Ministry Update2021
ORGANIZATIONAL HEALTH PATHWAY
Organizational Health Pathway (OHP) is an invitation-only, two-year plan offered to non-profit organizations desiring to increase their transformational impact and recapture their mission and vision.
Since last year, OHP has shifted in its delivery. We’ve provided webinars, fellowships and trainings via online conferencing, as well as support via phone calls and chats.
Desired Outcomes
- Good governance
- Defined strategic direction
- Effective, efficient and sustainable operations
Panagdasig
Continuing our Panagdasig initiative from 2020, we met regularly with executive directors for virtual fellowship and mutual encouragement. Midway through the year, we partnered with Christian Council for Transparency and Accountability (CCTA) and Global Trust Partners (GTP) to facilitate a three-part webinar on governance, obedience and discipleship. Participants said they were re-inspired and challenged to obey the Lord through intentional discipleship and Biblical governance practices.
an invitation to go Deeper
After a hiatus on our retreats, we were able to facilitate a two-day virtual retreat, entitled “Deeper,” in December 2021. Though it was a new style of retreat, we praise the Lord that He met participants even in the virtual context.
“Restful. Enjoyed the stillness and solitude”
“Virtual retreat is possible and can be very meaningful”
“It was so refreshing, so intimate, and I experienced God’s presence in a deeper way”
A VACUUM OF THE HEART
In 1992, KalMin began ministering to ethnic people on Samal Island. Starting with a pre-school, the ministry continued and grew to see ethnic leaders themselves taking over various ministries. Over time and through commitment, KalMin became a trusted friend of their ministry partners. But though they saw some fruit from their labors, it wasn’t until the Covid-19 pandemic that they saw their ministry truly flourish.
Ptr. Herbert, KalMin’s director, told us that this “investment of relationship and loving people” led to a harvest in an unexpected time. During the onset of the pandemic, ethnic ministry partners and contacts voiced their thirst particularly for fellowship. As restrictions eased, people started meeting in small groups in houses, with a few ethnic believers leading groups.
Little did they know that this would result in a movement beyond their expectations. Besides finding regular in-person contact with others, people began taking faith in Jesus seriously, and as the number of people in house meetings grew, new leaders arose to host people hungry for fellowship with God and others.
One of these people is Vanessa. Before the pandemic, she worked abroad, but experienced maltreatment. At the end of her rope, she found herself contemplating suicide, but right before attempting, she saw a bright light and heard a voice telling her not to do it. She felt an unexplainable peace. She decided to return to the Philippines. To her delight, she was accepted by her family in Samal, despite her shame.
During the pandemic, she came across an ethnic house meeting, hearing songs in her native language that the group were singing during a Bible study. At this meeting, she learned that Jesus is the light that she met overseas. Her faith was ignited, and she quickly became involved in the ministry as a leader in the pre-school and as a witness to the power of Jesus to save. In spite of pushback from some neighbors, she has remained committed to her new Lord.
Others who have been brought to the Lord through this movement include a mother who joined a house meeting after her children. Interest has steadily increased, with more and more people asking about the house meetings.
When we talked to Ptr. Herbert in November, the number of believers in the ethnic community grew three times compared to the number pre-pandemic. He said there really was “a vacuum of the heart” that people felt needed to be filled. The KalMin team was ready to help meet these needs. Besides relief assistance, they created spaces for fellowship and spiritual growth. And people responded in great quantities.
None of this would have been possible without the groundwork laid by nearly 30 years of ministry in Samal. What was sown in the faithfulness of KalMin’s ministry is now being reaped in an abundant harvest of people seeking the love of God and neighbor.
Ephesians 3:20 names God the One “who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (NIV). In the midst of restrictions due to the pandemic, it can become easy to imagine that God Himself is restricted, but these stories from KalMin’s ministry help us see the real picture. The Lord remains on the move, drawing all peoples to Himself.
CHURCH HEALTH PATHWAY
Church Health Pathway (CHP) is an invitation-only, two-year program offered to churches desiring to recapture their mission and vision and to bring God’s shalom to the communities of Mindanao.
Desired Outcomes
- People coming to Christ
- People getting baptized
- People assimilated in the local church
- People growing in discipleship
- People serving in ministries and mission
Small Groups
In 2020, we shifted our church training focus to small groups, both virtual and, when restrictions eased, in-person. God has made this initiative flourish. Just as we saw last year, people’s needs for fellowship, discipleship and support are great, and as they seek to address these needs, small groups have become truly integral to many partner churches.
