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HISTORY & PROGRESS OF S.O.S. |
HOW S.O.S. WAS BORN
S.O.S. is a standard signal of distress and appeal for
help. We apply this term to the
cry of the lost as illustrated by
the cry of the Macedonians in
ACT 16:9 - "Come over to Macedonia and
help us". Jesus does not want to see anyone die in his sin. Before
He ascended, He commissioned the
church to GO into the entire world to bring the Good News of salvation.
The Great Commission is a GOING commission,
so the best way to do missions is to GO! Based on this principle and in
response to the Great Commission, the S.O.S.
as a Church Planting program was born in 1986. Then, SOS has come to
mean SUMMER OF SERVICE.
We challenge Christians to dedicate their summer vacation to participate in
winning the lost and planting a church in a town. Proverbs 10:5 -
He who gathers crops in summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is
a disgraceful son.’
THE PROGRESS OF S.O.S.
The development of the S.O.S. work is a beautiful picture
of Acts Acts 1:8 - “But you will receive
power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.".
S.O.S. as a church-planting program was actually an offshoot of the vision of First Assembly Roxas Missions, Inc., then the First Assembly of God in Roxas City. Rev. Reynaldo Calusay, the Senior pastor challenged his handful of leaders to fill the city with the doctrine of Christ. Ordinary members were trained and mobilized to preach the gospel and conduct evangelistic Bible studies throughout the city. This principle of mobilization of members has been the life force of S.O.S.
The burden to fill the city of Roxas with the doctrine of Christ, grew to reaching the towns of the provinces of Capiz, Iloilo, Aklan and Antique. The first SOS effort in 1986 was organized to assist the church in Pontevedra, Capiz. The resulting impact in the lives of those who participated encouraged the First Assembly leadership to draw up a more structured church-planting program. The following year, 1987, the first SOS formal training was conducted. The almost two hundred volunteers were mobilized to plant churches in Pototan and Dingle, both in Iloilo province. Since then, the S.O.S concept, strategy and methodology has grown and the number of target places and participating churches increased.
Within five years from 1986, churches were planted in all sixteen towns of the province of Capiz. The challenge to go beyond the Island of Panay was acted on in 1991 with the inclusion of target towns in Romblon, Masbate and Sibuyan Island. The volunteers braved crossing the open sea on board pump boats. Target places in Negros Oriental and Occidental were included since 1994.Then the work spread beyond Western Visayas as places were targetetd in other parts of the Visayas Region – in Leyte, Samar, and Biliran. Volunteers and pastors from Cebu who joined the SOS in Leyte paved the way to start SOS work in Cebu in 1995. In the same year, Mindanao area was reached with Tubod, Iligan as the first target. As the SOS concept spread, church and district officials requested for SOS in their areas.
Church planting through S.O.S. has come to a point of `No Turning Back’. In the past two years, the work in Mindanao grew to reach target places in Cotabato, Bukidnon, Davao and Lanao del Norte. Puerto Princesa in Palawan was also reached last year. Will S.O.S. work reach the other nations? It already did. Several of our missionaries to Cambodia, namely, Warren Aragona, Fred Capapas and Jose Estrebilla were pioneer Field Directors of S.O.S. They have modified the SOS strategy and mobilized the Cambodian believers.
A new millenium has commenced, economic, political and social problems increase that can pose many barriers to the work of missions and evangelism. Yet the Lord of the Harvest continues to give the go signal. An even greater army will march this year with the determined line: `NEVERTHESS, I WILL!’