Archive - White Fields

November 2018

We celebrated Sister Rhoda’s daughter, Kylene’s, seventh birthday. The birthday celebration was an excellent opportunity to share the Word of God with relatives, friends, neighbors, classmates and their parents. I am grateful for this family because they are a fantastic help to the church. Rhoda is the bookkeeper and one of our intercessors. Her oldest daughter, Kyla, is active in the children’s ministry and would like to do the music ministry in the future. Kylene is a kids’ officers with the children’s ministry. Ronald, Rhoda’s husband, is working as kitchen staff on an international cruise ship. I am grateful to see this family grow in their faith.

Pray for the Agito family to continue to hunger for the Word of God and desire to seek God’s will in their lives.
Pray for those who heard the gospel message to come to faith in God.

The following Sunday, our place of worship was filled with the visitors invited by the Agito family. Most of them were relatives of Ronald and had traveled from San Juan Batangas, over an hour and a half away, for Kylene’s birthday celebration. Some of them were former active members of the Jehovah’s witness group. Some of the closest relatives were there on Saturday and attended the prayer meeting that evening as well. It was God’s timing for our topic because our series of study that week was from Romans 3:17-20, “for all, have sinned, and no one is righteous, that is why man needs God for his salvation.”

Pray for the visitors from San Juan Batangas who heard the gospel to accept salvation and experience the life-transformation only possible through Jesus Christ.

A few weeks ago, we had our Evangelistic Youth Fellowship hosted by our church in San Pascual, Batangas. The young people were able to invite their classmates and friends to attend. Kyla and Jovlyn were especially excited and asked many friends to come. We also encouraged the young people to attend an upcoming camp this December from the 27th to the 29th, in Cuenca, Batangas. The theme of the camp is K.P.O.P meaning Kabataan, Papuri at pagasamba, Oras ng paligsahan, Pagsunod at pasasalamat which means Youth praise and worship, Competition, Obedience, and Thanksgiving. Many of the young people expressed an interest in attending the upcoming camp.

Pray for the young people to attend our camp in December and come to an understanding of the gospel of Christ.
Pray for the event to go smoothly and to be filled with joy and excitement as we learn together about God and worship Him.

October 2018

Greetings with love and peace in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. My family and I attend the Servant Leaders’ Conference held by the Philippine Reformed Evangelical Association of Churches (PREACH) in Tagaytay City. Some of the topics included the marks of a healthy church and a formal discussion of the five Solas. The ordination ceremony took place with four candidates for ordination, and I was privileged to be counted as one of these candidates.

A few days before the ordination, we underwent screening including a personal interview of our theological beliefs, an on-the-spot sermon outline from a text in Proverbs and an oral examination. The core pastors conducted an oral test to evaluate how we would handle practical situations in the ministry. The proclamation was made that we all had passed and would become ordained pastors. Praise the Lord!

I am grateful and praise the Lord for the moral support and prayers of our leaders in the church who attend the event with us. They expressed their appreciation of the topics and learned much from the discussions. Thank you for your prayers and support for our ministry.

Praise the Lord for the ordination of Pastor Eric Cedo.

Give thanks for the opportunity of the church leaders to grow in their knowledge and understanding of the Word of God through this recent conference.

Pray for the encouragement and refreshment through this event to be a blessing to the leaders and Pastor Eric Cedo as they continue ministering.

Our two home bible studies in San Pascual are growing through the leadership of Zander and his wife, Aily. Through these groups, we are blessed with two new volunteers, Kyla and Jovelyn, who have started teaching in the children’s ministry with my two daughters Shammah and Jochebed. Also, their mothers, Rhoda, Kyla’s mother, and Linda, Jovelyn’s mother, are both intercessory prayer warriors during our prayer meeting every Saturday. These two women also lead opening prayers and offertory prayers during Sunday worship.

Give thanks for the service of Kya, Jovelyn, Rhoda, and Linda as they teach the children and pray for the people in the church.

Pray for the continued growth of the teachers and leaders through their studies and the Bible study.

I am still in the prayer process of starting a home Bible study in the prospect city of Lipa. There are several people and families that I have talked with near this location. The Lord has given me a leader who has responded positively to be the contact person for the Bible study, but we have not yet worked out the schedule with a day and time. If this is the will of God, it would be an excellent location for the start of a church plant in the future.

