“And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace,” (Isa. 9:6)
SUNDAYS • Community outreach opportunities
Many East Asian churches utilize the Christmas season to reach out and share the gospel with non-believing friends, families and neighbors. Lift up the many Christmas programs, parties and informal gatherings at which the good news about Jesus will be shared. Pray that many East Asians come to adore the Lord Jesus Christ this December.
MONDAYS • Reaching men in Taiwan
Taiwan’s working-class men seem to show less interest in considering the gospel than do working-class women. One creative ministry has been effective among some men—drinking tea together and listening to Bible stories. Pray for the San-He Gospel Church, hosting men’s tea nights, opening up good opportunities for the gospel. Pray that OMF church planters would find even more powerful and effective means to reach Taiwan’s working-class men.
TUESDAYS • Ministry throughout the Philippines
Praise God for the wide scope of ministry throughout the Philippines, where foreign missionaries and Filipino believers work side by side. Ask for God to equip their vision in ministries like creation care, urban poor outreach, and recruiting more workers for cross-cultural ministry among unreached minority people groups.
WEDNESDAYS • Recruiting more missionaries
Pray for OMF Mobilizers who connect with attendees at mission conferences. A major opportunity in late December will be the large Chinese Missions Convention held in Baltimore. Pray for strong networking conversations and follow-up with applicants, mission pastors, and supportive churches.
THURSDAYS • Care for missionary children
Please pray for OMF families who homeschool their children. For some, homeschooling is by choice; for others, it has been either impossible to attend local school or a difficult journey doing so. Please pray for grace and patience in their homes, for children to love learning, and for homeschooling parents to have adequate support.
FRIDAYS • Praise for new appointees
Praise God for seven new workers appointed for cross-cultural ministry. Ask God to call forward teams of friends and supporting churches to participate in their ministries. All seek God’s provision, beginning work within a year. Pray for Zac and Elaine Canfield (Thailand); Joseph Cavalli (Taiwan); Chris and Emily Cheng (Japan); Candace Tzeng (Japan); and Sean Cheng (Chinese Diaspora).
SATURDAYS • Asian mission networking
Praise God for a growing network of mission collaboration across East Asia. At its recent triennial convention, held in Thailand, hundreds of church leaders and missionaries met to focus on challenges and thank God for his equipping. Pray for implementation of ideas and action plans developed by regional participants, returning to their fields with fresh energy and enthusiasm.
Pray for the Philippines
Please pray for God’s work throughout the Philippines. The region contains a diverse range of ethnic groups, with each group clustered mainly in their own provinces. The three largest groups are the Tagalog, the Cebuano and the Ilocano. Chinese Filipinos form nearly 2% of the population. There are more than 170 different languages spoken across the Philippines; the most popular is Tagalog, followed closely by English.
The Philippines has one of Asia’s fastest growing economies. Electronic goods, machinery and transport equipment are some of its key exports. However, the Philippines also has among the world’s fastest population growth rates. There is an increasing need to create more jobs for the expanding labor force.
The nation is open to the gospel, with an estimated 12% of the population professing to be evangelical Christians. Many of these are first generation believers needing intentional discipleship. About 6% of the people follow Islam, mainly based in the southwest area of the country. Filipinos have the freedom of worship without discrimination.
Protestant churches are growing in the Philippines. Churches have to counter false religious teachings and doctrinal distortions among their congregations. It is very encouraging that the Filipino church has strong missionary zeal. More than 4,000 Filipino full-time missionaries work outside of the Philippines, sharing the gospel and planting churches. The Philippines has the largest diaspora network in the world, with millions living overseas.
OMF workers have been serving among a wide range of peoples in the Philippines since 1952. They work in partnership with local churches in church planting, evangelism, and equipping ministries. With over 20,000 communities without an evangelical church, many places still need the good news. Since 1966 the Philippines Home Council has sent Filipinos to serve cross-culturally within the country, as well as in other Asian countries. OMF aims to develop deeper relationships with sending churches of Filipino missionaries and other partner churches; provide transformational learning for churches, missionaries and partners; share God-given resources, as well as seek dynamic partnerships to further God’s kingdom.
“Lord, thank you for your love for all the peoples in the Philippines. Please continue to strengthen your church, raising up leaders that will bring peace through the good news of your gospel. Please keep using your people in the Philippines to share your good news with others around the world who have not had a chance to hear yet. We pray that the church will continue to be a powerful sending force in missions.”
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