By: REV. THERESA ELEANOR PAANO-BARRIENTOS

I have been working with the
Banaybanay UMC Women and the
United Women in Faith since 2020. But
my engagement with the Banaybanay
UMC Women started in June 2019,
when I was assigned as their
administrative pastor. In the first few
months of ministry, it was a
painstaking adjustment. There were
not many members who were
worshipping in the church, let alone
women. But I have noticed that the
women were the main cooks and were
assigned to facilitate the events,
including the aftercare. Much later,
when I was getting the hang of the
ministry, we started the manianita
ministry. My companions were women,
and we were only four at that time.
When I also started the shut-in
ministry, I was also accompanied by
women. By then, I realized that the
women of this church had huge
potential and just needed something
to boost their leadership.

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As luck would have it, United Women in
Faith (formerly the United Methodist
Women) found us. When United
Women in Faith Regional Initiatives
Missionary Emma Cantor was looking
for a livelihood project to support,
Banaybanay UMC Women Peanut
Butter was suggested. At that time,
peanut butter making was only done
by women when there were events like
Women’s Society of Christian Service
(WSCS) assemblies. Since these kinds
of assemblies happened only twice a
year, they made peanut butter twice or
three times a year, or when there were
also other events. The reason they did
not regularly make peanut butter was
because of a lack of capital. Their
capital for making the peanut butter
before came from their own pockets.
With a modest livelihood, it was not
easy to contribute to the capital. The
United Women in Faith was also
looking for a writer to write updates
about the peanut butter livelihood
they were going to support. My name
floated, and it was timely because I
was the Administrative Pastor of
Banaybanay UMC then.
Honestly, I was apprehensive about
being assigned to Banaybanay UMC.
Prior to being assigned here, I was
assigned to city churches, where the
practices, ministries, and characters of
the members were different. It was my
first time being assigned to a church in
the province, and an Ilocano
congregation at that.

I kept asking the Lord in my prayers why He
placed me in this church, and sometimes I
cried my heart out because I felt the church
and I were a mismatch. I admit the
adjustment was rough for the first few
months, but it was the women and some of
the youth who helped me get the hang of the
ministry in this place. I felt it was not a
coincidence but God’s intervention that I was
chosen to be the writer of UWF, and UWF
chose Banaybanay UMC Women Peanut
Butter to support. God purposefully placed
me in Banaybanay UMC for a reason, and I
know the women were one of my missions.

One of the reasons why I was so
passionate about this project is
because it reminded me of my
late grandmother, Cipriana
Caterial Paano, who used to make
and sell peanut butter. Her peanut
butter was my favorite. After she
died, we never got to taste
homemade peanut butter except
for those commercial ones we buy
in stores. When I first tasted the
peanut butter produced by the
women in Banaybanay UMC, it
reminded me so much of the
peanut butter my late Anma used
to make. It heightened my interest
in giving my all-out support to
their income-generating project;
however, we lacked in the
financial aspect, so we could not
produce them as often as we
would like.
When the UWF gave us capital for
the peanut butter production, this
paved the way for the active
participation of the women. It was
the starting point for their
commitment to church ministries.
These women started
spearheading witnessing
ministries like the manianita and
ministry to the shut-in. Some
became lay servants in the
church. I am so grateful to see the
growth of these women, not just in
their financial capacity but also in
their faith and commitment.

They also improved significantly in the
leadership aspect. When I first came, these
women were not that active in the church
ministries; in fact, some of them were not
going to church regularly. Upon starting the
peanut butter production, they could not
move on their own accord. They were
dependent on my decisions and leadership,
but now they have learned to take the
initiative to decide for themselves without
me having to nudge them incessantly.
Before, they would only make peanut butter
according to my instructions or wait for my
decision regarding how they manage the
project, but now they can decide for
themselves and think of ways to improve
the workstation, the recipe, and marketing
without me constantly guiding them or
spoon-feeding them what to do.
Because of this livelihood, they have found
something to be busy about, and they can
finance themselves when there are
activities in the cluster, district, or annual
level of the WSCS. One of them told me that
making peanut butter helps them release
the stress they acquire at home.
When I am with these women as they make the peanut butter, although my
contribution is only preparing their snacks and meals and helping in the
packaging, talking with these women in the process of making the product also
gives me a good mood and helps me forget some of the things that bother my
mind. I find it a relaxing and joyful experience to converse with them. I am
grateful that UWF found our church and me. Banaybanay UMC is one of the
many churches in Mindanao and a humble church. It is not popular and not the
kind of church that gets a lot of attention because there is nothing incredibly
special about it. But when UWF noticed us and helped the livelihood grow, the
regular production of the peanut butter allowed the distribution of the product in
different places in Mindanao.

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PHILIPPINES
United Women in Faith

When people come to our church when we host activities, they get fascinated
upon seeing the peanut butter workstation and when they taste the product.
Some would say our peanut butter is better than any other peanut butter they
have tasted, especially those displayed in stalls, pasalubong centers, and stores.
We did not ask for this blessing to come; it just came to us by the grace of God
through the UWF. We did not go searching for this financial support; the blessing
came unexpectedly, and it had me thinking that indeed, God notices where no
one notices, and God uplifts the humble. This fact strengthened my faith and
inspired me to do more ministry. These humble, hardworking women are the
reason why God showered His favor upon us.
I am also personally thankful for the chance to be part of this team. I also got to
make connections and friends outside Mindanao. Like I previously said, the
church I am assigned to was not popular, and even I was an unknown pastor
outside my conference. But because of this, I got to meet Ate Emma and Ate
Hannah, and they both introduced me to the people they know in Manila and in
different places. Both Ate Emma and Hannah are enthusiastic about promoting
peanut butter and sharing the story of Banaybanay UMC Women. UWF paved the
way for me to expand my circle.

Whichever angle I look at it from, it’s a
miracle how we got this far. I will carry
this story in my heart, and it will forever
be embedded in my soul. It’s
unfathomable how the UWF found us
and how much growth occurred in the
Banaybanay UMC women within two
years. This project has given new hope
and joy to the hearts of the Banaybanay
UMC women. I am blessed to be a part
of this unimaginable story. As one of the
women said, “Wala gyud ko nagdahom
nga makaabot ang in-ani nga blessing
sa amoa.” (I never expected that such a
blessing would ever come to us.) I am
confident that, as an itinerant pastor
who gets to be transferred anytime,
when I leave these women for a new
assignment, they will be able to
continue what has been started
because they are now more capable
than ever.