THE United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) will hold Sunday services at the church attacked by grenade-wielding assailants on Wednesday, killing two and wounding three.
Bishop Hamuel Tequis of the Southeast Mindanao Jurisdictional Area will lead the delegation of indignant UCCP leaders who vowed never to be terrorized by the actions of the attackers, whom many believe to be operating against activists and church leaders working among farmers and minority groups.
“The UCCP condemns the dastardly act of bombing the UCCP Pikit worship service. We journey to Pikit with the most important intention, to comfort the bereaved and join as a presence of solidarity and support to our Church members,” Tequis said.
Rev. Ely Española, conference minister of Cotabato Annual Conference, will also lead members of the group in attending the services.
The United Methodist Church (UMC) in the Philippines and all over the world also condemned the attack and demanded that the Aquino government bring the perpetrators of the dastardly act to the bar of justice.
The UMC had also lost ministers and members to summary executions by suspected military agents, as in the case of Pastor Isaias Santa Rosa of Albay, who was fetched by soldiers several years ago and killed.
One of the attackers, a Corporal Pastrana, was also myseriously killed during the incident, with a list of targets found in his pocket, along with two caliber .45 pistols.
“We will be reading messages that have been sent to the UCCP from around the world during Sunday’s Worship Service in Pikit. Nearby UCCP local churches will join us in Pikit, while UCCP local churches across the Philippines will also pray for the community during their worship services. We want to make sure that the members know that many are thinking of them and praying for them during this difficult time,” Tequis said.
Church leaders will also seek further information on the motive or identities of the perpetrators of the grenade bombing, as well as documentation of
the incident.
“We will visit the injured and express our condolences to the families of Felomena Nacario-Ferolin and Gina Cabiluna. We also hope to support the community in gathering data and documenting accounts of what transpired in Pikit last Wednesday,” Tequis said.
“Our general secretary has called for sober-minded vigilance and has cautioned us not to rush toward hasty judgment when we do not have evidence of the motive of the bombing. We will do our part to seek justice and build peace,” said Rev. Jerome Baris, national program coordinator for Justice, Peace and Human Rights.
UCCP has encouraged inter-faith, tri-people efforts to build unity, justice and peace, in response to the worship-service bombing at UCCP Pikit.
“Many UCCP members have expressed feelings of fear, grief, and disbelief that this happened during a worship service. We must provide counsel, care, and spiritual guidance for our members. This is a moment in our faith journey, where we must choose to act for peace. And by choosing to continue to work together as Christians, Muslims and Lumads, we will seek peace based on justice in our land,” Tequis added.