children.

I know that some pastors, church officers and members will react immediately and negatively to this article, and insist that child sexual abuse has never happened and will never happen in Baptist churches. I beg to disagree not only because of the information posted below but also because of personal knowledge.

As a schoolteacher, I have known several students who were sexually abused. One student (valedictorian of his high school class) was sexually abused by a relative when he was about seven years old. Another student was repeatedly sexually abused by his two older brothers

As a lawyer, I have been consulted by some pastors and members on issues dealing with sexual abuse not only in their communities but also in their churches. One pastor who ministers in a depressed area in Metro Manila told me of numerous cases of girls being abused by their own fathers.

Several years ago, a staff member from a Central Luzon church informed me that some children in her church were molested by a middle-aged man. When the pastor learned about these incidents, he made the man kneel, confess and ask forgiveness from the victims and the parents. The pastor then warned the parents and the children involved not to talk about the incidents, otherwise God would curse them. The staff member told me that the parents were not satisfied with the actions taken by the pastor and were seeking legal help.

That staff member also told me that she saw that molester attending a Baptist church in another place. When I talked to a staff member of that other church to warn it about the presence and history of that man, incredibly I was told that everyone was welcome to attend their church!

(I believe in repentance, confession, grace and God’s transforming power. But I also believe in church discipline, accountability and that anyone with a history of perpetrating child sexual abuse should not be allowed to have access to children.)

Several years ago, a senior pastor asked me about what to do with a church member involved in several acts of sexual misconduct. The pastor wanted to know the legal consequences of informing the church that person was transferring to about the sexual misconduct.

The most tragic and saddest incident I have known is that of a church member who was sexually abused by his own pastor.

And yet, for various reasons like naiveté, the fear of the church losing its testimony, indifference, embarrassment, or lack of knowledge, some pastors and churches have refused to act proactively or even acknowledge the potential problem of child sexual abuse. Two years ago, I obtained posters from CPTCSA (a non-governmental organization) on the warning signals about child molesters. I gave these posters to several pastors, and yet, not one of these posters was displayed in their church school premises.

There are numerous resources available on the Internet on the issue of child sexual abuse. What I will do in this post is to give highlights of these resources and provide the links so that you can read the articles in their entirety.

Child sexual abuse is happening in Baptist churches

Consider the following reported incidents involving pastors and staff members:

[1] “Huge Southern Baptist Church rocked by sexual abuse charges”

Pastor Paul Williams, who directs prayer programs and special projects at the Bellevue Baptist Church outside of Memphis, has been forced to take a leave while a church committee investigates charges that Williams sexually molested a family member 17 years ago. Williams has been at Bellevue for 34 years, reports Agape Press, a news service run by the American Family Association.

[2] Lawsuit Charges Sexual Abuse of Teen by Florida Baptist Minister in 1960s

A Southern Baptist minister who has worked at two Central Florida churches is accused in a lawsuit of sexually abusing a teenage church pianist in Texas nearly four decades ago.

The Rev. Thomas Gilmore, who worked as children's minister at First Baptist Church of Oviedo and had been consulting at Cornerstone Community Church in Seminole County, is accused of coercing the girl, who was 16 at the time, into sex during six months in 1968 and 1969. According to the suit, Gilmore told her the sexual acts were God's will. At that time, the age of consent in Texas was 18.

C.L. Brown, the complainant, ended her lawsuit in February 2006. The First Baptist Church of Farmers Branch issued a formal apology to Brown for the "very serious sexual abuse" that was inflicted on her by its prior minister Tommy Gilmore when she was a girl in the church youth group. The church expressly confirmed that its music minister had knowledge of the fact that Gilmore had sexual contact with Brown as a minor. Despite that long-standing knowledge, the church's response to Brown's report of abuse was "inadequate and less than compassionate," according to its own admission, and Gilmore remained in ministry in Florida until Brown finally resorted to filing a lawsuit.

[3] Baptist Pastors Accused of Sexual Abuse; One Lawsuit Settled, the Other Is Ongoing against Denton County Men

Two Denton County Baptist ministers have been sued by women who accuse the pastors of sexual abuse when the women were teenagers.

Larry Reynolds, pastor of Southmont Baptist Church in Denton, and Dale "Dickie" Amyx, pastor of Bolivar Baptist Church near Sanger, were accused in separate lawsuits filed in June.

As part of the settlement agreement, Dr. Reynolds issued an apology at a church Thanksgiving banquet Nov. 19, saying he was happy to report that all parties would soon be "dismissed" from the suit and that he needed to read a prepared statement "to bring closure to this process."

"Twenty years ago I made a terrible mistake,"(Dr. Reynolds) the 59-year-old pastor said at the banquet, calling it a "lapse of judgment that caused one of our parishioners great harm."