Pray for the prospective site for a Bible study in the city of Lipa.

September 2018

Praise the Lord for his goodness. A blessed day to all of you who are reading my report. God is in control of his church and is continually touching the hearts of people of all ages, through us, his messengers as we share the good news of salvation.

Madelaine is ten years old and the youngest daughter of four. She lives with her parents Rodrigo and Madelyn in the Villa Maria subdivision of Sambat, San Pascual, Batangas. She is in fifth grade and an active participant in the children’s Sunday school program. A couple of her friends invited her, and now she is always present. The children even elected her to be one of the kids’ officers. One of the children’s workers, Aily, came up with the idea of having certain kids be kids’ officers and help the teachers do activities and lead the other children in listening and participating appropriately. As part of this privilege, these children attend the teens/youth ministry once a month to have fellowship with children older than them and prepare to be a part of ministry in the future. We have a small group of children between ten and twelve who are kids’ officers. We perceive that Madelaine is enjoying her journey as a student in Sunday school.

Pray for Madelaine and her family, for her growth as a child of God in character and knowledge. Pray for her to be used by God in the future to reach others with the gospel.

Sis. Lorina asked to share her testimony. “I have been away from the Philippines for decades and returned about nine months ago. After three months of searching for a home church, I was blessed to find this church, Christ Stewards Fellowship, San Pascual. I am still adjusting to the way of life here, it has been more challenging since my family is not with me, but this church has made me feel that I belong. As I continue in my Christian walk, I am growing through the Sunday worship service, group sharing and fellowship with the members. The teaching has helped me minister to myself and my siblings, some of them are new to the faith. Being away from my immediate family makes me sad, but I am joyful to know there are brothers and sisters in Christ who are praying for me and walking with me through this time. I thank and praise God for giving me a church family where I can serve Him and where my relationship with Him will grow deeper.”

Pray for Lorina to be comforted during this time away from family and to continue serving God with peace and joy.

On a recent Sunday afternoon, we held our graduation for the children who finished all the lessons in “The Greatest Journey” from Operation Christmas Child by Samaritan’s Purse. This organization blesses kids with shoeboxes full of gifts, school supplies, and essential daily items. Christ Steward Fellowship was one of the churches who qualified to be blessed by these gifts. After the children received the shoeboxes, the teachers in the Sunday school started to teach the twelve-lesson series, and just finished the program. We used this opportunity of celebration to invite parents and guardians to attend, to pin the awards and receive certificates for their children. We had many proud parents and guardians who came to watch the thirty children graduate from the program. We shared the gospel at the event and distributed workbooks and Bibles. We had a blessed time of fellowship afterward with refreshments. We are grateful to those who sponsored the food.

Pray for the children to continue to attend Sunday school and to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Pray for their character and behavior to reflect their Savior.
Pray for the parents and guardians, some of whom are unbelievers, to attend the church and be open to hearing the gospel. Pray for the witness of the children to their parents and guardians.

August 2018

Praise the Lord! I am glad to inform you that our children’s ministry is growing and getting stronger. More children are attending every time, and many have invited their friends due to the challenge I mentioned in our last report. We believe these children that we are nurturing in God’s Words will be the future workers and leaders of our church. Our children’s teachers, who also run the youth ministry, had a day of evangelism. They visited the children in our Sunday school and met their parents. This gave them the opportunity to form a bond with the parents and get to know them personally. Our young people distributed tracks to the neighborhood and shared the gospel. We visited people who had attended the church only once or twice; we sought to know their present situation and to pray for them.

Pray for our children’s ministry to continue to grow and for the children to continue to invite their friends to attend. Pray for the children to grow in their understanding of the gospel.
Pray for our teachers to bond with the parents and invite them to attend the church. Pray for the salvation of the parents.
Pray for the families who only visited a couple times, pray for them to attend the church again and to be blessed by the fellowship of the church.

We had a special event for our youth to recharge spiritually. The young people, about fifteen youth, gathered on a Sunday afternoon to do group dynamics, play games and listen to the Word of God. They had a lot of fun at this event.

Pray for their desire to learn more about God’s Word and to continue growing in their faith.
Pray for the youth to invite their friends to attend and for more young people in the neighborhood to know God.

