Looking Backward, Forward, and Inward to Move Forward Victoriously: 2022 Manila International Mission Conference
Dr. Elijah Kim reports on the 7th Manila International Mission Conference that took place on August 5-6, 2022. The theme of the conference was “Revive Us in the Midst of COVID-19,” attracting nearly 2,000 delegates from 17 countries.
After finishing the Manila International Mission Conference of 2022, it really feels like we’ve been running at supersonic speed on a moving train. I, along with my wife, Rev. Amy, and members of A Grain of Wheat Christian Ministries in the Philippines made preparations for the Manila International Mission Conference of 2022, with prayer, fasting, and great devotion that brought about some wonderful results. The next day, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the founding of A Grain of Wheat Christian Ministries. The Manila International Mission Conference was held on August 5th and 6th in the Grand Sanctuary of A Grain of Wheat Christian Ministries in Tay Tay, Rizal. Our worship should always be like what we experienced at this conference. How can I express our thrill and surprise? My words cannot adequately describe our joy and the amazing work of the Holy Spirit in our midst at this time.
We thought that the Manila International Mission Conference of 2022 would be attended by 1,500 people. However, 1880 people registered and in the night session we had 3,000 attendees. A Grain of Wheat Christian Ministries members fasted and prayed with the hearts of martyrs. They rallied around my wife, Pastor Amy Kim. The whole church worked as one for three months in order to prepare for the conference. There was incredible dedication to singing, orchestra, venue preparation, meal serving, accommodations, modern dance, tambourine dance, traditional Korean fan dance, Nanta (traditional Korean drum dance) performance, choir, and the media. We had a number of amazing messages that told us how the church should move forward after the pandemic. As a result, there was a remarkable response as 1,200 out of 2,000 people committed themselves to missionary service.
Meals for the conference were provided with the support of Yoido Full Gospel Church. But from the very first day we did not have enough, so we had to buy meals for an additional 500 people.
Dr. Younghoon Lee of Yoido Full Gospel Church, the largest church in the world, delivered two very powerful messages. The ministry that the Yoido Full Gospel Church has consistently practiced for 66 years was concisely shared so that churches around the world can follow it.
- Ministry of the Word of God
- The Ministry of the Holy Spirit
- The Ministry of Prayer
- The Ministry of the Cell Group Meetings
- The Ministry of Evangelism and World Missions
- The Ministry of Charity Missions
Among the Filipinos, Bishop Efraim Tendero, who has been working internationally like the UN Secretary-General, proposed the Galilean Movement, a global mission movement, under the theme of “Finishing the Task.” He suggested a movement to produce one million disciple leaders. He hopes that this movement will surpass the Lausanne Movement and the World Evangelical Alliance. After graduating from seminary in Canada, Bishop Efraim Tendero entered the ministry at the age of 21 and served for 15 years. When he was 36 he served as a national director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) for 22 years, and then joined the World Evangelical Alliance, which leads 600 million evangelical church members around the world. After serving as the Secretary-General and CEO of WEA for 6 years, he now serves as a global ambassador for WEA. He gave us a message of challenge concerning the Galilean movement, which is now working on making one million disciple makers. Dr. Hyoungsik Yim spoke about creation, the flood in the days of Noah, and the changes in the global ecosystem of this era as well as the significance of hydrogen rich water. My lectures covered all possible mission principles, and provided analysis and direction for the church after the global pandemic. The post COVID-19 era demands that we undertake a new normal mission model and reach the third and fourth generations, mobilizing the global south to all missions. We must take full advantage of the great opportunities brought about by the 4th industrial revolution: digital technology. Innovations like cloud computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, and immersive media provide virtual formats that enable us to share the gospel in revolutionary ways from anywhere to everywhere. Now is the time for Christian mission agencies and organizations to collaborate together to bring the whole gospel using digital technologies and platforms to the global village.
Most amazing was evangelist Manny Pacquiao, who won eight world championship boxing awards, ran for Congress, then Senator, and even ran for President. A large number of high-profile leaders who could relate to the entire Filipino community, participated as Manny Pacquiao was commissioned and consecrated for evangelization in the Philippines and the world. Next, there was a message from Bishop Noel Pantoja, the National Director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, and Dr. Peirong Lin, the Deputy Secretary-General of the World Evangelical Alliance who set forth the biblical foundations for post pandemic Christianity. Bishop Noel Pantoja, the National Director of the PCEC, shared the realities of the Philippine churches during the pandemic and preached that the pandemic should be seen as an opportunity, an Open Door.
With the messages from this conference attended by 1880 people from 17 countries, the mission statement was divided into three directions such as backward, forward, and inward for Christian missionary work after the pandemic: I made it clear.
We pray that you will always be filled with the grace of the Lord.
Dr. Elijah Kim and Rev. Amy Kim
2022 MIMC video links
Opening service, Bishop Noel Pantoja, National Director, Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2-0cKqqOQI&t=582s
Session 1 “The Secrets of the Success of the Yoido Full Gospel Church” I Dr. Younghoon Lee, Senior Pastor, Yoido Full Gospel Church, South Korea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9U4wIc-z2zs&t=1521s
“The Secrets of the Success of the Yoido Full Gospel Church” II Dr. Younghoon Lee, Senior Pastor, Yoido Full Gospel Church, South Korea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6GitOrZtuc
Session 2 “Finishing the Task” Bishop Efraim Tendero, Global Ambassador
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxEdSUg4rro
Session 3 “The Living Water in the Bible”, Dr. Hyoungsik Yim, Professor, Yanbian University of Science and Technology
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyqjJuMtKlQ
Session 4 “Revival and Post-Pandemic Christian Missions” Dr. Elijah Kim, Founder and Chairman of A Grain of Wheat College and Graduate School, Philippines
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dys9MYURjLw&t=1331s
Testimony, Sen. Manny Pacquiao
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHw-NMMURTY
Commissioning Sen. Manny Pacquiao as a global evangelist by Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LC747kM0iYo&t=658s
Session 5 “When God Uses Crisis as an Open Door for Missions” Bishop Noel Pantoja, National Director, Philippines Council of Evangelical Churches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhnPqaZnRok&t=616s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef4dsSgsB0I
Session 6 “Our Responsibility in the Midst of COVID” Dr. Peirong Lin, Deputy Secretary-General for Operations of World Evangelical Alliance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1zJqXAEWt34
Closing service, MIMC 2022 Mission Declaration
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=do-x3x6RXWU&t=1s
Read the MIMC 2022 declaration