SAN FRANCISCO BRANCH: GROUND BREAKING CEREMONY

By: Norberto Betita

L-R-Pres. Joseph Graven; Pres. Jose Antonio San Gabriel; Hon. Mayor Val Pinat;
Mrs. Malou Bacol Pinal; Pres. Robert Sherwin S. Betita

                  
The San Francisco Branch of the Surigao Philippines District, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints finally have their ground breaking ceremony on June 29, 2019 for the construction of a multi-purpose meetinghouse after about 10 years of being organized into a branch of the church.

The construction had been postponed for three times in view of policy changes and faithfulness requirements. With further justifications and supplementary recommendations from the District Leadership through the Mission President, the building construction was finally approved and will be started early July 2019.

Present during the ground breaking ceremony were; President Jose Antonio San Gabriel with Sister San Gabriel; Hon. Mayor Val Pinat of the Municipality of San Francisco Branch with his beautiful wife Malou Bacol Pinat; Hon. Annaliza Baldecir, Member of the Municipal Council; President Robert Sherwin Betita, District President; President Abamel Justiniane, 2nd Counselor, District Presidency; Bro. Mark Diegas of the Physical Facilities Department; and the Branch Presidency of the San Francisco Branch.

Also present were other District Officers and members who are excited about the construction of a new meetinghouse.

The Honorable Mayor Val Pinat expressed gratitude and support for the construction of the new building and the development of the area, and promised future non-partisan cooperation with the church and its members on matters of common interest. President San Gabriel, on the other hand, assured the good Mayor that the members of the church are good and law-abiding citizens.

The chapel will be constructed on a corner lot approximately 6,000 sq. m. in the Poblacion of Anao-aon, San Francisco, Surigao del Norte. It is across the street to the San Nicolas High School and the compound of the San Francisco Catholic Parish.

San Francisco is a coastal town approximately 12 kilometers from Surigao City which is the district center of the Church. It has a long span of pebble beaches and clear blue sea. The beautiful sunset as viewed from the beach, turns the color of the sea into glimmers of gold. It is a small municipality with fishing and agriculture as the main source of income of its populace.

It’s pristine and ecologically balanced environment, with magnificent rivers and verdant panorama of beautifully contoured hills some of which are part of the Diwata Mountain ranges, bespeak of the reality and beauty of God’s creation and witness and testifies of His divine existence.

The construction of the new chapel is an answer to the sincere pleadings of the members who are presently conducting their worship in a temporary small chapel. It is prayed and sincerely implored that with the presence of this worship house, the Lord will bless the Municipality with economic development and prosperity, through its government leadership and the people’s cooperation, that the residents will have opportunities for personal temporal growth and development onwards to abundant life for all. Thus, preparing the people for spiritual uplift and making them ready for the preaching of the gospel. It is also hoped that this chapel will help bring about mutual cooperation with interfaith organizations in the locality.

There are now approximately 200 members in the branch and it continues to grow in number. With this new edifice of worship, it is hoped that more people will accept the invitation to come unto Christ and be perfected in Him.