My Leader, My Mentor, My Apostle

by Presbyter Joseph Concepcion

It was March 24, 2021 at 9:00 PM when we presented to Apostle Arsenio T. Ferriol the proposal to build a house of worship in Edmonton, Alberta via zoom. It was the day before the official start of the worldwide lockdown due to CoVid19 pandemic. The world came to a screeching halt, but the church was about to experience some of its greatest breakthroughs, one of which is the Edmonton house of worship. 

The location was the old pastoral house of PMCC (4th Watch) shared by West Edmonton and North Edmonton churches. The meeting was lighthearted and we mentioned to the Apostle the amount and the proposed construction firm. After several conversations, he smiled and said yes to the project. I will never forget that day. I knew from that time on that the project would push through because we got the blessing of the Goodman of the House. 

I will always remember our late apostle as one who always championed the work of God. He was a selfless man whose priority was to build and expand the work of God globally. I knew he would be so delighted to see a house of worship standing proud and tall built from the ground up in a country outside the Philippines. I said to myself that once the pandemic is over, I would invite the apostle to see the progress of the construction. By the grace of God on July 12, 2023, the Goodman of the House Apostle Arsenio T. Ferriol stepped foot on the construction site. I knew right there and then that God would make the construction successful. On March 18, 2024 the Edmonton Building was Inaugurated. It was the fulfillment of an apostolic vision, the result of faithful leadership of the Goodman of the House. 

I still remember the night of May 18, 2024: we just finished a very successful crusade in Winnipeg, Manitoba with several baptisms. I was chatting with Presbyter Levi Ferriol, asking him how the apostle was doing. At the time, was in the ICU in a critical condition. He gave me updates and said that we need to pray for him because he was becoming weak. I couldn’t sleep that night thinking about our beloved apostle. The next day early morning Sunday, I was flying back to Toronto and on our way to the airport, I received a text message that said, “Our apostle is now with the Lord.” I shared the news with the people in the car and we were just quiet until we got to the airport. Once seated in the plane, I couldn’t hold my tears anymore. I was looking at the clouds through the window and I just kept crying and crying. My leader, my mentor, my apostle is now gone. 

As we commemorate his first death anniversary, let us be in the spirit of meditation and gratitude. Meditate on how God called us through His sent one. Think about how we received the right teachings and were placed in the true church because of Apostle Arsenio T. Ferriol. We need to be grateful, because through his calling and leadership we learn to live a holy life. We were transformed in our perspective about life. We no longer live for ourselves. Now, we live for God. His legacy continues on with each and every one of us. His life and calling shaped and prepared that of the one God had called to be the one to succeed him one day. 

Yes, the mission to perfect the church is not done yet. By the grace of God, He called another apostle in our time to prepare the church for the second coming of Christ. Apostle Jonathan S. Ferriol, to whom the mantle was passed on, is now our leader, mentor, and apostle. As we loved the Goodman of the House, we should also love him, for he shares the same passion and care for the church, and he shares the same calling and appointment with our late Apostle Arsenio T. Ferriol. As for me, I feel blessed to have been personally trained by Apostle Jonathan S. Ferriol. He is my leader, my mentor, and my apostle. 

Apostle Arsenio T. Ferriol, I miss you dearly. Your presence alone gives assurance and boldness to me. I know you are up in heaven looking down on us, and I hope that you are proud of what we are doing here. I hope that you like the PMCC (4th Watch) Edmonton building. Thank you for everything you’ve done for the church and for us. Till we see you again in the clouds. Happy Rapture!