The picture that follows illustrates the What, Where, and How of Family Ministry in advancing the Gospel of the Kingdom and of Jesus Christ to the nations.
Step I. Family Ministry setting Foot at KIM in 2020 -step 1, was taking time on prayers, knowing the place(the values, cultures, we talk to people and others). We also seek the spiritual aspects of the place, much more on how people behave spiritually. The place is largely nominal,-the place and its people is not too influenced with the country religion and major cults. It is a rich place for the gospel.
Step II. Formation of the Team - When we started ministering late of last year, we open invitation to some friends and co-worker to join us as a team. My wife and I are on the same view that we need to carry the task with some friends who can carry the values and wisdom of Family Ministry. To date, the invitation is still open to those who are interested. Some had quitted but there are those who bravely stayed and many others new are coming. We have established Monday evening as the team time to discuss topics which is relevant to family ministry.
The goal is to level the field of understanding about family and to learn from each other. The team is now starting building up of a couple from New Faith Children Home, Three teachers from Cuatro Christian School(Hopefully their husbands can join soon), A couple from Meals and Values, and two staff from Hope Alive Clinic. Our discussion had already been running for a couple of months now. It started January 2021 until to date. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED, JUST CONTACT ME OR MY WIFE OR DESS AND DHANG CAMITAN.
Step III. Surveying of Communities - With the forming and building up of the team, we make actual involvement with the communities that are included in Family Ministry Radar. We visit through some resource friend couples in Pennylane, after we had solemnized the wedding of two cohabiting couples, we then started connecting with Parkridge community. Presently these two areas are active in their respective bible studies and worship activities. Parkridge is strong in their weekly prayer meetings. A pastor volunteered to join us in this endeavor. His coming was God's answer to our desire to see more leaders get involve in the work
We noted that there are seven possible target areas. These are what we've been praying for months now. Aside from the two P's, we have our own Hope Alive Clinic of which lots of mothers are coming for pregnancy care and free birthing, we also have the Cuatro Christian School with more or less 500 kids are studying (we just feel the burden of reaching out the parents), the Magaway compound in Valley View is another area that we have visited and a handful of families are waiting to be ministered too. The Youth Lab parents are potential for the gospel considering that their kids are already believers. The Manggahan compound which is only a walk away from our home. Matthew 9:37 still stands true on this concern.
" Then He said to His disciples. "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few." We really need more laborers for the harvest. Laborers that trust the Lord for whatever outcome may happen because of the gospel.
Step IV. Reaching-Out to Communities Intentionally - To be intentional does not ends in articulating the word perfectly, but approaching them by giving out your heart with representation. It is not sugar-coating the gospel. It's just that you need to answer the "What's in it for us" in their minds in an advance manner. The poor community or the temporary settlers has the least of the opportunities and we need to help them to bridge our approaches into their doors. We bring Helps, Food stuffs, Rice, Vegetables, Medicines, and others. We do visitations. One of the highlighters in our approaches, is my wife and I would conduct a pre-marital orientation and counseling to them specially the cohabiting couples and solemnize their weddings.This is one way of helping them being 'victims' of the stigma of the high cost of wedding ceremony.
Step V. Results - We are praying that the Lord would allow for New Leaders and new laborers to emerge at the midway of the process that we do - We are excited at seeing new leaders of their kind would come out. These are leaders from their own families, even from their community, which they already have known and respected. These leaders will do the same cycle by reaching out their own communities and network of relationships. To date Pennylane and Parkridge Bible Study Group are already formed by the grace of God. We are praying for more leaders to come out through our Monday evening discussion so that they can help the work for other areas. These leaders will produce more leaders and become agents of change to communities around. And hopefully, the Lord will produce leaders and missionaries of international caliber out of this process. Help us in prayer, support us in whatever the Lord has told you to support us for the fulfillment of the gospel before He comes again.
OUR MOTIVATION that can be your own too: Advancing the gospel of Jesus beyond borders thru FAMILY MINISTRY.- Bobot and Jean Migraso and the Team