Worldwide Prayer Meeting

Nov 20, 2024 | by Lt. Colonel Allen Satterlee

Worldwide Prayer Meeting

Prayer Focus - Philippines Territory

Mayon Volcano Port of Legazpi City Albay Philippineshilippines

We greet you today in the matchless name of Jesus Christ, our risen Lord and Savior! Thank you for taking time to join us in a time of worship and prayer for those both near and far away. Hopefully you will learn something, feel something and be challenged. You have entered sacred space, because this is where God will meet you.

Prayer

Dear Lord, Thank You for all that you have blessed me with this day. I come to this moment having already tasted Your goodness, buoyed by Your blessing and I have been empowered by Your strength and goodness. If another good thing didn’t happen, I would already have so much to thank You for, but I know that there is more ahead. Thank You for the great adventure I have living the Christian life. This is not just for a blessing someday with You in Heaven, but You bless me in these moments of my day every day. Thank You. I praise You and glorify You, O gracious God. Accept my praise, my thanksgiving and my heartfelt gratitude. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Background of the

Philippines Territory

The Philippines was a Spanish colony for nearly 350 years, then an American colony for almost 50 more, achieving its independence in 1946. Although composed of over 7000 islands, only 10% of these are inhabited. It has a mixed agricultural and industrial economy with a high population growth, social and political unrest, and has suffered from devastating natural disasters. This, with historic poor government, has resulted in high unemployment and widespread poverty.

There is a great Filipino diaspora with over 8 million Filipinos living abroad, many of whom send money back home to their families. Without this income it is doubtful they could survive. The greatest export for the Philippines in fact is people, not only legitimate workers such as health care professionals, engineers, seamen, domestics, etc. but also over 100,000 children who are trafficked and 400,000 women, many in the sex trade.

The Philippines was the first Asian country to be Christian, although a small but militant Muslim minority in Mindanao even now demands an independent Muslim state. Most of the population claims to be Catholic, although these numbers are shrinking as there are growing numbers of evangelicals and charismatics. Spiritual vitality has been long and sustained and includes a warm fellowship between evangelical denominations and fellowships. The Filipino churches have also become active in sending missionaries throughout Asia and the rest of the world, making an impact for Christ.

The Salvation Army: The first Salvationist to preach in the Philippines was Major John Milsaps, an American officer who was a chaplain with the US forces during the Spanish-American War in 1898. A more permanent work came as a result of Filipinos who had met The Salvation Army in Hawaii and returned home, commencing their own meetings in Panay, Luzon, Cebu and the Mindanao Islands between 1933-1937. Colonel and Mrs. Alfred Lindvall officially opened the work in June 1937, taking over work that had already taken root throughout the country.

Facts, Stats and Leadership of the

Philippines Territory

Statistics

• Total population with which to fish and disciple: 115,843,670
• 151 officers, 9 envoys, 11 cadets, 67 employees
• 95 retired officers
• 88 corps, 25 outposts
• 8,825 senior soldiers
• 5.503 adherents
• 1,018 junior soldiers

Leadership

Colonel David Oalang - Territorial Commander

Colonel Elsa Oalang - Territorial President of Women's Ministries

Lt. Colonel Rodolfo Salcedo - Chief Secretary

Lt. Colonel Mary Josalie Salcedo - Territorial Secretary for Women's Ministries

Prayer Requests of the

Philippines Territory

Praise Points:

For the third quarter of the year, the following programs were blessed and mightily used by God for the development of personal spiritual lives of officers and comrades and The Salvation Army’s presence in the communities.

• Ministry Workers Training- August 14-25
• Active Single Officers Retreat August 21-23, 2024
• Holiness Conference – September 24-28
• Integrated Community Development Program: Evaluation of Phase 1 (different sites)

Prayer Requests:

1. Change in the leadership as our present Chief Secretary and Territorial Secretary for Women’s Ministries will farewell from the territory.
    
2. Construction of a new Bethany Children’s Home (BCH) building. The building which served for more than 40 years had to be demolished. BCH caters to sexually abused girls. Please pray that we will be able to build a better shelter for the girls.
    
