In a land where the sun meets the sea, Pangasinan thrives as a province of salt and light. It's a fitting metaphor for a ministry that began humbly but grew to radiate faith and hope across campuses and communities. The story of IVCF Pangasinan is a living testimony to how lives transformed by God can preserve, illuminate, and inspire.

A GRAIN OF SALT

Salt, though small and seemingly ordinary, holds the power to preserve and add flavor. In the early 1990s, a few grains of salt were scattered across Pangasinan when Groundbreakers (GTs) from Manila combined their earthquake relief efforts with a higher calling. Kuya Ariel Osit, Kuya Toyditz Cosico, Kuya Boy Cabugao, and Kuya Dado DL Cruz, guided by Ms. Kinnette Paredes, began a labor of love, planting seeds of faith in fertile ground.

By 1993, these efforts bore fruit at the University of Pangasinan (UPang), where the Mandaragupan Christian Fellowship was born. This fellowship embodied the essence of being a city on a hill, shining for all to see.

LIGHTING THE WAY

From this spark, fire began to grow. Kuya Nico Estrada, a lone delegate to the 1993 Kawayan Camp in Cebu, returned with a light that could not be hidden. He ignited a movement at UPang, becoming the first homegrown IVCF staff in Pangasinan. Through his leadership, students found a place to belong, grow in faith, and step boldly into their callings.

The ministry's light soon extended to other campuses, including the University of Luzon (then Luzon Colleges). These campuses became sanctuaries where students navigated a world often shadowed by doubt and confusion.

THE BEACON'S PEAK

By the mid-1990s, IVCF Pangasinan reached its brightest. Delegates like Blair Aguil, August Rosario, and Christy Gaviola carried the province's banner to the 1996 Kawayan Camp, returning as flame bearers ready to spread the light. Annual representations and Graduates' Conferences became spiritual lighthouses for many, while the establishment of the Pangasinan Alumni Association by Kuya Boy Cabugao laid a foundation for professional growth and fellowship.

Despite challenges-securing campus recognition and expanding to new areas-the light never dimmed. Through campuses such as Virgen Milagrosa University Foundation (VMUF) and high schools in San Carlos City, Lingayen, and beyond, GTs and staff workers ensured that Christ's radiance continued to pierce the darkness.

WHEN THE LIGHT FLICKERS

Salt can lose its saltiness, and lights can grow dim-but not without hope. Today, Pangasinan State University-Lingayen stands as an active campus movement, led by the dedicated efforts of volunteer staff Daryl Ventura. Similarly, the Golden Lion Christian Fellowship, a soon-to-be accredited organization at PSU Lingayen Campus, is gearing up to further the mission of faith and transformation.

Though fewer in number, the light still burns brightly. Every prayer whispered, every Bible study held, every student reached-each act serves to preserve the work that began decades ago.

A LEGACY OF SALT AND LIGHT

Pangasinan's name speaks to its identity: a land rich in salt and abundant in light. So too does the IVCF ministry that calls this place home. Like salt, it has preserved countless lives, giving them eternal significance. Like light, it has illuminated paths, leading many to truth and purpose.

The story of IVCF Pangasinan is far from over. It is a call to all who hear it-to be grains of salt, preserving faith in every corner of the earth, and to be cities on a hill, shining for the glory of God.

May the next chapter bring even greater light, that Pangasinan may continue to fulfill its destiny as a beacon of hope, for His Kingdom and His glory.