The amazing work of God in the last two years in seeing millions of diaspora people get to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through church planting is unprecedented in history. I am a witness in the planting of 6 churches in the past two years. To God be the glory!
In the year 2007, our church association in the Philippines envisioned of planting 2025 churches by the year 2025. Part of this mobilization is the planting of churches among Filipinos and other ethnic groups around the world.
In 2008, Greenhills Christian Fellowship (GCF-CBAP), with 17 churches planted in the Philippines, launched its first international satellite church in Toronto, Canada. 167 worshipped during its first public worship. This young church gave birth to another church in Peel, Canada and now has an average attendance of 100 worshippers every sunday. These two congregations has just given birth to another church in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada last May 2, 2010 with 200 in attendance. Last May 16, 2010, GCF-CBAP opened up its fourth international satellite in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and will be opening up the fifth satellite in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada in October 2010.
One an a half years ago, we sent a tent-maker church planter in Singapore to help reach out the 160,000 Filipinos who have migrated in the country. The church celebrated its first anniversary with 150 worshippers and received 29 other new members. Every sunday the church averages 100 people connected to small groups. This year the church launched its first daughter church in Woodlands, Singapore and have started a small group outreach in the Southern Malaysian border.
In August of 2009, tentmakers Jorge and Bolen de Ramos flew to Hongkong to follow God’s call of developing a growing community of believers to form as Jubilee International Fellowship. The new church is helping reach the 65,000 Filipino diasporas in HK.
We are seeing a growing pattern of many diaspora churches initiated and started through the initiatives of home countries where migrants have originally emanated. I see this phenomena in many countries around the world where countries are sending conventional and non-conventional missionaries to reach out to their fellow countrymen around the world. The Koreans, Africans, Indians, Hispanics, Chinese, Indonesians, and many other nationalities are spread across the globe planting diaspora churches. Despite adversities and hardships in most of these sending countries, these Christian churches are making a difference in advancing the kingdom of God around the world. NP