UCCP Church leaders join Sunday Worship after bombing in UCCP Pikit, Cotabato

Press Release
October 11, 2014

QUEZON CITY – In response to the killing of two Church members and the wounding of many by a grenade bombing at UCCP Pikit, during their midweek worship service on Wednesday, October 8, 2014, Bishop Hamuel Tequis, assigned to South East Mindanao Jurisdictional Area leads a delegation of Church leaders to Pikit to join Sunday Worship.

“The UCCP condemns the dastardly act of bombing the UCCP Pikit worship service; and yet, we journey to Pikit with a most important intention to comfort the bereaved and join as a presence of solidarity and support to our Church members,” said Bishop Hamuel Tequis.

“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,” said Bishop Tequis.

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,” said Bishop Tequis.

“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.

The United Church of Christ in the Philippines has encouraged inter-faith, tri-people efforts to build unity, justice and peace, in response to the worship-service bombing at UCCP Pikit.