Category: Ministry & Missions

Just reminiscing the first evangelistic mission foray into the mission field with little or no experience in 2009.

A fellow ministry worker and I were called on this first mission to evangelize a nearby region which we had no idea that it would be the most hostile place to the Good News in this part of the world.

We partnered with a local missionary who acted as our coordinator and translator.  After one year of training, we told the believers to form a fellowship or church.   We supplemented the income of the leaders to enable them to gather all new believers for regular fellowship meeting.

As the group grew to the size of 105 members by the grace of God,  we decided to help them with their livelihood by implementing two projects –  goat rearing and manufacturing of fish boxes.

After God gave me a turning point in 2001,  I waited on the Lord for several years before He opened doors for my present ministry in galvanizing churches in the region to fulfill the Manifesto of Christ in the end times.  In between,  I was willing to serve in whatever ministry my service was required.

Just reminiscing the times when I was called to officiate  a Sunday worship service in a nursing home once a month alone and funeral wake service whenever the bereaved families were not able to afford such services.   I would be the MC, guitarist, worship leader and preacher all rolled into one including preparing and printing of order of worship pamphlets.

There were also cases when some churches refused to baptize new believers until they finished the baptism classes or for some other obscure reasons.  But these new believers were dying and could not wait and somehow I was approached to do it.

The Chinese often thought that Christianity is a foreign western religion.  I hope to show how terribly wrong we are.  Our ancient forebears knew this One and Only True God all along but over the centuries,  we have forgotten about this One and Only God, the Creator of this universe.

Our written language, customs and Chinese philosophies recorded this knowledge.

The Chinese often thought that Christianity is a foreign western religion.  I hope to show how terribly wrong we are.  Our ancient forebears knew this One and Only True God all along but over the centuries,  we have forgotten about this One and Only God, the Creator of this universe.

Our written language, customs and Chinese philosophies recorded this knowledge.

It has been a tremendous blessing by the grace of God to serve fellow pastors in Indonesia and Philippines through the Body of Christ Fellowship and National Auxiliary Chaplaincy of Philippines respectively all these years.

I have noticed that many are already serving in prison ministry and it has been my desire to help them to have a formal bible study program in the prison they serve and to seek financial support for them as well.

By the grace of God,  Crossroad Bible Institute (CBI) USA has approved us to start the prison ministry with their blessing in Indonesia and Philippines.  CBI USA has a very comprehensive bible study program.  (http://www.cbi.fm)

Without hesitation,  we intend to start the program in one prison in Karimun and another in Surabaya, Indonesia in April 2016.

***Latest Update (28 Sept 2016)  :   Due to sudden certain development, JC’s Manifesto Ministries will not be cooperating with CBI USA on rolling out the prison ministry.***

Prison in Madura

In 1998, I had a nasty fall at home. I hit my head on the hard ground and I lost consciousness. When I regained my consciousness in the ambulance, I could not remember the accident at all. My skull was deformed showing the severity of the fall.
In the weeks of recuperation, I decided to take things easy and I went to Genting Highlands for a couple of days. I had another fall going headlong probably 30 feet down. As I went down, I thought this was it. Again, I survived without any injury, not even a scratch, by the grace of God.

That shook me thinking about the vagaries of life and how far I had backslided over the years.

I went back to a local church. The very first Sunday service I attended, my car was booked for illegal parking. Later I learned that the neighbours was always upset with such illegal parking and had reported to LTA.

I decided to visit the families living in the vicinity of the church as I saw the need of the church to build up rapport with them. Relations improved so much that they did not report illegal parking anymore.

I also noticed the poor neighbourhood which I felt the church could evangelize through social service. I approached the social assistance department of MCD, Ministry of Community Development , the predecessor of MCYS for the list of needy families in the vicinity of the church.

I explained that I could match donors from church giving monthly pocket money to needy students of poor families which could not qualify for the social assistance from MCD. The supervisor was so grateful for this scheme as she felt so sad for not being able to help this particular group. And the scheme was approved readily.

She gave me a list of needy families near the local church. I managed to match some 15 to 20 families with willing donors in the first 3 months.

And when we invited them to an evangelistic campfire in church for the first time, they gladly came.

Seeing this ministry was a bridge to evangelizing the neighbourhood, the church took over the ministry officially which I gladly handed over.

2 years later when the Straits Times started the same fund, I believe the local church stopped this ministry as not to duplicate the same effort.

As documented in my book, The Coming Economic Flood, that as I did not know how to prepare for the coming economic crisis, the best preparation was to fulfill the Manifesto of Christ in sharing the gospel in word and in deed. As I went about galvanizing churches to share the Good News into unreached villages by meeting basic needs as a necessary bridge to entering these villages, I realized that the church clergy themselves were in need. And the quickest way to be self sustaining is to have farms breeding goats, chicken and cultivating rice and vegetables.

Some years ago, I introduced the EM (Effective Micro-organism) technology into such farm experiment. And I never expect it to be so successful today – truly by the grace of God for His tremendous blessing along the way.

The use of EM technology was initially used as an alternative to pesticides and fertilizers but it was expanded to treat water and to control the odor of waste in the farm.

http://www.em-la.com/what_is_the_em_technologyyy_en.php?idioma=2

Praise the Holy Name of our Lord God for His tremendous blessings.

It has been my vision since the start of my ministry a decade ago.   I have been praying for God’s provision towards this vision since and will continue to pray for it.

Majority of the rooms and sanctuaries of the church building of most evangelical churches are closed during the week and only open for worship services and fellowship meetings on weekends.   It will be most wonderful to open up such rooms and sanctuaries as homeless shelters during the week modeled after the single night shelter operated by churches in New York City.  The homeless will queue for a place to sleep at these churches by 5 pm and get to stay for the night.

The budget and human resources for such ministry are not taxing.   A one time investment of foldable beds, bed sheets and pillows can be made for the fixed expense.  As for the operating expense,  all church members can volunteer to welcome the homeless and to wash the bed sheets.   If the church membership is large,  one only get to perform such duty once a year.  Budget for warm soup served is not much either.

As the economic flood is imminent,  many will suffer homelessness in the major freewheeling cities in China and other Asian cities.

May God grant my prayer wish this year by opening doors for me to share across the Asia region to galvanize churches to take up this ministry and to encourage all to give towards such cause.

Two years ago in a national chaplaincy conference in Baguio city in which I shared about the coming economic flood, I broached the idea to the needy pastors to rear pigs to supplement their income. Knowing that they would be short of start up capital, I requested that we would pray together for God’s provision.

Praise the Lord that one pastor took up this idea of starting such a farm. Instead of helping him with the entire start up funds, JC Manifesto was able to help him with the occasional lack of funds through gifts and loans for the feed or other operational needs.

(We have learned from experience in the past when we provided the whole start up fund for certain enterprise in Indonesia, the pastors were less committed.)

Today, he has about 30 pigs and piglets. Praying that he can succeed with this tent-making opportunity to be an example for other fellow pastors to follow suit.

Myanmar is at the dawn of a new era of change and progress. It is all God’s timing and sovereignty. May God bless this nation !

Thanks be to God that JC’s Manifesto can be a channel of blessings through Brother SJ Long to Myo Myanmar Youth Development Centre in Taikgyi Township, Yangon, an orphanage under the pastoral care of Pastor Arnold.