Dear brother/sister,
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
I thank God for this privilege to share with you how the Lord has been working in His kingdom, particularly in the ministry He graciously entrusted to me—made possible also through your prayers and support.
There have been a lot of things happening during the past few months, and I’d like to organize my ministry and personal updates into four major sections. Thanks for your time reading.
1. Work with MINTS and CRTMI
1.1. As SE Asia Assistant Coordinator
I started my role as the South East Asia Assitant Coordinator last October. Please pray that Elder Norlan De Groot and I will find more opportunities to initiate local study centers around the region. In the mean time, a seminary in Vietnam have students who met MINTS’s requirements for a degree and I’ll be assisting with their student records for graduation soon. It will be a good opportunity for me to get more familiar with the policies and processes of MINTS.
1.2. Local Study Center
Here in the Philippines, we launched our new study center Cavite Reformed Theological and Ministerial Institute (CRTMI) and started our classes last October 2024. The students are currently taking 2 courses: (1) Basic Hermeneutics by Dr. Julian Zugg, and (2) Basics of Theological Research and Writing—a local course I’m developing. The latter course has been a great help for the students since it’s hardly taught in local seminaries, and it prepares them for the upcoming paperworks in the next MINTS courses.
We’re in the final two weeks of the courses, so please pray for God’s sustenance.
At the same time, there are more people from other churches who are interested to enroll with CRTMI. Lord-willing, we plan to open another batch by January next year.
1.3. Monthly Study and Fellowship for Reformed and Reforming Churches
Furthermore, God has been blessing our monthly study and fellowship among Reformed and reforming churches, where we study the (1) Three Forms of Unity, (2) Reformed church order, and (3) Reformed council handbook. What initially began in December 2023 as a fellowship among pastors who wanted to form a federation is now an official event organized by CRTMI. Last month, we were joined by representatives of another church from outside Cavite. We look forward to seeing how God will use this to establish other churches in the gospel of Christ.
1.4. Seminar with Elder Norlan De Groot by 2025
Lastly, we’re organizing a 3-day seminar on the basics of Reformed Theology and Worship with Elder Norlan De Groot on April 16-18, 2025. Please pray that this will be a great time for fellowship and edification of the churches here in the Philippines.
2. Local Pastoral Ministry
Our church plant in Dasmariñas, Cavite—Grace Immeasurable Christian Church—is almost a year now. We’ll be celebrating our 1st year anniversary by the first Sunday of February 2025.
2.1. Officebearing Training for Men
As we head toward becoming an organized local church, we started a bi-weekly study and training for the men of the church. We’re using the Reformed Council Handbook of CANRC as a guide and this would run for a year to provide a comprehensive training for the men of the church. We hope and pray that God would call some of these men to the office and shall be ordained and installed by January 2026, Lord-willing.
2.2. Family Day
Our church’s most recent event is the Family Day in the afternoon of last Sunday, November 24. After my encouragement and exhortation for the church to grow as a family and a welcoming church plant, we all had fun together with games, gifts, and dinner fellowship. We hope and pray to know, love, and serve one another more and more as fellow members of God’s household.
2.3. Transferring the Church Plant’s Location
We’re almost a year in our current place of worship. Instead of renewing our contract with the property lessor, we’re having plans to transfer location by January 2025. Most of our members and new visitors are located in the other side of the city, which takes them 3 public rides in order to get to the church.
Hence, we’re hoping to look for a new place of worship within their vicinity in order to more effectively minister to the members and reach out to the community.
2.4. Legal compliance as a church
Lastly, we thank the Lord for being fully compliant with our local and national government as a religious institution. Since our legal identity is now in order, our next plan is to apply for a corporate bank account named after our church. This can help with properly managing our finances and donations from others with transparency and integrity.
3. Other Ministry Updates
3.1. Personal Studies
In connection with my pastor ministry and CRTMI, it’s been my goal to pursue advance studies. Our long-term hope is to have someone finish a Doctorate degree so that CRTMI will become not just a study center but a local Reformed Seminary in the Philippines.
