Philippines - Facing an unfinished task

Pastor Primo Bodena (in black), LAMP treasurer, with the Dumagat people

AFA was instrumental in launching PHILIPPINE LUTHERAN MISSION (PLM) on Reformation Day, 31 October 2014. In the face of declining mission activities in local Lutheran churches, declining church attendance and increasing focus on ritual and ceremony, it had been decided to establish this group to focus on winning people for Christ and to establish new congregations and mission centres particularly in the greater Manila area among the native people and in Benguet in Northern Luzon. The group is now officially registered with the government but the new name LAMP (Lutheran Autonomous Mission Philippines) had to be adopted at the authority’s insistence.

Pastor Froilan Jimenez (on the boat), secretary of LAMP in Manila, on their weekly mission trip into the forests and mountains crossing three rivers in the ministry of serving the Dumagat native people.

The leader is Pastor Cresente Faustino, a former police chaplain, who serves alongside of five other pastors and church workers with seven or eight congregations and preaching places.The objective of the group is to spread the Gospel to those who are ignorant of it. It is an organisation of Christian churches that are Christ-centred, mission orientated and adhering to Luther’s teachings, says Pastor Cres who used to be Baptist and adds, The longer term emphasis will be on city mission. We thank you so much for your prayers and support.

Says Pastor Froilan, “We get up just after 3am every Saturday morning, prepare for the long journey ahead and come home dead tired at about 7pm. However, we can go to bed with a happy feeling of having done our best for the Lord and being blest in our work by him. The  next day some of us start on our next mission journey to another place."