A Profile of Our Sister Churches in the Philippines

An Update on The Tabingo family:

Jaime Tabingo serves as the Director for the Friends Churches in the Philippines and EFI/Asia. Jaime, along with his wife, Lydia, pastors the Pasig church which has recently planted 3 sister churches.

The Tabingos have been married over 30 years and have three grown children. Areas of ministry included Theology, Christian Education, Children's Ministry, Youth Ministry, Women's Ministry, Worship, Evangelism, and Missions, and many more.

Evangelical Friends in the Philippines

Jaime Tabingo

Christianity is very common in the Philippines with 95% of the population claiming Roman Catholicism as their personal religion. Persecution throughout most of the Philippines is strong but, subversive because many people claim to be Christians but they have a life-style very different from Christianity, including ancestor worship.

Our Friends churches and associated churches hold regular services on Sundays and offer small group or cell group meetings throughout the week. These churches are growing and striving to meet the changing needs in their communities.

As the economy in the Philippines becomes more and more inflated, the poor in every community are being deeply affected. Although our Friends Churches are located in middle class neighborhoods, they are surrounded by lower class to extremely poor neighborhoods. These poorer neighborhoods have become areas of outreach for our churches. Within the slum areas, drug addiction, child abuse and general neglect are rampant.

The Friends churches have been able to provide relief centers with access to secondhand clothing and other needs of the poorer neighborhoods. They also offer Saturday morning Bible groups for the children where they hear Bible stories, sing, have craft activities and get something to eat. By offering these on Saturday morning, they are meeting the physical and spiritual needs of these children. Many are coming to Christ.

Many Filipinos Seek Physical Healing

The depressed economy and high cost of medicine has led many Filipino people to seek out spiritists or to follow Òquick-fixÓ evangelists who focus on curing physical needs for people instead of teaching a relationship with Christ.

Friends seek to stress the smaller cell groups as an area of ministry for the physical healing. Many find not only healing, but a personal relationship with Christ.

News from the PHILIPPINES

Philippine Yearly Meeting

P.E.F.C. held their 5th Yearly Meeting sessions with a record attendance of 126. Their theme was, "Entering the Millennium With a New Vision." It was a wonderful time with 11 ministries being recognized for their work. Areas of ministry included Theology, Christian Education, ChildrenÕs Ministry, Youth Ministry, Women's Ministry, Worship, Evangelism, and Missions, and many more.

Summer Institute For Students

For the first time, P.E.F.C. offered an intensive 2-week summer training program which brought 19 students ranging in age from 12 to 35 years. They were taught methods of evangelism including Mime and Interpretive Dance, along with basic leadership skills including how to read scriptures in public and how to pray in public. They were housed, fed and taught in the Tabingo's home. Then, they were sent out to practice Evangelism in the neighboring areas. Each won at least one person to the Lord. In all, 40 people accepted Christ within the two weeks. Of the 19 students, four have decided to enroll in Bible school this year. EFM will be providing scholarships for them.

Outreach Ministries:

Burma: Doors may be opening for an outreach work in Burma. Jaime Tabingo has a student at the seminary who is from Burma and has a desire to start a work in his home country. This will be Philippine Yearly Meeting's first ministry extending their work into Asia.

Mindanao: Oliver Chen, a Friends missionary supported by Taiwan Yearly Meeting has come from Taiwan to minister in Mindanao, an area in the far south. Mindanao is dominated by Muslims and Christians experience true persecution in this area. Please pray for God's clear leading through both of these open doors.