This past week, the missions team made the trip from Cebu City to the city of Santa Fe on Bantayan. God blessed us with good weather and safe travels. While there, the team split to focus on two main ministry gatherings.

The first of these was the Ministry Training Institute. This institute is designed to provide practical teaching and materials to local pastors and church leaders. This round of courses was titled, “Timothy Training Program, Choosing and Preparing Spiritual Leaders”, and focused on how to identify and train up the next generation of leaders in the local church. The class was very well attended. We had a great time of learning and fellowship as we dug into the scriptures and studied this topic that is vital for the future of the church.

The other gathering was designed for youth who are taking their faith seriously and stepping up into leadership roles in their youth ministry groups. The theme for this gathering was “Unashamed”, and encouraged these young people to have boldness in their walk with Christ. Worship, teaching by guest speakers, video presentations, and small group discussions all combined for a challenging day filled with fun, learning, and a call to fearlessly put God first. 

The beginning of the week was filled with Street Level outreaches and postering around the universities in Cebu.

On Monday, we set up the Street Level booth near Southwestern University, where we met students and shared information about Street Level and Believers Church Cebu.

Tuesday and Wednesday involved us going through the city to put up posters and meet with people around all of the major universities in Cebu. We also set up the booth outside the University of San Carlos and did a Street Level outreach, telling people about the Wednesday meetings and Sunday service.

MINISTRY TRAINING INSTITUTE

Friday we completed the Toledo City MTI. Congrats and thanks to all who attended!

STREET LEVEL MINISTRIES

On Thursday, the Toledo universities were closed, but we still did a small outreach at Consolatrix to invite students to our Thursday night Bible studies and a game night. That evening, we met up with Street Level members and held a practical discussion on “seeking first the kingdom of God.”

On Friday during the MTI, some of the team split up and traveled to Pinamungajan and Balamban to visit the CTU and USJR campuses to scope out the surrounding areas for future outreach opportunities. 

That night, the team enjoyed game night with Street Level students from around Toledo and Cebu City. We played different board games, ate pizza, and enjoyed fellowship (with a group game of Charades).

Upon returning to Cebu, Street Level held a member’s meeting and had a retreat around the city, including a visit to Cebu Ocean Park. 

SUNDAY SERVICE

Today the team split up again to visit a few different churches around Cebu – we were privileged to be able to teach a message at these churches. Afterwards the team had lunch, planned the rest of the week and drank coffee and prepared for the service at Believer’s Church Cebu.

Today was the first day of the Ministry Training Institute in Toledo. These classes are for pastors and church leaders to further their biblical education. We had great attendance and many new participants who haven’t been to an MTI before. The topic of the teaching is how to recognize and train up leaders in the local church. Many of them said they were excited about the material and the opportunity to learn more about leadership and discipleship in the church.

A few other team members went out into the city to do an outreach near one of the main university campuses. Classes are just starting up here, and our goal was to spread the word about Street Level’s weekly Bible study and an upcoming game night. Later in the day several current Street Level members joined up with us and we split into groups and put up posters around Toledo as well.

Street Level had their weekly meeting tonight. The remainder of our time in Toledo will be spent finishing the second half of the MTI and hosting a game night for university students.