It is a blessing for Christ’s Heritage Church to be able to publish its first quarterly newsletter in order to share with fellow local churches and the public how God’s ministry has been moving in so many ways through our local church. Before we get to the end of the year, we look back at the different events in the past few months where God has clearly shown the continuous fulfillment of His promise to be with His Church to the end of the age. May God be glorified in this!
After four years of being a church, God has graciously allowed our desire for a parity of elders to come to fruition with the ordination of Pastor John Lao. The church has prayerfully considered him since 2022 to be a pastor that can work alongside Pastor Xley Miguel as an undershepherd of God’s flock. He was an elder-in-training before the church affirmed him through a unanimous votation last August 4, 2024. Finally, Pastor John Lao was ordained last August 31, 2024 with the laying of hands by Pastor Xley and other pastors from fellow local churches of the Reformed Baptist Association of Luzon present during the ordination. Praise God for His faithfulness!
It was also a joy for the church as its sermon series on Genesis, which began in January 3, 2021, finally ended last September 1, 2024. We praise God for how he faithfully sustained our church and Pastor Xley Miguel for more than three years of going through the whole book. This time, by God’s grace and wisdom, we have begun a new sermon series on the book of Ecclesiastes last September 15, 2024. We look forward to how God will strengthen and sanctify the church through this new series.
Another delight to the church is that as the ministry of the Word is strengthened by God’s faithfulness, more people express their desire to be covenanted with a local church. By God’s grace, the church has welcomed four new members in June, three in August, and four in October, making a total of 11 new members thus far in the past few months. Praise be to God for the growing fellowship of our church!
Lastly, a recent development for the church has included the news that SAVED Media (previously known as SAVED Radio) is now under the oversight of Christ’s Heritage Church. In the past few years, by the work of the Holy Spirit, the leadership and some of the members of SAVED Radio have slowly reformed their convictions when considering and planning the different decisions being made for the organization. After a brief stoppage in operations due to providential circumstances between late 2023 and early 2024, SAVED Radio officially rebranded to becoming SAVED Media last August 2024, aiming to publish digital content focused on reformed theology, being guided and consulted by the pastorate of Christ’s Heritage Church, and now being officially adopted into the church’s ministry in October 2024. Praise God for new avenues to proclaim the truths of His Word!
a. Pray that our Hermeneutics Class and the upcoming Homiletics Class will train more men in the ministry.
b. Pray for the upcoming covenanting of CHC’s church plant, Christ Alone Reformed Baptist Outreach in Davao.
c. Pray for the continuous sanctification of our members and their unity in the name of Christ.
d. Pray that the Lord would sustain the ministry of our pastors when it comes to shepherding and in the preaching of the Word. (2Tim 4:2)
e. Pray that the Lord would enable our deacons to ‘gain a good standing for themselves and also great confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.’ (1 Tim 3:13).
f. Pray for the continous reformation of our church especially in the liturgical worship, as we are being taught about it in the Adult Sabbath School.
Jude 24-25 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
