Minor Prophets and The Philippines

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The next time you get worried about sharing the gospel with someone or worried about how God could use someone like you, just remember that Jonah preached a 5-word sermon, and God flipped Ninevah upside. Just give that some thought…much like God speaking through a donkey (Numbers 22:28), God did the miraculous in a most unusual way. The Lord will always send out His word to accomplish his plans.

The Minor Prophets

This study has been everything that I had hoped it would be. I’ve been challenged and encouraged as I’ve studied for sermons. I’ve been reminded of lessons learned over the last few years. The biggest one was the one I discussed at the end of my sermon on Sunday. Remembering that God is on a mission and His mission is bigger than my personal preferences, ideas, or comforts has been a very challenging issue for me to consider. It’s also been very encouraging. I have been amazed at the gospel opportunities over the last few years. I’ve been challenged by hearing the joy and perseverance of Christians around the globe who were in tougher spots than us.

The Minor Prophets are reminding us of what matters most: God, His glory, and serving Him faithfully.

The Philippines

Thank you for praying for my upcoming trip to the Philippines. I’m honored to represent you overseas and to serve the churches there. Several years ago, I began to have a desire for the Philippines, and now the Lord is allowing me the privilege of going to serve His purposes. It’s pretty humbling.

Here’s My Itinerary

October 6th: fly from Portland to LAX and then LAX to Manila.
October 7th: land in Manila around 6:15 p.m. local time, which is 15 hours ahead of Roseburg. It will be 3:15 a.m. in Roseburg when I land.
October 8th: Leadership Summit at Jeffrey Jo’s church in Manila.
October 9th: preach at Jeffrey Jo’s church for their 30th anniversary and Jeff’s ordination installation in the morning. In the afternoon, we’ll lead an Online Worship Session for leaders from around the Philippines.
October 10th-11th: oral theological exams in Manila.
October 12th: travel to Cebu City.
October 13th-14th: oral theological exams in Cebu.
October 15th: day off
October 16th: attend Nilo Ebo’s church in Cebu. Travel to Manila for return to US. Land in Portland around midnight.

Things to Pray For

Pray for a negative COVID-19 test in the next 2 days & safe travel.
Pray for these 19 men: Oscar Tagyam, Ronnie Bautista, Patricio Dalipe, Rey Lacbayo, Caloy San Jose, Joseph Piamonte, Christopher Laurenti, Francis Mariano, George Jimenez, Ian de Paz, Fernando Sunga, Velmer Paler, Erwin Solante, Saitam Matias, David Quir, Gilbert Tolentino, Atty Renan dela Cerna, Robert Hadol, Peter Maguilat.
Pray for the ordination panelists: Tony Walsh, Lynn Baird, Dave Taylor, Riley Spring, Jeffrey Jo, Nilo Ebo
Pray for our translators: Gabby, Margie, Jela, Maridel

One really cool aspect about this trip is that this is Lynn Baird’s last official trip to the Philippines after 30 years of traveling there to represent Sovereign Grace Churches. The culmination of our denomination landing in the Philippines is because of Lynn’s hard work and the relationships that he’s built. I’m humbled to stand on Lynn’s shoulders in this ministry and am very grateful that he’s going to see the 1st ordained SGC pastors installed in their churches and see them start leading SGC Philippines.

Building Update

Many of you have asked about our new building project so let me shoot out a quick update so everyone can know.

We have hired an architect out of Eugene, Dan Hill, from Arbor South Architecture. Here’s a link to their work: http://www.arborsouth.com. Dave Ruble worked with Dan on a project several years ago, and it was a great experience. Dan is also a Christian and has experience in working with churches. It has been a fantastic experience thus far.

At this point, they have brought to us two renderings, and the 2nd one was a bit more detailed. Our elders will meet next week to give him some feedback on the 2nd rendering. We aim to have a good set of renderings to bring to the church’s annual meeting in December. In the meantime, here are some highlights: a 500-600 seat sanctuary, enough classrooms for our expanding children’s ministry, and offices that will accommodate our staff and growing counseling ministry. We have asked for a contemporary industrial look that fits our town and area. So far, Dan’s group has delivered in every area we have asked.

If you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask. And if you want to give to our building fund, go to this link to give online: https://clfroseburg.com/give/. It is our firm belief that unless the Lord builds this, we won’t. We will continue to preach the Word of God, serve our people, and advance the gospel, knowing that God is building His church through those means. But, we do need a bigger space because the Lord graciously adds to our number weekly.

From the Cheap Seats

It was not a good football Saturday.
But it was a glorious Sunday…both across the “pond” with Manchester City blowing out Manchester United 6-3 and the Cowboys beating the Commanders 25-10.
Does it show my sports craziness that even though I’ll be 15 hours ahead, I’m still trying to find ways to follow my sports teams while I’m gone?

To watch or listen to the sermon described in this post, please click here.

Have a great week!

In Christ,

Dave York