JECPP :: Foreign Missions

JECPP was conceived and birthed as a missionary organization. Its Founding Chairman, Rev Dr Robert Lim of Evangel Family Church, Singapore, was clearly commanded to plant churches and promote missions in the Philippines. The original vision of planting 100 churches was fulfilled with God’s mighty power over a span of six years between 1993 and 1999. One key factor or driving force behind the success of this faith venture was unyielding commitment to the Great Commission of Jesus Christ. This was the organizational goal and the corporate task of JECPP – to obey the Master’s mandate and finish His work on earth. It was the priority in prayer and planning, the reason for recruitment and releasing of workers, the focus in fund-raising and finance, and the commitment to co-operation and consecration. JECPP was called into being to do missions purely out of devotion to God and passion for souls.

The original vision of planting 100 churches in the Philippines by 2000 may have been realized but the mission of JECPP is far from finished. There remain yet millions of unsaved Filipinos to be won and thousands of cities, towns and villages in the Philippine archipelago to be evangelized. JECPP is committed to maintain the missionary thrust and muster all its spiritual and natural resources to impact the Philippines for the cause of Christ. This calls for infiltration of Christian witnesses in different sectors of society and penetration of gospel workers into remote and rural parts of the country. It also demands the mobilization of Filipino messengers for foreign missions among the nations of the world. God has certainly prepared the Filipino people and endowed them with manifold gifts and abilities for a purpose – to bear the message of God’s saving grace to the teeming millions in the world. Filipinos are dispersed and deployed in practically all parts of the world. They have left their shores by the thousands to feed hungry mouths at home but they are going to be sent round the globe to feed hungry souls. They have endured hardship and hurt in exchange for material goods in foreign lands but they are going to enjoy the pleasure and prize of winning eternal souls in foreign fields. This is the true destiny of the Philippine Church and the unrealized dream of the Filipino people. What opportunity and possibility await the Filipino Christians in realizing their full potential and maximum participation in God’s Kingdom!

JECPP envisions to play an active, dynamic role in the raising and releasing of cross-cultural workers, in the equipping and empowering of overseas church-planters, and in the sending and support of foreign missionaries from the Philippines. Indeed, Dr Robert Lim had often shared such inspiring aspiration for the direction of JECPP’s future ministry while overseeing the vision of planting the 100 churches. He constantly challenged the leaders to broaden their vision beyond the Philippine borders, and motivated the church planters to move out of familiar grounds into foreign lands. Venturing into international missions is not a strategic shift in ministry or following another fad in Christendom. Rather, it is a passionate pursuit of God’s calling in soul-winning and a daring desire to obey Christ’s Great Commission. It is about responding to the cry of the wilderness and completing the Master’s task of discipling all nations.

God has raised Evangel Family Church in Singapore under the leadership of Rev Drs Robert and Marion Lim, Founding and Senior Pastors, and the Singaporean missionaries she trained and released to plant 190 over churches in the Philippines. Thousands of Filipino lives have been touched and transformed for Christ. The time has come for the Filipino congregations under JECPP to participate in the global task of world evangelization and church planting. The Singaporean church has prayed, sacrificed and supported foreign missions in the Philippines for a good number of years. It is now the privilege and responsibility of our Philippine churches to expand the vision and extend the mission to other lands. This is obedience to the Great Commission in New Testament fashion and reason enough for JECPP’s involvement in foreign missions.

Following the fulfillment of the original vision the next two years were focused on conserving the evangelistic gains and consolidating the newly planted churches. Under the new chairmanship of Rev Lim Toh Nee, JECPP leadership sought to strengthen the church planters and stabilize the young churches. Church planting work was also stepped up and spread to new territories and needy areas. But the vision to venture into foreign fields was in no way diminished. It was brought up repeatedly in the planning meeting and prayer sessions among JECPP’s leaders. And Dr Robert Lim would frequently raise the topic and inject inspiring ideas to keep the vision burning. It was indeed a time of waiting upon the Lord for direction. At the same time the Lord of the harvest was also preparing His worker for our first foreign missions work.

Pastor Manny Esguerra had planted and pastored two churches over a period of 18 year since 1982; 5 years among the Ilocanos in Isabela, Luzon and 13 years among the Davaoneons in Davao City, Mindanao.

While attending a training course on World Missions at the Living Springs School of Christian Ministry in 1995, he was introduced to cross-cultural missions and challenged by the Lord to serve in foreign missions. But he was hesitant due to the lack of training and the lack of emphasis on cross-cultural missions in his denomination. In 1998, he was asked to pastor the Filipino congregation of their denomination in Singapore. This overseas assignment provided him an opportunity to study at the Tung Ling Bible College for a year and challenged him further to venture into foreign missions. Upon his return to the Philippines, he underwent missions training at the Asian Center for Missions in Davao City. He and his wife then approached their spiritual leadership in October 2000 to share their burden for foreign missions. To their shock their denomination decided to release them and had them relieved from their church, citing their lack of calling for cross-cultural foreign missions. Thus, Pastor Manny left his church and denomination of 20 years association in February 2001.

