My friend Doug Nichols is the founder of Action International Ministries, a wonderful missions organization, and he now travels and serves as a global missions advocate, serving internationally with Commission To Every Nation (CTEN).

Doug shared with me about two Christmas missions projects, and though I rarely highlight specific giving opportunities on our website, I’m making an exception for these. I am struck at how inexpensively many people can be helped:

1. Christmas Ministry to Needy Children in the Philippines.

There are up to two million street children in the Philippines, with 200,000 in Metro Manila alone. Many more extremely poor children are in unreached depressed villages and areas throughout the country.

Our Lord said, “Allow the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them…” (Matt. 19:14).

During the November/December Christmas season in the Philippines, small churches and ministries in poor areas seek to have some type of Christmas Gospel outreach to these neglected and needy children.

Street and poor children see other children attending parties, eating, and receiving gifts, yet they have nothing.

Several of our ministry partners and churches are planning “Children’s Christmas Outreaches” for these most needy children with games, a large meal, and especially the gospel; however, they have little or no funds to do so especially as they have little or no funds for their own families. 

We can help our ministry friends with the small expense with a budget of only $4 per child. This small amount will provide a special Christmas event for these children with a large healthy meal, the gospel and perhaps a small gift!

This year, with so many hungry and needy in the Philippines amongst the poor, we have a burden to help these Christmas Outreaches to reach up to 3,000 needy children!

This is a huge undertaking, and we ask for your prayer and participation!

For example, the budget to serve 50 needy children at a special Children’s Christmas Outreach with a meal and the gospel would be $200, which is only $4 per child.

Perhaps you, your family, or your church would consider sponsoring one of these Christmas Gospel outreaches for 50 children with $200, or 500 children with $2,000.

2. Pastors’ Timothy Study Commentary Seminars ($10 per pastor).

By God’s grace, we have received 1,000 free copies for pastors in the Philippines of the excellent $24 “Study Commentary of 1 & 2 Timothy” by Dr. William Barcley, Senior Pastor at Sovereign Grace Presbyterian Church, Charlotte, and Adjunct Professor at Reformed Theological Seminary.

Our 12 main ministry partners will conduct “Timothy Book” Seminars for 1,000 pastors throughout the country.

For example, in a seminar for 20 pastors, they will spend a day with a pastoral leader going through this practical commentary to help them with their shepherding and especially in preaching and teaching of the Word.

The seminar will begin with an early breakfast, then several lecture/study sessions in the Timothy commentary, a full healthy meal at noon, then more study time and closing with a light snack.

There is no charge for the seminar and book (valued at $24) for these pastors, most of whom are very poor and have no training. Just the expense of travel to the seminar will be a great financial burden for them. 

Our cost is $10 per pastor which covers all expenses. The total seminar expense for 20 pastors is $200, 30 pastors is $300, for 1,000 pastors our total need is $10,000.

Also: Shipping of Timothy Study Commentaries ($54 ships a 100 lb. box of 96 Commentaries).

Our ministry team in Seattle is packing these donated copies of the “Study Commentary of 1 & 2 Timothy” to ship to the Philippines.

As 96 copies of the commentary are packed in each large 100-lb. box, we will be shipping 12 boxes at $54 each box, for a total need of $648.

I’d love to suggest that you consider giving an extra $200 this Christmas to go to one of these causes, or $400 to go to both. That is a very small amount of money, considering how much many of us tend to spend on gifts and activities this time of year. Imagine—just $4 to share the gospel and God’s love with a child! And only $10 to serve a pastor in need of support and training. One ministry partner wrote Doug about the 2022 outreach to needy children: “[At] last year’s event, in two places alone, more than two hundred children accepted Christ and many of them continue in the Lord.”

Giving to help children (and our brothers and sisters in Christ) recognizes their value to Jesus and their special need for care and protection. He says, “Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). Consider sharing this with friends or your small group and encourage them to get in on this opportunity. Let’s invest this Christmas in the lives of the needy, knowing there is no better way than giving to honor Jesus, the one who gave Himself for us: “Though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9).

You can give online through Commission to Every Nation.