According to a January 26, 2004 issue of the Taipei Times, “The Asian Development Bank (ADB) estimates there are 3.4 million slum dwellers in Manila, or a third of the city population.” Now, that is a few years old, so I can only imagine that the number of slum dwellers has increased over the last 5 years. Many of these slum dwellers literally live in falling down shacks and make shift 4 by 5 meter (or smaller) one room buildings, often squeezing whole families into these rooms to sleep at night.
The first week in Manila for two afternoons I got the privilege of observing members of Christ Commission Fellowship Church teach Sunday School to the children in these slum areas. The ministry is titled, “Integrity Sunday School” and is a ministry run by Filipinos who teach the Bible to the children in their native language, Tagalog. They don’t just invite the kids to come to them…they go to the slums and minister there among the trash piles and amidst the smell of garbage and sewage. There is no electricity and fancy equipment for this ministry. It is simply volunteers going two-by-two, carrying posters and pictures to help tell the Bible story that week. I couldn’t understand the words that were being said, but I was impressed with the way the volunteers presented the Bible. They had passion and spirit and often got into character to really help the children understand the message.
the teachers have arrived. There are also several adults that hang around and listen, interested in hearing the message. The church is trying to figure out how to reach out to the adults in a more specific way. Please join me in praying for the “Integrity Sunday School” ministry and the impact they have on sharing hope and love in the slums of Manila.
