WISL Report 2026

On Saturday, December 6, 2025, at 3:00 PM EST, twenty-four candidates walked in and joined the 8th WISL Commencement Exercises to receive their diplomas. The ceremony was held at the Hilton Garden Inn Baltimore/White Marsh, 5015 Campbell Blvd., Nottingham, Maryland. Graduates, faculty, and guests from various states, including California, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Maryland, attended to celebrate this momentous occasion.

The night before the commencement, a simple dinner and informal gathering were held at WIN Maryland Church. The event was led by Pastor Voltaire Villaver and his wife, Sister Ethel. Pastor Ferdie Melendres exhorted the graduates on the next steps after WISL, focusing on three areas: ministry enhancement, understanding their calling, and the importance of continuing education. He also introduced ASCM (Asian Seminary of Christian Ministry) and explained the benefits the graduates may receive if they pursue further education through that institution. During the same evening, Pastor Raheel Rizvi introduced the newly created WISL website and demonstrated its features and details. Please visit www.wislglobal.org for more information. Finally, Pastor Edwin Hernandez encouraged the graduates to persevere in their callings.

The graduates were given an opportunity to share their experiences while studying at WISL. One sister from New York, who completed the entire program after ten years, shared that she had been greatly empowered through her years of study. She explained that she was studying at WISL when she married a Guyanese man who pastors a church in Brooklyn. Four years ago, her husband became seriously ill and fell into a coma, leaving him unable to continue pastoring the church. As a result, she had no choice but to step up and continue the ministry her husband had been leading. With the help of WISL, she was able to sustain the church’s operations, and the lessons she learned became her source of strength and wisdom. Another brother shared that he is a cancer survivor who completed the WISL program after six years. He recalled that even while undergoing chemotherapy, he continued attending WISL classes because he did not want to miss the sessions. He praised God, saying that after years of toil and sacrifice, “I made it with the help of the Lord.”

Early on the morning of Saturday, December 6, the graduates went to the harbour at Fort McHenry in Baltimore for a photo session. Historically, this fort successfully defended Baltimore from British naval bombardment in 1814, leading Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” Today, Fort McHenry is a National Park site with walking paths, ranger programs, cannon and musket demonstrations, and historic reenactments.

At exactly 3:00 PM EST the graduates rose in unison and, step by step, moved forward as ushers guided them to their assigned seats. The ceremony began with a prayer by Ptr. Edwin Hernandez, followed by praise and worship led by the music team of WIN Maryland. Pastor Ferdie welcomed the graduates, their parents and relatives, and all guests to the 8th commencement exercises. He spoke about WISL’s accomplishments since its founding in 2011 and the number of students from around the world it has served, and he acknowledged those who have graduated from WISL.

Rev. Pastor Armando Zacarias, the keynote speaker, encouraged the graduates with the message of Paul’s desire to know Christ. He affirmed that studying the Bible, history, and hermeneutics is valuable, that serving Christ through the church is important, and that mission and evangelism are part of the journey — yet the most important thing in life is to know Christ. Ptr. Edwin then led the hooding ceremony while Ptr. Raheel handed certificates to each graduate. The graduates are the following: Priscilla Aldaba, Gordon Apura, Catherine Borromeo, Mark Raymond Cabrera, Journalyn Canda, Marlon Canda, Dennis Catipon, Araceli Chavez, Romina De Jesus, Amado Esconde, Brenda Gaizie, Edison Gue, Lilia Juntilla, Lloyd Lumata, Vibiene Lumata, Charito Mendoza, Daniel Moreno, Veronica Moreno, Anthony Pestañas, Marlin Provins, Elizabeth Torregosa, Maria Hannah Tuanqui, Ethel Villaver, and Voltaire Villaver.

At the end of the program, the graduates sang a special song titled “We Will Serve the Lord.” Through this song, they declared their commitment to continue serving the Lord Jesus Christ, who remained faithful despite the trials and challenges they experienced during their time of study. They also prayed together, asking the Lord for help and guidance. The entire ceremony concluded with a special dinner.

As part of this report, a WISL graduation ceremony was also held in Jerusalem, Israel, on Saturday, October 11, 2025, in WIN Jerusalem Church, 55 Ha’Naveim Street. Twelve students completed the program. Graduates came not only from WIN Israel but also from several other churches.