ECPM Update March 2020

Recent Events

New Milestone : New Mountains

New Mountains to Overcome : Figuratively, the Lord led ECPM to closely evaluate teams in Mindanao. The ECPM Board members and staff decided that church planting training would best benefit new local missionaries ministering and living in mountains, not those repeating the training. It was hard reassessing and assisting our partner churches in carefully choosing church planters and church planting sites. 

Literally, after these assessments were made, we knew some teams wouldn't work out and we felt uneasy changing teams. But through prayer, team discussions and site visits with partner churches, the Lord gave new upland areas for ECPM to conquer. 

New Mountains to Conquer : In February 2019, the campus ministry team in Bicol finished their mission training with ECPM. Little did we know that one of the members, now working in the heart of Bicol, was praying and asking the Lord .... what's next? She is now part of a church planting team reaching out to universities and young professionals in Legazpi city. This is a new mountain for ECPM because approach in modules, mentoring and coaching needs to be revised and contextualized. ECPM had to look closely and study each module to preserve the original concepts needing to be taught and yet relaying it to them in ways that would fit their target community. 

Please pray as ECPM go to a diverse genre of target communities. From the millenials in the city to different tribes in rural areas. God is indeed asking us to move to greater heights for the gospel! 

New Church Planting Teams 

Mambalot Team, Ipilan, Palawan

Partner Church: Palawan Christian Gospel Church Intl - February 2020 to January 2022

Mambalot is located in another town in Brooke's Point Palawan and just before Ipilan where we previously had a church planting team. 

Julius Palaaan, the leader of the Tula-tula team that graduated two years ago kept the gospel going in different baranggays and mountainous areas by spearheading another team in Raang that graduated last January and now, with his church leader Kuya Sam Lacanilao, they formed this new church planting team in Mambalot. 

Julius is now being tapped by ECPM in assisting the staff through teaching the modules, mentoring and coaching other church planting teams in Palawan. 

Please pray for team adjustments and community visits since Mambalot is our newest team.  

Saranggani Team, Maguiling Luan, Maitum Saranggani

Partner Church: Mountain Tribes Ministry - January 2020 to January 2022

Forming a church planting team in Saranggani lately brought challenges to us and to our partners in Mindanao. Areas that needed to be reached are really far from the town proper and from where previous church planters reside. Currently focusing in their respective newly formed community churches, they couldn't just go to another mountain for a new church planting effort. 

Also, our partnering church was having a hard time getting the commitment of possible church planters. But deep in our hearts we knew the Lord wanted us to take greater heights. That then called us to pause, pray and wait on God's right timing. Just this January our prayers were answered. 

Praise God and please pray for continued commitment and health for the team. Travelling up and down from one mountain to another is not easy.  

Current Church Planting Teams

Legazpi Team, Bicol Albay (supported by BHW)

Partner Church: Ranao Ranao Christian Church - June 2019 to May 2021

Team Members: Nathanael Ortiz, Mary Joy Mandane, Marizon Perez

Most ECPM partners would immediately recognize the name of the team leader for Legazpi team. Nathanael, better known as Tan Tan, is the son of ECPM's first church planters who continued on after many years of partnering with ECPM in conquering areas in Bicol, Albay. Rudy Ortiz partnered with ECPM also for campus ministry training. Tan Tan, now an engineer and teacher, answered the Lord's call and strategically formed a team in the heart of Bicol. 

Mary Joy and Marizon are both professionals. Thus this team is quite different from the others in terms of target area and approach. They are currently ministering to university students and young professionals. 

Marizon was part of the campus ministry team trained by ECPM and has led many young people to Christ who are now serving in Ranao Ranao. 

Modules were modified to suit the team and approaches to community survey, planning and evangelism are currently being contextualized. 

Please pray for wisdom for the ECPM team conducting the modules that better approaches be implemented. Please pray as the team tries to find a regular assembly and meeting area for their small groups. Since they are in the city, rental costs are higher. 

Lucena Team, Baoo Lucena

Partner Church : Simbahan sa Burol - April 2018 to May 2020

The team regularly hold their Bible study groups every Thursday, Friday and Saturday. By the grace of God, they are able to minister to three families. 

The team realized too that despite some doubts, the Lord has never really been absent. He is always there. This was evident when one of the families in the community invited them into their house for a bible study. They were very amazed and they knew it was only the Lord's work and way of encouraging them.

There's no team without conflict, but when teams are able to resolve their differences, they grow and improve. Lucena team testifies to this whenever they had bumps on the road as a team. 

Please pray for continued unity and teamwork for them and it is their prayer that the three families will continue to grow in the Lord. 

Iraan Team, Abo abo, Palawan

Partner Church : Aramayway Gospel Hall - June 2018 - July 2020

All praise to God! The team has already had their first baptism and 10 out of the 15 that they are regularly discipling were baptized. As they continue to guide these 15 Palawano natives (western part of Philippines), they also are now ministering to two groups of people of Visayan descent (eastern part). 

The team has also been active in participating in fellowships especially with previous church planting teams. These help them be mentored and encouraged. Seeing the value of their ministry through this, the more they become confident which has always been a challenge for the team. It is truly a gift that the church planters in Palawan have regular fellowships through ministerial groups and interchurch fellowships. 

As the team nears their graduation, it is their prayer that the gathering that has started will continue to be established as a new congregation and continue to grow in Christ.  

Graduation

Raang Team - January 11, 2020

A community of joy with transformed hearts, commiting their hearts to the Saviour through their testimonies, celebrated with Raang Team during their graduation. It was held at the house of the baranggay's leader. It is also where they usually hold their bible studies. 

We are amazed at how the Lord moves His servants that local communities may come to Him! Glory to God for all He has done!

Prayer and Praise Points

1) Health and safety: Despite numerous challenges like the Taal volcano's massive ashfall and Covid-19 virus we continue to thrive and that is only through our God! The height of these events timely happen whenever we are in different church planting areas. As we all take necessary precautions let us continue to pray for each other's health and safety. 

2) Wisdom: With contextualisation in mind, we want to preserve important church planting principles and always be Biblical in approaches. Please pray for us as we regularly study and formulate the effective modules for different church planting areas. 

3) Partners in the harvest 2020: The team is now preparing to attend PITH 2020 in Malaysia in July. Please pray that we may be given a chance to set up a booth and share how the Lord is working through Filipino church planting.