Dr. Ed M. Laurena

a short biography

Though intelligent and talented, Dr. Ed, as a young man not guided by God's Word had ungodly friends. His association with them caused his suspensions and even expulsions from the different high schools he enrolled in. He became an active member of a notorious gangster called "Bahala Na Gang," which made him famous in gang fights and in drinking sessions.

               Yet, God is and was at work in his life! On the third Sunday of November 1970, God convicted him of his sins, and Dr. Ed, at the age of 15 years old, was saved through a preaching, and was baptized by a Baptist pastor. Later, he accompanied his Pastor in visitations and Bible studies in the rural areas. His involvement in church endeavors ceased for a while when Dr. Ed became backslidden. There were times that he would hide in the pigpen every time his pastor visited him. However, that did not last long. In one of their "hide-and-seek" escapades, his pastor found and convinced him to study in a Bible college. He went, bringing with him a pack of cigarettes hidden in the sleeves of his shirt.

               With God's powerful control over his life, he committed himself to the Lord when he was already studying in the Legaspi Bible Institute, which later became Baptist Bible College. He then became an active, happy and aggressive soulwinner as well as a commendable hardworking church worker. There, he came to get acquainted more with Ma'am Delia Hernandez, the lady who is God's perfect will for him whom he first met in a church fellowship meeting in 1970. She is the daughter of the late Dr. Fortunato Hernandez, a Baptist pastor since 1954. She was already enrolled in that Institute ahead of Dr. Ed. After Dr. Ed and Ma'am Delia got married on January 16, 1976, they started a work in Camalig, Albay.

               While pastoring, Dr. Ed was afflicted with an eye problem. Every month, he had to travel by train from Camalig to Manila for his checkup. In one of those trips, the train had an engine trouble and it literally stopped in the San Pedro train station. That was when Dr. Ed fell in love with the place. When he came back to Albay, he started praying about the town of San Pedro, Laguna. In December of that same year, he made his first survey of San Pedro. By the end of the month, God gave him a house to rent in San Roque, one of the barangays of San Pedro. As a 23-year-old young pastor, he approached Pastor Lloyd Baker, then the pastor of Octagon Bible Baptist Church in Pasig City, Metro Manila, if said Church could send him as a missionary to San Pedro. The first Sunday morning service was held on January 22, 1978. From an attendance of 42 on the first service, CBBC, after 30years is now averaging 2,800 - 3,000 in attendance, with 200 first time visitors and 40 baptisms every Sunday morning.

               Truly, Christian Bible Baptist Church is very blessed to have Dr. Ed as its Pastor who knows a lot of tasks in the church like sweeping, cleaning, constructing, teaching, playing musical instruments, singing, disciplining and most importantly, soulwinning. With love, he implements hard but quality training for men and women who are surrendered for the ministry. That is why many of the growing churches in the Philippines are pastored by preachers trained under Dr. Ed's leadership. Despite many oppositions and criticisms, he continually serves God with joy, knowing that He is working to win the smile of God.

               Dr. Ed and Ma'am Del have been happily married for more than 30 years. God has blessed them with four children. They are Mishael, Edmund Melzar, Lois Anica and Matthew Ed. Mishael, the eldest, is married to Jess Sibug. Jess is a full time staff member for the church, while Mishael serves as the CBBC Music Coordinator. They are both teaching in the Baptist Heritage Bible College. Meljun is the Executive Vice President and a teacher of the Bible College and is a faithful Area Leader. Anica is currently third year, studying at West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster, California, while Matthew is the youngest and is in High School level in the Christian Bible Baptist Academy.