Two Years After the Mango Tree: Celebrating Baptisms at Active Faith Church in Donsol
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Two years ago, a church in Donsol, Sorsogon didn't have a building. It didn't have a name on a banner. It had a mango tree, a handful of believers, and a conviction that God was planting something.
On July 5, 2026, that same congregation, now Active Faith Church–Donsol, gathered in Sta. Cruz to celebrate its second anniversary. And in the way that only God writes anniversaries, the celebration didn't end with the service. It ended in the water, with baptisms.
Planted by God, Nourishing Together
The theme the church chose for this year's anniversary says it all: Planted by God, Nourishing Together. Their anniversary banner featured a tree with deep, visible roots — a nod to where this church began, and a picture of where it's headed.
The theme comes from Psalm 92, and it's hard to imagine a better fit:
"The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God." — Psalm 92:12–13 (NIV)
Standing under the palms in Donsol, watching a congregation of all ages fill the frame in matching red shirts, "flourish" feels like exactly the right word.
From a Mango Tree to a Movement
If you've followed Mosaic for a while, you know this church's origin story. It started with believers gathering under a mango tree, no walls, no roof, just faith. In April 2024, a missions team stood on that very ground, praying and worshiping with the congregation.
One month later, Mosaic's Annual Gala raised the $5,000 needed for a down payment on a permanent plot of land, and by June 15, 2024, the purchase was finalized. Read the full story of how the Donsol church was planted here.
Since then, the growth hasn't just been physical. Last year we shared how the Sunday School ministry in Donsol was thriving, with children learning Scripture and families being drawn into the life of the church. Read that article here.
This anniversary is the next chapter: a two-year-old church, planted by God, already bearing fruit, shepherded by our faithful partners on the ground, Pastor Edwin and Jo Dueñas, whose leadership has grown a network of more than 30 churches across the Bicol region. Learn more about the work in the Philippines here.
The Best Part: Baptisms
The celebration didn't end when the service did. Immediately afterward, the church made its way to the water for baptisms, new believers going public with their faith on the very day their church marked two years of life.
As Mosaic founder Mark Sherman put it, baptisms right after a service are his favorite. And it's easy to see why. There's something fitting about a church celebrating how it was planted by watching new life take root. Roots going deeper. Branches reaching further.
You Helped Plant This
Every person in these photos is connected to people like you, supporters who prayed, gave, and believed that a gathering under a mango tree could become a flourishing church. Two years in, Active Faith Church–Donsol is proof of what happens when local believers and a global family nourish something together.
Want to be part of the next chapter? Learn more about Mosaic International and our work here.
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