3. NetSuite Go-Live on 2 December 2024
   
   
4. Second phase of the Integrated Community Development Program
    
5. Gospel Arts Camp in May 2025.
    
6. Health of officers.

USA Southern Territory

Prayer Requests

• The family of Lt. Colonel Doris Fizer Chapman who was recently Promoted to Glory
• Major Ed Lee, Territorial Officers’ Health Services Secretary, Personnel
• Social Services
• Kimberly Whitley, Administrative Assistant, Finance
• Laronda Hart, Administrative Assistant, Candidates
• Sean Suavé, Senior Programmer/Analyst, Information Technology
• Captain Josh Hinson, Director of Mission and Ministry, Evangeline Booth College
• Cadet Sarah Herbert
• Captain Josh Keaton, Divisional Candidates’ Secretary, Alabama, Louisiana & Mississippi Division
• Reverend Diane Ury, Associate Ambassador for Holiness, NHQ
• Lt. Colonels Ronnie & Sharon Raymer, officers, soldiers, employees, and volunteers of the North & South Carolina Division
• Correctional Services
• Latrice is grateful for the good things God is doing in her life.
• Christopher asks for prayer.

Something to Consider

            In the early days of The Salvation Army in Jamaica, a visitor to the little town of Bluefields described sitting in the dark awaiting a meeting to start. “We see before and behind numbers of small lights dancing through the bush, these, we discover, are the lamps carried by the people to light their way to the Hall (church building). By the way, they serve a double purpose, for these are the only lights we have to light our building. Can you picture the scene? One minute the Hall is almost dark and then dozens of small lanterns are brought by the congregation, some of who(m) hold them whilst singing, in order to see the words in the song book.” Without each providing light not only for themselves but for others, there would have been no meeting.

            After describing the need for a holy life, Peter expanded on aspects that marked the Christian life.

            “Through Him you believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and glorified Him, and so your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:21). The writers of the New Testament constantly marveled about that grand miracle of Christ’s death and resurrection. While we tend to restrict our thoughts about these events to Holy Week or perhaps the Lenten Season, it seemed that in every stream of thought there was the exclamation point of the resurrection. Here Peter reminded them that the gift of belief, faith and hope are firmly grounded in the death and resurrection of Christ. We would do well to be similarly struck by the reality and impact of the resurrection. One of the encouraging developments in contemporary Christian music has been the recurring theme of Christ’s resurrection. Nothing we have as Christians can exist without it. Paul pointedly said, “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14).

            Peter next speaks of obedience that naturally bears the fruit of “sincere love for each other” that comes with a command: “Love one another deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 1:22).

            The Christian life was never meant to be lived in isolation. While we can appreciate the devotion represented by monastic life, the idea of withdrawing from society to devote oneself to spiritual development is foreign to the Bible. We were designed by God to live in community, starting with the family, then branching out from there. We simply need each other, whether we like it or not. It is one of the strongest reasons for gathering in corporate worship. Although we must have a strong personal, vibrant personal relationship with the Lord cultivated through individual prayer and Bible reading, it is not enough. We need to hear each other’s voices, listen to each other’s prayers, share what God is doing in and through us. As an introvert, I must fight drawing into myself and frankly, sometimes the sharing at church is a bit annoying. But I know that if I do not participate in it the damage to my own soul would be great.

            Peter not only expects that we share with each other, but he frames it as a command. Loving each other is what we are to do. In the romantic notion of love, we think that love must always be accompanied by strong, positive emotion. But love is as much a decision of the mind as it is an operation of the heart. We choose to love and who we will love. When the emotion cools, our choice to love or not remains. The Greek word that Peter used, apagesate, has been explained as “a love of full intelligence and understanding coupled with corresponding purpose. It is a love of rational goodwill that desires the highest good for the one even at the expense of self.”

            It is not to be a grudging, “I love you for Jesus’ sake” kind of love. We are to love deeply. The original Greek word for “deeply” speaks of stretching, extended to the limit.

            There are different ways we can look at that. We will naturally click with certain people, finding that we have a rich fellowship with them. But then there are those others who seem to get on our nerves by doing nothing more than walking in the room. Some have prickly personalities or there’s something about them we don’t trust. Sometimes we can’t put our finger on it. There’s just something about them. But the fervent love is indiscriminate. If we are in the family of God, we are commanded to love all our sisters and brothers in Christ.

            Another aspect of this love is that we have been set apart as a community, sharing a common destiny, a common hope, a common life. There should be no place on earth where a believer is more welcome and accepted than in the fellowship of believers. “So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:26-28). There is no room for racism, elitism, or class – only fervent family love. Like the lights gathered in our opening illustration, in our gathering together with our own light we bring light to each other.

Benediction

“The God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To Him be the power forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:10-11).