This area contains reports which were received from Canon Weeks while he was in the mission field. When he and a team are in the field, these dispatches are sent via e-mail and posted to the active area of the website.
To review an individual date's report, simply click on one of the dates shown below:
[ August 8, 1997 ][ August 18, 1997 ]
[ August 22, 1997 ][ August 29, 1997 ]
[ August 31, 1997 ]
[ Pictures From This Mission ]
Date Dispatch Received : August 31, 1997
I realize that I had previously indicated that the post of August 29 would be my last before coming home, however, I had to deliver the following glorious news to those of you who are following the tumultuous events which surround the CEC church here in Manila.
Some of you have e-mailed that you have been praying for the Church situation here in Manila and I wanted to share with you that this morning I attended the Eucharist at the re-located Cathedral of the King Charismatic Episcopal Church. 2000 people worshipped [3 bishops, 19 deacons, 3 priests and 14 acoyltes formed the procession] in the Navy auditorium on Fort Bonafacio. The three hour service was filled with Praise, Worship, Word and Sacrament.
Archbishop of Southeast Asia Loren Thomas Hines privately told me they were looking at a warehouse near the former cathedral location. If they are able to get it and make minor renovations, they could be in it sometime next month.
Until such time they continue at the Navy auditorium. To the congregation Bp Hines said he had been led by the Lord to look at one particular property out of a dozen or so that had been presented to him.
This piece of which he spoke to me about was that piece and after seeing it he received a phone call from the bishop in Kalibo sharing that his wife had that morning been praying and the Lord revealed to her in vision a warehouse - the identical place the Archbishop had earlier looked at. He told the congregation they were no longer to be questioning why these things had happened, and not to come with anxiety, but they were gathered ONLY to worship God. And worship they did!
Bishop Eugene Lilley at the Offertory gave a prophetic word sharing how the Church in Russia where he has worked, suffered with the maryterdom of a half million clergy and the destruction of 40,000 churches but God was not defeated and now the Church is being restored. He told the people to pray and not loose Faith. God knew their situation and was handling it. His was a powerful Word.
I just wanted to share this final update with you. I leave Tuesday morning for my 26 hour flight back home. For any who may have missed the three earlier reports, visit my web page and click on MISSIONS DISPATCH for the postings. God bless all of you.
Date Dispatch Received : August 29, 1997
Brothers and Sisters, this is my final report from the Philippines for this August outreach. It has been a blessed time and we have seen tremendous things from the hand of God. In my earlier report I said the Consecration of the three bishops for the Charismatic Episcopal Church on August 22 was three hours.
In fact it was four hours long. Some of you have asked what the "Word" for My Ayala was. It was a prophetic warning to "Repent or the next 12 months your life will be filled with thorns and thistles. If you continue not to repent, the next 12 years you and your family will have sufferings...." This is as best as I recall what the CEC Primate said. Is it co-incidental that Ayala Land stock took the greatest loss this week in the market's meltdown?
Following the Consecration, I flew to Dumaguete where I met college scholarship recipients. I had intended to go to Cebu for a few days rest but chose to remain in Dumaguete and hired a car for the 4 hour drive across the mountain to Bacolod and saw our scholarship recipients in that Province. I am now back in Manila and will leave for America September 2.
I commend to your consideration my SERMON for September found on my web page. It reflects upon a very important problem in the Philippines but also experienced by many Christians in America. Your e-mail comments are appreciated.
Thank you for upholding me in your prayers during this month. It would be appreciated if you could continue for another week. Often after return home the devil attacks when the prayer support has been stopped.
Date Dispatch Received : August 22, 1997
Our plans got changed drastically. My last report stated we were going to Lagaspi. On Tuesday the 19th, Manila was under water. Domestic flights were canceled due to the fringe of a typhoon dumping rain over the islands and cutting visibility.
The Lord made possible our getting a hotel and I used the time to catch up on office work. June faxed me all the offering receipts to record in the computer; I did the September GLAD TIDINGS and worked on some teachings for future outreaches.
Jaime Ayala owns most of Makati, the business district of Manila. He is one of the richest men in the Philippines. He has acquired his fortune by land grabbing, graft, corruption and court bribery. His latest acquisition is the Magallanes theatre converted to the Cathedral of the King of the Charismatic Episcopal Church.
For more than two months now the Church has been in court trying to hold on to its property. Last August 5 the final seizure took place when the Ayala-bought police force sealed the property with barbed wire.
The people did not give up. Three women, two men and two Deacons locked themselves behind the wire enclosure for 16 days, fasting, drinking a little water, and praying to hold the property.
At 2 p.m. Friday, August 22, the judge rendered a final decision and the church has called the faithful seven out and will let God do what He wants to do. Several nights ago, one of the Ayala guards went into the building. Standing at the altar was a seraphim with sword drawn.
The guard ran from the building and 50 of the 70 guards surrounding the building left with him and refused to go back. The power was turned off the building but strangely the cross atop the building glowed and the guards could not find a power switch where the light could be turned off.
The high altar and bishop's throne, along with some other items are still inside. The church refuses to remove them, for to do so is to deny the rightful seat of the bishop. God gave the CEC Primate a message for Mr. Ayala several nights ago which has been communicated to him.
Whether it will be heeded remains to be seen, and the prophetic fulfillment will be carefully watched. Three new bishops, including Eugene Lilly, one of my Board of Directors, were consecrated in a three hour service Friday night, Aug 22. The people came through indescribable traffic jams, rain with last minute notification. They have lost their property but they have not lost their Faith.
I leave in a few hours for Dumaguete.
