Author: Shofar Missions Cebu

June 25, 2020 Shofar Missions Cebu

Read the latest news from Shofar Mission in Cebu City, Philippines.

Quarantined

Since our last update, Cebu City went from Enhanced Community Quarantine to General Community Quarantine, and back to Enhanced Community Quarantine. Simply put, we went from a strict lockdown to a slightly less strict lockdown, and back. For the two weeks of GCQ, we could bike to and from the office every day. This was really refreshing after so many weeks at home. God “threw us a bone” by letting more businesses open up and residents move around. Unfortunately, that prompted virus cases to rise, putting us back in ECQ.

No public transport? No problem… ‘sweet freedom’

Back to Basics

One thing that God taught us throughout this pandemic is to go back to the basics. It can be easy to get caught up in the machine (projects) and neglect the organic (people). Over the past few months, we’ve communicated with people a lot since we’re all stuck at home. We’ve also taken time to assess what we’re doing and why, asking God to teach us and help us apply those things when we get out from lockdown. One thing’s for sure… He has made it clear how important it is to… s l o w… d o w n.

Getting Creative

God has also taught us (in very practical ways) to be creative. Even daily life here requires creativity – especially when you take turns walking/biking to/from the grocery store alone… you make do with what you can find that day and fit in your backpack. In terms of ministry, we have learned how to exploit the technology we have as much as possible to reach people.

Laura implemented virtual science lessons for the summer and has successfully taught lessons to the JFB homeschool group and one of the Christian schools here in Cebu. She also uses social media to regularly share resources that help students/parents/teachers grow in their understanding of how faith and science work together. Most recently, Laura has been working on daily Bible readings for students in grades 4-6 and 7-12. These readings are to encourage students to know their Bibles and why they believe what’s in it.

Science experiments go virtual – showing students how the heart pumps blood!

Brittany has stayed in touch with the Street Level Ministries students digitally. Some have “checked out,” but others have stepped up in their commitment to the Lord. We have a group video call on Fridays, which is open to any student to join and share what they’ve been up to. Usually, 2-3 students join for fellowship. A few students are still volunteering for WOTS and SLR – as much as they can remotely. We recently started a weekly Digital Small Group, where we walk through practical discipleship material over a group audio call. These small groups are open to all SLM members and designed to be small for open discussion and accountability. So far, three ladies have committed to meet each week.

Looking Forward

We don’t know what the next few months will hold – whether we’ll be 100% online, 50% online, or 100% in person. However, God has proven faithful these past months and equipped us to face every challenge He allowed. We look forward to seeing what He’ll do next and are thankful to continue ministering here in the Philippines.

Prayer Requests:

  • Our government leaders to make wise decisions regarding quarantines and the “new normal”
  • Educational leaders to plan wisely for the upcoming school year
  • The growth and health of churches throughout the Philippines – for the pastors to lead well, the churches to be united, creative ways to minister, and patience and endurance for the believers
  • The students and staff that we work with to stay strong in their faith and resolute in their obedience to Christ
May 25, 2020 Shofar Missions Cebu

Read the latest news update from Shofar Mission in Cebu, Philippines.

The new school year usually starts in June (although, over the past few years some schools have adjusted to an August start date). Classes won’t start in June and normal summer classes won’t happen. Graduation rites are canceled. One thing is for sure…summer is longer than expected. This isn’t the summer to get everyone on the same academic calendar. It is a summer of challenge, change, and unknown. Embrace the unknown and lean into God.

On March 28, Cebu City was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine. As of this writing, the quarantine status of the city remains the same. Parts of the Philippines transitioned into Modified or General Quarantines. With each phase, more businesses are allowed to open. Church services remain online.

Due to COVID-19 the 2020-2021 school year will begin for students in all levels in August. No one knows for sure if students will return to the classroom, but we do know any classes held before August will be online. There is a 24-hour curfew for those under the age of 21 or over the age of 65, meaning they are unable to leave their homes.

