3 churches hold joint service; Operation Blessing eyes relief mission to Saipan

In the aftermath of Super Typhoon Sinlaku, three congregations set aside their usual Sunday routines and came together for a single, improvised service at the Garapan Roundhouse last April 19, offering a moment of prayer and solidarity amid widespread devastation.

Grace Christian Assembly, Palauan Evangelical Church, and Life in the Son Christian Fellowship held what organizers described as a united service born out of necessity after storm damage rendered their regular venues unusable.

“It was very organic. It came across after conversations when I visited and to connect with pastor Michael Rogers because I saw his church GCA decimated, devastated, and damaged,” said LITS pastor Eric Abragan. “So, I reached out to him and he's off-island, so we're trying to figure out just to pray and to process things together. And then, I spoke also with pastor Ferdie [Ngirmekur]… their church also was damaged. So, we all thought of canceling our services.”

With Garapan Elementary School now serving as a typhoon shelter, Abragan opted instead to gather the LITS congregation in a shared space with GCA and Palauan Evangelical Church—two neighboring churches in Navy Hill devastated by Sinlaku.

“So, we decided of having a joint service and now we're here,” he added.

Whether the combined worship will continue remains uncertain.

“We're taking it one Sunday at a time and it may be good for their church also to process together locally in their local church. But, today was just a divine appointment. It was an encouragement to see how we came up last minute. God provided everything from venue to musicians to prayer ministers and prayer partners that would stand together even to pray.”

The joint service drew worshippers still grappling with the storm’s aftermath, many of whom are now cleaning up damaged homes or staying in temporary shelters.

Meanwhile, another humanitarian response is beginning to take shape, with representatives from Operation Blessing International arriving on Saipan to assess immediate needs.

Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines’ Myla Malana arrived with Chris Clapano early Sunday morning and are still in the early stages of evaluation.

“First, we're going to assess what's the kinds of needs that the people need here. We want to provide at least food packs, hygiene kits, or hot meals for those in the evacuation. Maybe we're going to roam around the area.”

She noted that supplies will eventually be shipped from the group’s headquarters in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

She said the assistance will likely include ready-to-eat meals and hygiene essentials such as “toothpaste, toothbrush, soap, shampoo.”

The team expects to remain on Saipan for several days while coordinating with local partners and evaluating whether to extend assistance to Tinian.

“I think it's only for four or five days,” Malana said.

Despite limited time on the ground so far, she acknowledged seeing signs of the storm’s impact, especially the line at the gas stations.