Jan 26, 2018 update – Fritz Cobrado is on the International board of 222 Foundation. He is flying to Southern Thailand on Jan 26, then to another closed country, to do CPM training. Please support generously in finance and prayer. Fritz has had great input in my life and encouraged me a lot in my early days of CPM Ministry. Link to his Facebook page here
Jan 9, 2018 David Lim has been a passionate advocate for CPM in Asia for many years. Link to David’s blog here
Here is his latest newsletter:
It’s very uplifting to end the year with the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN) winning the Nobel Peace Prize, and the “Silence Breakers” (against sexual harassment) named Time’s Person of the Year. We’re reminded to keep on fighting for righteousness – to do small acts of kindness and contribute our small voices towards the upward spiral to help realize God’s reign of justice, peace and joy in our complex postmodern world.
As we enter 2018, the next 3 years look brighter as we do effective missions by March 2021 (the 500th anniversary of Christianity in the Phil.). Closure to the Great Commission is more realistic than ever! After so many years, I can consider 2017 as a breakthrough year as the shift in mission strategy from Christendom’s imperial (with elaborate religious services) to transformational missions’ incarnational approach (with simple community services) has finally become mainstream. In Asia, if the house church networks were one denomination (which they’ll never become), their total constituency have become larger than the entirety of all denominations combined.
Amidst the natural disasters, refugee crisis (esp. of Rohingyas from Myanmar) and political turmoils in Asia, multitudes are being brought into the Kingdom through “disciple multiplication movements (DMMs).” I rejoice to see many more missionaries make the shift quite significantly this past year. As we pray and work for more “house church networks” (HCN) through DMMs, I’m quite sure that there will be much multiplication and exponential growth hereafter!
1. As the President of Asian School of Development and Cross-cultural Studies (ASDECS), I rejoice to see us go ASEAN this year and truly global next year. Through our Center for Transformational Development (CTD)’s certificate programs, we’re ready to launch training programs among the poor in U.S.A. Through our PhD programs, we are in Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar and Australia, in partnership with the Global School of International Development (GSID). Our Asian Inst. of Social Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development (AISEED) will start our training programs in partnership with APPEND Micro-Enterprise Development, Inc. (AMED) to train their leaders formally to manage savings, cooperative and/or social enterprises for transformational impact in their communities. Above all, through Bing Roncesvalles, we are working in partnership with Tearfund-UK to facilitate and coordinate “Church and Community Mobilization” programs in the ASEAN region.
2. For national transformation, the Philippine House Church Movement, called Star Grass Coalition, pursues our mission to multiply disciples and simple churches across the land. Our main campaign aims to turn this nation into a “land of cooperatives and social enterprises” through “Investment Clubs,” where any group of 15 members can pool their savings together to develop a social enterprise. We held our Luzon house church leaders’ summit in an agricultural training center in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija last Dec. 1-2. We will be joining the 3rd Global House Church Summit to be held in Bali in June 29-July 1, 2018.
3. And for global transformation, as Executive Chair of Lausanne-Phil., I look forward to preparing to co-host Lausanne’s Global Workplace Forum from June 25-29, 2019, 1.5 years from now. We have monthly meetings facilitated by our local Global Diaspora Network chapter, and reorganized our Punlad Buhay Multipurpose Cooperative. Meanwhile I’ll be giving a paper at the Lausanne’s Global Consultation on Nominalism in Rome from Mar. 15-18 2018. And I’ll also be sharing my views on the DMM approach for mobilizing churches for community transformation at Tearfund’s Global Forum on Church and Poverty in Kigali, Rwanda, from July 2-5, 2018.
The Philippine Missions Association (PMA), will continue to serve as a model for the Lausanne Movement and all mission movements, as we mobilize for 2 million trained in Tentmaker Missions, and 1 million Outstanding Faithful Witnesses/missionaries deployed to do DMM among the unreached by 2020. We’re trying to set up an OFW Ministry Desk in every church, barangay, and town/city nationally, and in each embassy globally, so that we can maximize our opportunities to train OFWs to be tentmakers.
Our DMM model of ministry will continue to spread more and more as I also serve with the leaders of China Ministries International, Asian Society of Frontier Missions, SEANET (global network to reach the Buddhists), Asian Society of Missiology, Asian Solidarity Economy Coalition, and International Council of Higher Education. May there be more transformational impact for the whole church to share the whole gospel with the whole world effectively! For all these, I’ve been blessed to travel abroad 11 times per year for the past 9 years.
I’ve had 11 publications this year. Please see the attached to see the complete list (and 6 photos). You may write me for a copy of any of these 11 articles. In all these, I’ve promoted what I believe is God’s simple strategic plan to disciple all nations fastest – God wants to save all, doesn’t He? We can disciple all Christ-followers to exercise their calling to love and make disciples of their neighbors locally and everywhere! Since spreading this is best done relationally, I’ve been mentoring some folks, including some in Africa, to do so via texting and Facebook Messenger!
As for my family, my wife Marie has been my typist, a faithful student violinist and now a developing songwriter also. Jeff ‘s career guidance center has diversified to helping small businesses sell their products. And Tsina (Kibi) is excelling in her B.S. Psychology studies at Manila Central University.
I thank God for your partnership with me and my family in the Gospel! May God bless you abundantly in the new year, so that you and your household will be channels of His blessings to all who He’ll bring into your life!