(Rev. Joel Curtiss is a CCCC ordained minister, and with his wife Sylvia serves the Lord in the Philippines. Here is their story:)

Ministry in the Philippines

In 2010 we were asked to come for a short-term mission trip to encourage Filipino pastors and Christian workers and ministries in several provinces. When we had been serving in the Philippines only about a month, God greatly touched our hearts. After returning home we thought about taking another short-term mission trip, but God led us to retire from our positions in the US and relocate and reside and minister full-time in the Philippines. God used some Filipino Christian leaders in the Philippines, some seasoned prayerful fellow Christian pastors/leaders and friends in northern Michigan, and various ones at the Philippine Consulate to verify that this is what God desired. God worked some fantastic miracles in many ways, and some pastors and Christian friends commissioned us through Emmanuel Evangelical Church to minister for the Lord in the Philippines.

Emmanuel Evangelical Church is former UCC/Congregational/Evangelical Reformed church planted in Petoskey, Michigan, by German immigrants back in the 1880s. After disagreement with UCC it became an independent non-denominational evangelical community church, now serving persons born and raised from various regions and nations.

We sold and gave away our possessions in the US (including a larger pastoral library) in several months and relocated to the Philippines with only about four bags in early March, 2012. In February we had sent only ten boxes of our things from the US to the Philippines, which arrived several months later.

We resided and served in ministry in Romblon Province for eight months before being encouraged to relocate and serve in various provinces nearer to Subic Bay. We were originally asked to come and serve in the Philippines by various Filipino Christian leaders to encourage, mentor/train, and assist various Filipino pastors, Christian workers, and ministries; but in the process we have been assisting in ministry development and church planting.

Presently we continue as a minister of encouragement to various Filipino pastors and Christian workers and ministries, but also upon continued requests of our neighbors and others in New Cabalan we have begun various ministries from our rented home for this Filipino provincial community. Present ministries from our rented home in New Cabalan include, but are not limited to: Wednesday weekly Bible study, weekly Sunday morning children’s ministry, and weekly Sunday afternoon worship services. Also we are assisting in various ways those who have special health needs, some meals and food distribution and other things to those in need. We praise God for Pastor Carlos and Lyn Santos who were both born and raised in this region and know the regional people, dialect, etc. They are a great blessing, and are wonderfully assisting us in our ministries. Pastor Carlos now is leading the weekly Bible studies, weekly children’s ministry and weekly worship services. We praise the Lord for those local Christians who are involved and assisting us in the ministries here, and look forward to the local Filipino Christians and leaders taking over this New Cabalan ministries completely in the not too distant future. Praise God.
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The Curtisses may be contacted by email at js_curtiss@yahoo.com or on FaceBook.
For full contact information, contact the CCCC office.