Street Level Ministries

We had our last in-person meeting on March 13, 2020. Brittany has been able to continue meeting with students via audio calls. The plan for the summer is to meet virtually with students in small groups to go through discipleship material. Word on the Street’s Issue 82 was released digitally since our print shop is closed and we can’t go out to distribute. Five SLM members are volunteering and helping to write articles for Issue 83 (from two different islands!). We are continuing to broadcast Street Level Radio online and through all five of our antenna arrays in the city. At the beginning of May, Burning Dog Radio began taking over our airwaves for four hours each day, which adds a lot of variety to the station!

Exploring Creation Science

We have created an Exploring Creation Science Facebook page to continue posting weekly biblical creation science resources. Preparation for virtual classes to be taught in June continues. These classes are for students in grades 4-6 and 7-12. As the summer months continue and a clearer picture is known of what the start of the school year will bring this may very well be how Exploring Creation Science starts the 2020-2021 school year.

Prayer Requests:

  1. Pray for wisdom and discernment for all government officials as they decided what level of quarantine an area remains under.
  2. We will begin reaching out to pastors and leaders we have met letting them know we are digital. Pray they would know of and encourage students & schools to join our virtual meetings/classes.
  3. Pray for technology. Online platforms where live services, classes, and meetings can be streamed, internet connections, and phones. Many here use smartphones.

April 25, 2020 Shofar Missions Cebu

Read the latest news update from the Shofar Mission in Cebu, Philippines.

On March 28, Cebu City was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine. This means we have been unable to leave our house except for essentials like grocery shopping. The entire city is under strict guidelines and citizens must present a government-issued pass to be out on the streets. It has been an interesting and challenging adjustment, but we have still found creative ways to minister.

Street Level Ministries

Classes in all universities have been suspended since March 16, which means all of the Street Level members have been at home with their families or in their boarding houses. Our last dinner and Bible study was on March 13, but we have still been keeping in touch with all the students digitally. We’ve video chatted with a few of them individually and plan to continue doing this throughout the rest of the quarantine. Members also receive discipleship curriculum on a weekly basis and are able to share what God is teaching them in a group chat.

  • Some of the students at our last Street Level meeting
  • Friday night digital fellowship!

SLR + WOTS

Through Street Level Radio, students and community members are able to broadcast music, biblical teachings, and live radio shows on any device with an internet connection. We recently started a weekly radio show where we discuss the intersection of faith and science. A few of the topics covered were “How Did We Get Here?” “Is the Bible Reliable?” and “Age of Earth.” All of our antenna arrays in the city are still up and running, so people living in the vicinity are able to connect and listen for free. We’ve also been broadcasting Pastor Tim’s “Life and Times of Jesus Christ” teachings on Sunday nights and are planning for some exciting collaboration with Burning Dog Radio in the near future…

Word on the Street Magazine Issue 82 has undergone a major overhaul. This is thanks to fast turnaround from writers across all locations. The new issue was released as a digital-only version this past week. You can read the Philippines version, with contributions from three SLM Cebu members, here.

  • WOTS Staff (pre-quarantine)

Exploring Creation Science

Primary and secondary schools have also been suspended for the indefinite future. This has caused parents and teachers to get creative with ways to teach their students. One of the ways we’ve been trying to help and keep ministering to students is through weekly “Explore” posts online. Every Thursday, students and teachers can look for an online “worksheet” where they can discuss various creation science-related topics. Some of the topics have been laminin, plants, the human body, and animals. Every other week, we share creation science videos with notes for students to watch and discuss. We are also discussing what the future school year will hold and exploring new avenues online to continue teaching students.

Prayer Requests

Please pray for:

  • Online distribution of Word on the Street Magazine and ideas for the next issue.
  • Listeners to connect to and engage with Street Level Radio, as well as for the equipment to continue running well.
  • Street Level members to use their time at home wisely – to grow in their relationship with God and each other.
  • The “Explore” posts to reach students, teachers, and parents and for wisdom in planning for the upcoming school year.
March 25, 2020 Shofar Missions Cebu

Read the latest update from Shofar Mission Cebu.

