On 16 June, I will conduct a seminar-workshop on the Ministry Appreciation and Participation Toolkit with newly graduated pastors in South Negros, Philippines.
Rationale – Continuous Learning
Dr Melvin Mangana, Cosmopolitan Evangelical Church Senior Pastor, who wrote the seminar workshop’s rationale, explains:
Continuous learning is a challenge to many pastors in Negros Occidental, Philippines. Seminars like Ministry Appreciation and Participation meet this pressing need for continued ministers’ learning. One of the hindrances to formal study and learning is distance and finances. Thus, this seminar proposal intends to meet these pastoral ministry challenges.
Ministry Appreciation and Participation is an approach to church ministry developed and implemented by Pastor Jonan B. Castillon. Jonan aims to share the toolkit with the local church pastors in Negros Island, Philippines.
The target pastors are less than fifty per cent (50%) of the pastors doing ministry in the southern part of Negros Occidental. This group is the pioneering cluster of pastors who will be trained.
The number of worshippers of the congregation of these pastors ranges from 40 to 90. Many of the churches in the area are new groups of believers which are situated in the mountainous part of Negros Island.
Having the venue in the southern part of Negros Occidental would mean fewer travelling expenses for the pastors, not to mention the convenience.
There are 40 pastors expected to attend. The activities will start at 8:30 AM and end at 4:30 PM on the seminar day.
Conducting the training with fellow pastors from my native country is a fulfilment of two goals:
- To equip the pastor
- To conduct mission outreach
Organising the training with Dr. Mangana are Prof. Tans Marques, South Negros Baptist Bible College President, and Rev. Rene Quilla, South Negros Baptist Ministers Association President.
Thank you, Gleniti Baptist Church and Hopevale Trust, for supporting my missionary work with pastors in the Philippines.
Philippines Mission Area
Of the 108,667,043 household population in 2020, nearly four fifths or 85,645,362 persons (78.8%) reported Roman Catholic as their religious affiliation. It was followed by Islam with 6,981,710 persons (6.4%), and Iglesia ni Cristo with 2,806,524 persons (2.6%).
Religion in the Philippines. (2023, June 4). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_Philippines
The Philippines is known as the only Christian country in East Asia. About 66 per cent of the population is nominal or committed Roman Catholic, and about seven per cent of the population is Protestant. However, much of Christianity is mixed with animism, creating Folk Christianity. (Folk Christianity, 2022)
The slides below show the mission area in the Philippines.
References
Religion in the Philippines. (2023, June 4). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_the_Philippines
Folk Christianity. (2022). OMF. https://omf.org/us/portfolio-posts/folk-christianity/
Map credits
- https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:PHL_orthographic.svg#/media/File:PHL_orthographic.svg
- Western Visayas. (2023, May 23). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Visayas
- Western Visayas. (2023, May 23). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Visayas
- Ilog, Negros Occidental. (2023, April 6). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilog,_Negros_OccidentalIlog, Negros Occidental. (2023, April 6). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilog,_Negros_Occidental
- Negros Occidental. (2023, May 15). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Negros_Occidental
TRAINING IMAGE CREDIT: Chong Baloyo
Dancalan Baptist Church is my very first church that I attended as a kid. We originally lived in Lisboc Ilog Neg. Occ. Moved to Calubang and went to Dancalan for church. It was a long walk through the rice fields. We had lo leave early to be at the Sunday School. Thank you Jonan for reaching out to those in ministry.