Most recent update: February 2, 2012
Latest News/What's Next
2011-12 Ministry Plans -- 2/2/12
Old Fashioned Singalong
We did it! On November 12, we hosted three singing groups and several soloists from various churches in and around Baguio City at our studio for a day of video recording. A DVD of the ten recorded songs have been made available to the singers and numerous pastors who attended a leadership conference in nearby Sablan this January 3-5. The songs can be used during church services for special music, and they will be used as interludes for various teaching videos we will be producing in our studio.
Christmas Outreach
In December we always look for places to conduct outreaches showing our musical movie THE LAMB'S FIRST CHRISTMAS. This year was a special treat as we were able to show the video right in front of our home and studio complex. About 85 children and adults attended the outdoor screening, which included an extra added bonus of special music from writer/musician Sam Alibrando, who, along with his wife Mira, was visiting Mark and Tess for the evening. The outreach was also part of a campaign to reach the people of the subdivision with the Gospel. We tied it into the start of our local Good News Classes and a jeepney service on Sundays to church. See below:
Good News Classes
Tess Yerkes, along with some other volunteer teachers from Grace Baptist Church in Baguio, began teaching Bible classes to children early in December, and they are still taking place every Saturday morning. The children hear Bible stories, learn Christian songs, play games, do crayon pictures based on the Bible stories, and eat snacks together. Tess is especially gifted to minister to children, and these classes hold a particular interest for her, since her first exposure to the Gospel came from these kinds of classes held at a mission church when she was a child.
The average attendance on Saturdays has been about 25, though we have had times when many more came. There were 52 in attendance the morning after our video outreach.
Jeepney Service to Church
Our next step was to start jeepney service to Grace Baptist Church. We usually fill at least one jeep full (about 20 people), but on January 22 we had two full jeeps. That was the day that Mark treated everyone to McDonald's after church. What a blessing for everyone! The costs for hiring the jeeps is covered by Pastor Herb Hayes at GBC.
Adult Bible Study
Mark has been praying for awhile that we could start an adult Bible study on the roof deck of the Videoparables studio. Last week, there was an inquiry from a neighbor if there was an adult class because she had seen the Good News Classes being conducted for the kids. Well, Mark and Tess took this as a sign from the Lord, so the invitations have been sent out and the first adult class will happen this Saturday, after the Good News Class. Of course, a small turnout is anticipated, but we expect it to grow. We will keep you updated in the future regarding this ministry.
The True Vine -- 2/2/12
Our latest video production is complete. This 25-minute teaching tape, utilizing animated photography and video (much of which was taped at vineyards in California in 2011, SEE BELOW), explains the parable of the True Vine in the Gospel of John, chapter 15. We can hardly wait to start giving the DVD's away. Unfortunately, you will have to wait until Mark's return to the States in May to see the video loaded onto this website; the Internet connection is too slow in Baguio City for us to upload such a large file.
Preaching Tour of Manila-- 2/2/12
Please pray for Mark as he goes to Manila for eight days of ministry between February 18-26. He is already scheduled to preach seven times during that period, including an evangelistic outreach on Sunday the 19th and another on Tuesday the 22nd. In addition there will be opportunities to meet many pastors and visit a new mission church in Cavite. Pray for the help of the Holy Spirit in bringing forth the Gospel. Pray even now that hearts will be prepared to receive Christ.
Armed Gunman Apprehended-- 8/19/11
The past couple of weeks were troubling for Mark and Tess. Four armed gunmen began committing crimes in their subdivision. On a Friday night, they surrounded the truck of one of the neighbors in the subdivision. When he drove away to escape, they shot up the truck and sent him to the hospital with a bullet injury. The next night the four committed a home-invasion robbery of a house directly above the Videoparables studio. Again, many shots were fired. The good news is that some of the subdivision residents fired back at them and hit one of them in the leg. He was dropped off at a local hospital by the other gunmen, where the Baguio police were able to arrest him. The criminals were videotaped on closed-circuit television at the house they robbed, and it is our hope that the others will also eventually be captured.
Mark and Tess wish to express their gratitude to God and also to all of you who prayed on their behalf. It was especially difficult for Mark being away during such a troubling time, but God is always in control. These events have already brought positive changes to the subdivision: seven new street lights are being added, and the police are putting an outpost in the community. Praise God!