Street Level Ministries

At the beginning of March, we were able to reach out to students with a live radio broadcast near the University of the Visayas. During the broadcast, we passed out copies of Street Level’s college magazine Word on the Street. Street Level Radio volunteers also had trivia questions for students to answer for a free Street Level Radio t-shirt. Halfway through the broadcast, we needed more magazines and t-shirts since so many students participated! We didn’t skip a beat and told students that more shirts were coming, so they could come back later for their prize. When shirts arrived, one of the DJs asked where they were as she saw the magazines in my hand and my full backpack. Depending on the day and event, my backpack has carried anything from the kitchen stove to science experiments. That’s completely normal here.

Earlier in the month, we held a few Street Level meetings and hosted a Saturday movie night at the office. At this point, many students have gone home since classes were suspended and Cebu was placed under community quarantine. During this time, we are planning to stay connected to them via video chats and members group chats.

Exploring Creation Science

At the beginning of March, I was able to reconnect with students at three schools before the school year came to an early end. Two of the schools only go up to grade 6 and the other school group was students in grades 10-12.  During the events, school staff addressed students about moving to new schools and what that means. The Exploring Creation Science lesson focused on why it is important to know why you believe what you believe. Video clips with discussion questions helped students see the importance of being a thinking individual as they move into junior high or university.

The students in grades 10-12 at Southern Bethany (a school we have been working with for a number of years) remembered Shofar coming to teach them about God. There are not many students in grade 12, so students in grades 10 and 11 joined the lesson to encourage them to start thinking about these things. At that time, the tentative plan included a possible recap with grades 10 and 11 during the summer session. Instead, the recap session will most likely be when the 2020-2021 school year starts.

Prayer Requests:

  1. Please continue to pray for the staff and students in all levels that we have met over the course of the school year. This break seems to be timely for where many are at with God and all the information they have been presented with (whether it is the SLM material or Exploring Creation Science lessons).
  2. Pray for all the students that have gone home since classes are not in session.
  3. At the beginning of February, large group gatherings were prohibited for all public schools. We were able to teach one Exploring Creation Science lesson in January at a public school here in the city. I am reminded of God’s timing as this group meets 1 time per month. God knew that day that would be the only meeting with those students. They have welcomed us back again next school year. In the meantime, please continue to pray for the students and staff.
  4. Please pray for the Filipino people that are afraid during this time….we pray that their eyes would be open to God.
February 25, 2020 Shofar Missions Cebu

Read the latest update from the mission field and Shofar Mission Cebu.

Team Preparations

Have you noticed that the JFB mission’s season has turned into mission’s year? Plans for the spring team are already in the works, so we’ve been able to do some of the advance prep for them to come. We recently took a trip south of the city to present Shofar Mission and the upcoming ministries to a regional group of pastors. As a parachurch organization, we’re always thankful to make new friends and be a part of what God is doing in local churches throughout the Philippines. We’re looking forward to seeing what He has in store for the next team and glad to be a part of all the teams that come here…

Exploring Creation Science

This branch of Shofar Mission seeks to equip young and developing minds to know why they believe what they believe. A variety of lessons are taught to primary and secondary students in both private and public schools. In February, lessons were taught to grades 4-12 at four different schools (two new schools). Each lesson includes a mixture of lecture, PowerPoint, video, discussion, and experiments. For the younger students, there is more lecture and experiments, whereas the older students engage more with video teaching and challenging group discussions. Many of the high school students have already made up their minds about what they believe about creation, science, and how we all got here. Through Exploring Creation Science, they are challenged to consider if what they believe is actually true, or if perhaps God’s good design in creation and science actually work together.

Not only does God use this branch of Shofar Mission to reach students, but it also provides opportunities to build relationships with teachers, principals, and pastors of churches that have schools. We’ve found that many of them run in the same circles, so a lot of the new schools bridge off of relationships with previous schools! God continues to open new doors as this ministry keeps growing and expanding. On the docket for the upcoming school year is the development of new curriculum for both senior high and elementary lessons as well as reaching out to new schools (public and private).