I attended two leadership events recently. One was a church planting seminar that discussed basic Biblical principles of developing a vision, plan, and timeline for church planting. I learned more about church planting and evaluated my current church through the topics discussed. I saw how some principles were currently being applied and others could be implemented. I also attended a pastors’ conference. We discussed leading congregations through Biblical worship. We talked about finances in the church, including how to establish checks and balances to build integrity in the church. I thank God for the privilege of learning these things.

Pray for wisdom and discernment in implementing principles into the church.

Give thanks for the opportunity to form friendships with other pastors and to learn Biblical principles together.

On a recent holiday, we had a church cleaning event. I thank God because many church members who were available participated in the event. We bonded through cleaning together and had an excellent time of fellowship with a meal. As a church, we are praying for the expansion of our ministry in quantity and quality. We pray for more people to join and hear God’s Word as well as spiritual growth for our members. We pray also for our relationships as brothers and sisters. We pray for unity in spirit and mind for our church as we push forward in our ministry to our Lord.

Give thanks for our church members who cleaned the church. Give thanks for our fellowship.

Pray with us for unity as a church, to minister together and work as a team.
Pray with us for our witness to the neighborhood and to reach more people for Christ.
Pray for the spiritual growth of our church members.

July 2018

A family from Italy arrived to visit for a month. Sister Luz was very helpful, inviting friends and family to the church plant in San Pascual, Batangas. She and her daughter Kesiah have shared the Word of God and invited their relatives including sister Rhoda and her family, and brother Abet and his family to attend the Bible study near the church. Sister Luz also invited more friends and neighbors to attend the Bible study and Sunday church worship where we have been able to share the Word of God with them.

Pray for the relatives and friends of Sis. Luz to keep attending the Bible Study and put their trust in Jesus even after Sis. Luz returns home to Italy.

Our children and youth ministries are growing. One Sunday in July, the children’s ministry had an evangelistic Sunday with the theme “Each One, Bring One”. The children were excited to invite their friends and twice as many children attended! They were so enthusiastic that they arrived an hour before the start time. During the event, we had the opportunity to share the Word of God with the parents of the children. Earlier in July, the youth group went witnessing in the neighborhoods where these children live.

Time for Graduation

We are inviting the 12 to 13-year old children to join the youth ministry! We are excited to welcome the younger age students into the youth ministry for the new year.

Pray for the children to continue inviting their friends and to share the love of Jesus.
Pray for the parents of the children to understand the gospel and receive Jesus Christ and start attending church.
Pray for the younger youth to be brave as they enter a new group and to develop a deeper and more personal relationship with the Lord.
Pray for the witness of the youth to their families and friends.

God has blessed our fellowship with a young couple, Zander and Aily, who are attending their second year of Bible School and are now serving with our ministry in CSF San Pascual. My wife and I were godparents at their wedding.

God continues to expand the outreach of our church. We are praying about starting a new ministry in the city of Lipa.

Pray for Zander and Aily as they study in school and serve in the ministry and that they will grow through the discipleship of Pastor Eric.

We have partnered with a ministry to give shoes to children. The children receive a shoe box with different things inside. The ministry provides us with an opportunity to reach out to children.

Spring 2018

(1) As part of my ministry last week I visited members of the church at their homes. While sitting with Raymunda and Aquilino, Raymunda shared her testimony. While attending our church one Sunday, she said she felt an unusual feeling of peace. She listened to the message which made her thirst for God’s word. Something unexplainable was happening inside of her. From that day she decided to accept Christ as her Lord and Savior, her family seeing the change in her has also decided to follow Christ. They faithfully attend church every Sunday and every Tuesday for Bible study. The family was raised Catholic and did not understand that their religion was not drawing them closer to God, and when her family suffered hardships, she did not have faith in God. Now, her faith relies on God and she believes that He is alive and real.

(2) I am pleased with my family and their involvement in the church. My wife leads a Sunday worship, and oversees the children in the children’s ministry; she also leads a women’s bible study at the church. I am thankful for my daughter’s heart to serve despite her hectic schedule with school, and my youngest daughter is involved with her oldest sister in teaching and singing worship songs. I feel very blessed by my family.

It is a privilege to teach the book of Acts with Tatay Aquilino through a weekly bible study, and through this study, we have been invited to do a child dedication. We had over 20 people attend. I took the opportunity to talk about the childlike faith that Jesus taught. Join me in praying for the people who attended and for those who know Christ, that they would continue to grow in the faith.

