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1 / Issue 2 : August-October 2011 In John Bunyans classic Christian allegory The Pilgrims Progress, we are introduced to a man named Christian whobeing burdened heavily with spiritual anguish over his sinembarks on an epic journey to nd salvation and approval before a Holy God. In the book, Bunyan relates how weary Christians burden miraculously falls o his back as he approaches a cross that stood atop a hill: He ran thus till he came at a place somewhat ascending; and upon that place stood a cross, and a little below, in the bottom, a sepulchre. So I saw in my dream, that just as Christian came up with the cross, his burden loosed from o his shoulders, and fell from o his back, and began to tumble, and so continued to do till it came to the mouth of the sepulchre, where it fell in, and I saw it no more. Indeed this portion of the book relates an all too familiar experience that we Christians all experience at that moment when we are faced with the awesome truth that it is the grace of God alone in Christ that truly frees us of our burdens. We are freed from the burden of sin, the fear of death, and the lie that our self-striving would earn us Gods favor and acceptance.

The progress of the Lords work so far

In the last three months of our journey at Pilgrim Community Project, we have seen an unhurried yet steady growth in our Bible Studies. From three initial contacts, the Lord has graciously provided us with an additional six people whom we are now regularly meeting up with and a couple of others whom we are reaching out to and hoping to meet with as well. Angie, a senior taking up HRIM at UP brought her friend and thesis group mate Camille to our lunch and Bible Study. Camille became a Christian while studying at Grace Christian High School but since her parents are unbelievers and disapproving of her going to church, she has not had the chance to enjoy fellowship with other believers at church. We are praying that we could still continue to meet with them this second semester even as they take a leave from classes on campus in order to fulll their practicum requirements. Bible Study Tip: Rewrite the passage in your own words to test comprehension.

Page 2 of 4 Timothy, a native of Cagayan de Oro and a freshman at UP also invited his roommate JP to join in a Bible Study. Both of them are praying for opportunities to share the gospel to their other roommates in their dormitory at UP. Arvin, a second year law student at UP was a respondent to James Community Acquaintance Survey. Although brought up as a Roman Catholic, Arvin was willing to meet regularly with James for a Prayer Fellowship on Saturday afternoons. These meetings start o with James sharing a question and answer from the Westminster Shorter Catechism, which they then discuss and ponder upon. Then they spend some time praying together and for each other. These Prayer Fellowships have been a source of great encouragement to Arvin that he even invited three of his other friends and schoolmates to join these meetings. And because they did not have

the even greater joy of witnessing his aha! moment as he nally understood the Gospel from Ephesians 2:8-10. At that moment, it was as if Von was the character Christian in The Pilgrims Progress whom we have read of above. A heavy burden seemed to have been lifted o of his shoulders as he came to the realization that good works is not a matter of salvation but of design. (cf. Ephesians 2:10). Von now prays and reads his Bible regularly. Thanks to Gods wise providence, James has now resumed meeting with his fortnightly Friday Bible Study Group in New Manila, Quezon City. This group is composed of young married couples with Christian backgrounds, most of which have stopped going to church regularly but who are now hoping that the Bible Studies could supplement their need for spiritual nurturing. James has recently started a DVD Bible Study series with them called The Gospel in Life, which explores the implications of the Gospel on every sphere of life and is taught by bestselling author and pastor Timothy Keller.

Bibles of their own, James (through the gracious donation of a ministry supporter) gave them each an ESV Bible which they now read regularly. Von, an alumnus of Palawan Hope Christian High School is currently enrolled at ADMU as a freshman Legal Management student. While he attended a Christian school during his elementary and high school years, yet he never really understood the Gospel and was not very keen about reading and studying his Bible. For the past few months, James has had the joy of studying through the booklet Just for Starters with him and

