After we arrived in the Philippines in late November, the first couple months were spent settling in and ministering in many of the local churches. This provided us a great opportunity to form relationships with the local pastors and learn about the various ministries in the area as well as getting our ministry bearings set straight.

The Gaston family is noted in the city of Bacolod and surrounding area for their conduct of praise and worship. They were invited to lead the worship portion of the recent Christians in Action short-term medical-dental outreach in this area. It was during the course of this mission that we forged the relationship between our families.

During an overnight trip in May with both of our families, I shared our vision of opening a church with the name The House of Worship and the mandate of worship through praise, prayer, preaching, giving, and fellowship. Din-Din Gaston later told me she had to hide her face because of the tears trickling from her eyes. When she arrived back home she asked her 18-year-old son to look at the note she had previously written and left on her desk. The note was her concept of a church, and the name she had written was The House of Worship.

After prayer and consultation, we officially partnered with the Gaston Family on June 1st of 2007 and ventured out together in the establishment of The House of Worship in Silay City.

We took possession of a building and spent the month of June repairing and cleaning the structure. There was much to do, but we had a shared vision, and we invested our time and efforts to ensure we met the target date for the Grand Opening June 30th.

The church is located in a unique spot in that the local water pump is right in front of it. This means the children come to splash there, mothers come to do the laundry there, and the men come to get the water they need for the house. It is as if God has brought them to the door of the church, and we are challenged to get them inside!

On June 30th we hosted about 60 Filipino pastors and western missionaries in the church. Our goal was to share the mandate of the church, and to seek their kingdom cooperation in reaching the lost of the community for Christ. We had a great time worshipping together!

The following day we held our first Sunday morning service. We had 30 adults in attendance as well as a host of children. What great start in reaching the community of Silay!

The House of Worship conducts worship through congregational praise, corporate and individual prayer, preaching, giving of time as well as finances, and fellowship within the community as well as the church.

We believe our success is and will continue to be based upon the friendships and relationships we have established with the local Filipino pastors and western missionaries in the area. They have been invaluable in guiding us through the cultural differences we have encountered.

We are amazed at what God is allowing us to do in this community and look forward to what the future holds.

This is the sanctuary area when we took possession of the building.  The wood I am holding is a donated closet door.

This is the grand opening with the pastors and western missionaries.  I am standing in the same spot as the picture shown above and the wooden door has been transformed into this pulpit.  All within 30 days.

Those who attended the first Sunday morning service on July 1st.

The water pump is located right in front of the church, providing us ample opportunity to meet with the mothers doing laundry, the fathers gathering water for the house and the children frolicking in the water.

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