Greetings dear body of Christ!
As I think of you I rejoice over the work God has done in your life and through the ministry He has given to you.
As you know, I recently completed another mission trip to Camiguin, Philippines. It was a whirlwind trip, and productive to say the least.
I often hear people give testimony of getting to share the gospel with those beside them on a plane while flying from one location to another. That unfortunately did not happen to me. I was positioned next to the window on most of the flights and the person right next to me was one of our traveling mates.
There were several positives which came out of this trip.
- I was able to share the gospel using the “3 Circles” method while on the ferry.
- As part of our mission team, we were privileged to have Jess Jennings of the IMB with us, along with Pastor Cleto and his wife Bing, and church planters Phillip and Rudy. And for part of our time, we also had Maria, who is getting married to Phillip later this year.
- On Saturday morning Rudy, John, and I were able to do some prayer walking in Mambajao – where we also got to witness to two men (one of which was Muslim.)
- During Saturday afternoon we also did prayer walking in Maag (a village) where we were able to share the gospel with the story cloth to about 10 children, and also witness to a lady – and then 6 motorcycle taxi drivers.
- Each of our American part got to preach in one of the existing SBC churches on Camiguin. I was assigned to Soro Soro Baptist Church, where I preached and taught last time back in September. This time I had the opportunity to teach during Sunday School and bring the morning sermon during the worship time.
- We got to participate in a True Love Waits rally on Sunday afternoon.
- There was a bonding time for the men on Sunday afternoon as well.
- There was specific time set aside for strategy planning on Monday and Tuesday.
- On Monday afternoon, we went to Bacnit School in Sagay municipality where I had the opportunity to share the gospel through use of a story cloth with about 50 Jr. High School students. At the same time, Pastor Cleto and Bing were able to share with about 50 High School students.
- On Tuesday morning I was able to do a crash course of the “4 Fields for Church Planting” with Filipinos: Phillip, Maria, Rudy, and Bing – and John from Missouri.
Overall, I believe it was a very good week. Phillip was approved and commissioned as our church planting catalyst for Camiguin, and his fiancé Maria was also able to be part of the work and be commissioned alongside him. As well, Rudy – who is the new church planter for Socorro Island was also able to receive training, encouragement, and commissioning.
I look forward to helping others from CCSBA get involved in what God is doing there.
Camiguin Island, Philippines
The Partnership: The MO Baptist Associations in Southeast MO were challenged by the IMB to enter into a partnership with the Northern Mindanao Baptist Association, the IMB workers responsible for Camiguin Island, and the Nehemiah Teams (an independent 501C3 run by the IMB in the Philippines and other countries) to find a way to reach the population of Camiguin (currently ~100,000) with the gospel.
The Island: Camiguin is an island Prefecture of the Philippines, sitting about 10 kilometers off the northern shore of Mindanao – in the southern part of the Philippines. Camiguin is home to approximately 100,000 residents. The majority of those residents are Catholic. Catholicism is deep rooted in the culture and in the heritage of almost every family on the island – having been first introduced in the late 1600s. It is estimated that at the most, there may only be around 1,000 non-Catholic Christians on the island – with even fewer being evangelical.
There are currently 4 SBC churches on the island, each with a church attendance of around 25-30 on any given Sunday.
Camiguin is divided into five municipalities, each with it’s own main city. There are also around 58 small villages spread around the island. Three of the SBC works are in the northern municipality of Mambajao – which is also the capital of the island. The other SBC church is in Sagay which is in the southeast part of the island.
The embedded Catholicism, the remote location, the difficulty of getting around the island, the lack of evangelical focus from the outside, and the model of having a “Western” type of church have all played role in Camiguin remaining an unreached place in the Philippines.
The Vision: To reach the population of Camiguin with the gospel of Christ by establishing a church planting movement on the island resulting in a healthy multiplying church in every municipality and in at least 18 of the villages in the next 5 years – which will eventually spread to the majority of the villages on the island within 10 years.
The Plan: Establish a same or near culture Filipino church planting catalyst (or 2) who will work with the partnership to begin and establish a church planting movement on the island.
