CEBU, PHILIPPINES (ANS) -- In an effort to rid the streets of the Philippines of destitute children, the Church of Foursquare Gospel in the Philippines is helping to feed over three hundred street children weekly.

Children at one of their feeding programs

Speaking to ANS during one of the feeding programs in the church premises located in Cebu city, the Senior Pastor of the District Church and the Director of the project, Pastor Rejulson B. Lagunero, said this is a project that has been sustained for the past ten years through a partnership with the Compassion International, Philippines.

He noted that Compassion International has been very faithful in the release of the needed fund for the feeding project, and that his church has not relented in ensuring that the street children in the Philippines benefit from the fund.

He further said that they spend over $20, 000 annually for the project adding that the fund has always been spent judiciously, “At the end of any given quarter, Compassion International comes around here to check our books, to ensure that the fund given to us is well utilized, so we usually prepare a detailed audit of how the fund is spent.”

He added that so far the number of children is in the increase and that God has enabled them to reach out to the children despite their limited resources, “Most times we’re having close to four hundred kids gathering together here for the feeding program.”

Left to right: Writer Success Kanayo Uchime, Pastor Lagunero & wife and Ngozi Uchime (wife of Success) at a feeding program

In his words: “We don’t only feed these kids with the material food, we also feed them with the spiritual food that enables them to grow spiritually. We’re not only jut concentrating on the kids, but we use the opportunity to invite their parents/guardian and also minister to them as well.”

According Pastor Lagunero, the church has capitalized on this by establishing a good number of home Bible studies in various locations of the city of Cebu stating that it has been used to reach a lot of people with the love of Jesus Christ.

He said that his church is planning to start an educational project that will take care of the educational needs of the children, “We intend to start a mission oriented school, where the children will receive qualitative education and we just believe God for the fund to start off.”

Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.

Founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training.

Today, Compassion helps more than 1 million children in 24 countries.

For more information about the feeding project contact, Foursquare Church Philippines through their email: rejes4xceb@yahoo.com

Or log on to the website of Compassion International, go to: www.compassion.com

Success Kanayo Uchime is a Nigerian missionary-journalist. He is the President of Kingdom Missions Outreach Inc.(KMO). He holds an Advanced Diploma in Mass Communication, Olabisi Onabanjo University, Nigeria, Masters and Doctoral Degrees in Christian Ministry and Missions respectively from Go Ye Christian University, U.S. A. At present he lives in the Philippines with his family preparatory to moving over to Thailand to continue his foreign mission assignment. He's the Editor in Chief/Moderator World Mission News (WMN), an on-line mission news service. Uchime is a member of Journalist for Christ Nigeria (JFCN), Committee of Concerned Journalists, Washington D.C, U.S.A, etc. He's the author, Every Christian A Missionary, Your Church Can Go For Mission, The Rudiments of Biblical Fasting, Jesus Christ the Ultimate Messiah. For more information about him log on to kanayo4missions.googlepages.com OR www.seamist.org/uchime write successkuchime@yahoo.co.uk.