(3) I am pleased with my family and their involvement in the church. My wife leads a Sunday worship, and oversees the children in the children’s ministry; she also leads a women’s bible study at the church. I am thankful for my daughter’s heart to serve despite her hectic schedule with school, and my youngest daughter is involved with her oldest sister in teaching and singing worship songs. I feel very blessed by my family.

Meet the Agito Family. Knowing this family and their situation the story of Job from the Old Testament came to my mind. The way in which Job suffered yet stayed faithful to God. The father and mother both lost their jobs, and both became very ill. I witness their faithfulness and positive attitude during this trial, and the highest blessing is that both of them attend church together. In the past, only their daughter would participate, and now even the two younger sons attend church as well. The only one who is not attending is their eldest son who works on Sunday’s. Pray for him so that he will be able to join the family. The parents greatest desire is to see the whole family come to faith in Jesus Christ.

Two weeks ago, we hosted a two-day youth retreat in our house at Balete, Batangas. Christ Young Stewards of Batangas City participated in this activity. Twenty young people participated during the Lenten week here in the Philippines. We selected the young people to present the beliefs of various religious groups in the Philippines. Each presenter discussed the beliefs of the religion comparing them to the Bible. The open forum shed light on the various queries of the young people who were present. After the presentations, they had a clear time of reflection allowing them to know the meaning of Christ’s death.

(4) We celebrated our 3rd anniversary of the ministry here in San Pascual with the theme, “Be Rooted and Built up with Christ” and our theme verse was Colossians 2:7. We were so blessed to have Reverand Melencio Datuin as our guest speaker, my former professor at Baptist Bible College of Asia. The program started at 9:00 a.m and lasted until 11:30 a.m. Brethren were joined together preparing for the special event. In fact, there was a sister who extended her financial support for the food, she was a visitor from the United States, and asked if she could stay at the church while she was in the Phillippines. We also invited other non-believers from the community around the church. We praised God and had a worshipful time. We had around fifty people in attendance and were able to minister to each one.

At the end of the month, our youth group went to a weekend camp that was led by PREACH (Phillippine Reform Evangelical Association of Churches).

The theme was “Heirs against the Flow.” The youth who attended focused on development, strength, and how to stand up for their faith. They concentrate on F for Failure, L for Laxity, O for Opposition and W for worldliness.

Continue to pray for all the leaders of Christ Stewards Fellowship San Pascual and myself. Pray that we remain in personal fellowship with the Lord and are useful in the Lord’s ministry.

Thank you all for praying for my health condition. I am 100% healthy and able to serve God with everything I have by the grace of God.

Summer 2018

(5) Kairis is 16 years old and the daughter of Maria Anna and Lex. Kairis is a classmate of one of my daughter’s in the 10th grade. I met Kairis during my eldest daughters birthday party. During the celebration, I took the opportunity to share the gospel because we had other classmates beside Kairia. After the party, Kairis attended our Bible study several times and then started coming to the Sunday service. As we got to know her, we learned about her home situation and were concerned. Her father and mother have been separated for years, and her mother lives with another man who has a son and a daughter. Please pray that Kairis may understand the importance of knowing God and that her relationship may grow deeper. Pray for her mother to be receptive to the Gospel.

We recently held a three-day medical mission event. Our church in Batangas City hosted the event and the church in San Pascual supported us with volunteers. Some of the women prepared food, the young people were assigned to the counseling area, and others registered and ushered people. Fifteen doctors were on the medical team, and these saw five hundred patients over the three-day event. This was a very successful event, and we have a list of all the patients so we can follow up with them.

We have another event coming up where we will distribute shoeboxes in the CSF San Pascual area. The point of this ministry is to reach children for Christ as we share the Word of God. Pray that the children who come will be interested in listening to the Word of God. Pray for good weather and all the teachers and volunteers good health so they can participate effectively in the event.

(6) As a family, we are facing a difficult time. We had to give up the house we’re renting in San Pascual, Batangas to lessen the expenses we had.

We went back to our home in Balete, Batangas, and my wife resigned from her job as a teacher in a Christian school at Bauan, Batangas. Our daily routine has changed significantly. On Saturdays, we go to San Pascual and stay the night at the church until Sunday. We then go back to Balete in the afternoon after the children’s ministry. Our bible study is scheduled every Thursday, and the prayer meeting is every Saturday night. So, we travel a long distance for us to reach the church. Despite this, we thank the Lord for HIs strength, protection, and provision for our family.

