Missions Now, Inc. (Mennonite)
Missions Now, Inc. (Mennonite) began as an independent missionary work in rural areas and tribal places of the Philippine Islands. It is evangelical in doctrine and practice, with a Mennonite persuasion, organized under the laws of the Republic of the Philippines.
Early in 1950 a home Bible study was started in Paete, Laguna Province. A few months later another preaching center was opened in Lumban, which became the center of the ministry to other places throughout Luzon. By 1978 this gospel undertaking brought into existence seven congregations with their own chapels and 15 house churches and preaching points.
Eight of these groups were composed of impoverished members of the Filipino society. Most of the church members and worshipers were members of the mountain tribes. Their subsistence-level economy was precariously dependent on "slash and burn" agriculture and the sale of some hand-woven articles.
The 1st century church is described in Acts 2:42 as the body where believers in Christ "met constantly to hear the apostles preach, to share the common life, to break bread, and to pray." The local Mennonite churches in the Philippines meet constantly to hear the pastors teach and to pray. Each group in different places meets regularly, especially Sunday morning, to study God's word, and to attend the worship service. Sunday evenings are for sharing testimonies among members and invited friends.
The membership in the other 14 congregations was composed of people from the lowlands; with 75 percent coming from farming areas.
Members seek to live out the gospel by sharing with one another. Through the help of loans from the Mennonite Economic Development Associates, Missions Now has opened economic projects to increase the resources available to local congregations and pastors. Many handicrafts have been marketed through Ten Thousand Villages in North America.
In 1972 Missions Now began associating with the Eastern Mennonite Board of Missions. The primary focus of the assistance provided by Eastern Board personnel was in leadership training. The Philippine Mennonite Biblical Institute, established south of Manila in Lumban was the center of this training program.
Bibliography
Portions of the above were adapted from the article by Santiago Bulfa, Sr., in Kraybill, Paul N., ed. Mennonite World Handbook. Lombard, IL: Mennonite World Conference, 1978: 178-182.
| Author(s) | Felonito A Sacapano |
|---|---|
| Date Published | 1987 |
Cite This Article
MLA style
Sacapano, Felonito A. "Missions Now, Inc. (Mennonite)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1987. Web. 18 Apr 2024. https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Missions_Now,_Inc._(Mennonite)&oldid=90056.
APA style
Sacapano, Felonito A. (1987). Missions Now, Inc. (Mennonite). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 18 April 2024, from https://gameo.org/index.php?title=Missions_Now,_Inc._(Mennonite)&oldid=90056.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 5, p. 597. All rights reserved.
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