Proclaiming the Same Gospel Message from odium to neighborhood

Angelica Pugoy and her son after
signing an enrollment form

There’s always hope to those who needed hope. " Blessed is the man that trust in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is" -Jer.  17:7

    Imagine a mother age 37 and her son age 13 are classmates. Together they enrolled in Alternative Learning System (ALS) program in one of the Companion With Poor church planting ministry in Dulong Bayan, San Mateo. Along with 38 more students from Sitio Ibayo ALS learning center, we started the non-formal education program to reach those Out-of-School from the community. 

     Sitio Ibayo is a cluster of around 500 households, living in isolated-like community. When water rises in San Matoe-Marikina River, the residents were not able to cross and force to walk for almost two hours via Brgy Silangan in Quezon to get to their work place. 

    Pastor Eric Cubillo and his team along with Nena Nanaga, started reaching out to the community since January 2021. When the typhoon Ulysses severely hit the community, several houses were washout by flood water, the team intervened by providing relief goods and some roofing materials. Since then, the team is activity performing the mandates the Lord had in their hearts to share love of God. Alternative Learning System is one of the components of the church planting project along with livelihoods and skills training.

January and February Ministry Updates

 Our works in the Lord will always produce good fruits, and will always be counted in the Kingdom of God. This year is full of challenges; the Coronavirus are economic is slowing down the causes are just some of those challenges we are facing. However, as the Lord of Heaven promised us not to leave us (Hebrew 13:5)

First of all, I want to thank the Lord for sending you to be my friend and ministry partner. As you read this article, may God richly bless you and your family with good health and tranquility in spirit.

Here are some of my challenges for this year;

1. As one of the leaders in Companion With The Poor, a mission organization committed to helping the poor through holistic church planting, livelihood and skills training, non-formal education through Alternative Learning System (ALS), the challenge is how to keep the missionaries safe, financially well provided while doing their ministerial duties in the communities where they were assigned.

2. As a teacher and school administrator for technical school, it is my concern how to continue our mission in helping others reach their God-given potential considering the government protocol on face-to-face learning,

3. As a family head, another challenge is how to provide for my family's financial needs.

Second, these challenges keep me trusting Jesus as my Lord, Savior, and provider. Others may be slowing down or even paralyzed with this present pandemic, but as for me and my family, we will continue what the Lord is calling us to do.

Finally with your prayers and partnership, together, we will continue in advancing the Kingdom of God here on here on earth. 

Prayer concern:

1. Pray for us, as leaders in Companion With Poor, pray for wisdom, guidance, and protection, pray also our families and co-workers,

2. Please pray for Alternative Learning System (ALS) in Sitio Siwang, a church planting area in Taguig City. Pray for God's direction and provision as we pilot this poverty alleviation project.

3. Please pray also for the technical school, Sacred Gift of God Training Center, pray for God's favor as I apply for program accreditation in government agencies such as Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and Local Government Units.

4. Pray for my family for God protection and financial needs

These are my students from previous batch in
automotive servicing program, from the left; Rejel is now is now working in local shop
and have been sending financial support to his parents in the province, Matt just completed 
training in FOTON Philippines car company, Gerald ( dark blue shirt ) is helping in the school, 
and finally, Jumar, is now completing is provisionary contract in KIA cars Philippines. 
 

There are 2021 Board of Trustees for Companion WIth Poor, Inc. 

We are praying for this place to start another church planting ministry.  We did early works such feeding for children and home visitation. Please pray for this place, Lord willing, we will finalize with local church partner to finally start the ministry here in two years. Our target is March 2021.

December 2020 Ministry Updates

This year could be year of realization that God is working and in control. There are so much to thank for the year 2020, although there pain and disappoint among others; loved ones died, losing jobs and even relationship went bad, despite all these predicament we remained standing by the grace and mercy of Living God. 

Last year, Our team from Companion With Poor (CWTP) planted two churches and started seven new church planting in different areas including one in the province of Cebu. While other are slowing down, we continue on with our call to plant holistic church among the poor. 

Updates:

Our team leader, Ligaya and partners, 
Pastor Noel and Alva, held a key, a symbol
authority given handing over to new leader

The ministry of church planting in Sitio Katuwiran, Barangay San Rafael,
Montalban, Rizal started when Alva Nerio, Pastor Noel’s wife, was asked to teach values formation in 4P’s program, a government social welfare program. Since then, she develop several contact in the community but never came to her mind to start a church in the community, but God uses her rapport for greater purposed to save people from their sins. 

August of 2018 we started visiting the community and started a feeding program for the children once a week with bread and sometimes forage.   This program became a tool to establish good relationship with people in the community; at first the gospel we are sharing is bad news to them, finally by the grace of God and with good rapport, the love of Christ became real to them. During the community lock down, our team manages to distribute a kilo of rice every week during our worship celebration. This act of kindness helps magnified the image of Christ in the community, His love become evident and real.  There were forty regular worshipers every Sunday as of December 27, 2020.

We are thankful and praising God for allowing us to be part of transformative works of God in Sitio Katuwiran. Our goal to plant church in this specific place was completed although the church structure was not completed yet, Last December 27, 2020, our team along with our leaders from Companion With The Poor (CWTP), our mission organization, turn over the church leadership to local partner, Pastor Noel and Alva Nerio. Lord willing, we will start another church planting this coming March 2020.

Relief Efforts on Typhoon Ulysses

With the help of friends and ministry partners, we were able to help 1,900
individual affected during the typhoon Ulysses in four municipalities; Montalban, San Mateo, Norzagaray and Taguig Another church planting team from CWTP started a ministry in sitio Ibayo, in San Mateo before the typhoon hits the community. The relief effort help the team in sharing the gospel of Christ is tangible way and they are also helping few families in constructing their houses by provided roofing materials and some lumbers for framing. 

Updates from the Skills Training Center

Due to government restriction of face-to-face, our training for automotive servicing is temporary stopped to help limit the possible spread of corona virus. Since most of us are now adapting to new normal; wearing of mask, frequent hand washing and practicing social distancing, we are confident to continue in the training on February with blended approach; online lectures and actual practice for limited trainees at a time. We will only accommodate three trainees to have actual practice every day at different time. The goal for each trainee to have actual practice of at least 8 hours a week. 

Prayer Concern:

1. Please for God protection and provision for our workers.

2. Please for Pastor Noel Nerio as he lead the new planted church, pray for wisdom and provision.

3. Please for a new place to start another church planting, we are looking for the field ready for harvest.