Compass Christian Church Davao: One church with two locations.
Here’s a typical Friday night prayer meeting for the Buhangin (central Davao) congregation, in Oning’s home.
Great things are happening there in Buhangin. They don’t need Gina or me anymore! But Oning & I trade places once every couple of months so I can preach there while he preaches to the new congregation in Pequeño (west Davao).
Joining together, we put about 32 folks on the streets for Jesus in this Buhangin outreach, evangelizing & inviting folks to an upcoming event. The 15 or so from the new congregation had never done anything like this before. They said they loved it & want to do it again! We will, soon!
At a recent fellowship, these fowl creatures were well-behaved…until the food was served. Then they became foul, trying to pluck the food out of our laps! They’re easily shooed away, but you have to eat with one eye on them.
It’s a privilege to be able to speak at the local public hospital’s chapel service twice a month. Oning always does a great job making my messages better as he translates…but he occasionally teases me for my wrong Visayan grammar. 🙂
One of the reasons Gina & I chose to come to Davao City is the 1000s of Indians studying in universities here–we wanted to reach them with the Gospel so that they will go home & reach their countrymen. But to my dismay, at three different times in 2014, doors suddenly closed that I thought were wide open for such a ministry. Then I believe the Lord told me that it would not be me but our disciples who would reach these dear souls. I shared this vision long ago with my best friend Oning. Then we waited until the time was right. We believe now the time is right. Please pray for Oning & Nene as they are being faithful to the vision.
When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mark 2:16-17)
When we were invited to join a huge “christening” party, we could have said, “Sinners will be drinking there! Besides, christening is not biblical!” Instead, we saw an open door for the Gospel. They all were happy to meet the missionaries who keep going to their neighborhood.
I asked for a chance to speak for a few minutes to about 20 of them who were in one place, and they graciously allowed it. No, I did not blast them with “Repentance must accompany baptism! Babies can’t repent!” Instead, I praised the parents for wanting to dedicate their babies to the Lord, which has biblical precedent (Samuel’s & Jesus’ mothers dedicated them as babies). Then I talked about the importance of following that dedication with godly example-ship; parents need to walk with Jesus if they want their kids to follow Jesus.
Everyone listened to this advice, and they thanked us for coming.
We will continue going to that neighborhood. Please pray for a big harvest there (we have a few converts already).
Every Sunday I say, “If you want me to make two trips, I’m happy to do it.” And they all reply, “No, this is OK, Kuya (Big Brother)!”
There are two long benches where the adults are sitting, facing each other. The kids are in the middle.
Many thanks to Compass Christian Church in AZ for buying this vehicle!
Wow! These rural outreaches keep becoming more and more amazing! We shared food, gifts, songs, testimonies, and the Gospel with almost 300 students and staff at Marilog High School of Agriculture. They were deeply impacted for God’s glory. Many thanks to our guests from the US (Amy, Rachel, and Courtney) and Manila (Mommy Lourdes), to our friends from FIRE School (Nathan, Meljun, and Gracey), our team of volunteers, and to you, our supporters.
We did a similar outreach to Ladian a month later.
Two of our reasons for doing these are to give our people a vision for regions beyond our city, plus practical experience in reaching out.
Thanks to a couple of recent one-time donations, we were able to buy a screen for power points that’s large enough for everyone to see, plus a nice sofa. For three months, we only had plastic chairs in our Pequeño home. Now our many guests can relax in comfort.
We baptized five people yesterday! Also pictured is Rosalie testifying. Nine have been baptized in just the last two months in Pequeño! God is helping us, through your prayers!
BTW, everyone attending the Pequeño congregation was totally un-churched before joining us (except for the few we brought from the first congregation). We always aim for lost people. In fact, if I learn that someone attending one of our congregations is a believer who left another church, I try to to make sure he/she is not running from God’s will.
OPPORTUNITY!
On May 7-10, we will be having a huge event that we hope will draw well over 1000 people (300 per day). For two days in Buhangin & two days in Pequeño, a mission team from Compass Christian Church in AZ, USA will present a VBS-style event–including lunch–which we hope will bring many families into the Kingdom! In the USA, a VBS would have an admission charge, but this event will be free to our poor Filipino visitors. The visiting team will cover all other expenses, but Davao City Outreach will provide the food and rent 300 chairs. Obviously 1000+ meals will cost us a lot! Would you please prayerfully consider helping us with these expenses?
Thank you so much for your gifts. Here are the ways to donate:
We could never repay you for your generosity to Davao City Outreach, but certainly “you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” (Luke 14:14)
Please forward this website to others who might be interested.
Please pray that God will send more laborers into his harvest field.