Bro. Pete Galvez: An Excellent Life

Creative Director. Teacher. Writer. Musician. Visual Artist. But most importantly, a man of God! That was my late Bible study group leader, Pedro F. Galvez. Bro. Pete was a successful creative director at a major advertising firm during his younger years, handling the accounts of world-class brands that are still household names here in the Philippines. He also composed jingles and loved to play the ukulele. Even in his 90s, he was curious to learn many things. He made his own beautiful PowerPoint presentations. He even engaged people on social media and taught Zoom classes at the height of the pandemic.

Because Bro. Pete was multi-talented, one would think that he would spread his efforts thinly on a lot of nonsense, a temptation in which many unfortunate creatives have succumbed. But he was a very focused man. He dedicated his life first and foremost to making disciples for Jesus Christ.

The Anchor in the Storm

Bro. Pete wasn’t a perfect Bible teacher. Just like all of us, he journeyed through the highs of faith and the lows of entanglement with unbiblical practices. Yet by God’s grace, he pressed on to obey the Word and knew God more intimately through it all. 

I will remember Bro. Pete most of all for his commitment to Christ-centered Bible teaching. As a leader in advertising, he was familiar with the marketing techniques that corrupted the sermons that were coming out of most churches. These diluted messages were increasing the memberships and were thus bringing in the money. But allowing the market to dictate the pulpit shipwrecked the faith of many, which I’ve witnessed since 1996. 

Against the billows of error, the Lord raised Bro. Pete to make a stand for Christ-centeredness. He pioneered and led two of the longest-running Bible study groups in Philippine history: the In-Depth Bible Study (IDBS) and the Saturday Discovery Specials (SDS). I was privileged to attend both. What distinguished these classes from many ministry activities were their emphasis on the centrality of God’s attributes and the primacy of the Gospel. 

I remember that in my last phone conversation with him, Bro. Pete reminded me, “Tell the bad news first before the Good News! Only when people realize that they deserve God’s wrath because of their sins will they trust in Christ alone for their salvation.”

Moreover, Bro. Pete always taught us that the Gospel is not only for people rebelling against God. Rather, Christ’s sacrifice on the cross gave us the Holy Spirit, Who alone can inspire us Christians to excel in the different aspects of our lives in the most difficult circumstances…because there is no honor greater than giving our all to Jesus!

The Fruitful Vine

From the bands of misfits in these Bible study groups emerged other faithful Bible teachers and fellow Christians who thrived in their vocations. As for me, the Lord used Bro. Pete to establish me deeply into what matters most to God. I was a few years out of university when I started regularly attending his Bible studies. At that time, I was a struggling occupational therapist (OT). I was confused about how to apply the principles I learned in college in the unpredictable environment that was the clinic. I often dreaded my sessions, especially when I had to evaluate patients. In terms of relationships, I felt like I didn’t belong anywhere.

Because of the unbiblical pragmatism that has swept many churches, we have been bombarded by sermons on how to excel at work and improve our relationships, with God serving as a mere instrument to fulfill those felt needs. Praise the Lord because Bro. Pete was different! He expounded on the Scriptures verse-by-verse for us to know Christ and love Him more by obeying Him. Every Tuesday and Saturday, Bro. Pete’s students gathered for the main purpose of worshipping God. The fruit that it all bore was love among the brethren that created a safe space for me.

The Christ-centered teachings and the fellowship of other believers gave me the courage to face each therapy session. Moreover, they firmly planted me on a purpose that transcends my desire for personal excellence: learning to love others the way Jesus does. Because of what Bro. Pete taught, I regularly read the Bible, repented of my faults, and pleaded to God for help with patient handling. Then gradually, my skills as an OT improved the more I practiced. Trusting God with each therapy session enabled me to serve persons with disabilities (PWDs) who, like me, wrestled with their own anxieties about life. I got to live out Psalm 34, especially verse 4, which says, “I sought the Lord and He answered me. He delivered me from all my fears”. 

Living in the Highest*

I’m going to miss Bro. Pete. I wish I could bring ice cream again for him and the rest of the IDBS/SDS classes. I never got to say goodbye to him in his final moments. But you know what? The best way to honor his memory is to continue what he started.

May I excel in what matters the most the way Bro. Pete did: exalting Christ in doctrine and in life wherever He has called and will call me. All over the world, many people have never heard of God’s Word, especially from excellent Bible teachers. Moreover, PWDs in the most far-flung places in the Philippines and in other countries cannot avail of rehabilitative services. I pray that the Lord will give me more opportunities to serve these people — the very reason I went into healthcare in the first place. 

*”Living in the Highest” was a weekend column that Bro. Pete wrote for a daily broadsheet.

**Bro. Pete’s recorded teachings can be viewed here. Except for “Facing a Task Unfinished”, the songs included in this post are the worship songs that we often sang during IDBS and SDS that resonated the most with me.