The Church Planting Catalyst: Phillip Quebec has been commissioned as our first catalyst. He is from Mindanao, is part of Oro Baptist Church in Cagayan de Oro, has been through training with Nehemiah Teams, has been to Bible College, and has assisted us on our first and second mission trips to Camiguin. Phillip will be married later this year to Maria Luz, who is also part of Oro Baptist Church. Both Phillip and Maria meet the criteria of the job description established by the partnership for this position.
Our Role:
- Prayer: We must commitment to pray for the catalysts, the existing SBC churches, and for God to move mightily in the work of reaching the nearly 99,000 souls of Camiguin.
- Give: In order to reach the vision of seeing a church planting movement started within the next 5 years, each of the church planting catalysts will need an average monthly income equal to approximately $ 315 USD. This amount will enable them to live without taking an additional job – thus allowing them to completely focus their time and energy on the work of church planting.
Besides this amount, they will need an amount of approximately $ 25 monthly for ministry related expenses. As well there are some start-up items which may also need to be purchased.
- Go: Mission teams will play an important role in helping establish “entry points” in target areas – and can help provide many evangelistic contacts for the church planting catalysts to start following up. It is hoped that the catalysts will be able to host a team each quarter of the year. Many of these initial teams may be mostly Caucasian in nature – but the hope is that within a couple years many of the team members will be Filipino and members of Filipino churches in North America.
- Immediate Financial Assistance: Currently, the Mission Committee of CCSBA has approved $50 monthly for the rest of this fiscal year – for a total of $350. The mission committees of other associations in SEMO are also working on approving similar or greater amounts of support for the church planting catalyst. In addition, Temple Baptist’s Mission Committee will seek approval for financially supporting this ministry. However, we will still need additional support to cover the 2nd catalyst when they are approved and commissioned.
Additional start-up expenses:
A motorcycle for ministry use: $900 (good used) up to $1,200 - $1,500 (new) With Phillip starting work on Camiguin this month, it would be great if enough funds came in for him to secure a motor cycle to get around the island.
A computer for the church planting team: $400
Materials for outreach: $100-$200 (tracts, Bibles, etc.)
Outreach events: $100
Support can be sent to:
Nehemiah Teams, Inc.
P.O. Box 242
Mentone, AL 35984
Please include a note as to the intent of your gift:
Church Planter Partnership Camiguin Island: Phillip Quebec
Church Planter Partnership Camiguin Island: Ministry Expenses
Church Planter Partnership Camiguin Island: 2nd Church Planting Catalyst
Prayer Guide: Camiguin Island Church Planting Partnership
Phillip Quebec and Maria Luz: Phillip will be traveling back to Camiguin on March 13th to begin his work of church planting. Pray that everything works out for Phillip to live at Camiguin Baptist Church which has housed single workers in the past. Pray for Maria’s family as they continue to cope with the death of her brother recently. Pray for Phillip and Maria as they make plans for their engagement ceremony and later for their wedding ceremony. Pray for God to give Phillip a clear perspective and direction on initial entry points around the island.
- Camiguin Churches: Camiguin Baptist (pastorless), Pandan Baptist (Pastor Rhoel), Soro Soro Baptist (Pastor Joel), and Sagay Southern Baptist (Pastor Marjun). Ask God to help each of these churches begin to understand how to make some tweaks which will help them become healthier and able to become reproductive.
Outreach Points:
- Maag: a village in southern Cartarman
- Bacnit: a village in Sagay where we were able to share the gospel in the school.
- Teams for May and September 2023:
- May: a team to do prayer walking, evangelism, Bible storying in schools, a youth rally, and perhaps a True Love Waits rally.
- September: similar to May’s team
- Summer Nehemiah Teams: there will be 2 teams on Camiguin (2 college students per team) which will be doing outreach and discipleship through Bible storying.
- Pastor Cleto and Oro Baptist Church as they work in Cagayan de Oro and as they take the lead on sending teams from their church to minister on Camiguin.
- Other churches of the Northern Mindanao Baptist Association to grow and become involved in the task of planting reproducing churches across the region.
- Teams which God will raise up from Missouri and other North America locations.
