Moving Forward In The Philippines

An update from Jeffrey Jo, Lead Pastor of CCSGM in Cavite, Philippines…

With more than 100 million people, the Philippines is the 13th most populated nation in the world and one of the twenty most Covid-hit countries. As a result, the Philippines has enforced the longest lockdown anywhere in the world. In more than a year of this pandemic, I have witnessed people losing their jobs, loved ones dying from COVID-19 and then going straight to the crematorium, long lines of people waiting for the government’s amelioration program, and some churches who decided to close the red curtain due to the high rentals of their ministry centers. This has been a difficult season for the Philippines. 

Yet with thought to His sovereign providence, surely, He meant this for His glory and to strengthen His church. So, after a time of prayer and discussion with my fellow elders, we decided to continue fulfilling the works of the ministry. We have a weekly care-group via zoom meeting, five groups simultaneously meet discussing the latest Sunday’s sermon (we just ended our study in the book of James and we are about to start our study in the gospel of John) and the said groups meet once a month via a zoom meeting on what we call church extension fellowship general assembly. 

It is a time where we share stories of God’s faithfulness on differing challenges that each one of us is going through. A joyous time to see each other’s faces, affirm that we are always in one another’s prayers and a time to remind each other to be faithful to the gospel of Christ despite all the difficulties we are going through. Since we are still on lockdown, both the Sunday worship service and the children’s church ministry are being done through a recorded video. Pastoral care is being done through phone call and text messaging.

One thing that is evident in this pandemic in the Philippines, is that there are vast numbers of people who are turning to God. I find myself sharing the gospel of Christ to people whom God already prepared their hearts. Our local churches down south in Mindanao, though they almost went back to normal already, have grown rapidly during this time!

Yet along with this growth, there has also been challenge. Because of the growth in Mindanao, the ‘faith movement organization’ in their area wanted to penetrate them with the ‘prosperity gospel’, which is no gospel at all. That’s why for the past two months, we decided to meet with the local pastors there, via zoom, to remind them to be faithful to their calling and to the scriptures. 

In order for us to do this, most of our pastors and their wives in that region needed to travel for two hours just to get to the house of one of our pastors who lives in the city and who has a better internet connection. Ronnie and his wife are very hospitable enough to accommodate their fellow pastors and their wives in their home. We have to spend thousands of pesos for their transportation, food, study materials and other allowances. Yet Sovereign Grace Churches, through the leadership of Dave Taylor, has never failed to support us on ministry matters like this. In this way we are able to further their theological education, protect them from false teaching, and serve them by equipping them in the works of ministry.

Over this past year, we’ve also been able to plant churches in Gango and in Madrid, both in Surigao del Sur, Mindanao. And at this very moment, we are equipping a church planting team for Imus, Cavite, right here in Manila. Whatever challenges that awaits His church here in the Philippines because of the “new norm”, I am looking forward for the coming years to be faithful in edifying the local church with the faithful teaching of the scriptures, equipping more people to do the works of the ministry and to plant more churches so that His glorious Name may be known, perseveringly done out of His love in our hearts. As John Piper once said, “If death is no longer a fear, we’re really free. Free to take any risk under the sun for Christ and for love.”

Sovereign Grace Churches, thanks for all your support and thanks for being a family to us. Please do continue to pray for us here in the Philippines. Soli deo gloria.