Author: Shofar Missions

It’s crazy to think that Team 2 has already been in the Philippines for a almost a week! Here are some highlights of the ministry we’ve been blessed to participate in over the past few days. 

After a day of walking and getting caffeinated to help fight jet lag, Brittany and Daphne jumped right into things with Street Level Cebu on Wednesday evening. They were able to start a series of studies in the parables, beginning with the parable of the unforgiving servant. It was great to connect, study, and fellowship with the students there.

Bright and early Thursday morning, the team all started making our way to the other side of the island together, then parted ways in Balamban. The girls headed to Toledo for the weekly Street Level meeting there while the rest of the team made their way north to Bantayan Island in preparation for the first of three MTI ‘s.

On Friday morning, 20 pastors and church leaders came together for Day 1 of the MTI course titled “The Making of a Man of God.” It was great to see many familiar faces return to study and learn together.

Saturday brought Day 2 of the MTI, and at the same time Brittany and Daphne had the opportunity to lead a youth summit just around the block with help from the Street Level Members from Cebu and Toledo. 24 youth from Bantayan attended. The topic was from a 6-part series called “Follow Me” by David Platt going in depth on what it means to biblically and practically follow Jesus.

On Sunday morning, most of the team made the long journey back to Cebu for church in the evening. Meanwhile, Pastor Tim and Sharon went even further north to the tip of Bantayan Island to teach at a church in Madridejos. Tomorrow, we all will head over to Bohol for the next MTI class. 

This past week a group of nine pastors from Bantayan, Bohol and Cebu Islands gathered at the Shofar Mission office in Cebu City for an intensive week of study and discussion. These men have been committed to furthering their biblical training through our Ministry Training Institute classes over the years, as well as the first PTI class. This week’s topic was “Church Ministry & Administration” which covered many practical aspects of overseeing a church.

We were greatly blessed to be able to spend the week with these fellow pastors in fellowship and discussion, and we will continue to pray for all their ministries and churches.

BELIEVERS CHURCH CEBU

We are nearing the end of the book of Matthew, which we have been going through verse-by-verse since we started meeting as a church in Sept. 2023. Jesse began teaching a class about what it means to be part of a church before Sunday services to a small group too. Those involved in the class did a lemonade giveaway on our corner a couple weeks ago, which was a good way to meet some of the people working nearby and invite them all to church. Plus it was a tasty way to cool off on a hot summer day!

On a Friday evening we all met up at a local food park – Sugbo Mercado in I.T. Park for dinner, then we hung out in the grassy area there and played some yard games (including kuub). It was a nice change of pace, and a good way to get out into the community too.

STREET LEVEL MINISTRIES

The school year is pretty much over now, but that doesn’t mean much for Street Level – we have still been pretty busy in both locations.

At the end of April, we set up our booth at a youth event where young people from all around Cebu island were invited to come for a two day conference. It was a good opportunity for our group to serve together, and a few good connections were made along the way. We made a special edition mini ‘zine to giveaway at the event, and other outreaches, so the Cebu group got their first experience of a WOTS folding and stapling night as we all worked together to assemble them.

The Toledo group hosted an outdoor movie night, just outside of our space. It was a great night serving together, as we made popcorn, fries, and grilled hotdogs. It felt like a real theatre experience and there were several new students that came. We will be doing it again in a couple weeks.

We just finished going through the book of James at our weekly meetings, so we took a break from the regular routine this week and watched “The Insanity of God” together. We will be starting a new series, “Follow Me” by David Platt next week. Going through this series will be good for our groups, but is also going to help prepare a few of our members to go on a mission trip when the next team is here to Bantayan, where they will be helping to host a Youth Leader Summit using the same series.

SHOFAR MISSION

Preparations are well underway for the upcoming team that will begin arriving in mid-July. We have started receiving registrations for the Pastoral Training Institute, and Ministry Training Institute classes already, and will open up the Youth Leader Summit registration soon too.

We appreciate your prayers as we head into a season of preparation – for the team and related activities, and also as we gear up for the next school year.

Last week, a group of pastors from Bohol Island gathered for a 5-day, seminary level training. The course was “Bible Study Methods and Rules of Interpretation” and is the first of many courses Shofar Mission will offer on this level. We enjoyed the time spent together in fellowship and learning, and are blessed to know this group of pastors who are committed to furthering their biblical education to be better ministers for God’s Kingdom.

The next Pastoral Training Institute will be taking place in Cebu City in July. Stay tuned for details coming soon!