Many are looking for rescue...

...and they are turning to Jesus.

In our overnight Encounter God Retreat on Aug. 25-26, 38 delegates attended. That was our largest, and most complicated EGR we ever had. We capitalized on a Monday holiday, and so we started it on Sunday side-by-side with our second worship service. Good thing we have the warehouse now to hold the worship service, and a chapel for the EGR. Problem was that the counselors in the EGR were also involved in the worship service (ex. sound system, Visitors Zone, etc.). We just did our best to accommodate the two events. We did our best, and God did the rest.

With 38 delegates, it was like A Series of Unfortunate Events. Insufficient plates and tables and bed mats, long lines in the toilet/bathroom, and the stove broke down because of giant cookwares. But those couldn't take away what the Holy Spirit has planned for the delegates. We served with joy, enthusiasm, and hope. We brought plates from our homes, counselors ate holding their plates, old worn-out mats were reused. Together with the Lord, we did everything possible in this rescue operation. The Lord did the impossible in changing their hearts.

In spite of the "harassment" from a large group, we promised the Lord - we're not backing down. And so we're preparing for even more. We plan to buy more tables, and plates, and bed mats, and build additional makeshift bathrooms. If the funds are available, we're not sparing any expense to rescue more people. The Lord gave his life for this. We're not doing any less.

By all possible means

Basketball should really be the national sport of the Philippines. Filipinos are crazy about it. And because of this fact, Brod Willie thought he could attract some male youth with an indoor basketball liga, right there in our new worship place in the warehouse! It seems like a crazy idea because we need to move the chairs after a worship service to clear the area for games. We hold the liga during Sundays so the players can also attend the worship service. What a great way to reach out to young men!

It's not even a well planned event. The players were not even in uniform that one team in every game needed to remove their upper shirts. Good thing we have lights, so games can still proceed until around 8 pm. No matter how messed up our worship service area was, I can say it worked! We have turned a holy place to a playing area so that by all possible means we might save some. (1Cor. 9:22)

I saw players attending in their basketball attires, and some attended small groups as well during midweeks. And so Sunday after Sunday, the Word of God was being planted in the hearts of around 40 young men. In our last Encounter God Retreat, 7 of them joined. Hopefully we will have a good harvest sooner or later.

PCF: Pang-espirituwal na, pang-sports pa!

Let there be light!

We know we're going there. We just lack the funds to provide electrical wirings for the 550-sqm warehouse and strong lights to brighten the place. Before our 7th church anniversary in June 2013, someone gifted us with P100,000 and told us... move!

And so, since our anniversary, we've been holding our 2 worship services there. We bought 8 LED lights and run wirings and outlets at the perimeter of the warehouse. We leveled some holes and cracks on the cemented ground and put up decorated blocks for the air to flow. We added industrial fans to make the place more comfortable.

Since the anniversary, we averaged 235 attenders with a high of 280, 23 first timers per week and 17 returners. In the beginning, when God wants to fill up, he first creates space. God has prepared a big place for growth. It's time to go and multiply...