Grace Chapel Ministries and River Rock Church Philippines: June 2009

Thursday, June 25, 2009

The Lord Provides Many Wonderful Blessings

A LITTLE BACK GROUND

About Aug

ust 2005 Pastor Kelly Backstrom of River Rock Church now in Camas, Washington offered a challenge based on one the parables Jesus used to illustrate the “Kingdom of Heaven”. This parable is about a man going on the journey and gave out "bags of silver" or "talents" to his servants to invest for him and when he returned how the servants used the gifts of money. All the servants increased the wealth but one. This parable is a good illustration of what we do with the resources God has blessed us with. We are the Lords servants and we are to invest our silver for the “Kingdom of Heaven”.

As a further illustration of the parable Pastor Kelly gave 10 of us $100 each and a challenge to use the $100 for the Kingdom. At the same time my sister-in-law Helen was praying for a Worship Chapel in her Barangay, Padang, in the city of Patnongon, Philippines. They had no place to congregate for worship in her Barangay.

Well, The Lord seems to work this way. We, I and others, were given the silver, by the Grace of the Lord, and 7000 miles away a prayer was offered up to the Lord for Him to provide a place of worship. One year later in August 2006 we were at the dedication of Grace Chapel in Patnongon Philippines.

MINISTRIES OF GRACE WERE BORN
“WE” - Ministries are provided by those who support Grace Chapel with prayers and resources

We support 4 students with Scholarships for school ($20.00 per month each)

Seed money to help start 6 small family businesses (teach a man to fish idea- $250.00 each) (4 of the 6 were local Pastors)

Help poorer famers with fertilizer and insecticides (increase the productivity of a small family farm)

Helping with medical needs ( many times families will show up with desperate and immediate medical needs) (no money no health care in the Philippines)

Helped provide a lady losing her sight with a surgery and now she sees

A teen boy was going to lose his foot and it was saved. We now provide his scholarship for school

A teen mother needed a c-section or she and the baby may have died

A dwarf mother needed a c-section to save her life and the baby’s

Many show up hungry and we provide rice

Transportation expenses for local Pastors

Snacks and refreshments after the Grace Chapel Worship Service (many travel great distances to attend)

Outreach Through Community Evangelism Rallies

Keyboard, Keyboard lessons and uniforms for a Gospel Choir

Christian Radio Ministry “The Intercessor’s Hour of Prayer”

We saved this ministry with need finances and we are also a monthly sponsor
This Christian Radio Broadcast Ministry grew from reaching 8000 weekly in the beginning to now 150,000 to 200,000 weekly listeners
Multitudes have been saved through this ministry including a community leader during the broadcast