Three Videos on Intelligent Design -- 8/9/11
You will notice a new page added to the website: Movies & Docs. This page will be for our videos (and video segments) that are longer than nine minutes in length. "The Unmerciful Servant" video has been moved to this page, and we have uploaded our documentary series on Intelligent Design. They are: "The Universe: A Masterpiece of Beauty and Order"; "Our Unique Planet"; and "The Amazing Tarsier". Each of these three videos are in English or Tagalog-language versions.
Jesus is the True Vine.
Mark took a trip to the vineyards of Santa Ynez, California, on July 22 to take video and photographs for a future teaching tape on Jesus' claim to be the True Vine (John 15:1). What did he mean when he said, "I am the Vine; you are the branches"? The teaching tape should be completed in November as one of the first productions shot in the new studio (see the Construction article and video below). Though the vineyard shots will be useful, a second shooting trip will be taken in late September to coincide with harvest of the grapes.
Old Fashioned Singalong
We did it! On November 12, we hosted three singing groups and several soloists from various churches in and around Baguio City at our studio for a day of video recording. A DVD of the ten recorded songs have been made available to the singers and numerous pastors who attended a leadership conference in nearby Sablan this January 3-5. The songs can be used during church services for special music, and they will be used as interludes for various teaching videos we will be producing in our studio.
Christmas Outreach
In December we always look for places to conduct outreaches showing our musical movie THE LAMB'S FIRST CHRISTMAS. This year was a special treat as we were able to show the video right in front of our home and studio complex. About 85 children and adults attended the outdoor screening, which included an extra added bonus of special music from writer/musician Sam Alibrando, who, along with his wife Mira, was visiting Mark and Tess for the evening. The outreach was also part of a campaign to reach the people of the subdivision with the Gospel. We tied it into the start of our local Good News Classes and a jeepney service on Sundays to church. See below:
Good News Classes
Tess Yerkes, along with some other volunteer teachers from Grace Baptist Church in Baguio, began teaching Bible classes to children early in December, and they are still taking place every Saturday morning. The children hear Bible stories, learn Christian songs, play games, do crayon pictures based on the Bible stories, and eat snacks together. Tess is especially gifted to minister to children, and these classes hold a particular interest for her, since her first exposure to the Gospel came from these kinds of classes held at a mission church when she was a child.
The average attendance on Saturdays has been about 25, though we have had times when many more came. There were 52 in attendance the morning after our video outreach.
Jeepney Service to Church
Our next step was to start jeepney service to Grace Baptist Church. We usually fill at least one jeep full (about 20 people), but on January 22 we had two full jeeps. That was the day that Mark treated everyone to McDonald's after church. What a blessing for everyone! The costs for hiring the jeeps is covered by Pastor Herb Hayes at GBC.
Adult Bible Study
Mark has been praying for awhile that we could start an adult Bible study on the roof deck of the Videoparables studio. Last week, there was an inquiry from a neighbor if there was an adult class because she had seen the Good News Classes being conducted for the kids. Well, Mark and Tess took this as a sign from the Lord, so the invitations have been sent out and the first adult class will happen this Saturday, after the Good News Class. Of course, a small turnout is anticipated, but we expect it to grow. We will keep you updated in the future regarding this ministry.
The True Vine -- 2/2/12
Our latest video production is complete. This 25-minute teaching tape, utilizing animated photography and video (much of which was taped at vineyards in California in 2011, SEE BELOW), explains the parable of the True Vine in the Gospel of John, chapter 15. We can hardly wait to start giving the DVD's away. Unfortunately, you will have to wait until Mark's return to the States in May to see the video loaded onto this website; the Internet connection is too slow in Baguio City for us to upload such a large file.
Preaching Tour of Manila-- 2/2/12
Please pray for Mark as he goes to Manila for eight days of ministry between February 18-26. He is already scheduled to preach seven times during that period, including an evangelistic outreach on Sunday the 19th and another on Tuesday the 22nd. In addition there will be opportunities to meet many pastors and visit a new mission church in Cavite. Pray for the help of the Holy Spirit in bringing forth the Gospel. Pray even now that hearts will be prepared to receive Christ.
