Philippines
THE LEAST-REACHED
This beautiful island nation has been hailed as “the pearl of
the orient.” It lays claim to being the only Christian nation
in the Far East. The predominant religion of the Philippines is a mixture
of Roman Catholicism and animism.
For many decades, mission work focused on the animistic Catholic population.
The peoples within this group were receptive to the gospel, and Christar
was used of God to plant many churches among the Cebuano-speaking people
on Mindanao. Later, Christar turned its attention to the unreached populations.
Muslim missionaries and traders brought Islam to the Philippines in
the 14th century from Indonesia and Malaysia. Today there are about
4.5 million Filipino folk Muslims within 13 tribal groups. Work has
been started with some of these, but all 13 tribes are still
considered among the least-reached. Most have yet to see a single church
planted among them.
The Hindu population in the Philippines consists of Indian shopkeepers
and businessmen who immigrated and brought their religion with them.
There are two people groups, the Sindhi, numbering between 10 and 15
thousand and the Sikh of whom there are 35 to 50 thousand, though some
estimate the populations to be much higher. Two thirds of these reside
in Manila; the rest are in urban areas around the country. There are
second and third generation residents and new immigrants from India,
all still following the Hindu religion of their homeland.
THE MINISTRY
Ministry opportunities in the Philippines abound! It is one of the
few Asian countries with Muslim and Hindu peoples that will grant
missionary visas. The ministry is multi-faceted with work among least-reached
and nominal Catholics. In addition, several workers are involved in
training
Filipino missionaries and one couple serves at Faith
Academy, a cooperative school for the children of missionaries.
In 1989, a small group of believers began meeting
in Manila. Today the Fil-Indian Christian Fellowship is a strong church
with national leadership and a vision to take the gospel throughout the Philippines. English is the preferred language
of the Indian population, so ministry is done in English.
The teams working among the least-reached have used many creative means
to reach these people, including family camps, a half-way home for
widows, a Bible-teaching program in local high schools, self-supporting
rural pharmacies and a nationally-staffed boat clinic
that provides medical care to otherwise inaccessible lake communities.
We are continually seeking to develop new ministries and ways to partner
with others.
A team consisting of a doctor and nurse has been serving for over 20
years in a remote village, providing medical care and teaching.
Plans are underway to dramatically expand this ministry with construction
of a clinic and recruitment of additional personnel, including health
workers, children’s workers, a pastor/teacher and support staff.
Another team has developed a comprehensive discipleship program and
is effectively equipping believers to plant churches
among their own people. Both nationals and missionaries are needed
to commit to this kind of in-depth ministry.
In 2002, after years of planning and construction, the Life Resources
Foundation began providing training for Filipino believers who were
committed to church planting. The LRF is the only school of its kind,
offering
a thorough Bible education in the local Cebuano dialect and
involving students in hands-on ministry
in communities right from the start. It has a large facility
located on 33 acres and needs those with abilities in teaching, administration,
agriculture and public relations.
Lastly, faith Academy, the largest school for missionary children in
the world, is located just outside Manila. It provides a first-rate
education for MKs from over 60 mission agencies in the Philippines
and Southeast Asia. They need K-12 teachers, administrators and dorm
parents--people who feel called to make missionary children their “mission
field.”
DATA SUMMARY
Population: 82,600,000
Area: 115,830 square miles
Capital: Manila
Official Language: Filipino
Government: Democratic Republic
Religions: Catholic (72%); Protestant (10.7%); Muslim (8.4%); Others (9.3%)
