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A Sharing, Caring Ministry of Love to the people on the Visayas Islands of the Philippines.
....................................A Christian Outreach to the Philippines,
.................................................To Start New Churches,
......................................................To Train Leaders
...................................To Encourage Existing Pastors and Churches.
.....These three statements are still the guiding goal for Vision for Missions (VFM). Since 1985, many new churches have been started and several existing churches were provided financial support needed to purchase land and building supplies. Economically and politically many things have changed in the past 20 years but the goal of VFM goal is unchanged.
STARTING CHURCHES - Starting new churches has always been our primary goal. The pastors and workers on Negros have started over 50 new churches since 1985. Some are in the cities and many are in the rural, remote areas of the island. Several are house churches and have been started by men who were trained in the recent years of Leadership Training classes. The Negros pastors have set the goal of new churches 137 by 2010. VFM desires to work with the church leaders to reach this goal.
BUILDING CHURCHES - Land is very expensive in the Philippines and local congregations rarely have enough money to purchase land. Often most of the land in the major cites and towns are owned by people who are not interested in selling except at prices too expensive for most Filipino workers. Once a suitable site is selected, VFM will purchase the land and the building supplies. Most of the labor for constructing the building is completed by the church members. Usually the blocks are individually hand made by church members. Each year we hope to help four churches with land or buildings.
TRAINING WORKERS - We have three different types of Leadership Training to train new church workers for ministry.
.....The (NSE) Negros School of Evangelism was established to train local Philippine men to become pastors and evangelists. NSE also assists in teaching Philippine women to be youth and Sunday school teachers. This Bible College system of formal (classroom) teaching is necessary if the future new churches are to have trained preachers. Each year there are approximately 10-12 students in the NSE program in Bacolod City. We also support students in Bible College in Cebu.
......Leadership Training of laymen and women in the church is an important priority. Many of the new churches being started and led in the past five years are by men whom have been in Leadership Training classes. This Leadership training is the key for starting new churches on Negros and the other islands in the central Philippines. Presently pastors are having three classes regularly on Negros Island. Recently Leadership Training classes are also being held on Masbate, Leyte, Samar, and Surigio Islands. We desire to expand this informal (non classroom) Leadership Training to all the Visayas area of the Philippines.
.....Our third area of Leadership Training is by using the Train and Multiply lesson materials. These materials are available in three languages: English, Cebuano, and Illonggo. These 63 lessons of teaching materials are designed to establish indigenous new churches by personal teaching and mentoring of teachable students.
.....We seek to have a balance in our Leadership Training for the churches. First, is the formal teaching based in the Bible College setting. Second, is the organized Leadership Training classes taught regularly for those who already have a career and family but desire church leadership. The third approach of training comes through mentoring in individualized lessons studies of Train and Multiply. We encourage all three approaches for Leadership Training.
......VFM also provides other teaching materials, supplies and helps for the churches when possible. The printing ministry will be a great blessing for helping the churches when it is operational.
ENCOURAGEMENT -VFM seeks to encourage the workers to meet together monthly in pastorsÕ fellowship and working in unity with each other. Often VFM helps with medical assistance, food, transportation and various income-generating projects to help the pastors and workers. We desire to help pastors but not have workers dependent on VFM financially each month. The goal is to have indigenous churches and workers seeking to only follow the New Testament!
PASTORAL SUPPORT - VFM is committed to helping the people and churches of Negros. VFM occasionally provides supplemental financial support to pastors starting out or experiencing financial hardship. VFM's objective is to help a pastor establish a church and congregation in his community. VFM will then begin to reduce financial support as the local body assumes the stewardship responsibility of supporting their pastor.
VBS and CAMPS
.....One of the biggest events in the summer is Vacation Bible School. Each year we encourage and help between 2,000 and 3,000 kids to have VBS. Also we hope many of the youth can experience a week at church camp. Usually about 400 kids are in summer camp each year in four locations. Thank you for supporting the work of VFM to encourage the youth and churches of the Philippines.
For more information on the history and stewardship of VFM's ministry please feel free to contact:..
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Mary Wison