FFSDA CHURCH TRAVEL TRAIN
Nenita Perez
Hello everyone. I would like to share with all of you a story about our church’s life journey. It’s like taking a ride on a train line picking up and dropping off passengers from one station to the next. While we have been traveling together for a very long while, some members have moved away to start a new journey. Some of the church pioneers have also moved away and for those whom have parted from us, we cling on to the highest hope that we are going to see all of them again on that bright Resurrection Morning.
The first train station stop was on Palisade Street in Elizabeth, NJ. The first families that boarded the train were the families of Pastor Bartolome, Nazzaro, Durana, Quiba, Maglaque, Persad, Almario, Roque, Flores, Valenzuela, Cruz, Magsipoc, Espeleta, Cornago, Diaz, Perez, Dinca, Sande, Bravo, Davila, Berteszini and Hilaire. Margie (Astrero) Magbanua, Tess (Ventura) Trinidad, Marife (Tupas) Silos, Merarie (Tomarong) Doyle, Rowena (Yumul) Cornago and Estelita (Pedreña) Chrysohos had also boarded the train. The Indonesian, August was their leader, and Brazilian group were also part of this journey.
While stopped at the Elizabeth station Lauris Magbanua, Chris Guevarra, Al Silos and Donal Doyle also hopped on the train. God is on the wheel and the throttle always!
So many passengers to start the journey of the FFSDA travel train. All the travelers stayed until the next stop over. The passengers were very active in raising funds for a new permanent station by selling boxes of oranges, giving monthly monetary pledges, singing Christmas carols, and selling pizza. The next stop was a brief one in Bayonne, NJ. The train continued traveling and made other stops like the next train station in Linden, New Jersey.
Many more passengers boarded this time. The train welcomed the Howe, Ferrer, Marquez, Esteban, Flores, Sudara, Makiling, Malaguit, Mullaneda, Pastores, Negrillo, Llasos, Concepcion, Javier, Quicho and Dizon families. Odie Paras, Irma (Florendo) Cordero, Mary Ann Sande, Fe Uy, Dan Pagaduan, Gloria Gragasin, Aaron Trinidad, Jess Bawar also joined.
These new passengers also participated in raising more funds by continuing to sell boxes and boxes of sweet oranges from Florida. The depot and delivery place was at Sam Magsipoc‘s residence. More oranges were ordered, more income received towards a new permanent church station. The train traveled on nonstop until it reached another station in Hazlet, NJ.
The passengers dreamed of the day when they would have their own permanent station and would travel no more. Fundraising continued and expanded from just selling oranges. There was a singing group that visited different churches raising funds through their performances. The members were: Pastor Rodney Bartolome, Leonardo Roque, Manny Mullaneda, Nimrod Robles, Elmer Beting, Satsya Besra. Thank you for your singing ministries!
Pastor Bartolome also raised funds through a running marathon, with the help of Pastor Carl Rodriguez, Pathfinder Director of the New Jersey conference. Every mile was more funds towards the train station goal. The Philomels Singers also performed in different church denomination and raised more funds. SO many thanks!
All the efforts helped to find our last and current train station at 712 W. 3rd St. in Plainfield, New Jersey. Some passengers remained on board and some changed trains to travel somewhere else.
At the Plainfield train station, there were more passengers who boarded. The families of Gandeza, Bishop, Mess, Pastor Adrieh Lego, Mirasol, Balicanta, Pastor Emmanuel Jardiniano, Tamayo, Cartagena, Carmelotes, Pastor Joseph DeGuzman, Pablo, Guitterez, Simon, Ananab, Cordero, Urtekar, Kong, Bartlet, Parker and Harrison. Taqs Conde, Gem May (Rivera) Flaga, Rudy Duenas, Eda Ang, Lorraine Alcazar, Jackson Kagwa, April Uy, Terri Ann Trinidad and Jonard Ramos also hopped on the train.
Several more are still boarding train FFSDAC712 and we are looking forward to greeting them. All aboard, brothers and sisters! This message is to convey to all that have boarded the train along the way, those i may have failed to mention, and for those listening far and near… I along with the entire congregation extend our heartfelt gratitude, thanks and appreciation for all your help and contributions. We send you all respect and admiration for the actions taken, even those behind the scenes, in securing our beloved permanent FFSDA train station church. THANK YOU SO MUCH! God bless all of you! To God, be the glory, great things He has done.
FFSDAC HISTORICAL DATES:
May 22, 1988 – First gathering at Elizabeth English Church (Palisade St.,Elizabeth, NJ)
Sept 11,1988 – New Jersey Conference organizes group as a Company
Oct 30,1994 – First Filipino SDA Church of NJ becomes the official registered name in the State of NJ
Nov 1,1994 – Pastor Rudney Bartolome becomes part time Pastor as named by New Jersey Conference
Nov 5 1994 – First Sabbath Worship at Federal Church (Bayonne, NJ)
May 6, 1995 – First Sabbath Worship at Grace Episcopal Church DeWitt Terrace, Linden, NJ
June 3, 1995 – Company becomes full pledge FFSDA Church
June 7 2001- May 28 2005 – At St Paul’s Lutheran on Elm Street in Linden, NJ
June 11, 2005 – First Sabbath Worship at Waldwick Elementary School,NJ
Sept 2005 – Aug 2006 – At Hazlet Reformed Church
April 13, 2006 – 712 West 3rd St Plainfield NJ becomes the official home of the FFSDA church of NJ
April 29, 2006 – First Sabbath Worship in Plainfield
May 13, 2006- 1st Inauguration and Ribbon Cutting ceremony with Pastor Fink New Jersey Conference President
Jan 26,2008 – Dedication Day
Dec 31, 2007 – Pastor Rudney Bartolome retires as Pastor of FFSDA of NJ
Dec 2007 – April 2008 Pastor Adreih Legoh assigned to lead church
April 2008 – September 2010 Pastor Joseph De Guzman additional bivocational Pastor
October 2010 – August 2013 New Jersey Conference assigns Pastor Adrieh Lego to continue while searching for a permanent pastor for the church
August 2013 – December 2016 Pastor Emmanuel Jardiniano becomes part-time Pastor
January 2017 – present Emmanuel Jardiniano full-time Pastor
FFSDAC has 2 daughter Churches. Filipino English SDA Church (FESDAC – Jersey City, NJ) and Filipino International SDA Church (FISDAC – Milford, NJ)
In 2020, during the COVID pandemic, the church adapted services solely online with the help of Zoom. We are now functioning with hybrid services for those that aren’t able to attend physically or during mid-week services and vespers.
Who We Are
We are Seventh-day Adventists and are part of a world-wide church family of believers.
As Adventists, we believe that God is concerned with the quality of human life, and that everything—the way we live, eat, speak, think, treat each other, and care for the world around us—is a part of His plan. Our families, our children, our jobs, our talents, our money, and our time are all important to Him.
In order to reach and impact people around the world, we have to be organized. We have divisions, unions, conferences, and local churches, working together to help meet the needs of humanity & share the gospel of Jesus Christ.