Ministry Trip Oct 13-Nov 7, 2006

I have written the following six posts after my trip to the Philippines and then India. I have posted many photos from the trip so just click on the 'View Ministry Photos' link.

Thank you very much for all forms of support, so that we are able to support ministry around the world.

One day I was taking some photos of the mountains and when I turned around, there were 3 Philippina school girls smiling at me. As I raised my camera, they quickly struck a pose! I don't have a story for this photo, but it is one of my favorite photos from my trip.

Philippine ECC Training

October 13-26, 2006

The ECC members gathered up in the mountains at a Nazarene Bible school for a week of training, prayer, worship and renewal. This training takes place three times a year. Many Philippinos are very musically gifted, so it was a great joy to start out each day with worship. The day was filled with training sessions, beginning, intermediate and advanced sessions depending on the persons level of training.

It was a pleasure for me to participate in the Leadership class and discuss the issues facing leaders.

During my time at the seminar, I had time to ask the new ECC members about how they came to the ECC ministry. Such a simple question, with tear jerking answers.

One young lady explained that she had a strong call from the Lord, in spite of the fact that her family was in financial trouble due to a failed business. Her boyfriend at the time wasn't a believer, but he too felt that the Lord was calling her to the ministry. Her older sister said she would support her only if she would go to the university and study nursing, but not to Bible School. However, after a year, her older sister began to support her while in Bible School.

The ECC members are people of character and obedient people of God. The work is in good hands and will go forward in fruitfulness.

Philippine Every Community for Christ

October 13-25, 2006

The Philippine ECC ministry is growing stronger with each passing day. The Lord is using the 37 ECC ministers to reach many people, disciple them and train them to be leaders in their churches.

Anita was with me for some of the time in the Philippines. We had opportunity to hear the ECC team ministry reports and then to be with them in small groups to hear in more detail and to pray with them (top photo). I enjoy this so much. It is a wonderful opportunity to tell them that they are doing a great job for the Lord.

The ECC evangelists have a difficult job. As they witness to others, their message is often rejected, so it is easy to become discouraged. However, as people come to trust in the Lord Jesus, they rejoice with the angels.

I especially enjoy meeting new ECC ministers and asking them how God called them into the ECC ministry. I hear some amazing testimonies of faith.

Sheila, in the bottom photo, with her youngest of 3 sons, is a new ECC member since I was there last year. She became a follower of Jesus and then started 2 house churches. She wanted to start more groups, but her leader told her she has enough to do with those two groups and three young boys!

Sheila is an example of why the churches all over the Philippines are growing.

Philippine Brethren

October 22, 2006

The Philippines is one of the countries I am assigned to Shepherd the ECC leader and ECC ministers. However, while in the Philippines, I took time to attend a Sunday service and preach at the Brethren church in the Philippines.
This church has started many cell groups and has begun to plant two other churches.
The Lord has opened the door in the Philippines and many are coming to know the Lord as their Savior.

Pastor Gary, who is Senior Pastor, is attending Ashland Seminary in Ohio and is in his last year. After graduation he will return to give leadership to the church. Pastor Rollly, in top photo, gives leadership to the church in Pastor Gary's absence. I had the privilege of spending the night at the home of Pastor Gary's parents and his brother gave up his bed for me.

After worship, I participated in the Sunday School hour and was happy to learn of their faith and commitment to growing the church.
As in most Philippine churches, the music was wonderful.

India Every Communitty for Christ

October 26-31, 2006

In the top photo are our ECC Team leaders in India. We came together at a church camp beside the Indian Ocean, a beautiful setting, for a time of teaching and prayer.

While the daily rice and curry doesn't sit well with me, the fellowship is so good that I begged my boss to let me attend again this year, since I was in a country close by anyway!

This group of leaders is in transition. Currently, each team starts a church and
provides the leadership for the newly planted church. The ECC leaders need to be strong in the gifts of evangelism, preaching, teaching and leadership.
We are asking them to transition in strategy in starting new churches. The teams are to train leaders from within the newly planted church to be pastors. This will allow the church planters to supervise more church starts at one time. However, the skills for this approach are teaching and coaching.
This change in approach has proven to be very fruitful in many countries around the world.
For my time of teaching I talked about the leadership that Saul and David demonstarted in 1 Samuel 17. Most know this passage as David killing Goliath, but is a good study on leadership.

India Brethren

November 1-5, 2006

While in India for the ECC Leaders Seminar, I took several days to minister with the leaders of the Brethren Church (top photo).

The ministry is bringing many to faith in Jesus, having planted about 150 churches. The ministry has met the medical needs of Indians by seeing over 1 million people at the free medical clinic. Many orphans, currently 80, have had a place to grow physically and spiritually while living at the orphanage. Many young ladies, in bottom photo, have learned to sew so that they have a skill.

Every Friday night Rev. Prasanth has a service of healing prayers for anyone. He fasts during
the day and prays for and annoints about 200 people
during the service.

I had the privilege to share my testimony and a devotion
with all these groups as well as dedicate a new chruch and
speak at a couple of revival meetings.
I felt blessed to minister with the Kumars and I thank the Lord for their service to Him.

As I travel to many countries I see some common practices
within the fruitful ministries:
1) A strong commitment to prayer. The Brethren have a prayer tower with people praying 24 hours a day.
2)A desire to evangelize.
3)Disciple and train others to do the same.

These are all very evident in the India Brethren.

For more photos click on the View Ministry Photos link.

India-Not Much Land, Many People

India is filled with so many people, 917 per sq. mile as opposed to the US which has only 79 per sq. mile! You hear a stat like that and say, WOW. Then you visit India and really say WOW!
India is a democracy with 19 official languages and many more spoken. India mostly feeds itself and has enough crude oil production to supply most of their energy.

The landscape is beautiful, as in the photo of the sun rise over the Indian Ocean.

But then, there is the issue of pollution everywhere. The Kyoto Agreement allows developing countries, like India, to pollute at will.
I don't believe that this is actually in India's favor.
Too often, you see and smell the factories, like the one in the photo. The boom in the economy is helping improve the standard of living for many Indians, but the uncontrolled emissions is causing many to be concerned for their health.

Phlippines Short Update

At this moment I am in India, after having spent almost two weeks in the Philippines.

In the Philippines, it was exciting to see and hear testimonies of how the Lord is working thru the ECC ministers to bring people to Jesus. There is much fruit, many new believers and new house churches being started.

However, the work is difficult and the ECC ministers can become discouraged. Please pray for strength for the Philippine ECC teams. They are working in new areas of the Philippines this year, so they are away from family and friends.

In spite of the trials, they have good attitudes because the Lord is blessing them in ministry.

Please keep me in your prayers as I travel thru India on the train system with an Indian brother in the Lord. Also for my stomach since it is a little sensitive to the curry!

I travel back home on November 7.

AllForHim,
Rich