Just want to write a few things down before I head overseas to do some training with our leadership and core team of the new church outside Manila. Please pray for Open Arms Revolution Church. It's a whole new work with some fresh ideas, some kickn music as well some pretty relevant teachings.

I want to share some of my other other blogs with you. I tend to update these more frequently than this blog.
www.churchplantingtoday.com
www.authenticoutreach.com
www.worldmissionstoday.com

Here is a prayer request from Sarpee Tubman, one of our apostolic team members and overseer for the churches in Philadelphia as well as Liberia, West Africa.

 PRAYER REQUESTS:

• Please continue to Pray for the following as we continue to do so: 
• Raising $100 will buy 20 thick blankets. 
• Raising $250 will buy school books for 500 children.
• Raising $500 will feed 30 orphans for 3 months.
• That staff will to continue donating thousands of volunteer hours, supplying hope and love to these children.

We are happy to announce a new online store from an OAIM sister website - www.churchplantingtoday.com . This is a blog site that I started a few months back. Sales from the online store will help OAIM fund church planting in the Philippines as well as outreach efforts around the world.                              
                                ONLINE STORE

The store is powered by Amazon.com so if you use Amazon regularly please consider using our store as the "gateway to Amazon.com". The prices are the same and you will be helping OAIM to help others. 

The store features Christian books from A-Z as well as musical instruments and MP3 downloads. Hope you will consider shopping with us!

Jeff

Here is Pastor Matt giving an update as we continue our journey up the mountain in Talakag, Bukidnon in Mindanao Philippines.

Here's a short vid of us going up the mountain to Talakag, Bukidnon
 on the southern island of Mindanao Philippines.

Tony Mcvickers and I taught the " Get Real" Seminar on Saturday April 25 at Trinity Full Gospel Church in Fayetteville NC. Tony and I go way back and it was an awesome time of fellowship and impartation.

The first part of the day was spent teaching about various outreach methods with an emphasis on servant evangelism. After a quick lunch the groups were given some basic instructions and then sent out to implement what they had just learned.

Later that night, I received an email from Brother Kenny (our host) and was told about the great time each group had and the fruit that they have already seen from their experience. The best part of his email: The groups got together late yesterday evening and shared the various stories of their day. They realized they could do one of two they could let the "seed" of outreach knowledge 1) go dormant or 2) germinate. Before departing they made an agreement that this "seed" will grow ...touching lives and impacting eternity!

Praise God!

Thanks to Kenny and the Trinity Full Gospel family for the warm welcome, and spending the day with us! I pray that those in attendance will be the catalyst that ignites a thirst for outreach in their church!

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This past January, I traveled to the Philippines to kick-off 2 new ministries: 1) micro-enterprise ministry - Lagonloong, Mindanao and 2) Village Farm Project - Talakag, Mindanao. I just received an email with pictures of the farm project. They are getting ready to harvest their eggplant crop and are excited about all that is happening. It has brought the village together in unity, with each helping in their neighbors fields. I'm looking forward to visitng them this May!

 

Ministry success is not enough. We need 4 things that never go out of style....4 things that keep us grounded and on track. 

1. Rely on the power of the Holy Spirit – the anointing, not a cool website, breaks the yoke. It's very easy to get a big head when we"read our own press" or receive compliments from various people.

2. Stay close to God – studying the Bible is not about getting a message from God, but about being with Him. Sharing with other is done through the overflow.

3. Develop godly character – gifting will grow a ministry; character will sustain a ministry; lack of character will destroy a ministry. I read a quote that goes something like - "character is how you act when nobody is watching".

4. Prioritize marriage and family – nothing is more important; nothing is more challenging; and nothing is more fulfilling. I remember when Christina - our daughter was in a terrible car accident. Nothing else mattered! The bills...the job....and even the ministry.

Just wanted to do a quick update. Time is flying by and it seems as though there arent enough hours in the day at times. I am so thankful for the love and prayers of the OAIM family.

Its always great to get praise reports from all over the world. God is truly amazing! So much is going on I dont really know where to start....but lets go ahead and drop some big news:

Open Arms Manila

I have had this feeling that I would be pastoring another church in the future. Long story made short -  After much prayer and counsel it is apparent that the location of the church will be in the Manila area. I will be going to the Philippines in May to make a final determination on the exact area and also to meet with those who have expressed interest in joining us on this adventure. The launch date for the church is Easter 2010.

Open Arms Liberia

The following is from Sarpee Tubman - the OAIM overseer for Liberia.

Praise report and prayer concerns.

 

• Thank God for teaching opportunity and a listening ear and receptive hearts of the orphans to the word of God
• Thank God for King’s Highway Ministries extension into Africa
• Thanks for all your support and prayers
• Thanks for the tutoring classes we have started to begin empowering children with letter, number and word identification, until the school is build
• Thanks for enabling us take 20 kids for their malaria shots in February 09
• Pray for funds to immunized the balance 80 kids against the malaria epidemic at $6.00 per child**
• Pray for an emergency food supply needed at $45.00 per 100 Lbs. bag of rice **
• Pray that the balance 35,000 bricks for the school for orphans and disadvantage children will be provided

180 Degrees Church - Myrtle Beach

OAIM welcomes Pastor Stuart and the 180 crew to the OAIM family. the church has moved to a new locale and are doing some great things for the kingdom! Check out their site: www.180-degrees.net

Open Arms Christian Fellowship - Fayetteville

OACF is ministering in so many ways its hard to keep track! The outreach to the homeless population "Hope in a Backpack" is seeing fruit and making a difference in the city. The sports ministry just finished the basketball season and is on to soccer!

Anderson Creek

May 3rd is the date for the re-launch of the church! The new name of the church is "Church at the Creek" and will be meeting at Anderson Creek Elementary School - 10:30 AM. Pastor Sam and company are excited about the new beginning!

Open Arms - Cagayan De Oro , Philippines

Pastor Jonathan has some new wheels which will be used to help in the ministry.

So after a hard day of climbing up and down the mountain, we decide to get something to eat. We found a outdoor barbeque grill that turned out to be the ticket. While we were eating, we hear this band playing at the Greentree bar & grill. They sounded great! I knew I wanted to walk over and check them out...I only had to convince Matt & Mike that it was ok. So, I waxxed spiritual on them : ) I said, "dont you think that Jesus would be in a bar hanging out with folks and loving on them?" Of course the answer was yes and off we went to hear the band. To my surprise, they were a 3 piece band with 1 guitar player, 1 guy playing a cajun box while playing a hi-hat with his left foot and then there was another guy playing a pepsi can filled with sand and a tambourine with the other hand. Here they are:          

                             
                                                

Pastor Matt, Pastor Mike and myself ventured up this mountain to check out the future farm area for OAIM and another ministry called Children's Garden, which is an outreach to the teenage street kids of Luzon. The area has 24 acres of land with over 300 mango trees and something that resembles a pond.....it is more swampy due to the recent storms and landslides which caused severe erosion.