Inspiring Lives: A Picture Of Unwavering Faith

She celebrated her 104th birthday on May 16,2006. Born in 1902, Sister Agripina Pangan Lapuz hails from the town of Sta. Ana in Pampanga, Philippines. The youngest of the five children of Doroteo I and Maria Pangan, she became an orphan at an early age. Her older siblings-Alejandro,Patricio,Juan,and Mercedes-helped one another in raising her. She received her primary education from Santa Escolastica College of Women in Malate, Manila.

Sister Agripina became a member of the Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo) after she had her second child. Her acquaintance with the Church started when her older brother, Patricio, came back from the United States in the summer of 1932.

He was then a Protestant and was looking for a Protestant place of worship in Sta. Ana. His search led him miles away to Arayat, Pampanga. It was there where he came across a house of worship of the Church of Christ. There, he was able to speak with the late Brother Roman Buyson, who was then the resident minister of the local congregation of Arayat. Their conversation sparked an interest in Patricio and he requested Brother Buyson to hold a missionary activity in Sta. Ana.

Soon after, evangelical missions were staged. These nightly missionary acitivities were held at a vacant lot near Sister Agripina's house and these were led by the late Brother Benito Simbilio and the brethren of the Arayat Congregation.

An Eye Opener

Although nobody invited Sister Agripina to attend the evangelical missions, she would listen intently to the gospel being preached every night. With her husband doing business in Manila on weekdays and having two small children in the house, she could only stand by the gate of her front yard in order to listen to the gospel.

After each evangelical mission, she would experience sleepless nights as the words of God lingered and stayed in her mind. What she heard was an eye opener for her to see the truth. Eventually, she and Patricio were baptized in the Church of Christ and were counted among the pioneer members of the Sta. Ana Local Congregation.

The first temporary house of worship of their congregation was built on Sister Agripina's vacant lot. This was used by the congregation until the Church had purchased a piece of land which was just two houses away from where she lived. A house of worship made of wood was built on that land. By the 1950s, their congregation outgrew their house of worship which prompted Sister Agripina to sell her vacant lot to the Church as it had a much larger square footage.

Years later, her family moved to Tandang Sora, Caloocan, Metro Manila. In 1981, the structure at the back of her residence was converted into a small chapel to accommodate the overflow of brethren from the nearby congregations of Balintawak and Bagong Barrio. Eventually, the extension became an independent local congregation and, in 1955, the Church purchased the property from her on which a big and modern house of worship was built.

Crucial Tests Of Faith

She married Leon C. Lapuz, a Lutheran and a building contractor by trade, before she became a member of the Church of Christ. They had six children: Eleazar, the oldest, is survived by his wife, Lilia; Gloria; Fe; Mely; Lydia; and Mila. Sister Agripina's perseverance and determination were the strong factors in ensuring that all her children were dedicated to God, were baptized in the Church when they came of age, and earned their degrees in college.

Her first crucial test of faith came from her husband. He constantly questioned her religious activities and her ardent faith as she would attend evangelical missions with other pioneer officers and members even in the distant places which were staged by other local congregations. To overcome the persecution from her husband and his rejection of her faith, she held nightly devotional prayers at the house of worship until the time came when the persecution stopped.

During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines in World War II, Sister Agripina encountered more trials. To help in and support the expansion of the Church's frontiers in those times, she and other brethren would have to walk to distant towns to hold Bible studies in basements and air raid shelters. Her strong weapon against all those trials and hardships was her prayers coupled wth strong faith and determination. She had always been prayerful.

After the war, persecutions from the Hukbalahap (Hukbo ng Bayan Laban sa mga Hapon or Citizen's Army Against the Japanese) became intense. During the period, Sister Agripina was one of those who received threats from the group because of the known unity of the Church of Christ which this movement was very much opposed to. Again, she held nightly devotional prayers and she truly felt that her prayers were her shield against tribulation.

Dedication To Her Duty To God

Sister Agripina had held various offices in the Church since she became a member in 1932. She became the treasurer for the Sta. Ana Congregation from its establishment until before she and her family moved to Manila. She became a deaconess in the local congregation of Tayuman and then in Balintawak when she moved to the suburbs.

When she immigrated to the United States in May 1972, she continued performing her office as deaconess in the local congregation of Los Angeles in California and when she later moved to San Gabriel Valley when this congregation was establishd in 1977. Up to this very day, she still dons her white deaconess uniform every time she atends the worship service.

Sister Agripina never fails to say her prayers wherever she may be and whatever time of the day. Through all these years, she has never missed attending the worship services. God's help is manifested in her by way of longevity, a fairly good health, unwavering faith, and the unconditional love of her family including her 17 grandchildren and 22 great grandchildren. She expresses her deep and utmost gratitude to our Lord God for all His blessings.