When Discipleship Carries Sacrifice: A Witness of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines

As the quadrennial General Assembly of the UCCP began on Sunday night, we watched a performance that narrated the experience of Filipinos over the last century and told the story of the UCCP’s history. There were scenes marked by humor and lightness, but other scenes pointed to more difficult truths, reflections of a church that has known incredible hardship and sacrifice.

Near the end of the performance, the crowd grew quiet as a scene entitled “Alive Forevermore” unfolded before us. One by one, names appeared on the screen: Joel Baclao, Jr. Andy Pawican. Noel Capulong. Afredo David. These and others listed were among those who had sacrificed their lives because of their bold witness of faith. They were pastors. Attorneys. Human rights activists. People who organized farmers and mobilized fishing villages to seek lives of basic economic security and safeguarded dignity. None of them were seeking the limelight or wanted to be martyrs. They were UCCP members, people of faith who took the call of the Gospels seriously and worked tirelessly for justice and peace among their people as a result. And for that work they were killed, most often by government forces.

Such heavy costs for discipleship have been a regular experience for members of the UCCP for decades already, and remain so today. “Red-tagging” is another tactic widely used by the Philippine government now, a malicious labeling of individuals and groups as “terrorists” or “communists” that targets activists, journalists, and human rights defenders. Those who are “red-tagged” are harassed, sometimes arrested, jailed, and subject to baseless charges, and all too frequently become the victims of violence and even death.

In conversations with UCCP friends over these last several days, they’ve shared their personal testimonies of being red-tagged.  The UCCP here is a favorite target of the tactic. Those who suffer it talk about it matter-of-factly and with a shrug of their shoulders.  They recognize the very real dangers inherent in it, but they are undeterred. For them, standing up for justice, lifting up the voices of the poor, and boldly naming evil and corruption when they see it is simply a requirement of their faith. It is discipleship.

Ode to Eternal Life

Many are those who have gone before

Who offered their life, their all

Resisting all chains of domination

Proclaiming in word and deed

the good news of salvation–

In the hope of a new world coming

Where everyone is free to be

what they were meant to be

Their lives a testimony

A prod, a word of challenge

Daring us, shaking us

To heed the call and the mission

To stand up, as they did stand,

In faith and in obedience

And live up to the Gospel’s demand.

The blood of the martyrs are seeds

Of the struggle – sown and scattered,

Watered and nourished by cries…

Of anger and despair

Of hope yet a-borning

That the seed no matter how covered

Or pressed down deep in the ground

Will burst forth into the open

And continue to live and give life!

Death – the martyrs you have grabbed

But gone is your venom and sting

For alive forevermore they are

in the bosom of Abraham

But more than that, they remain living

In the heartbeats of us

Who will pick up their cause;

Yes, alive forevermore they’ll be

in the blood streams

of our struggling people.

The Reverend Shari Prestemon began her service with the national ministries of the United Church of Christ in January 2024. As the Associate General Minister & Co-Executive for Global Ministries she has the privilege of overseeing several teams: Global Ministries, Global H.O.P.E., Public Policy & Advocacy Team (Washington, D.C.), and our staff representative to the United Nations. She previously served as pastor to local UCC congregations in Illinois and Wisconsin; the Executive Director at the UCC’s Back Bay Mission in Biloxi, Mississippi; and as Conference Minister in Minnesota.