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Conferences Attended

September 6-8, James represented the Pilgrim Community project as a delegate to the 2011 Asia-Pacic Healthy Church Conference held at the Christian Development Center in Tagaytay City. This conference, hosted by the Wavemakers Philippines was a potent reminder of the crucial importance of the task of disciple making in Gospel ministry. September 12-16, James and Keren attended the 8th Chinese Congress on World Evangelization (CCOWE) held in Bali, Indonesia. The theme for this years congress was The Holistic Gospel of Christ to All Peoples and the delegates had the unique opportunity not only to hear the Gospel preached but also to network with Christian Chinese Church leaders from all quarters of the globe. Particularly remarkable was the invitational roundtable discussions to which both James and Keren had the privilege of joining. During these meetings, pastors, academicians, and Christian leaders from dierent parts of the world discussed and shared their wisdom and experience in view of the shared vision to raise us generations of Christ-like leaders who will grow godly churches in one accord to bring the gospel to the nations. 1. James is currently arranging a meeting with a teacher from Hope Christian High School who has a group of former students at PIQC who are currently studying at ADMU. Having heard of the Pilgrim Community Project, she met up with James to talk about entrusting these students to his care for Bible Study and follow-up. We thank God for His providence and enjoin you to pray with us that the upcoming meeting will have a good outcome and turnout and that these young people would be willing to study the Bible together with James and Keren. 2. James has recently been trying to build relationship with his next-door neighbors James and Margaretthey are friendly a young couple who seem to be very busy with their business. James hopes to engage them in deep meaningful conversations about the Gospel someday and also to invite them to join a Bible Study. James also had the chance to befriend another neighbor who happens to be an Iranian post-graduate engineering student at UP. His name is Houmann and he is a Muslim. But he is open to talk about religion and other things with James. Hopefully James can build a good relationship with him and also evidence to him the blessings of a life lived for Christ. Please pray for James and Margaret and also for Houmann, may the Lord open opportunities to witness to them. 3. Keren recently made a contact through the internet when she ordered a personalized doggie tag from Tish, the

Prayer Points

Upcoming Special Event

November 12, By Gods grace James and Keren will be united in the covenant of marriage at the Bacolod Trinity Christian Church in Bacolod City, Negros Occidental. May Christ be gloried in this event and may joy be multiplied to all because of Him.

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PILGRIMS PROGRESS: Ministry Updates of the Pilgrim Community Project owner of Muttags who happens to be a resident of Katipunan. James met up with her to purchase the doggie tag and introduced himself as a pastor and church planter. Upon hearing this, Tish mentioned that she would be interested to meet up for spiritual counsel or maybe even to join a Bible Study with her dad. This meeting has not yet pushed through but James and Keren are praying that it will when they get back to Manila. Please pray with us for this and for favor and wisdom in counseling Tish and her dad. 4. Six months into the ministry and James is starting to be more acquainted with the spiritual climate of the neighborhood. Loyola Heights-Katipunan is a very Roman Catholic university town and it is always a challenge to balance sensitivity to other peoples faith convictions and the desire to bring them back to the Truth of the Scriptures. Very encouraging are the students that James are meeting with because although they have been brought up Roman Catholic, yet they are very eager to hear what the Bible says about the Gospel. Please pray that James will continue to be able to serve them the Word of God in truth, reasonableness, and with the love of Christ. 5. With James and Kerens wedding day coming up very soon, we would humbly like to ask that you uphold us in your prayers. The preparations are almost all ready but the event is especially challenging for us since we have upwards of a hundred guests and family ying in from out- of-town. It is our hope that everything may run smoothly in terms of logistics but ultimately we hope that ours would truly be a celebration of Gods grace and providence in our lives.

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May our wedding andmore importantlyour marriage be characterized by Christ-like humility, forgiveness, and love. And may our good Lord be pleased to use us as a blessing to others to the praise of His glorious name!

Thank you for your Partnership!

We thank you for your constancy in praying for us and supporting the ministry of the Pilgrim Community Project. Indeed, Pilgrims Progress is merely a showcase of the faithfulness of our faithful God in causing His people to pray and give towards the advancement of His Kingdom here on earth. May He thus continue to supply you with all your needs to persevere in your walk with Him and may He grant you joy as you seek to glorify His name!

Send us your prayer requests... Wed love to hear from you!

Address: No. 6, Unit H, Park 9 Alley, Loyola Heights, Quezon City Philippines 1108 Landline: (02) 990-1571 / 502-8589 Mobile: (0917) 898-1689 - James (0917) 300-0544 - Keren Website: www.pilgrimcommunity.ph Email: jbrynerchu@pilgrimcommunity.ph keren@pilgrimcommunity.ph

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