Source: https://www.sovereigngracechurches.org.au/emerging-nations/2020/4/4/growing-gospel-partnership-in-the-philippines
Growing Partnership In The Philippines
Source: https://www.sovereigngracechurches.org.au/emerging-nations/2020/4/4/growing-gospel-partnership-in-the-philippines
Before COVID-19 became a global reality, myself (Dave Taylor, Lead Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church, Sydney and Director of Emerging Nations), Lynn Baird (Pastor of Sovereign Grace Church of Pasadena, California) and Todd Peterson (Pastor of Cross of Grace Church, El Paso, Texas) were able to get over to the Philippines for our annual Sovereign Grace Pastors & Wives Conference, and I’m so pleased that we were able to make it!
The weekend before the conference, we had the privilege of serving our friend Jeffrey Jo and his wonderful Church in Manila. I have known Jeff, his Elders and Church (CCSGM) for a number of years now and it continues to be an absolute joy to serve them and call them friends.
On the Saturday Jeff gathered all of his key leaders together, as well as some guests, and we ran a leadership summit entitled ’The Gospel & Family’. It was a wonderful day of worship, teaching and fellowship. We reconnected with old friends and continued to make new ones. It was a truly fantastic day.
As was the Sunday, where all three of the CCSGM Churches came together for a combined service. It was a wonderful occasion.
On the Monday, we then relocated to Cebu for the Pastors & Wives Conference, and in headline, in God’s kindness, the conference could not have gone any better. The teaching was well received by all of the 100 plus pastors and wives that we had in attendance. We were thanked numerous times for coming and serving them in this way, something that it was a pure delight to do, and once again His Dwelling Place Church in Cebu, led by our friend Nilo Ebo, did a wonderful job of pulling everything together to run this conference.
All of the churches in attendance are pursuing formal partnership with Sovereign Grace, something that we are eager for as well. They have become dear friends over the last many years and so we count it a joy to continue to move forward together in this way. As they would say so well, “To God be the glory”.
Source: https://www.sovereigngracechurches.org.au/emerging-nations
1 Corinthians 8. 1-5, ‘We want you to know brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches in Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, begging us earnestly for the favour of taking part in the relief of the saints – and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.’
I started last months ‘things to pray for’ post with exactly the same verse, making comment on the wonderful interdependence that we experience in Sovereign Grace, and how we really are family, understanding that we can do far more ‘together’ than we can ‘alone’. Since then COVID-19 has affected us all, economies are crashing, lockdown for most of us is a reality, and borders have been shut. We can no longer just get on a plane to go and support our global churches, we can no longer go just go and visit… But here’s what we can do, we can pray, and oh my, what a glorious faith-building reality that is!
Over the last few weeks I have been able to reach out to all of our global partners, to encourage them, listen to them, care for them and let them know we’re with them. In all of the countries we are serving in, there is either a key Pastor or Pastors that we are working with. Some of them, in turn, care for a number of Churches themselves, sometimes in upwards of fifty, and so please pray for each of these men, their families, pastoral teams, churches and countries. We may not know all that the future holds, but we do know the One who holds the future…
Australia – Myself, Dave Taylor – Sovereign Grace Church, Sydney
Bahamas – Cedric Moss – Kingdom Life Church
Belarus – Sergie Lukyanov – New Covenant Church
Bolivia – Jorge Del Castillo – Iglesia Gracia Soberana
Brazil – Fabiano Silveira – Igreja Graca Soberana de Sao Paulo
Brazil – Emerson Soares – Igreja Nova Vida
Colombia – Jacobys Aldana – Iglesia Soberana Gracia in Santa Marta
Costa Rica – Allan Monge – Gracia Soberana de Cartago
Croatia – Mario Vucenovic – Church of God’s Grace
Cuba – Juan Vineta – Iglesia Biblica Emanuel
Cuba – Eddy Cambria – Iglesia Biblical de a Gracia
England – Nathan Smith – Grace Church, Bristol
Ethiopia – Michael Granger – Sovereign Grace Church Plant
Germany – Christian Wegert – Arche Church
India – Jayaprakash Ravuri – Calvary Gospel Church
Ireland – Ray Clancy – Calvary Galway
Italy – Lee Walti – Verita di Grazia Church
Italy – Giuseppe Fortuna – Chiesa Grazia e Verità
Jamaica – Joel Bain – Grace Family Church
Liberia – Dyonah Thomas – Grace Life Church
Mexico – Carlos Contreras – Gracia Soberana de Cd Juarez
Nepal – Pastor/Church name concealed for protection purposes
Pakistan – Pastor/Church name concealed for protection purposes
Philippines – Nilo Ebo – His Dwelling Christian Church
Philippines – Jeffrey Jo – Church of the Chief Shepherd Gospel Ministries
Philippines – Pete Valdez – Sovereign Grace Church of Tagbilaran
Puerto Rico – Josue Caceres – Iglesia Redimodos
Puerto Rico – Richard Gonzalez – Torre Fuerte
South Korea – Songhwan Kang – Lord’s Grace Church
Spain – Gabriel Reyes-Ordeix – Sovereign Grace Plant (Preparation)
Thailand – Pastor/Church name concealed for protection purposes
Turkey – Pastor name concealed – Sovereign Grace Plant (Preparation)
Venezuela – Eduardo Oistochea – Iglesia Cristiana Biblica Palabra Viva
Zambia – Wilbroad Chanda – Christ Community Church
… May His grace and mercy abound to us all. The whole world is in His hands.