Barakah Ministries Creation Care Farm in the Philippines
Do you want to see children and youth embrace a holistic Christian faith and become transformation influencers in the church and society? Could you help develop a sustainable farm and ministry in the Philippines?
Train and mentor children and youth to develop holistic faith. Give youth an outlook and confidence to become influencers of change in their community, nation, and the world.
Work with local Filipinos to expand the work among youth in churches and local elementary and high schools.
Six Month to One Year Sessions are Flexible, beginning in January 2025 and finishing by December 31, 2026.
Background
The Philippines has a young population with a median age of 25 and around 35% of the population under 18. Like everywhere, children and youth are exposed to the pressures of social media (The Philippines is ranked number 1 globally for time spent on social media). Because many Filipinos work overseas, only 67% of children are reared by both parents. Drug use and mental health problems are widespread.
Many children and youth attend church youth groups. However, more engagement is needed besides evangelism to address young people's challenges. Holistic discipleship is urgently required to be relevant to the broader society and to bring transformation.
By focusing on youth and children, we are helping prepare the next generation to bring sustainable change to the community and the church in the Philippines.
Overview
Get familiar with the Barakah Ministry, the local churches, and Christian schools. Visit church youth/Sunday schools to lead interactive and hands-on fun activities on Creation and Creation Care.Youth Programs
Organize day camps and summer camps for children and youth. Aim themes and activities at building a holistic faith and developing leadership skills in youth.Church
Conduct programs for churches in youth/children community action and leadership.
Creation Care
Develop creation care and syntropic farming to help make Barakah Ministry financially sustainable.
The Barakah Farm
Barakah Farm was started and run by Eric & Sandra Read,
Barakah Farm is a 4-hectare farm located in Bukidnon Province on the island of Mindanao in The Philippines. It is just 30 minutes from Cagayan de Oro City (CDO), a predominantly commercial/industrial city with a population of 728,000 (2020).
The farm has been run using natural farming methods. It more recently has started experimenting with syntropic farming, a regenerative agroforestry approach using natural regeneration principles for food production and restoration of the land.
In the last 5 years, the numbers and types of different butterflies, dragonflies, and colorful birds increased significantly, from lemon-yellow orioles to green parrots, blue kingfishers, moorhens nesting in the grasses, etc. Iguanas and many kinds of lizards and frogs are spotted occasionally. The flowering trees and plants attract pollinators, including wild bees with nests on the farm. Many young fruit trees (papaya, jackfruit, guava) should become productive in 2024.
The ministry has established a good relationship with the local government and community, including regular Bible studies, youth groups, and children’s groups.
The Barakah Ministry is partially funded as a registered farm business.
Planned Children & Youth Activities
• Host creation care visits of church groups
• Day retreats at a community centre
• Process and retail farm produce
• Promote and demonstrate syntropic farming
Current Activities
• Weekly bible studies
• Weekly children’s programs
• Weekly youth fellowship
• Converting farm to syntropic agroforestry
Candidate Qualifications
Educational Requirement
Some college is preferred, though not required. All applicants must have a High School Diploma. Those with college degrees or post-graduate studies will likely be given additional responsibilities and tasks during the fellowship.
Outreach Experience
Some church group outreach or college outreach experience is preferred.
YWAM Experience
Preferred, but not required.
Language Requirement
English. There will be a need to learn conversational Cebuano, spoken throughout the central and southern Philippines. Most people, especially the youth, have a basic grasp of English, and the college-educated usually have good English.
Fields of Study (Desired)
Arts, Entertainment, Sports, Creation Care
Number of Fellows
1
Cross Cultural Requirement
None. This may be a first outreach experience.
Note
This Converge Fellowship is most suited to males.
Additional Details
Internet Access
On-site (Fee-based)
Transportation
Public Bus/Metro
Housing
Apartment
Dining
Cook Own Food in Shared Kitchen
Safety
Free to Move Around Alone
Attire
Very Informal
Eric & Sandra Read
Demonstrating natural farming models alongside equipping churches with holistic missions for real community impact.
Education
MSc Rural Engineering (Water Supplies option), Cranfield Institute of Technology, UK
Mission Partners with Church Mission Society UK.
