 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Our History
World Team Philippines has a rich history of serving the Filipino people.
World Team Philippines has over 20 years of history in the Philippines. Our Purpose: To glorify God by working in teams to make disciples and establish movements of reproducing churches focusing on the unreached peoples of the Philippines and the world. Our Vision: To partner with others in the global missionary fellowship To establish a reproducing community of believers within reach of every person in the Philippines and the rest of the world. World Team, the mission formerly known as RBMU International, began ministry in the Philippines in June 1981. Since that time, we have enjoyed working as partners with ABCCOP (the Alliance of Bible Christian Communities of the Philippines) and alongside sister missions OMF, SEND, and TEAM with the goal of reaching the people of the Philippines for Christ. On June 3, 1995, a merger took place between RBMU International and Worldteam, another evangelical missionary organization. One of the reasons for this union or merger is that RBMU International and Worldteam had a high degree of compatibility. Both groups shared similar purpose, vision, values, and philosophy of ministry. During the past century, both RBMU International and the former Worldteam majored on establishing churches among unreached peoples. As you've experienced, the world is smaller and more familiar than it has ever been... Through mass media, the Internet and relatively easy and convenient travel, the mystery of distant lands has lessened to some degree. Satellite TV and the Internet have created instantaneous coverage of world events conveying their sights and sounds to billions of people around the world. Yet for all of this, the name and gospel of Jesus Christ has still not penetrated many of the world's regions. His love and forgiveness has not yet been experienced by thousands upon thousands of people within those areas of the world. Some of these people are to be found in remote and primitive areas. Some live within the busy urban centers of the world's largest cities, like Metro Manila. Whether Stone Age or ultra modem, all are every bit as needy for the Gospel today as those unreached peoples of past generations. And now there is the challenge ahead, of pushing back the spiritual darkness for those who have yet to hear. To those of us who embrace the Great Commission as our life's pursuit, the issue isn't simply reaching the unreached ... for Jesus said to "go ... and make disciples of all nations ..." We call World Team a "church-planting" mission. The term "church planting" confuses a lot of people but it best describes what we do. The church, as we read in the Book of Acts and the New Testament epistles is the biblical and apostolic model God has ordained for creating and developing disciples among the peoples who have never heard. That is why World Team has focused on targeting UNREACHED peoples in order to establish churches- churches that would develop into strong, vibrant, growing and reproducing bodies of believers. In other words, we are "Reaching the Lost to Reach the Lost." If you want to put this into discipleship terms, Paul commanded Timothy in 2 Tim 2:2: "You have heard me teach many things that have been confirmed by many reliable witnesses. Teach these great truths to trustworthy people who are able to pass them on to others." So discipleship is the desired goal. Even with all the advances in technology and communications, the work of reaching hearts with the Gospel still requires human involvement, personal commitment and God-breathed passion for the lost. It is those qualities that form the basis of World Team. World Team is passionately committed to the task of reaching the unreached peoples of the world. Here is how we are accomplishing this here in the Philippines. At present, World Team has 14 missionaries involved in various ministries: Faith Academy teachers, administrative personnel, literature and curriculum developers, church planters and a Muslim ministry. We are currently ministering in the following areas: IFUGAO: Our first WT ministry area, entered in August of 1982. The Association of Ifugao Bible Churches (AIBC) now numbers 114 member churches. Trevor and Norma Douglas, along with other Ayangan faculty and staff, have been teaching Bible and other church related subjects to resident students at the Bible Training Center They have also written and translated much of the school's curriculum. Trevor is involved in the Old Testament translation of the Bible in Ayangan Ifugao as well as New Testament revision. CATANDUANES: In 1983 a church in Pennsylvania adopted Catanduanes as an unreached people group. The Catanduanes Team moved to Virac in 1984. They were the first foreign missionaries on the island. By 1985, gatekeeper farmers and fishermen were meeting weekly. In 1986, the Cats Team began training Filipino leaders who would become the elders of the Virac Christian Bible Fellowship. During 1993, Virac