Be Encouraged!
I am always encouraged when I hear stories of how God is at work in the lives of the leaders we get to work with around the world. I was talking with my dear friend Rolly from the Philippines this week and I realized that I needed to share his story with you. Rolly’s story is one of many, but it’s a really good story, so enjoy and be encouraged!
Rolly’s Story: Seizing God Given Opportunities
Rolly is a bi-vocational pastor, network leader, pastor trainer and prolific church planter. He’s part of the regional team we’ve trained in the Philippines to reproduce the Catalyst System throughout that region of the world. Rolly has planted 8 churches, many among rural mountain hillsides. Every Friday Rolly drives an hour and a half to 3 different cities to train his house church leaders.
Rolly and his wife Sarah recently started a new business selling food to help bring in additional funds for ministry and family. The business was thriving, and Rolly was able to hire some of the pastors he knew that needed help making ends meet. Things were going great…until the shopping area where the restaurant resided was struck by an outbreak of Covid, and business dried up.
Through a serendipitous series of events Rolly met a lady who was drawn to his passion to use business as a means to mission. She offered him a rental space to open up another restaurant, and told him not to worry about the down payment.
When Rolly arrived to open this new location for his restaurant there was a street vendor set up right outside his doors. They were afraid Rolly would shut them down and send them away, but he told them they could stay, and he even helped set up a spot for them to operate. Rolly’s generosity began a relationship that ultimately led to their conversion to faith in Jesus, and that led to others, and Rolly was ready to start yet another church. That church started meeting this Tuesday, and guess where they meet? In the home of that first family Rolly met, right outside his new restaurant!
In a recent post on Facebook Rolly said:
“Celebrating this new house church which is a fruit of our B. L. E. S. S. tool. This church consists of 5 families who just accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior! It’s located beside our small business Noelle’s Sausages and More in Dagatan Boulevard Sampaloc Lake. Wherever God takes His people is a place of mission.”
Pastor Rolly
The BLESS tool is a simple method we teach in Catalyst Community #2 to help churches create missional culture among their people. Rolly already has an apprentice house church leader that he’s brought in to help lead this new group of believers. Rolly said to me, “I don’t know how to explain it, Matt…but let’s go for it while the Spirit of God is working!”
This is how multiplication happens. This is what God can do through the life of a man sold out to the Jesus mission. Rolly starts his mornings alone with God each day and prays, “Let’s make this a mission place even though it’s a business”, and God is answering his faithful prayers!
Reproducing Catalyst Communities
Rolly is one of the leaders of the regional team we trained in the Philippines to reproduce Catalyst Communities. We might not be able to travel to the Philippines right now, but we don’t have to. This team led a Catalyst Community last November, another in December, and they just completed their largest training even in January! They are on fire! Rolly wrote:
“Appreciate all your prayers for our Newthing Philippines team doing Catalyst Community 1 at Rizal Recreation Center. We have 112 participants from 30 different churches all over Luzon. The most number of participants we’ve had in all of our Catalyst Community. We are ordinary people, serving an extraordinary God who allows us to dream bigger dreams for His kingdom. To God be all glory!”
Pastor Rolly
Your Support Helps Make These Stories Possible!
Your support of this ministry makes it all possible. We need your help. The mission continues!
