CIRCULAR NEWSLETTER FROM JOHN WARREN IN THE PHILIPPINES

 

At the moment we have 70 churches and 88 active pastors, in the Northern Luzon mountains, ministering to the Igorot tribes.  Every church has pioneering outreaches.  The area is divided into 9 districts.  Last year we had 268 water baptisms and 292 child dedications. Up to the end of June of this year we have had 132 baptisms and 154 child dedications. So we have faith that by the end of this year we will have a higher total than we had in 2009.  Last April we graduated 27 students from our Bible School.  18 students have so far enrolled for this year.

 

Missionaries and pastors of other organizations minister mostly in the Westernized lowlands. We concentrate on the tribal people. Although there are a large number of born-again, Spirit-filled, believers there yet remain many pagans to be won for the Lord. This materialistic generation affects adversely their life styles.  Nevertheless they hold to their animistic beliefs, which result in constant animal sacrifices being made, to appease spirits.  This in turn keeps them poor and apprehensive.

 

We praise God that He does not change, (Mal.3: 6; Heb.13: 8); that healing is still available today.  We have a number of active pastors, who were healed while students in our Bible School.  A mother was dying of cancer, but was healed, and came to our school last year as a result.  A son enrolled along with her, and this year another son.

 

The mother-in-law of one of our pastors was experiencing very difficult times; her husband was quite brazenly cheating on her. He interfered in the church and was acting as if he owned the area.  The wife enrolled in our Bible School.  When she graduated last April she returned home in faith that God would undertake regarding her husband.  He has repented, and wants to help in the church!

 

Spiritual warfare is constant.  Westerners often dismiss demonic activity with unacceptable comments or 'explanations'.  Deliverances from both possession and oppression are not rare here.  We have even had cases of people having dreams in which evil spirits impersonate deceased relatives, causing torment.  At this moment we have a student who battled such attacks until coming to our Bible School.

 

One of our young pastors has not married yet, because he wanted his pagan relatives saved and trained first.  So far his mother, 2 brothers, 2 sisters, 1 uncle, and 2 cousins have attended the Bible School at his urging.  He denied himself; he sacrificed to his utmost, to make it financially possible for them to attend; payimg our only charge – for food.

 

As the Lord has enabled, we have given scholarships to deserving young and active believers.  The senior pastor's eldest son wanted to be able to handle any legal matters for the ministry, (e.g. land titles, registration with authorities), and to ensure protection of the ministry. He passed his Bar exam.  Since then he has helped without charge so many poor members, and advised many on legal matters.  In addition he heads the youth and music departments, crusades, etc.

 

One student is at university, taking Education so that he can become a teacher at the newly opened high school established by one of the churches.  Our senior pastor's youngest son has graduated from Bible school, computer, and auto mechanics, and is the leading musician and composer of anointed songs. 

 

Here we call this ministry Abundant Grace Inter-tribal Ministries Inc.   The Lord has indeed been blessing abundantly; with marriages, children, even poultry and pigs!  (fourteen piglets a couple of days ago!).    Pastors have to grow and sell vegetables, plant rice, citrus trees, or pineapples, raise poultry and pigs, to supplement the tithes they receive. One of our pastors is a gifted carpenter.  He spends much time going to many churches, helping them erect their buildings.

 

A couple invited me to attend their cell group.  They wanted me to meet a Filipino, who had been a Satanist, gang member, druggie, in California.  The Lord enabled me to surprise him!

 

In the early '80s I pioneered a church in the mountains.  To reach it involved a 13 hours hike.  A member of the group, that accompanied me the first time, recently died.  We had a real spiritual battle during the funeral, because pagans were disrupting it.  After I established the church the first pastor got typhoid and nearly died.  He acted wildly during the sickness, but the Lord brought him through.  He is pastoring another church now.

 

I still go to Kalinga Province; where revenge killings are customary.  Recently one believer's father died in another province, from falling rock on a mountainside during road construction.  I had to inform the relatives of the facts, to ensure there would be no revenge.  Sad to report, the son recently had to escape from where his job was, because he could have been killed in a revenge case.  God persuaded his employer to transfer his job to another province.

 

I will be in USA July 16 until, at latest October 14, except for a visit to Calgary, Canada, for a three day Igorot camp meeting July 31-Aug3.  If you would like to see me, or have me speak to a church or to a group, or even a short seminar, please email me.  

 

We have stopped paying for the food of students of the Bible College we built in SW Kerala, South India.  We felt that, after almost 30 years, it must manage to support itself.  We had to withdraw our two Filipina missionaries from Kenya, because the cost of keeping them there was too high and seemed unjustified in relation to the local cost of living.  However, the senior Kenyan pastor still has faith that the Lord will enable us to send missionaries again.  If you know of anyone, who would be willing to go and be self-supporting, please introduce the person to me.

 

Praise God for constant progress.  Ask the Lord, please, if He would have you to support this ministry in some way.  A Bible student needs only $20 a month for his food!  We support some very key pastors with between $87 and $250 each per month, depending on their circumstances and degree of responsibility borne.  On top of this there are many other expenses, especially travel, church building. More financial support would enable us to reach more souls!  Checks should be made payable to TCCM Inc., and mailed to TCCM, P.O. Box 4407, Carson, CA 90749 with a separate note stating preferred application of the offering.  Thank you.

 

Please continue to pray for this ministry. God bless you.  John Warren.