Our family ministers together in the church. My eldest daughter handles the teaching for the children with the help of other young workers, and my youngest is involved in the music ministry. My daughter has training in leading worship. My wife is involved in women’s ministry and at the same time helping the music ministry. Furthermore, as of now, my wife and I are mentoring a young couple and training them for ministry. Presently, they are in the second year of their schooling in a bible school where I teach. We are glad that they are willing to be trained and ready to be used by God in His vineyard.

My daughters are preparing for class this coming August. My elder daughter is in her last year of College while my youngest is a senior in high school. My wife is still looking for a job, and we are still praying for the Lord’s will.

Our bible study at the Datingguinoo’s home has resumed after two months on vacation. We also returned to our bible study with the Colegio family. We are studying the gospel of Luke and brother Zander is studying with me so he can train others how to handle a bible study. We are praying for another opportunity to minister to families so that they can open their homes for Bible studies. Please include this concern in your prayers that the kingdom of God would extend and reach other families for Christ. Also, pray for the workers in training; brother Zander to be firm in his calling and pray for his wife, Aily.

We have partnered with a ministry to give shoes to children. The children receive a shoe box with different things inside. The ministry provides us with an opportunity to reach out to children. Aside from giving gifts, we also received twelve teaching materials and children’s bibles to distribute. The children will receive a certificate of completion when they finish the lessons. Every Sunday afternoon we have children’s ministry at San Pascual, Batangas. In the future, we are planning to extend our children’s ministry and do home visits. One of the reasons why we would like to do this is because some of the children say that the reason the neighborhood kids are not attending bible study is that the parents are not allowing them to go to church.

September 2017

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” -Acts 16:31

It was a privilege for us to meet Irene, Tatay Lino, and Nanay Raymunda’s daughter. She is an OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) in Dubai. She is also one of the financial supporters of the family. She helps with her brother’s studies as well as her parents that live here in the Philippines. In July she arrived for vacation. The family grew up in the Catholic church, but when Tatay Lino received Christ as his Lord and Savior, he desired to bring his whole family to Christ. We had a bible study in his home and had the opportunity to share the Word of God with their daughter Irene and other family members. Tatay Lino wants his daughters and son (who work abroad) to have a personal relationship with Christ. Irene attends the Bible study and Sunday worship while in the Philippines. We had the opportunity to share God’s word, and we prayed with her before she left. Please help us pray for the family, and pray that Irene will continue to seek God’s word and one day will come to know the Lord as her savior. Please pray as well that she will continue to be healthy as she works abroad, she is a help financially to her family.

“Let The Blind Say I Can See”
“Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus! I’m Rosalinda and am an active member of Christ’s Stewards Fellowship Camella San Pascual, Batangas led by Pastor Eric B. Cedo. I would like to share and testify how God is alive, powerful, and still working in my family. From June to December 2016 my husband Abet was severely ill. Because of his illness, my family suffered financially and emotionally. My husband was not able to work because he could not stand and at night was not able to sleep. In addition to his illness, I lost my job; it was our only source of income. The termination occurred because of cataracts in my eyes, and my sight was preventing me from working. But praise God because within six months my husband was healed. Once he recovered he became my eyes; he helped me walk along the road and cross the streets. We attended a prayer meeting, and bible study and I always requested to be included in the prayers. It was months that we had been praying for my eyesight that God would make way for me to receive medical attention. Praise the Lord He answered our prayers. When the opportunity came, I grabbed it without hesitation. I was operated on in May 2017. The doctor took away the cataract in my eye. During that time, I was excited to see and read the Bible again! I thanked God for allowing the doctors to heal me. After my three month checkup, I went back to work, and my husband also went back to work. Because of what had happened in our family we know Christ and become stronger in our faith. As we continue serving our Lord, my prayer is that the faith of my family may continue to grow. Thank you once again for praying for us during the tough times that we have been through in our lives. The glory belongs to God!”

By the grace of God, the ministry for children was resumed to every Saturday afternoon. Some of the children that attended Vacation Bible School in April attend children’s ministry on Saturdays as well. We have new attendees and started a Saturday ministry as part of our evangelism efforts because it gives us the opportunity to share the Word of God to the children and their families. As of now, the young people are the ones handling the children’s ministry. The leaders participate in different areas of ministry. Some tell the bible story, other do games, and we also have worship leaders who sing with the children.

