We had our bridging event; the goal was to reach as many young people as we could by challenging teens who attend Amplified to reach their friends and invite them to attend. We aimed for a hundred youths to attend. We have been praying for this event as a way to reach out to more students as the next school year is fast approaching.
God heard our prayers, and we had a hundred and ten teens attend and many of these had never heard the gospel of Jesus. My team and I shared the gospel, and many were blessed by the message of God through the event. One student who attended was a practicing atheist, and through the invitation of a friend, he is now joining every Saturday youth service and wants to learn more about Jesus. We will be starting a small group together with his friends and classmates at the National High School.
God is moving in Amplified Ministries. We expect to reach even more schools in the coming year. More colleges specifically because most of our senior high school students just graduated and will be enrolling in different universities and schools in the city. We are excited for even more opportunities for the gospel to spread in the city of Cebu. The work is not finished, there is more work to be done.
Mia is one of our volunteers and leaders in Amplified; she gave her testimony of how she came to know Jesus. It is a blessing to see her grow in the Lord. Many students were blessed to hear her testimony.
Daniel has been on the faith journey with me for two years. Now he is leading his friends in a small group. It is a blessing to see your disciple starting to make his own disciples. Glory to God alone!
Training leaders is one key ingredient in successful youth ministry I am blessed that God has moved the hearts of these students to pursue the great commission and reach their classmates. I am amazed at how God is working and moving in the lives of each of these individuals. We started a Campus Movers module. The aim is to train students who will become my partners in their respective schools. With this strategy, it will be easier to work within the schools since we will have a campus mover inside the school.
We hold our Campus Mover training monthly, for me to guide the group and check in with them. The training will include how to handle a small group. These small groups are the main ministry of Amplified to develop and grow students who honor Christ.
My Tuesday group will be enrolling in different Universities in Cebu. They all want Amplified to be at the university that they are enrolling in; so more work to be done!
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.
In my last small group with the college students, I gave them the challenge to be part of the movement and start reaching out to their friends and classmates. I shared with them Matthew 28:18-20, encouraging them that it is the job of every believer to make disciples of Jesus Christ.
- Pray for myself and the leaders.
- Pray for the campus movers as we engage in evangelism and mentorship at the universities this coming school year.
- Pray for protection from the traps of the enemy, especially for the leaders and campus movers.
- Pray for the students we share the gospel with, for them to come to know Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior.
Ministry Calling:
The pastor, before I became a pastor, had the vision to start a campus ministry, and I was one of his prospects. I was hesitant at that time to commit to this vision since I was a music teacher with tons of students. Then I was assigned to teach at one of the cities in Mindanao for two years, and while there, I experienced campus ministries. I was mentored and grew in my faith. My heart opened with the desire to reach the younger generation as I saw many souls that needed Jesus Christ. I became a volunteer campus worker for one and a half years. I came back to Cebu city with the burden to reach as many young teens as possible. During this time, I met Pastor Cris Pano. I had never mentioned my desire to reach the campus students, but Pastor Cris shared his desire to reach the campuses in Cebu. I believe that God brought us together to fulfill this mission.