"Amyx by contrast was never required to confess to the congregation that he had committed the crime of raping a young girl under his ministry. Instead, Calvary Baptist Church simply assisted in Amyx's transfer to a church in Arizona for a period of time."

The suit said that the abuse continued through Ms. Vasquez's college years and that Mr. Amyx stalked her as she moved from city to city to try to escape his attention.

In a sworn deposition Mr. Amyx gave Nov. 14, he insisted that Ms. Vasquez was 17 – the age of consent – when he began having sex with her.

[4] New Child Sex Abuse Lawsuit Filed Against Baptist Church

At a news conference, a new civil sexual abuse lawsuit against a local fundamentalist Baptist church will be announced. The lawsuit names the Baptist Church, Marquette Manor Baptist Church of Downers Grove, IL, and its former youth pastor, Edward D. Greene

[5] When clergy prey, women pray to be heard

The first time the pastor of her church made sexual advances, Deborah Dail said no.

"No" was her answer the second and third time the Baptist pastor propositioned her, the Denton mother of two said.

But as her resolve unraveled and her confusion mounted, Dail became sexually involved with the pastor in the county where she lived then.

[6] Baptist churches more vulnerable to clergy sex abuse, By Hannah Elliott

Inappropriate behavior by clergy cuts across all denominational ties and theological positions, ethicist Joe Trull said. But he says a case can be made that “nondenominational churches and Baptist churches who have autonomous church government are more vulnerable and susceptible” to instances of sexual abuse.“ In a sense, every one of these situations has certain commonalities,” he said. “But on the other hand, each one has its own unique face. In a sense, they’re all different, but in a sense, they’re all alike.”

The editor of Christian Ethics Today, Trull co-wrote Ministerial Ethics in 2004 and taught Christian ethics at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.

“Possibly if you looked at the statistics, I think there would be a higher incidence [in nondenominational and Baptist churches] because of a lack of accountability,” he said. “[Pastors there] have not been prepared by their denomination. There is still that attitude in seminaries and colleges that prepare these pastors that they’re on their own. It’s that CEO mentality. And the thing that grieves me is that there’s absolutely no sense of how this [misconduct] affects other ministers and churches.”

While Presbyterians, Methodists and other Protestant denominations have “spelled-out” obligations for ministerial ethics, Baptist clergy lack a code of ethics to which they can be held accountable.

Precautions and safety measures taken by some Baptist churches

In view of these incidents of sexual abuse in churches, some Baptist churches have instituted safety and prevention measures. Among the safeguards these churches have instituted are criminal background checks for potential staff, asking these applicants to fill out consent forms for disclosure of confidential information and making sure that there are always two adults present when teaching or taking care of a child.

[1] First Baptist Church of Waukegan Child Abuse Prevention Policy

[2] Guidelines For Preventing The Sexual Abuse Of Minors by Rison Baptist Church, Arkansas, USA

Facts and statistics on child abuse in the Philippines

[1] http://www.childprotection.org.ph/ is a website that features organizations in the Philippines, both state-run and non-governmental, that work on the issue of child protection. It is a project supported by the Arci Cultura E Sviluppo, Save the Children (UK) Philippines, and UNICEF Manila with the participation of eight other organizations. Among its statistics on child abuse are:

There are 1.5 million streetchildren. DSWD estimates that this number increases annually by 6,365.

Of the 1.5 million streetchildren, 60,000 are prostituted (ECPAT 1996). The DSWD claims that the annual average increase of prostituted children is 3,266.

The Philippines is the fourth country with the most number of prostituted children (Intersect, December 1995).

Research studies conducted in schools show that for every 3 Filipino children, one child experiences abuse (Manila Bulletin, 11 February 1996). During the first semester of 1999 alone, there were 2,393 children who fell prey to rape, attempted rape, incest, acts of lasciviousness and prostitution (DSWD 1st semester, CY 1999).

[2] Most Negros rape victims are children, from Philippine Daily Inquirer Visayas Bureau, by Romey G. Amarado

Police recorded a total of 145 rape cases in Negros Oriental between January and June this year. 122 of them were children according to the Women and Children's Concerns Desk (WCCD) of the PNP. Of the 51 cases that were directly recorded by the WCCD, 42 of them were children, half of them under the age of 12 and the rest, aged 15 to 17. The majority of the victims were girls and the youngest was a four-year-old boy raped by his uncle in Dumaguete City. Two cases were incest; eleven and sixteen year-old girls were the victims.

Last year 94 cases were reported, 70 of these were children. Twenty-four of the victims were 12 years old and younger. The youngest victim in 2000 was a two-year-old girl. Researches hold that most cases of rape are unreported and for every one that is reported at least ten more can be presumed. The WCCD is conducting children's rights awareness seminars which in turn, seems to be resulting in more reports of child abuse.