Armed Gunman Apprehended-- 8/19/11
The past couple of weeks were troubling for Mark and Tess. Four armed gunmen began committing crimes in their subdivision. On a Friday night, they surrounded the truck of one of the neighbors in the subdivision. When he drove away to escape, they shot up the truck and sent him to the hospital with a bullet injury. The next night the four committed a home-invasion robbery of a house directly above the Videoparables studio. Again, many shots were fired. The good news is that some of the subdivision residents fired back at them and hit one of them in the leg. He was dropped off at a local hospital by the other gunmen, where the Baguio police were able to arrest him. The criminals were videotaped on closed-circuit television at the house they robbed, and it is our hope that the others will also eventually be captured.
Mark and Tess wish to express their gratitude to God and also to all of you who prayed on their behalf. It was especially difficult for Mark being away during such a troubling time, but God is always in control. These events have already brought positive changes to the subdivision: seven new street lights are being added, and the police are putting an outpost in the community. Praise God!
Three Videos on Intelligent Design -- 8/9/11
You will notice a new page added to the website: Movies & Docs. This page will be for our videos (and video segments) that are longer than nine minutes in length. "The Unmerciful Servant" video has been moved to this page, and we have uploaded our documentary series on Intelligent Design. They are: "The Universe: A Masterpiece of Beauty and Order"; "Our Unique Planet"; and "The Amazing Tarsier". Each of these three videos are in English or Tagalog-language versions.
Jesus is the True Vine.
Mark took a trip to the vineyards of Santa Ynez, California, on July 22 to take video and photographs for a future teaching tape on Jesus' claim to be the True Vine (John 15:1). What did he mean when he said, "I am the Vine; you are the branches"? The teaching tape should be completed in November as one of the first productions shot in the new studio (see the Construction article and video below). Though the vineyard shots will be useful, a second shooting trip will be taken in late September to coincide with harvest of the grapes.
Our Building Project
From balcony looking at the permanent stage set.
Praise God that we were able to finish construction of the new studio/multi-purpose room on our property. We started building at the beginning of November 2010 (the end of rainy season) and completed the project in time for our dedication ceremony on May 14, 2011 (at the beginning of rainy season). A lot of work was done to get the interior just right. We have acoustic treatment and ten-foot curtains that enclose the interior, a fifteen-foot-high ceiling, colored-glass windows, and even lighting bars that can be raised and lowered from ceiling to floor. But the most important element is that there is enough floor space to accommodate equipment and crew, or 25-30 chairs for seminars and Bible studies. Our May 14 dedication ceremony came on a night with a downpour of rain, but we had a great time and stayed perfectly dry. Pastor Herb Hayes of Grace Baptist Church spoke about the meaning of dedication, and, truly, this building belongs to God. Also, Dorothy Yerkes was honored with a short video about her life as we remembered her and gave thanks for the resources she left behind when she went to be with the Lord. It was these resources that allowed us to build the new building. WATCH THE TIME-LAPSE VIDEO OF THE VIDEOPARABLES STUDIO CONSTRUCTION BELOW:
Church Planted in Catanduanes
(CLICK ON THIS PHOTO TO VIEW THE SLIDES)
The photo here took place in Magnesia del Sur on the island of Catanduanes. The village is located about a thirty-minutes drive from the town of Virac. The barangay next to this one (Magnesia del Norte) has an old Catholic church, but there was no evangelical presence here until Palm Sunday of 2011. Mark and Tess spent a week here. Mark taught evangelism at Pastor Frank Arcilla's Bible Christian Baptist Church in Virac for three consecutive nights before the volunteers of the congregation began their outreach. Friday and Saturday during daylight, the volunteers conducted visitation and held Bible classes and games for the children - likewise on Saturday. On Friday night, Mark showed the three Creation videos ("Our Unique Planet"; "The Universe: a Masterpiece of Beauty and Order"; and "The Amazing Tarsier") followed by a brief message and invitation to accept God's gift of salvation. The next night more Videoparable movies were shown, along with music and testimonies, and the first worship service was held the next afternoon. God is so good! Let us continue in prayer for this infant church, led by Franklin Arcilla (Ptr. Frank's son). Indeed, most of the attenders are youth and young adults.
