Over the last two years, three exploratory teams from EBC have visited the Philippines to investigate mission partnership on the island of Cebu. After much prayerful consideration and consultation, IMPACT CEBU was launched last Sunday! We communicated to the church the significant door of opportunity that God has opened for us in the Philippines; an opportunity that will allow us to potentially partner with a drug rehabilitation facility, an orphanage, community development program, pre-school children’s ministry, Sunday school outreach and a possible prison ministry. These opportunities will develop in partnership with two churches allowing us to bring the Word of God, and the love of Jesus, to a nation that is open and responsive to the gospel. 

The first short term team to be sent will leave this December for a 12 day visit to be involved in ministry and to further evaluate the opportunities before us. Our plan, the Lord willing, is to send two teams each year, one in early December and the other in March/April (yet to be finalised). There is another team booked to visit Cebu this year in late December which consists of a few of our Filipino families whom, whilst visiting family and friends in Cebu, will also be involved in ministry amongst our partners. Following our launch on Sunday a significant number of people have responded and in the coming weeks they will be contacted to discuss their specific involvement. If you have an interest in being involved in IMPACT CEBU, or require further information we ask that you speak with Julio Alejo or Wayne Burgan. Thank you for your prayerful support of what God is doing in and through us as a church.

As I write this, it is a very important time for our nation as we prepare for the Federal Election. As Christians our responsibility is to pray for our leaders and our nation. We are a land that is in desperate need of the blessings of God to rain down: the blessing of a spiritual awakening, the blessing of leaders and a people that acknowledge God, the blessing of wisdom to know how to function as a just and compassionate society, the blessing of a God fearing society who are repentant and embrace holy living, the blessing of a peaceful and prosperous society – that we might be a blessing to others – and the great blessing of strong, healthy and missional churches that are responsive to God and energised by the Holy Spirit. May God hear our prayers and answer us.

Please pray for me next week as I have a 10 minute opportunity on Life FM on Thursday at 11am to share a little of my testimony and to speak about EBC. Please also pray for those that I had the opportunity to share the gospel with this week – that their hungry souls might respond to the love and invitation of Jesus to come to Him.

Ours is a God of opportunity