Volunteer:
Verb: “Offering one’s services freely.”
Noun: “Growing spontaneously… from seeds left from a previous crop.”
Volunteers are the backbone of our church planting efforts in the Philippines. Church Planting Institute trainees all work as unpaid volunteers. They rejoice when God provides a guitar for worship, or fans or chairs for their humble meeting places. Their selfless service for Christ has left behind volunteer seeds for a new generation of volunteer workers.
This new generation of volunteers is growing up by God’s grace, and now is asking to be trained to start new churches. In response to their call for training, we have begun CPI-2. Training on Tuesdays is for the more experienced church planters. Thursdays we have training for these college and career-aged young adults, many who are already actively involved in evangelism and discipleship ministry.
We knew that there was some interest in this training, since five young adults attended our May church planter training retreat in Baguio. We rejoiced when our first Zoom training session, held during the extensive flooding from Typhoon Egay, brought 36 young adults online from seven churches eager to be trained. They even apologized that some who wanted to come were absent because they had no internet connection, due to the storm.
Perhaps the best blessing of this new development is to see two of our CPI graduates team-teaching this new generation with us. These pastor/church planters are equipped to teach doctrine, ministry skills, and to lead by example as they actively plant new churches with these volunteers.
When a volunteer plant springs up in our garden, we encourage its fruitfulness with steady watering and support. Would you commit to pray for these young volunteer workers, as they are trained for church planting ministry? Family, friends, and their own life plans will try to convince them that they do not belong in this field of church planters. Through your prayers, the Holy Spirit can keep them rooted, growing and fruitful for Christ. Your financial support has helped us keep training more experienced church planters and these new volunteers as well. Thank you!
Servants together,
David & Joy Weaver
For Prayer Volunteers
Praise Reports
- Praise the Lord for strong initial response to church planter training among the young adults, and for CPI grads able to help teach.
- Praise the Lord for Joy’s Mom’s continued rehab from severe compound fracture in June.
- Praise the Lord for September/October training in the Philippines with both CPI groups.
Prayer Requests
- Pray that these who have started their training will remain committed to both the training sessions, and the field church planting experience, under our CPI grads.
- Pray for Joy’s mom’s pain management through rehab, and grace for us to support them as we fulfill our ministry obligations.
- Pray that the Lord will prepare me (David) for these all-day training workshops, and provide financial support needed for travel.
For Giving Volunteers
Click here to donate to David & Joy Weaver at TEAM.org (one time, monthly, or yearly), or
Call TEAM 1-800-343-3144 and make a donation to David & Joy Weaver, account #: 009312.
Checks may be sent to TEAM with David & Joy Weaver on the memo line. Mail to:
TEAM
P.O. Box 1683
Carol Stream, IL 60132-1683