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ABOUT ITEAMS PHILS
INTERNATIONAL TEAMS PHILIPPINES, INC. (ITP) is a non-stock, non-profit religious organization . ITP aims to mobilize, equip and deploy missionaries within the Philippines and to countries across the world. The organizations goal is to share God’s love and His plan of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Each missionary serves either with a mission team already functioning in an area or sets up a new one in areas where no team exists yet.
The following are the minimum qualifications of one who desires to join the ranks of ITP missionaries, namely: he must be of legal age, adhering to the same statement of faith as ITP, able to show evidence of his missionary calling and a willingness to undergo training for mission service.
ITP operates by the guiding principle that by God’s grace, ordinary men and women, even those with little financial resources or limited educational preparation can be used by GOD to accomplish the great commission.
The Full Story
HOW THE MIRACLE BEGAN
International Teams Philippines (ITP) was born in the 1980s when foreign missionaries from the USA, Australia, and Canada came to pioneer a ministry for the urban poor. During those times, they were exposed and immersed in the squatter's area of Manila. As they pursued a long-term ministry, their partnership with the Filipinos brought forth learning experiences that ignited and incubated the vision for compassionate evangelism which was subsequently embraced by International Teams worldwide. That opened the door wide for more foreign missionaries desiring to serve amongst the poor, elevating the country to a much favored mission field by the west.
CHALLENGING TIMES
In the later stages of the ministry, Filipinos joined the urban poor work however, conflicts in ministry brought about an exodus of foreign missionaries out of the Philippines. They all went back to their respective countries and the Filipinos were left to fend on their own. The absence of western workers and funding weakened the work. It pushed ministries to a very fast decline. ITP was at the point where they were faced with the dire possibility of closing her doors completely.
In 1999, Pastor Gani Sison became the National Director of ITP. It was a big turning point with all the difficulties and pressing concerns that were present in the organization. Surprisingly, he did not work out a survival plan instead he brought in a vision of a new ITP. This time the focus shifted from ministering in small urban poor communities to mobilizing the whole nation for global missions, which was on a scale of unimaginable proportion . He presented a dream of sending Filipinos to the whole world to bring the gospel of salvation to all. It was a vision that aligns with prophecy given to their nation -- "The Philippines will become a missionary sending nation!" He passionately led the organization towards that dream.
Year 2000, by the grace of God, in what seemed to be the most trying times of ITP, gave birth to a completely new organization which was then called IT East Asia (ITEA). ITEA pursued a strategy which at that time was considered a revolutionary approach to mission work -- pure faith! Without funding from the west, he challenged his fellow Filipinos to focus all their hope and trust in GOD alone. This was the year of the “new wineskin” as ITEA ventured into mobilizing believers for global missions and deploying them not just across the Philippines but to the nations of the world.
PHENOMENAL BLESSINGS & MIRACLES
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From then on miracles began to unfold. In answer to prayers and as God had promised, “THEY WILL COME,” men and women indeed came to heed God's call through "word of mouth". What a great inspiration it is to recall those treasured moments when excitement and anticipation were capturing the hearts of everyone and inspiring them to take their flights of faith and leave their comfort zones. ITEA believed that the fulfilment of God’s promise has begun! It was a foretaste of the massive missionary movement in the Philippines that was to come. The growth even of local Philippine ministries led to the a decision favoring the change of ITEA corporate name back to IT Philippines (ITP).
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In a span of two years from its inception, ITP was able to send out more than a hundred missionaries creating a significant presence in many Asian countries. They managed to get there by boat, by plane, by whatever it took to reach their God- assigned mission field. The faith of everyone was raised to a higher level and one after another, each one was able to go and serve in foreign lands - - even those coming from tribal and underprivileged communities. Sometime 2008, Kevin Dyer, the founder of International Teams, wrote in his newsletter," … ITP has become the fastest growing entity in our global ministry. In fact, today nearly half of all ITeams missionaries worldwide are Filipinos!" It was not just an affirmation for the Philippine ministry but more so for FAITH.
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The same pattern continues now. Filipinos are cross-culturally immersed, sustained and growing in faith and service to God! The greatest miracle has been that all these are funded mostly by Filipinos. As Pastor Gani would say, “It is obvious that we have a special favor from God." The miracles that we continue to see have opened the doors for the young and old, educated and uneducated whose only qualification is their having bold faith to fulfill God's plan in their lives -- even if they have very meager financial resources.
THE MESSAGE STILL LINGERS FOR THE GLOBAL FILIPINO DREAM
The GLOBAL FILIPINO DREAM continues to this very day. In spite of being a nation with limited financial resources, ITP developed a system for mission deployment that makes it possible for ITP to send missionaries all over the world - - a feat formerly achieved only by countries in the West. In twenty two (22) years time, thousands of Filipino missionaries have set foot in over 80 nations. The missionaries who are now actively involved in global missions are a living testament to the fact that by God’s grace, the Global Filipino Dream paradigm of ITP really works!
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Money has never been the issue. It is faith and complete trust in the Lord that enabled these missionaries to dream globally and pursue that dream to its realization.
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The message and call lives on . . . and so the miracle continues .
WHAT WE BELIEVE IN
(Statement of Faith)
We believe in one God, eternally existing in three Persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
We believe that Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit, was born of the virgin Mary, was true God and true man existing in one person and was without sin.
We believe in His representative and substitutionary sacrifice, His bodily resurrection, His ascension to the Father, His present life as Lord of all, High Priest and Advocate, and His personal return in power and glory.
We believe that the Holy Spirit indwells and gives life to believers, enables them to understand and apply the Scriptures, empowers them for godly living and equips them for service and witness.
We believe that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are inspired Word of God, without error in the original documents, fully trustworthy, and the final authority in all matters of Christian faith and life.
We believe that each member of the human race is fallen, sinful and lost; that the shed blood of Jesus Christ provides
the only ground for forgiveness of sins and justification to all who receive Him by faith; and that only through regeneration by the Holy Spirit can they become children of God.
We believe the one, holy, universal Church is the body of Christ, composed of all regenerate people. This redeemed community worships God and seeks to proclaim the Good News to all people.
We believe in the bodily resurrection of the just and the unjust, the everlasting blessedness of the saved, and the everlasting punishment of the lost.
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** We are in union with Lausanne Covenant and accepts the World Evangelical Fellowship Statement of Faith.