Now, last July, I was admitted to the Mdiv. Program at Birmingham Theological Seminary (BTS) through their online distance education. I was also given a 25% scholarship discount on my first course.
In God’s providence, however, I wasn’t able to proceed with the course due to insufficient funds. There’s an annual student fee of $75, each course is $200, and all the required books for the 1st course alone would cost about $80-90. Thankfully, I received some generous gifts so I can partially afford these costs and still proceed with my studies gradually.
I’m set to start the 1st class by January 2025 and hope to enroll in more subjects in the succeeding months and years.
3.2. Publishing
Another ministry project I had is the translation of the Ecumenical Creeds and the Three Forms of Unity into modern Tagalog. After 4 years, it’s finally complete and published! A huge thanks to my brother who helped with the copyright costs, and to Elder Norlan and the Reformed Mission Services for the initial printing of 220 copies.
I gave free copies to some of the students at CRTMI. It’s also encouraging to see the book reach churches even in remote areas of the Philippines. We’re praying that the Lord will use this publishing endeavor to further spread the gospel and the Reformed faith in our country.
3.3. Examination of Initial Ministers in Federation
Throughout the year, our growing group of pastors expressed our common desire to form a Reformed federation that is committed to the Reformed doctrinal standards and Reformed church order. To start formalizing the federation, our assembly decided to conduct a colloquim doctum for the three of us who were already examined, ordained, and installed as Ministers of the Word and Sacraments in the past. This examination shall be held this December 4-5, 2024 at Tagaytay, Cavite.
We continually pray that the Lord shall guide and establish this Federation for His kingdom and glory.
4. Personal Family and Prayer Requests
As for my personal family, we praise the Lord for His continued grace and faithfulness. My wife and our 6-months old son are healthy and well-sustained.
4.1. Job resignation
Since the Lord has been growing the ministry He entrusted to me, it’s time for me to resign from my work in my brother’s company. I’ll only render work until the end of December 2024, so I can focus on the church plant, ministerial work for others, and my studies. While this would mean losing a significant amount of our monthly income, we trust that the Lord will provide for us through the ministry and the Christian publishing.
4.2. House transfer
We’re currently staying near my brother’s company office, which is an hour away from the church plant. To focus more on the ministry, we plan to transfer to another house in Dasmariñas, Cavite by January 2025, Lord-willing. For a more affordable option both for our family and the church, we consider looking for a house where we can also gather during Lord’s Day services.
Major Prayer Requests and Opportunities to Help
Given all these things happening, I ask for your prayers and support:
Prayer Requests
- Pray that the Lord will continue to sustain and guide me in my family, ministerial duties, and studies. May the Lord keep me growing in holiness, humility, and love for Him and His people.
- Pray that God would continually sustain the students of CRTMI and bring more students who will become faithful pastors and leaders of the churches in the Philippines.
- Pray that the Lord would bring other pastors and teachers who are able and willing to help in CRTMI.
Opportunities to Support
- You may give regular support for my Mdiv. studies at Birmingham Theological Seminary (BTS). Currently, I could only afford 1 course at a time. The more courses I can take, the faster I can finish my advanced studies and therefore help establish CRTMI as a future local Reformed seminary.
- You may give support for our church plant, especially for our plan to transfer to another location. The estimate total costs to secure the new place and fully transfer would be around $1,000-$1,200 (₱50,000-₱60,000).
Ways to Give Your Support
International Support
To support my work at MINTS and CRTMI, simply follow this:
- Make checks payable to “MINTS”
- Write “Reuel Dawal” on the memo line
- Send to:
MINTS
PO Box 18613
Sugar Land, TX 77496
Note: All gifts will receive a receipt. MINTS is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and gifts are tax deductible as allowed by the IRS. Check with your tax accountant.
Other Support
To support our church planting ministry or other projects I have, you may send your donation via Wire Transfer to my bank account. To know the bank details, please send me a message below.
Local Support
If you’re in the Philippines and would like to send your support, you may send it to my bank account as well. To know the bank details, send me a message below.
Thank you so much for your prayers and support and for your time and patience in reading my ministry updates. May the Lord continue to bless and sustain you.
In Christ,
Reuel Dawal