The Lord led the disillusioned Pastor Manny to worship at Evangel Family Church, Davao under the leadership of Revs Peter and Christine Wee on the last Sunday of February 2001. He opened his heart and shared his burden for missions in Asian countries. Pastor Wee and the church warmly welcomed Pastor Manny’s family into the fellowship and ministered to their needs. Following several months of faithful attendance Pastor Manny was asked to involve in cell group ministry and subsequently, to handle a Filipino Service on Sunday. The Lord blessed and prospered his ministry bringing many souls to salvation and growth to the church. Convinced of Pastor Manny’s call to foreign missions, Pastor Wee recommended him to JECPP’s leaders for prayer and consideration. At the annual Church Planters’ Retreat in October 2001, Pastor Manny and his wife were interviewed thoroughly by the leadership and accepted into JECPP as our first foreign missionaries.

The search for God’s appointed workers in our first foreign work had ended but our involvement in foreign missions had just begun. Where were they to be sent to? What church or organization could we work with? How were they to be supported? How to comply with the immigration requirements of the host country? These were among the major issues to ponder and to pray over as we entered into a new chapter in JECPP’s history – sending and supporting Filipinos in foreign missions.

Our first concern was to discern the Lord’s direction in choosing our foreign field. We had wanted to send our first missionaries to East Malaysia but the application for visa was denied twice. This caused the leadership to reconsider and seek the Lord’s clear leading. In March 2002, Pastor Wee suggested the possibility of Manado City in Indonesia as a possible site for foreign missions. His friend, Pastor Paul Kim, a Korean missionary had uprooted from Davao to go to Manado the previous year and he strongly recommended the city. A decision was arrived for Pastor Manny to travel together with Pastor Chuck Chua and Pastor Wee to survey the city the next month.

This was followed by a second trip in June 2002 in which Dr Robert Lim and JECPP Leaders met in the city and confirmed the choice of Manado as the launch pad for our missions in Indonesia. We sensed the Lord’s hand in the project and proceeded to hammer out the details on financial support, immigration clearance, church affiliation, housing and ministry facilities. With great excitement and faith, Dr Lim committed to raise the necessary funds for the startup cost. In one accord, the four regions under JECPP pledged to provide monthly contributions towards the support of our first foreign missionary family and the ministry cost. Pastor Manny was left behind in Manado at the end of this trip.

The next crucial step was to gain affiliation with a credible Christian organization for the purpose of processing the working visa for Pastor Manny and his family joining him later on.

The months that followed were filled with frustration as our missionary encountered obstructions of various kinds. Seemingly, we were hitting roadblocks and meeting dead ends. But perseverance on the part of our missionary and persistent prayer by those who send him prevailed. At the end of October 2002, just before Pastor Manny returned for the annual Church Planters’ Retreat in Iloilo, the Lord granted us the breakthrough! Pastor Manny was able to befriend a young Indonesian pastor with close relationships with the national leaders of the Greja Bethel Indonesia (GBI), a leading Pentecostal organization based in Jakarta with a good reputation. Thank God for His intervention!

On the final night of the 2002 Church Planters’ Retreat, Pastor Manny and his wife together with their two young daughters were officially introduced to all JECPP delegates and commissioned to be our first foreign missionaries to Indonesia. This was stepping out in faith as we had yet to establish affiliation with a Christian organization in compliance with Indonesian immigration requirement.

In December 2002, Pastor Manny and Pastor Chua made an overnight trip to Jakarta to obtain the covering for our ministry in Manado and to arrange for the processing of the working visas for our missionaries. The Lord’s favor was clearly with us as He granted us success in spite of the tight schedules. We flew back to Manado marveling at the Lord’s goodness and rejoicing at the prospects of sending our missionary’s family in two months’ time. But more delays and obstacles continued in the weeks ahead. This called for increased intercession in full recognition of the need for God’s intervention. Truly, the Lord of the Harvest hears and honors the prayers of Hs people for His work. When the JECPP leaders met in Cebu at the end of March 2003, the approval for Pastor Manny’s visa was finally released and an official copy transmitted over. Praise God!

The time had finally arrived for us to send our first missionary family from the Philippines to the missions field.

Pastor Manny was quickly summoned home so as to re-enter Manado in compliance with immigration procedure. He was granted leave to visit his loved ones in Bulacan, Luzon both to bid farewell to his aged mother and to entrust his two older sons to close relatives. They have made a family decision to let the boys continue their studies in the Philippines and to bring their two younger daughters with them to Indonesia. On April 24, 2003, Pastor Manny with wife, Avelina and their two little girls, Jireh and Elliel arrived safely in Manado City, Indonesia. This was the culmination of 18 months of patient praying and persistent trying. It was also the commencement of years of intensive intercession and sacrificial support for our foreign missions.

June 1, 2003 was a very special Sunday for JECPP as our first Filipino missionary conducted the first worship service at the Minahasan Law Center at 4:00 p.m. Evangel Family Church, Manado Chapter was thus officially inaugurated in North Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Over the last 8 months God’s blessings were indeed upon our first foreign missions venture. Pastor Manny and wife have adjusted quickly to another culture and begun learning the language. Their little daughters have also settled down happily in a new environment and schooling system. An average of 35 people are worshipping in the Sunday service and prayer meeting and cell meeting are held on weekdays. Discipleship program is being conducted on Saturday to train workers and raise leaders. Efforts in penetrating the schools and colleges through religious teaching are already bearing fruits, and plan is now underway to commence a youth ministry.

To enhance the ministry funds were released last November to purchase a brand new sound system and an electronic keyboard. The young congregation also raised money to acquire a used electric guitar and amplifier as well as to buy a new drum set. Our missionaries and their members are looking forward to celebrate God’s goodness in their 1st church anniversary in 4 months’ time. Truly, God has been faithful to JECPP as He enlarges our vision and extends our mission into foreign lands!