philippines
National Director: Pastor Arlex Abugho
No. of Churches: 55
Headquarter: Agusan, Cagayan De Ore, Philippines
Year Started: 2010
about
The first ROLCC branch in the Philippines was established in February 2010 by Pastor Bill Baldwin on Camiguin Island. In 2012, the church relocated to Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao, the second largest island in the Philippines, where Pastor Arlex Abugho assumed leadership, spreading the gospel to the surrounding community. After Pastor Baldwin’s passing in August 2013, Pastor Arlex continued to lead the church with humility, enthusiasm, and faith, maintaining strong connections with other local churches.
Despite facing challenges such as devastating earthquakes and typhoons, God upheld the church through these difficult times, and the congregation, filled with gratitude, continued to expand the kingdom of God. Today, the River of Life Church in the Philippines is experiencing rapid growth, with 49 branches and over 3,800 people gathering every Sunday.
Over the years, the church has made a significant impact on the community, offering school outreach programs, pre-marriage counseling at the city hall, and launching a successful gospel ministry for the LGBT community. The church’s positive relationship with the mayor has further amplified its influence throughout the city.
Looking ahead to 2024, the focus will be on expanding church planting efforts, training pastors and leaders, and providing post-baptism courses for new members. These efforts aim to help new believers establish foundational practices in their Christian life and grow into disciples of Christ. Additionally, more pastoral retreats will be organized to ensure that pastors receive spiritual nourishment as they continue their work. We will expand more rapidly in 2025, even buying more land and building a new church so that more people can hear the gospel!
LOCATION:
The Philippines is an archipelago of about 7,641 islands, covering a total area (including inland bodies of water) of about 300,000 square kilometers (115,831 sq mi). Stretching 1,850 kilometers (1,150 mi) north to south, from the South China Sea to the Celebes Sea, the Philippines is bordered by the Philippine Sea to the east, and the Sulu Sea to the southwest. It is the world's twelfth-most-populous country, with diverse ethnicities and cultures.
菲律賓的第一間生命河分堂成立於2010年2月，由Bill Baldwin牧師在菲律賓的卡米金島所開拓。該堂於2012年遷至卡加延德奧羅市(Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao)，位於菲律賓的第二大島”民答那峨島”，由當地的一位牧者Arlex Abugho帶領教會的牧養工作，並向附近的人們傳福音。2013年八月Baldwin牧師回天家後，該堂繼續由Arlex牧師帶領，生命河的劉牧師和曾牧師都相繼前往給予鼓勵、帶領、和教導。Arlex牧師以熱忱、謙卑和對神的信心帶著教會往前走，與當地其他的教會有很好的連結，同為福音而擺上，因拓展快速，Arlex牧師最近將卡加延德奧羅生命河靈糧堂正名為阿古桑生命河靈糧堂，以與其他同在卡加延德奧羅市的分堂有所分別。菲律賓生命河靈糧堂目前及其快速地拓展植堂，至今已有49間分堂，且每週日高達 3,800人聚會！這些年來，菲律賓生命河靈糧堂已成功的觸及到整個社區與城市，不僅到社區學校演講，在市政廳進行婚前諮詢，成功建立下一代的LGBT福音事工，並與市長關係友好，大大地影響整個城市！2024年為了快速擴展的分堂，將會加強牧者與領袖的培訓，增加新人受洗後的課程，讓每個新人可以建立基督徒生活的一些基本步驟，在實踐中學習和成長成為基督的門徒。同時舉辦更多牧者退修會，讓牧者們在持續為什工作下，也能在靈裡得到滋潤！2025年要更快速擴張，甚至要買下更多土地，蓋下新堂，讓更多人因此聽到福音！
Pray with the Philippines
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The church is now planning to purchase an existing building and expand it into a new church. May God personally take charge of the entire process so that every decision is in accordance with God’s will. Pray that God will prepare a suitable location for the new church to become a place to preach the gospel, equip the saints, and serve the community. We also pray that God will inspire our brothers and sisters to be of one mind and one heart in this process, and look to God for provision with faith, so that we will have sufficient financial, resource and human resources.
現在教會正計畫購買現有建築，擴充為新的堂會，求神親自掌管這一切的進程，使每一個決策都在神的旨意之中。求神預備合適的地點，使新的教堂能夠成為傳揚福音、裝備聖徒、服事社區的地方。也求神感動弟兄姊妹，讓大家在這個過程中同心合意，憑信心仰望神的供應，不論是財務、資源還是人力，都能充足無缺。
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Thank God for His abundant grace that provides all our needs. Entrust the church’s financial situation to God’s hands. Ask God to move the hearts of brothers and sisters to make them willing to give and to allow the church to have sufficient financial supplies to support ministry, missions, charity and all necessary expenses.
感謝神豐富的恩典，供應一切所需。將教會的財務狀況交托在神手中，求神感動弟兄姊妹的心，使他們樂意奉獻，並且讓教會在財務上有足夠的供應來支持事工、宣教、慈善和所有必要的開支。
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Let us pray to God for the domestic economic environment, asking Him to take control and guide the country’s economic development so that the people can be blessed and the gospel can influence every aspect of society.
讓我們為國內的經濟環境向神禱告，求祂掌權，引導國家的經濟發展，使人民得著祝福，並讓福音能夠影響社會的每個層面。