Date Dispatch Received : August 18, 1997
We are back in Manila from more than 2 weeks in the Provinces. Province signifies any area of the Philippines away from Manila. Sometimes it refers to other islands; sometimes to small towns. We arrived in Cebu, the second largest populated city of the Philippines, last Aug 8 and had three days with the Christian Life Fellowship International group which is on "journey" into the Charismatic Episcopal Church.
Archbishop Thomas Hines asked Hugh Kaiser and I to conduct a "Convergence Movement" seminar for this group of charismatic evangelicals. The two major areas of our teaching dealt with language-communication problems, and the Sacramental life of the Church. They were a wonderfully open group.
Most of them are former Roman Catholics who became charismatic leaving the R C Church. Much of my teaching dealt with explaining why certain things are done in liturgy and ritual, the scriptural references behind certain practices, and the assurance they were not going back into the R C Church by adapting liturgy.
We had a full celebration of the Eucharist on Sunday morning - their first! I celebrated with the Archbishop's permission. We will be going back to them next January. Interesting that God uses 2 ECUSA men to teach CEC people about this new move of God in the formation of the CEC.
Immediately after the Mass we left for a town south of Cebu where we met shortly past noon with a new house church of the Episcopal Church of the Philippines. I preached at their Eucharist and spent the afternoon brainstorming on ways to further the growth of their church.
The start of this ECP church is totally a lay move. They have no full time priest. We will return here next January to do lay training in areas of conducting Bible studies and prayer meetings. On Monday we flew to Ozamis in Misamis Occidental Province of Mindanao and after a 3 hour jeep ride arrived in Plaridel.
We ministered in the Philippine Independent Catholic Church for two days, teaching on their First Article of Religion. From there we went to Jimenez and the AOG Norwesmin Bible Institute where we taught 2 days. Hugh led the Wednesday night Bible study for the church. They have 24 students. They stole our hearts.
The weekend had us with another new CEC in Oroquieta where we anticipated explaining the Convergence Movement to a gathering of evangelical pastors. Only 4 came, but we ministered to the church members. The pastors are afraid of what Convergence requires. We are now overnighting in Manila and tomorrow will fly to Lagaspi in southern Luzon from which we will drive to Sorsogon for a seminar with another CEC congregation.
Unfortunately, this report cannot convey the tremendous anointing we have felt while ministering in the above places. God has used Hugh Kaiser and myself in ways we would not have expected as we have taught and ministered in these churches.
On some outreaches we see many physical healings [there have been a few], but this one seems to be one in which God has used us for spiritual healings, reconciliations, and encouragement. It is really hard to tell these kind of things in a way that provokes excitement. Nevertheless, witnessing these experiences has blessed us.
Mission life of this type is not easy. Most mornings we are awake before 5:00 a.m., traveling to churches by jeep or jeepney over dusty roads. We spend full days and evenings teaching and ministering. We live out of suitcase, washing clothes by hand. Toilet facilities are very different from home. Rarely is there air conditioning. The cold water baths with hand dipper and bucket feel good in this heat.
The hospitality of the people compensates for any physical discomforts we experience. The people share their best, giving up their own bed so we have a place to sleep. We have occasional breaks when we will overnight in a hotel, but the most memorable part of the ministry is when we are in homes, playing with the children and getting to know the youth, and praying with families in their trials.
We will be back in Manila Friday Aug 22 for the consecration of 3 bishops in the CEC. We are unsure at this time where the consecration will take place. For several months the cathedral has been the object of a land grab and it is totally uncertain what the real truth is.
Some say the church has a clear deed; the corporation trying to get the land says they have the real deed. The court seems wishy-washy on what to do. Filipino justice is a strange lady. The last we have heard (about the situation) was that the cathedral is under police lock out, so we don't know what next Friday will bring.
Please continue your prayers for my health. So far I have been well.
Date Dispatch Received : August 8, 1997
Greetings from the Philippines. I left Orlando early morning Aug 1 and arrived in Manila on time the evening of Aug 2 without incident. God blessed me with a fine seat mate from Portland, OR to Seoul; a Jewish man who once was a Peace Corps worker and knowledgable with the Church. We had some wonderful conversations about ministry, Christian vs Jewish attitudes, church and JESUS.
With me was Dr Robert Todd and his daughter Jennifer from Abbeville, SC. They went to Manila to visit a medical colleague. I helped them get through Customs three boxes of medical supplies.
Hugh Kaiser was waiting for me at the hotel. After a short night of sleep we worshipped at the Charismatic Episcopal Cathedral of the King at their first Mass Sunday morning at 7 a.m. and then proceeded to Zamboanga in Mindanao. For location of places I mention, see my web page [http://www.inet-usa.com/barnabas] and the map posted there.
In Zamboanga, I visited our four Child Care Centers. We need sponsorship for 29 children at $72 a year per child. See my web page under BAHADA CHILD CARE for information on what the $72 provide. This Project will continue through March, 2000 with three more years of financing.
We conducted a Clergy Conference for the Southern Diocese of the Philippine Episcopal Church. One bishop and 24 priests attended. The PMRs were positive, some referring to "life changing experiences."
We have proposed a follow up on Evangelism and Stewardship next January for key lay people. Due to Communist insurgency, Moslem terrorism and small rural missions, this diocese is financially poor. We need $2,500 minimum for the January conference. Would you help? Send to BMI and designate EDSP Conference.
At the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepherd we conducted a two-day seminar with 254 high school students. The subject was Jesus the Bridge to Life. Among the students were a dozen Moslem young people. They got a very heavy dose of the Gospel [Salvation only through Jesus; help of Holy Spirit; life in Christ as help against temptations]. The invitation to invite Jesus into hearts was made and many of the youth responded. Some were re-dedications.
We leave on Friday for Cebu and next week to Misamis Occidental which puts us out-of-touch of a telephone for one week. Thank you for your prayer support.
To review the Mission Dispatches from previous missions,
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