church members worked weekly on a chapel they designed themselves. Today VCBF is led by Pastor Totoy Sebastian, a native Viracnon who was led to the Lord and trained by World Team workers. Another VCBF member who received on-site training by World Team is Teng Candelaria. He and Edna were commissioned by the Virac Christian Bible Fellowship and became ABCCOP missionaries. The Candelarias moved to Viga in 1994 to join a pioneer church plant with World Team missionaries. Today, the Viga Bible Christian Fellowship is run by its own elders. Team Leaders, Teng and Edna Candelaria with the Buursmas, Martins, and Marissa Carillo, an ABCCOP missionary are now pioneering a new work in the Payo / Panganiban area. Today 21 Bible studies are meeting weekly throughout Payo. In 1994 World Teamers started a Bible study in Cabugao, Bato, assisted by members from the Virac Christian Bible Fellowship. The first baptisms in Cabugao were held in June, 2000 . CAMARINES SUR: World Team has had workers in Camarines Sur since 1983, mostly concentrated in and near Naga City. The churches planted by World Team workers that are now entirely led by local leaders include: * The Bicolandia Bible Christian Center in Naga City * The Canaman Bible Christian Fellowship - Dinaga * The Canaman Bible Christian Fellowship - Poro * The Naga Community in Christ Cell Church. Heather Miller, based in Pili, Camarines Sur, works with Nonoy Azul weekly to coach several house churches in Santo Nino, a small mountain village on Mount Isarog. She also is working with a radio announcer and a major radio station in Naga City that reaches most of the Bicol region. They began broadcasting a 30-minute Sunday morning series in Bicol called "The Way Of Righteousness" in January 2009. This program covers the entire Bible chronologically in 100 lessons and presents the Gospel numerous times in the process. Listeners are encouraged to communicate with the broadcaster via cell text messages. The goal is to help reach people for Christ and start house churches throughout the Bicol Region. Romy and Judith Azul, ACPLAN (ABCCOP) are missionaries who have worked alongside World Team workers for many years. They live in Sipocot, a rural area near the intersection of two major highways that link Camarines Sur to central Luzon. Romy works with several house groups. He is providing theological training for emerging leaders. Bob and Koleen French turned over the Naga Community In Christ to 6 trained elders in 2005. The Frenches left Naga in 2007. They make quarterly trips back to Camarines Sur and other Bicol provinces to provide training and coaching in cell and house church planting, according to requests from World Team co-workers and friends from other organizations with whom they have networked over the years. FAITH ACADEMY: In spite of the growing misunderstanding that missionary work in the Philippines is nearing completion, enrollment at this great MK school grows steadily. Faith is currently in a massive classroom and auditorium expansion project to meet the needs. Although growth from Philippine missionaries is one reason, a growing population of boarding students from parents working in surrounding countries in Asia which are opening up to foreign missions, is also another reason for growth. World Team needs more staff at the school to help meet the needs. METRO MANILA: Bob and Koleen French, now based in Manila, host a Sunday morning house church in their home where people can experience and practice leading a model of house church that is easily duplicated. They host a mid-week evangelistic Bible study. They also lead cell and house church training seminars upon request. The number of new evangelistic groups started using this approach has multiplied yearly between 2004 and 2008. Bob French continues to write and publish cell and house church training materials in English and in Tagalog. Publications already available include study guides for Genesis, Exodus, Galatians, The Gospel Of John, Ephesians, Basic Discipleship, and Life of Jesus (most texts are from Matthew, Mark and Luke). Bob and Koleen have also published materials on biblical conflict resolution and basic hermeneutics. Along with ABCCOP (Alliance of Bible Christian Communities of the Philippines), World Team is helping with a church-planting effort along the "Commonwealth Corridor" in northern Quezon City. The first worship service is scheduled for January 2009. The Commonwealth vision includes sending Filipino missionaries outside of the Philippines. Alex Pacis helped to launch this effort and has involvement via periodic trips from his home base in Canada. Albert and Janet Ehmann plan to join this effort in 2009 when they move to Manila. MANILA: Our Manila Staff is presently composed of: Headquarters: Chris Wassell (Field Director) Guest House Manager: Tonton Caballero Faith Academy Staff: Brian (High School Principal) and Carol Foutz (Elementary Librarian). Kathy Wassell (Spanish Teacher) Nona Caballero (Tagalog Teacher) |
 |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |