Rev. Elmer L. Saa

All to Jesus I surrender,
All to Him I freely give;
I will ever love and trust Him,
In His presence daily live.

Whenever Rev. Elmer L. Saa sings this stanza from the hymn “I Surrender All”, he is reminded that he has no control over his life. And he worries not for to him, his life is a continuing witness to God's providence.

Like any good Christian, Pastor Elmer was not able to escape trials. Early on in his Christian ministry he figured in several instances when his faith and perseverance were tested. As a young pastor then, the realities of work on the ground on his assignment in Naawan, Misamis Oriental made him contemplate on quitting. The demands of pastoral work and the scarcity of monetary resources almost pushed the Pastor Elmer to give in to the temptation of abandoning what he was called for.

Pastor Elmer shares how as a young pastor, he experienced feeling so helpless seeing his wife and kids in a difficult situation. There was a time when his wife and kids were sick, and he could not even buy a single medicine for them as he had no money left in his pocket. That almost gave rise to a decision to leave the ministry. But as he struggled to let his faith prevail over his emotions, a friend suddenly showed up in his place unexpectedly. That same friend offered assistance to Pastor Elmer, enabling him to buy medicines for his family. On that day, he learned to trust more an surrender everything to the Lord. 

A life devoted to Christian ministry was not evident in the first career moves of Pastor Elmer. He had pursued a course in the sciences at Xavier University in Cagayan de Oro City, then later transferred to Velez College in Cebu in the hopes of obtaining a pre-med course. It was only while already in a pre-med course that he recalled a promise that he made to one day become a pastor.

He followed his heart. In 1974, Pastor Elmer transferred to Silliman University. At that time, students in the Divinity School were still required to finish an undergraduate degree before being admitted into the Bachelor of Ministry program. He chose AB Sociology, and graduated with such degree in 1977, cum laude. He then proceeded to obtaining the degree of Bachelor of Ministry, finishing the program in three years and repeating another achievement by graduating cum laude. Later in 1995, he received his Master of Divinity, still from Silliman.

Graduation meant a new beginning for Pastor Elmer. It did not only open doors for him to serve a local church; it also meant meeting his wife, Nilda Yap, also a graduate at the Divinity School in Silliman. Like Pastor Elmer, Pastor Nilda faitfhully serves the ministry as a pastor at the United Church of Christ in the Philippines in Magsaysay, Misamis Orientatl.

Pastor Elmer and Pastor Nilda are blessed with five children who are also Sillimanians: Celton Clyde, now working at the Commission on Higher Education; Nilmera Claire, a graduate of the Nutrition and Dietetics Department; Cyfril Faith, currently employed with World Vision International; Johanne Jules, a Psychology major; and Mercigrace Elm, a graduate of Management.

In 2008, Pastor Elmer received a “call” to serve the Silliman University Church as an Associate Minister. It was a welcome development for him as he has always found pleasure in providing spiritu*]}*al nourishment for people from different ages. His call to serve the SU Church also brought him “home” again and allowed him to give back to Silliman. “God called me to serve in Silliman!”