Thank you for your partnership in the Gospel. Together let us obey and make disciples around the world.

Yours in Christ, Pastor Eric Cedo

August 2017

In Christ Stewards Fellowship San Pascual, we continue to have different activities such as bible studies, and prayer meetings. It is also the bridge to reach and share the Word of God to members of the families who are not yet believers. In our Bible study, we use a series of studies from the book of John Piper titled “What Jesus Demands from the world.” Because of this, even the unbelievers are learning what Jesus demands from the world.

When it comes to our corporate prayer, we meet every Saturday night at 7:00 pm. and during this time, we review a short exhortation from the Word of God and the rest of the time is focused on prayer. We pray for the ministries, families, and any personal issues.

Aside from corporate prayer meetings, the young people are scheduled to have their group devotions every Thursday evening. Each one of them is assigned to share the Word of God and pray as well.

In October, our church here in Camella San Pascual is scheduled to host an inter-church fellowship meeting.

Please pray for every activity of the church, and pray that God would intervene and touch each person’s heart that attends.

On August 20th and 21st, some of our young people participated in a leadership training at our main church campus in Batangas City. They held this training as part of their leadership spiritual growth goal. The focus was to help teach leaders how to grow spiritually in their personal Christian life and their service to the Lord. In September, we have a leadership training scheduled for our campus. We are going to use as a reference book J.J Packer. The book titled “Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God.” We will focus on God’s divine sovereignty and evangelism.

Please pray for every leader of the church, pray for continual desire to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Currently, I teach every Saturday afternoon at the bible school where I graduated with my Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Studies in Lipa, Batangas. The subjects which I am teaching are New Testament Survey 1 & 2, and Survey of Theology 1 & 2. For me, it is a great privilege to be part of the believer’s life who is going to school to grow in their bible knowledge. The students also want to grow in their faith and willingness to serve the Lord in their current ministries. At the same time, teaching the students has helped me remember key points about the background of the New Testament. For example, details such as authors, politics and religious backgrounds. As I prepare to teach the Book of Acts, I am reminded about the ministry of Paul who became a missionary to the Gentiles, and the ministry of Peter who became a minister to the Jews. At times, I feel like I can relate to their ministries, especially when their task seemed to be difficult. As a church planter, I come across many different situations, I am challenged at times, and encouraged to keep moving forward with the ministry God has entrusted.

Please continue to pray for my family and me, pray for wisdom during difficult times and spiritual growth within the church and church leadership.

Thank you for coming alongside me and supporting the cause of Church planting. Let us boldly share the Gospel and see what the Lord will do!

Pastor Eric Cedo

July 2017

A blessed day to all of you who are part of the White Fields mission and to our prayer partners. The family of brother Abet and sister Linda are serving the Lord continually. I have mentioned in my past reports that this family has been going through some trials. The couple’s hardships come from a loss of jobs, and brother Abet was having lung problems and could not move around much. Sister Linda had cataracts on her eye and was not able to read any books or the Bible. But by the grace of God, she got operated of her eye for the cataracts problem, she is now able to read her bible, and has gone back to work as a seamstress. Thank God for your prayers. Their children are also active in the youth ministry. Despite their hardships, they continue to be faithful and eager to serve the Lord, their faith did not stop during those hard times.

Please continue to pray for this family, that their faith will grow deeper and their commitment to serving the Lord will continue.

On July 21st, the youth of Christ’s Stewards Fellowship Batangas City and Christ Stewards Fellowship San Pascual joined in a campus ministry. This was an opportunity for the college student to share their faith with over 800 students. Through this event, they became part of the student’s life’s as they introduced Christ. This was the first time Robelyn and Shammah participated in this kind of ministry. Presently, they’ve been excited inviting their classmates, friends, and other youth to join the youth ministry.

Please continue to pray for the youth of Christ’s Stewards Fellowship San Pascual that they would become more zealous and committed to the ministry.

