Grace Chapel News Letter
October 17, 2011
My dear Grace Chapel Partners,
I’m sorry; it has been awhile since my last communication. I have been busy preaching in many Churches. Each week is a new challenge for a new message. Preparing a weekly message is a new experience for me. The Lord has been faithful in helping me with my messages. I’m feeling comfortable delivering messages now. Thank You Lord! Some churches invite me back, and new Churches have asked me to come preach. Pastor Alagos is my friend and interpreter. The Lord has blessed me with my friend and partner Pastor Alagos. With the help of Pastor Alagos, this ministry is successful. Like Paul and Barnabas, we continue down the remote roads of the Philippines planting Churches where there is none. We also encourage Churches and Pastors along the way. My ministry is like Barnabas the encourager. Pastor Alagos’ reputation and contacts are remarkably used, by God, to open the doors for this ministry.
In the last News Letter, I shared with you a new Church we started to plant at Brgy (Barangay) Buhang, in Hamtic. We discovered there was already a Christian Church being planted there. Our desire is to plant Churches in remote Brgy that have no Christian Church. As a result, we turned over the Bibles studies to their care.
One Church I had the pleasure of sharing God Word is Gateway Church. Gateway is a Home Church on the beach of Brgy Poblacion in the Municipality of Laua-An.
Gary is the Pastor at Gateway. Gateway Church will be one year old next month. The Church is connected to their home. Both Gary and his wife are High School teachers.
Gateway’s Elder/Pastor Alex started a Bible study in the remote Brgy Esparar, Barbaza Municipality. Barbaza is an hour north on the coast road. Esparar is another ½ hour on a gravel road east toward the mountains. Eight other Barangays are in close distance. They could worship in Esparar. Pastor Alex said he visited a Barangay near Esparar that had never heard the Gospel. Witchcraft is practiced in many of the remote Brgys.
Last week and this week we met with two families in Esparar to make plans to start a new Church there. Pastor Alagos led a husband and wife to the Lord today. They are neighbors of our host family in Esparar. We now have three families! Thank You Lord!
We are working on using our church building in Esparar as an Alternative School for kids that have dropped out of school or could not afford school. The Alternative school program is a Philippine government program. The Philippine government will pay the salary of the Alternative School teacher. This is an enormously needed program in the Brgy. There are many school age kids in these Brgy that no longer attend school. Alternative school graduates are given preference in hiring for jobs. I could not imagine a better outreach program for the Esparar Brgy.
Today, we had a planning meeting to launch the Esparar Church, Lord willing. We met in front of Gateway Church on the beach under the shade trees. There are many projects needed to be completed to launch this new Church. Please keep them in your prayers. The target date for the launch is November 1st & 2nd.
Please keep this new church plant in your prayers. Many powerful forces have tried to prevent us from planting Churches here in Antique. We need your continuous and vigilant prayers. Your intercessor prayers on our behalf are essential. Thank you!
Eph 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
Eph 6:19 and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, NASB
Many of you answered my plea to donate money for the land to build the Buhang Church on. That money will be used for our next Church plant. Thank you for your glorious generosity. It is because of your prayers and charitable giving we are able to plant new Churches where there is none. May the Lord return to you 1000 fold.
Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.
I have met many of the High School kids that you provide scholarships for. Your scholarships are well placed. This is a blessed ministry. Thank you!
Thank you and may our Lord Jesus Christ bless you all richly!
Steve Bragg
Elder/Pastor
River Rock Church
& Grace Chapel Ministries
Serving in Patnongon Antique Philippines
Email: steve.bragg123@gmail.com
Grace Chapel Blog: http://gracechapelministries.blogspot.com/
