Bro. Jackie Benton

Tribute for Bro. Roel Soriano

September 2021

MY FRIEND, BROTHER ROEL

It is with great pleasure that I greet all of my friends, and loved ones, and brothers and sisters in the Philippines, and pay honor to our precious, Brother Roel Soriano. Precious brother, friend. We’ve been friends for about 37 years.

When I first went to the Philippines and we traveled together, preached together, he was our interpreter. So he was our contact there for many years. So we just count it a great privilege to be able to speak a few words on his behalf.

Brother Roel was a minister that impacted the Philippines like no other Brother. So he’ll be long remembered because of his travel, his hospitality, and his blessings to the Bride of Jesus Christ.

Brother Roel, he did not live for himself, he lived for others. And I know that to be a fact so we’ll miss our brother, our hearts are saddened but our loss, our earthly loss here is heaven’s gain. And we know that it won’t be long until we are joined together with our brother.

And we send condolences to Chichi, and the daughters there, Paola and little Yndia. So we send greetings and condolences to all the family and those who are here during this memorial service for our brother. And we just count it a great privilege to be able to speak a few words on his behalf.

So, God bless each one and we pray the blessings of the Lord to Sis. Chichi and the girls, and the family. We’ll miss him, and all the church family.

JUST TO BE A BLESSING

I appreciate the song that Brother Roel wrote in behalf of me. I was sleeping on a balcony there (in the Philippines), on some benches, and Brother Roel, he came down with his guitar one day in 1992 and said, “Brother Jackie, I wrote a song for you.” And so he took his guitar and sang it for me and so I’m going to sing a little bit of it. He heard me so many times there in the Philippines, I would say, “I’m here just to be a blessing.” And so he titled it, “Just to be a Blessing”. He titled it, “Jackie’s Song”.

It’s been sung in Germany, Guyana, South America and many countries and it’s been a blessing. And I appreciate the song and I feel like it suits the occasion, Amen. I’ll be singing from my heart this afternoon, so God bless you.