Campus Outreach

Did you know that in 2018, there were over 2.3 million Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW’s) throughout the world? Over 50% of them worked in western Asia, many of them in closed nations that are hostile to the gospel.[1] For Filipinos, it is quite easy to find work in these nations. So, what does this have to do with campus ministry? A lot, in fact. In many conversations with young people (both high school and college students), their dream is to work abroad so they can send money home to their families. What would happen if while they’re studying here in the Philippines, the gospel really got a hold of them, then propelled them into closed nations where they can go and make disciples? We could change the world for King and Kingdom…

Through Street Level Ministries, students are able to participate in God’s Kingdom work and be equipped for whatever God may call them to in the future. Members can volunteer for Word on the Street Magazine or Street Level Radio, receive solid biblical teaching, engage in Christian community, and have multiple opportunities to reach out to other students. During the past month, we held two live radio broadcasts (one on-campus and one off-campus), passed out WOTS magazines, held weekly dinners and biblical discussions, launched the next issue of WOTS, met on campus for a verse-by-verse Bible study, and took an early morning hike to see the city. We were even able to have an informational booth on campus during Student’s Day at the University of the Visayas.

It’s amazing to be a part of all that God is doing among the university students here, and our prayers are that the seeds we plant would grow and bear fruit for years to come… in the Philippines and to the ends of the world.

Prayer Requests

  1. Team Preparations – that God would open and close doors as He sees fit as we plan and prepare, and that we would be able to reach the people He wants us to.
  2. Exploring Creation Science – meetings with new schools, scheduling of lessons for the next school year, and development of new curriculum.
  3. Campus Outreach – for the students to make the most of their remaining school year (many of them graduate in May) and seek the Kingdom first at their university.

[1] https://psa.gov.ph/statistics/survey/labor-and-employment/survey-overseas-filipinos

January 25, 2020 Shofar Missions Cebu

Read about what God has been doing through Shofar Mission Cebu in the Philippines.

TEAM MINISTRY

The third Short Term Missions Team to the Philippines arrived just after Christmas and hit the ground running. While the team was here, we hosted three Ministry Training Institute classes in three locations, a Women’s Discipleship class, promoted Shofar TV, installed Street Level Radio at two locations, taught six Exploring Creation Science lessons at four schools, and attended Street Level Ministries. It was great to be part of all that God is doing in the Philippines!

STREET LEVEL MINISTRIES

As many of you know, Street Level Ministries is an official student organization at the University of the Visayas – Main Campus in Cebu City. While members of the team were here in January, we were able to install Street Level Radio on campus! Street Level members were able to come alongside team members during the installation process. It is always nice to have teams visit, as this allows Street Level members to work together with and get to know people from the church community.

Street Level Radio upgrades were also made at two other locations. The upgrades allowed us to install at a third location as this location works off of the equipment at our existing locations. The station features local and campus events, Christian music, and Bible teachings 24/7. By the end of January, we will be sending the latest issue of Word on the Street Magazine to print. We look forward to seeing what God has in store for this Street Level, as many of the members will graduate this year.

EXPLORING CREATION SCIENCE

Classes resumed for primary and secondary schools the second week of January, so team members were able to be a part of 5 different lesson topics and hand out certificates. During this time, a lesson was also taught to students in Grades 4-6 with students split up into six different groups, each with a group leader taking on a leadership role. Each group had their own experiment materials and worksheet, with group leaders taking point but involving the members of their group.

January also allowed for the first public school lesson to be taught since this ministry began. Part one of a three-part series was taught during a high school Christian student organization meeting time. We look forward to getting to know the staff and students more each month! This semester we added a special session for students in Grade 12: Why are students failing to keep their faith in college? Our series, “The Toughest Test in College,” seeks to answer that question through a short film including true stories of students whose faith was tested in college.

PRAYER REQUESTS:

  1. For all those that attended the Ministry Training Institute and Women’s Discipleship classes.
  2. That Street Level members would continue reaching out to their classmates and other students during their final semester. Pray for the three new members as they start to get plugged in.
  3. For the new relationship with three new schools in Metro Cebu. Pray that we would be able to get to know staff and students better! Also, for two new school meetings that took place this week as information is presented to their respective boards.
  4. Pray for wisdom and discernment as we continue to plan and organize the 2020 Missions Trips.