Launching of Cornerstone Theatre For Christ

The launching of creative dance and drama production of the CORNERSTONE Theatre For Christ (TFC) last January 31, 2009, Saturday, 6:00 pm at the Sefton Village Fire Center was indeed a success. Many were blessed as forty nine (49) young people from the Cornerstone Churches – Santiago Main, San Isidro and Naggasican performed creative drama, tableau and dance showing stories from the Old Testament (the creation and fall of man) to the birth, crucifixion, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament.

The production was so amazing that many were truly blessed and touched with the message of hope. I do appreciate and thanked my wife, Jane, the choreographer and director of the TFC, for her patience in teaching and motivating the young people to use their God-given talents for His glory.

I remember when Jane and I were still working at the Catholic Parish before or way back 1984, we were both trained in theatre arts specifically developmental or street theatre as employees of the St. James Parish under the supervision and direction of the Diocese of Ilagan. Jane was trained by the Teatro Obrero under the Communication Foundation for Asia (CFA) while I was trained at the Philippine Educational Theatre Association (PETA). We were then progressive and all our plays and dramas were against injustices, marginalization of the poor and militarization. As members of the WEST Commission of the parish church, we organized/started the Dance Drama Organization of St. James Parish composed of young people. From then on, Jane shared her craft to many young people and even on her workplace. Then, the Lord spoke to her last year to organize a theatre arts group in the church and used creative dance, drama and songs for evangelism. She redirected and switched the manner and style of theatre arts that we were doing before in the secular world into a much more meaningful and relevant subject and concern, that is sharing the gospel of salvation to all people of Santiago City and beyond. Please include us in your prayers. All glory belongs to God!

Profile of Naggasican

Naggasican is one of the thirty seven (37) villages or what we call it barangay of the City of Santiago. It is in this barangay where we can find the habitat and resettlement area of the squatters and poorest of the poor of Santiago City. It has a total population of 4, 207 and 1,762 households. Male residents outnumbered the female with a figure of 2,153 against 2,054. Children with ages 1 to 14 has a total population of 1,491, youth with ages 15 to 24 has a total population of 692, those with ages 25 to 39 has a total population of 1,121, with ages 40 to 59 has a total population of 780 and senior citizens with ages 60 and above has a total population of 171. From the figures, it can be observed that more than half of the population of Naggasican is a school-age going populaion or young generation. The first three dialects being spoken here are Filipino, Ilocano and Ybanag. The first top three religious affiliations are Roman Catholic, Iglesia ni Cristo and Born-again Christians.

CCN on the BLOG!

Hi guys! At last! We are on blog and we say: “Welcome to our blog!”
This is our first time to go on email publication and we are very happy to introduce to you the Cornerstone Church Naggasican (CCN), located at Purok 5, Resettlement Area, Brgy. Naggasican, Santiago City, Province of Isabela, Region II, Philippines. From the 37 barangays of Santiago City, we have chosen barangay Naggasican as the place where Cornerstone Church, an urban poor church, shall be established. With more or less 4,ooo people living in poverty from every walks of life, Naggasican is considered the least and undignified place to live in for the reason that it is known as the place where the poorest of the poor and squatters of the city resides. A place of drug addicts, drunkards, gamblers, gossipers, dropped out-of-school youths, fraternities, undesirable underworld characters & prostitutes, uneducated children, youths & adults.

I am Ptr. Danny A. Mangadap, married to my one and only beloved wife Jane Melanie Ramos Biltz- Mangadap who has been a great help to me in the Lord’s ministry. We have been blessed with five (5) children namely: Daniel Benjamin (22 years old), John Thomas (19 years old), Dan Andrew (16 yrs. Old), Hannah Grace (11 years old) and Ezekiel John (8 yrs old). I optionally retired from the police service as a non-uniformed personnel last March 2004 to go full time at Cornerstone Church under the Sefton Village Ministries of the Assemblies of God, Northeastern Luzon District Council. I am the pioneer AoG pastor of this church which was established during its launching on the 26th of March 2006 and praise God we’re going three (3) years 2 months from now. I have also been encouraged by God to have with me two (2) faithful, energetic and Spirit-filled workers of the Lord, Ptr. August Manio and Ptra. Teresa Liday. Of course, my ever-patient, caring and loving Senior Pastor Rev. Mark Ritchie is always there to support us in any needs of the church and also you guys from Singapore and UK, thank you for all your unfailing support. We are so grateful to the Lord for His faithfulness, mercy and waterfalls of grace. So much has been wonderfully done by the Lord since then.

We hope you will be blessed and encouraged by our blog as you continue to open it and read about us and be updated of what the Lord is doing in Cornerstone Church Naggasican.

SHALOM!

Ptr. Danny-Sis. Jane and family