The first week of July, I was very sick and physically weak. I had a cough, with a fever and asthma. It was hard to sleep because of my shortness of breath. I visited the doctors, and the doctor prescribed me four different medicines: antibiotics for my cough and medicine for my asthma. Another thing, the doctor requested an x-ray to be sure there was no fluid/water with my lungs. We waited a day for the results, and I did not show any water in my lungs, but interstitial Pneumonitis was visible. The doctor advised me to take a few days and rest my body. The second week of July, I had my follow-up with my cardiologist for my heart condition. They changed one of my medications, and now I take four different medications every day. The doctor says my heart is looking better and more normal, my next follow up is in three months. Despite all the illnesses and complications, the work of the Lord is still on going by the grace of God.

Please continue to pray for me and the ministry the Lord has entrusted me here at San Pascual.
Please pray for my physical health and financial provision for my medicines.

Yours in Christ, Pastor Eric Cedo

June 2017

The month of June is when schools start back up in the Philippines. Parents are busy preparing for the coming school year along with the teachers, my wife, and young daughter are preparing as well. My wife is presently working at the Christian School in Bauan, teaching level 3 students. It is a great privilege to be part of the children’s lives. My daughter is now in the 10th grade, they started classes June 14. I thank God for all of you who consistently pray and support our family. I also thank God for His grace and provision for our financial needs in my children’s school. Aside from school starting, my wife and I attended a Leadership Training in Tagaytay City which was organized by PREACH (Philippine Reformed Evangelical Association of Churches). It was our privilege to be part of this training and learned how to be more effective in the ministry that God has entrusted us. As of now, our family is serving the Lord together to work hand in hand for the church planting ministry.

Please continue to pray for my health.
Please continue to pray that my heart beat will stay stable.
Please also pray for the health of my family.

After a long vacation, Tatay Lino and his family at Tingloy (a nearby island of Batangas) have at last returned home. That is why Bible study was delayed but started again in June. Correspondingly in the middle of June Tatay Lino’s son who is working in the United Arab Emirates arrived back here for vacation. We grabbed the opportunity to share the Word of God during bible study with him, and he listened intently. He said that he used to attend a bible study when he was in Batangas City some time ago. We also invited him to attend Sunday service, and he did with his girlfriend. After the Sunday worship, we had an opportunity to pray for him before he went back to United Arab Emirates. As of now, Tatay Lino and his family have resumed attending Sunday worship.

Please continue to pray for this family that they may be more mature in their faith in Jesus. Also, include in your prayers Tatay Lino’s siblings who are working abroad.

As of now, our Sunday school teachers who just finished teaching Vacation Bible School are aiming to continue their teaching ministry on Sundays. To accomplish this, they visit children at their homes on the weekends and talk to them about their Sunday school class. Most of them are happy because of what they’ve heard from their teachers. The Sunday school started a month ago and is going strong. We’re also praying for the restart of the youth gathering. Since all these young people are in school, it is a struggle to set our time and day to meet. But
as of now, we have temporarily scheduled every 1st Saturday of the month to meet. Please include our young people in the church in your prayers that they may continue to be zealous in knowing the Lord Jesus and commit their lives to serve God.

Your partner in the ministry, Pastor Eric Cedo

May 2017

In April 2017 we celebrated our 2nd anniversary with a theme “Serving God Faithfully”.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself full to the work of the Lord, because you know that our labor in the Lord is not in vain. Corinthian 15:58 (NIV)

The Word of God was shared by Pastor Celso Namuco. By the grace of God, the event was victoriously done! God provided everything we needed for the anniversary. We thank God also, because some members of the church invited friends to attend the anniversary celebration. Despite my health condition, The Lord is faithful and His grace is enough to supply all the needs of His children and His church.Thank you for all your prayers and support in the ministry here in Batangas. Please continue to pray for us here, including all the visitors who came during the celebration. Please pray that we could follow-up with them as soon as possible. May God touch their hearts and humble them to the Lord Jesus.

On April our church youth participated on a summer camp organized by the Philippine Reformed Evangelical Association of Churches (PREACH). We sent young people in the church to attend this camp. Most of them were first timers with this kind of camp. There were seven young people who committed to attend. The goals of the camp were to develop the leadership, especially those who are youth workers; and to grow in the grace and knowledge of God through the Word of God. The theme of the camp was “The HEIRS” with a theme verse Romans 8: 14-18. HEIRS stand for H- hope, E- eternity, I- inheritance, R- resilience and S- sonship. We had four speakers who explained these acronyms. The pastors were; pastor Leo Ordiales, Pastor Celso Namuco, pastor Bernard Bueta and pastor Sonny Bersonda. The camp had a great impact in the lives of young people, especially when it came to Reformed Theology which was taught during the camp. We had different activities such as, team building, devotions and reflection for teaching/ preaching of the word. During the camp, we had several young people who were confused with their faith, however we had an open forum for questions. They had a great experience at the camp and their eyes were opened to God’s word. Please continue to pray for the young people who are here in Christ Stewards fellowship San Pascual that they may continue to grow in the Lord and apply to their lives what they have learned from the Word of God.