Small Group Trends
2020 – 2021
BLESSED TO BLESS ALL HOUSEHOLDS
God’s heart is that all nations and families would be blessed. Pursuing the heart of God means we must look for ways to bless others. This is something that Christian Alliance Community Church in Calinan, Davao City takes seriously.
We talked to Ptr. Albert, the pastor of CACC, last November. Two months before that, a third of the CACC families were infected with Covid-19, and homes in the church’s vicinity were locked down. The Lord used this painful experience for a greater purpose. Because of their struggles, the church community started looking for ways to bless other infected families, including those who did not attend church.
CACC started to consider providing goods for households, but the logistics proved difficult. Undeterred, Ptr. Albert took an even bigger picture view. There are 4,500 families in the Calinan community; he wants to reach all these families—and even beyond. This will be a massive undertaking. “It takes faith,” he said.
To equip the church to bless others, he decided to start HOPE in Every Home weekly training inviting at least one representative every family. The flow for the trainings for HOPE in Every Home goes like this: Hear the word; Observe what it says; Put it into practice; and Encourage others. The Bible passages read during the trainings focus on hope. Each training involves a time for sharing praises and prayer requests, as well as for checking on people’s progress.
15 household heads went through the training first, following the call to make disciples who will make other disciples. Ptr. Albert knew that he couldn’t lead the HOPE in Every Home initiative on his own. “The pastor must equip and help others to practice the priesthood of every believer,” he said.
The first trainings focused on the mission of God—to bless all families on earth—and then on depending on the Lord in prayer. Having set the foundation for ministry, they started exploring ways to engage people in their local community. After going through the HOPE process themselves, they’ve started walking their own families through the process. The goal is to start HOPE groups with neighbors, and to provide Bibles to those who have none.
The focus really is obedience-based discipleship, which emphasizes not only knowledge, but especially obedience. To connect with people in their neighborhood, church members minister to those near them through the BLESS prayer, praying for their neighbors’ Bodies (health), Labor, Emotional/mental health, Social life, and Spiritual life. Members will visit their neighbors, especially those who were affected by Covid, and bless them through food and prayer.
The drive to do all this didn’t come from nowhere. Ptr. Albert had been preaching on mission before launching this campaign, and the church’s collective experience of Covid gave them a heart to serve the multiple needs of those around them. In many ways, God prepared the CACC community for a season of blessing their neighbors.
“We are blessed to bless all households,” Ptr. Albert said, echoing the words spoken to Abram in Genesis. We can so easily forget that this is God’s heart for the world. May the Lord prosper the CACC community as they seek to live out this calling!
BIBLE DISTRIBUTION
One of the most pressing needs that arose in the pandemic was for Bibles, both in local languages and English. By God’s grace and through the partnership of generous donors, we were able to facilitate the provision of Bibles for communities across Mindanao.
Cebuano - Good News Bible
800
Cebuano - English Parallel (Full)
11
Tagalog - Ang Salita ng Dios
8
Total Complete Bibles Distributed
819
Cebuano - English Parallel (NT and Psalms)
88
Donors
DMIRIE Foundation, Inc.
The Word for Everyone Ministries Int’l
Complete Bibles
Cebuano – Good News Bible
Cebuano – English Parallel (Full Bible)
Tagalog – Ang Salita ng Dios
800
11
8
Total
819
Partial Bibles
Cebuano-English Parallel (NT and Psalms)
88
Donors
DMIRIE Foundation, Inc.
The Word for Everyone Ministries Int’l
DONOR REPORT
We are so grateful to the Lord for sustaining and growing a community of supporters and donors, even during the pandemic. Thank you to each of our givers, both old and new, for your partnership in Kingdom work here in Mindanao!
Total Donations
P464,613.52
Total No. of Givers
31
Total Regular Donors
23
Total New Donors
8
Total Donations
Total No. of Givers
Total Regular Donors
Total New Donors
P464,613.52
31
23
8
THANK YOU, JOEL
In October 2021, our Strategic Partnership Director and former Area Director, Joel Pranza, took an early retirement from his position.
We at MEP are extremely grateful for Kuya Weng’s service and commitment from the time of MEP’s inception and until this transition. We celebrate all the achievements and harvests that the organization has reaped through his efforts. We pray that the Lord’s work through his life will continue to bless and expand kingdom building efforts in Mindanao and beyond.