Myths and facts about sexual abuse

One great secular resource on child sexual abuse is the blog Telling It Like It Is, with articles written by Lin Burress. Very candidly, Lin reveals that she was a victim of sexual abuse as a child. Despite learning all she could about the issue and teaching her children about the warning signs, Lin says that “one of her sons was sexually abused at a young age by a highly respected church minister and close family friend, inside the church she attended at that time.”

In Lin's article entitled “Child Molestation Prevention Signs and Symptoms of Child Sexual Abuse”, she tackles the issues of (a) Signs of Sexual Abuse; (b) Why Don’t Children Tell? And (c) What Can Parents Do To Keep Children Safe?" Lin warns that:

Most sexual abuse is committed by people the child already knows such as friends, relatives, caregivers, trusted adults as well as complete strangers. Sexual abuse takes many forms and can involve forcing, coercing, bribing or threatening a child into sexual activity. The abuse often begins gradually and increases over time unless discovered.

Among other valuable articles in Lin’s blog are the following:

• Child Sexual Abuse: Facts vs. Myths
  
• Why Don’t Kids Tell? Talking to Your Children About Sexual Abuse
  
• Mother Blame: Blaming Mothers of Sexually Abused Children
  
• Child Safety and Child Sexual Abuse-The Series

Danger signals about sexual predators; local resources available

The Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Sexual Abuse (CPTCSA) is a non-profit, non-government, child-focused institution working towards a safe world for children free from sexual abuse exploitation. This NGO, based in UP Village, Quezon City, has numerous materials on the prevention of child sexual abuse, including a ten-session Sunday School material. Some materials are free while others are for sale.

In its flyers and posters, CPTCSA enumerates some of the early warning signals and telltale signs of sexual offenders which children - and their parents - should be aware of. These are:

[1] Offender says you are special, different or the only one who really understands him

[2] Treats you differently from other kids; gives you special privileges; treats you like an adult while he acts like a kid

[3] Says he is teaching you sex education by showing you pornographic pictures or movies; he shows his body or touches yours

[3] Puts lotion or ointment on you when your mother or others are not around (even when you don’t need the ointment)

[4] Offenders hang around school, yard or park where children play; tells you “not to tell” or asks to “keep a secret”

[5] Does not let you have friends or does not let you do things that other kids your age do

[5] Comes into your bedroom for no reason

[6] Asks you to do things that involve physical contact or touching of private parts

[7] Offender wants to spend time alone with you; makes excuses for you to go places with him

[8] Asks questions or makes accusations about sex between you and your boyfriends

[9] “Accidentally” comes into the bathroom when you are taking a bath; not respecting your privacy

[10] May fool your parents into allowing you to be “friends” through bribes and other tricks

The CPTCSA books and flyers also list “Wants to take your pictures” as an early warning signal and telltale sign of sexual offenders, but since photography is the number one hobby in the world, this sign should be taken not in isolation but in relation with the other warning signs.

Valuable resources on the issue of child sexual abuse and prevention

If you want to avail of print materials and videos on the issue of child sexual abuse and how your church or ministry can proactively deal with this problem, please surf to the Reformed Churches in America website.

iSHAPE Youth Quest, May 6-8, Bethany Makati

Daily devotionals from Spurgeon

Millions of Christians have been blessed by Charles Haddon Spurgeon's writings for more than a hundred years now. This page will present daily morning and evening devotionals by the Prince of Preachers. Because of the nature of a blog, the date for this post might remain static but the devotionals will reflect the true date.

Free online tutoring in conversational English

The website “English for Asians and Africans” at http://www.e4aa.org/ is now offering free online tutoring in conversational English. As of now, because of the limited number of tutors, this is being offered to students, professionals, etc from African and Asian countries excluding the Philippines. Click here for the names and schedules of the online tutors.

Note to blog visitors: Blogger.com is having problems

Please take note that Blogger (a free service provided by Google) is currently experiencing numerous bugs (missing page elements, server cannot be found, cannot post comments, etc). If you surf to http://groups.google.com/group/blogger-help , you will see a lot of angry comments by a lot of angry bloggers over this breakdown in Blogger.com’s service. I am thankful for Blogger.com’s free service and I just have to wait until the bugs have been fixed.

If you have any legal inquiries, please e-mail me, instead of using the Post Comments dialog box. Thanks!

ABBC Fellowship Week, March 4-7, 2008: “Heeding the Call, Building the Wall”

First day, March 4: Asia Baptist Bible College, Teresa, Rizal campus


















Unity walk of ABBC faculty, alumni and students














































Help us build the wall of Teresa!

2nd day, March 5: Men and Ladies Fellowship; ABBC Students' Tribute to BBC Sta. Mesa





































3rd day, March 6, Graduation Banquet, Shangrila Makati

















































4th day, March 7: 34th Commencement Exercises