February 2021: The Wedding

 It is not difficult to find stories in the Bible experienced in real life. The wedding in Cana was a memorable story about God's bounty and Joy. But people forget that Cana could just be but a symbolic place. There was nothing special about the place in Cana but it was witness to the first miracle that Jesus performed written in the Bible. 

We would have celebrated our anniversary abroad renewing our vows in symbolic and historic churches. But the quarantine only allowed us to stay within the city. We planned of celebrating in the chapel in Callao Cave but it was close to the public. We ended up renewing our vows in a very symbolic location - under the heavens and with God as our witness.

Callao Cave is a beautiful setting of many weddings. It is witness to the vows of love of couples. Most importantly it is witness to the blessing of God as the center of the relationship. 

3 Things to Know about Wesleyan Heritage in Surigao City

There is no United Methodist Church in Surigao City. Do not worry. You will still not miss your worship service when you visit this region. There are many Protestant churches in this area that shares a Wesleyan heritage with the United Methodist Church. So here are three things to remember about our Wesleyan heritage:

1. We share a lot of common things with other faith denominations that share our Wesleyan heritage. That includes the liturgy, the hymns, and even the church architecture all feels familiar. You won't feel like a stranger when you visit other denominations that share our heritage. 
2. The closest church with a Wesleyan heritage is the United Church of Chirst in the Philippines that shares a rich history with the United Methodist Church in the Philippines. In fact, they have close historical ties with the Methodist Church and the United Bretheren as part of the merging churches that formed the UCCP in 1948. 
3. We can participate in their sacrament of Holy Communion. When we were in Surigao, we had our worship service with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines as we also celebrated the marriage of my brother in the same church. The co-celebrant of the communion was shared between the clergy of the UMC and the UCCP. As our Wesleyan heriate, the table of the Lord is open for all those who believe in Christ as divine Lord and Savior. The worship service was such a blessing. It helped that the congregation was very helpful and welcoming too.

The UCCP in Surigao is a big church with the first floor serving as a school with multipurpose classrooms. The second floor is the sanctuary which is beautifully designed to host more than a hundred worshippers.

The United Church of Christ in the Philippines in Surigao is located along Narciso St., Downtown Surigao City.