“For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:12) Our theme for 2024 is “Let Us Go On unto Perfection – Developing the Disciplines.” We are thankful for what the Lord has done for us in 2023 and are aiming at building on that work for 2024.
In December, I enjoyed helping the Williams family, our newly arrived team members, get adjusted to life in Dumaguete. They are acclimating quickly, and I appreciate all they have done to finally be on our mission field. I am looking forward to laboring together with them in the years ahead.
On December 17, we had our Christmas Cantata and a Christmas party for the whole church on the 22nd. Christmas is big in the Philippines, and we were glad to be able to highlight the wonders of Jesus’ birth, as people were saved in the service.
We ended 2023 with a Watchnight Service, as we highlighted our goals for 2024 and prayed out the old year. In 2023, our church saw over 6,312 saved (2,330 of them during our Thursday night soul-winning outreach), 576 public professions in our services, and 323 baptisms.
In January, we began a new semester in our Bible college, where I enjoyed teaching classes on Romans 6–11, Old Testament Survey of the Pentateuch, and Biblical Foundations, giving our freshmen an overview of what we believe about the Bible, basic doctrines, and practical Christian living.
We celebrated our church’s 13th Anniversary on January 28, and God blessed our efforts. We had prizes given away by a random drawing, which helped to draw in a total of 747 people. Many were saved during the invitation, and 35 followed the Lord in believer’s baptism!
In January, we began promoting our discipleship program, “God & Man” (based on Luke 2:52), to all members sixth grade and above. We meet for a short time each week at different times and places with a leader to encourage about five to six others to keep growing in six areas: wisdom, stature, and favor with God and the same areas with people. I am working with five men on Saturday evenings, calling ourselves “The Watchmen.”
Thank you for your faithful support throughout last year, and I am grateful for you who sent extra for Christmas. It is an honor to serve here and to represent you as we reach souls and disciple saints. We are seeing fruit, as those who were teens when I arrived are now graduating from Bible college, getting married, having children, and working by our side in the ministry. May 2024 be a wonderful year for you as you serve the Lord in your corner of the harvest fields.
God bless you,
Scott Christiansen
-
- Christmas Cantata – Teen Choir
-
- IBC’s 13th Anniversary – 747 packed in!
