This update is related to the One Million Bibles: A Crossway Global Initiative campaign.
Strategically Located for the Spread of the Gospel
Greenheights Community of Believers resides in a bustling city just outside of Manila, Philippines. Their doors are always open to anyone who may choose to stop by for a brief visit, and others who come to stay awhile. But what so many of these visitors have in common is a request they make: they are looking for a Bible.
Though the Philippines may often be considered in Western minds as a more wealthy country in Asia, poverty and high living costs compromise access to resources like Bibles. Therefore, the pastor of Greenheights Community of Believers, Pio Raymundo II, and his wife often receive visitors who are seeking this valuable resource. Pio shares, “We are generous to share the Word of God with visitors, knowing that they will really study the Word of God when they have it in their hands. But now we are really in need because more people are coming into the church every week. . . . We are not a rich church, and we cannot afford to give or shell out funds to buy Bibles for every person who comes to this church.”
Through the One Million Bibles Initiative, Crossway has been able to provide Bibles to Greenheights Community of Believers so that they can continue to provide Bibles both to their church members and visitors. They never want to turn anyone away empty-handed, so Pio explains, “The timing is really an answered prayer because we are not a rich church. So what you have done for this church in the contribution of the Bibles is going to be very helpful for us to continue this kind of ministry in spreading God’s Word.”
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Crossway is providing Bibles to one million believers in need around the world. Join us in our effort to raise support by December 31, 2023 for the distribution of 150,000 Bibles. Would you partner with us to support the global church? Learn More.
Care for the Community That Leads to Eternal Impact
Pastor Pio sees his platform for ministry not only applying on Sundays and inside the walls of the church but also throughout the week in their community. There are many physical needs to be met, and Pio strongly believes that their church can help to meet those needs:
We are very faithful in preaching the Word of God at all times. One way we do this is by frequently helping with some medical and dental services in the community as a way of spreading the gospel. And we have also opened our church to some nearby schools who use the church for their graduation ceremonies or other special programs. We do all of this with the goal of inviting them to our church for worship.
Pio also chose to apply for a license so that he could officiate weddings for free after realizing that many of his friends were claiming to be married without making a covenant to one another before the Lord: “In this way, our church has helped people come together in union with Christ under the sacrament of marriage.”
All of this Pio and his wife do in an effort to supply their church and community with what really matters—the Word of God that leads to eternal life. They encourage medical and dental practices, schools, newlyweds, and anyone else they cross paths with to join their church. And by joining the church, they will have the opportunity to receive God’s Word preached and be encouraged to study it in small groups and on their own. Since many people originally come in with either no background or very limited knowledge of the Christian faith, often they don’t own—and many of them cannot afford—Bibles. And some don’t even have the funds to pay for Wi-Fi that would provide digital access to the Bible. But this is something Pio knows needs to change:
It’s important for each person to have access to their own Bible because we encourage everyone to dwell on and really study the Word of God because that is our daily guide. It is our daily bread. We don’t live by physical food only, but more importantly, we live by the spiritual food of God’s Word. That is for eternity. We are preparing every member for eternity.
By God’s grace and faithfulness in this community, Pio is seeing more people begin to read the Bible for themselves. Christians are coming to a better understanding of who God is and who they are in light of him, and others are coming to faith for the first time. They are receiving spiritual food that will impact them in this life and in the life to come. Would you consider making a gift to support the continued effort to provide God’s Word where it’s needed most?