by Vicar John Michael Bote
Many Lutherans here in the Philippines think that the South Luzon District (SLD) of the Lutheran Church in the Philippines (SLD – LCP) is only limited to churches located in Metro Manila. When someone mentions the South Luzon District, Lutherans would immediately refer to it as those churches within Metro Manila only. However, the truth is there are congregations outside Metro Manila which are part of the SLD. There are some from Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Zambales, Quezon and Nueva Ecija.
Yes! There is a congregation in Nueva Ecija and the congregation is the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church located at Brgy. Bical, Muñoz, Nueva Ecija. The Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Muñoz was started by the Rev. Harry Roa of Our Savior Lutheran Church in Urdaneta, Pangasinan as a mission station and so was a part of the North Luzon Lowland District (NLLD). However, geographically speaking, Muñoz, Nueva Ecija should be part of the SLD. And so with this consideration, Rev. Harry Roa decided to turn over the congregation to the SLD. So during the District Conference of SLD in 2016, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church was officially turned over to the SLD.
The District to where the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church belong may have changed, but the congregation itself remains the same. Today, the said congregation has not yet been able to call a regular pastor. However, they still continue to hold Divine Services during Saturdays led by the Rev. Henry Paul Roa, the SLD President. In this congregation there are more or less 20 communicant members and also there are lots of children who attend services regularly.
During Saturdays, they have Bible Studies, Divine Service, and Saturday school activities for the children. A four -hour ride from Manila will be worth the trip. It is not about how far the place is or what someone would see upon arriving. What matters most is that the Word of God is never bound to a single place. The Word of God will surely move and will touch the hearts of people.
There is also a mission station by Chi-Rho Lutheran Church, Novaliches, Quezon City located in Gapan, Nueva Ecija.