Grace Bible Church (GBC) has been Operation Blessing’s (OB) partner in missions to Samar and Leyte but they themselves needed help after facing a tragic accident in 2014.
The incident happened when some of their members were on their way to a leaders’ convention. One of them died while others suffered post-traumatic stress.
It took a toll in GBC, affecting their morals and causing them to lose interest in their ministries. People around their community mocked them for the misery.
The church managed to cope, little by little, trusting that everything happened for a reason. In 2016, GBC partnered with OB in its Bless-A-Child (BAC) program that helped them reconnect with their community.
The program involves feeding children for 10 months, where church volunteers cook and prepare healthy lunches. It also has seminars for the parents, which discusses disaster preparedness, values education, biblical parenting, and sustainable livelihood.
“When OB’s Bless-A-Child Program entered our community church, it did not only transform the lives of the children in the community, it also revived our church from the traumatic event,” said GBC head pastor Rev. Risen Olojan, who is also one of OB’s core pastors in Visayas.
For more than 20 years, all the works of Operation Blessing would not be possible without the help of its church partners like the Grace Bible Church. It is a good thing that its programs can help revive the hearts of the church partners. God truly uses His people to accomplish His purpose here on earth.