I was hospitalized in Feb. 2017 at the Heart Center, I finally restored all my routines back to normal like going to bible study, attending prayer meetings and preaching on Sunday celebrations. Thank God for the fast recovery God has given. Thank you also for your prayers. This coming July 15th I will have my second follow-up at the Heart Center in Quezon City (National Capital Region). I must undergo a stress test to know the condition of my heart after 5 months of angioplasty.

In May, Sister Linda one of the active women in the church got operated in her eye because of cataract. As of now, she is staying home for recovery. Thank God for answering prayers because we prayed for an eye operation a year ago. We also thank God for His financial provisions for the operation and for your prayers.

Prayer Requests:

Please pray for a fast recovery of sister Linda, including the Lord’s provision for the medicines she will need
Please pray for my health and His provision, including my follow-up checkup this coming month of July

Yours in Christ, Eric Cedo

May 2016

Our Bible study in the Agito compound is still ongoing. We are in a series of 1 Peter in our studies. Praise the Lord that I can see the changes and growth of the members who are attending! Now we can give them different tasks like being a prayer opener, assisting with the offerings, and inviting friends. We also can give them opportunities to serve in the church; especially when there is an occasion, whatever help they can offer is appreciated. Sometimes, despite the desire of wanting to attend a Bible study, their work (like selling barbecues) can be a hindrance. Nevertheless, they are trying their best to be consistent in attending.

Please continue to pray for the Agito family, Colegio family, and Abu family. Pray for their daily needs and commitment to the church that they may grow deeply in their faith.

This past October, I celebrated my 40^th birthday. October 14^th was the monthly meeting of ministerial fellowship of Bauan/San Pascual Batangas held in Christ Stewards Fellowship, San Pascual. As host church of the meeting, we were in charge of exhorting the Word of God. I preached on the text of Ecclesiastes 4:9-12. The message was relating to the situation of the church right now, being in the beginning stages. Our church is a church plant that needs partnership. Our church needs to be part of the body of Christ that reaches out to people within the vicinity of Bauan/San Pascual, Batangas, who do not have a personal relationship with Christ. Also, as a host church, we were in charge of preparing food for lunch. Members of the church had shown their helping hands by cooking and serving the food. All of the pastors who attended were thankful for what was prepared for them.

Please pray for partnerships with our church, and outreach in our local community.

We are praying for the youth to be involved also in the church activities. We have ideas and plans for the youth like a breakfast fellowship, morning jog, and joining fellowship with other youth people of other churches. We also try to have regular meetings and devotions for them so that they may grow spiritually. Even though they have been inconsistent in attending, we are persistent in trying to reach them.

Please pray for the young people we are reaching because we believe that they are the future generation God can use in His church.
Please pray for the church to grow not only in numbers but spiritually as well.

Opportunities and challenges have come our way. It is the second semester of schooling here in the Philippines. My first daughter, Shammah, is in her second semester of her first year of college. Classes have also resumed for my eighth grade students, my second daughter, and my wife. Despite the busy schedule, my family and I are working together, hand-in-hand, in the ministry that God has entrusted to us. My two daughters and my wife help support me to establish our Bible study every Friday. On Saturdays, they gather the youth for fellowship and activities.

Please continue to pray for our financial needs (especially the needs of my two daughters for their schooling) and protection of our Lord Jesus.

My wife recently visited the doctor for a check-up. Her cough still remained and she had high blood pressure, 160/90. The doctor’s advice to her was that she needed to retake the medicine again to control her blood pressure. She was also given an antibiotic for her cough, and will need to see the doctor again for a follow-up appointment.

Please include my wife in your prayers that she would be all right and be healed completely by our Lord Jesus Christ.
Please also pray for the physical health of the whole family.

Pastor Eric