Mike McClenahan

The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged. Deuteronomy 31:8 Day 1 we visited a local church Compassion project and that afternoon began a three day conference with 75 Compassion staff who serve in the Manila office or in the field to support 330 projects. Working to release children from poverty is hard work. Those in the office support the mission through administrative roles like translating letters and accounting, and others in the field as project specialists, working with local churches to develop partnerships with Compassion.  The Philippines are made up of 2,000 inhabited islands, so churches are spread out in long distances, which means staff are away from their families for sometimes a week at a time, then return for church on Sunday, where they often have responsibilities in ministry. In addition to the challenges of their daily work, they are engaged with the afte...

Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. L earn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.  Isaiah 1:16–17 After breakfast and before our conference began we loaded the bus for a project visit.  Pastor Nay greeted us with smiles and laughter, grateful for our coming. He's led the church and the Compassion project for 13 years and serves 165 children.  Although the projects for education, health, faith and life skills are located in a church building, 80% of the children sponsored are not from the church, but from the neighborhood. Compassion's strategy is to reverse poverty by supporting the development of  1.5 million children worldwide who in turn  impact their families and their communities.  We talked with the director who showed us children's notebooks with birth certificates and health records, educational standards and letters from sponsors. "Letters ar...

I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:3 Of the many motivations for this trip with Compassion international to the Philippines, relationship is high on the list.  WIth Dan in El Salvador 2012 Dan Chun is the Pastor of First Pres Honolulu and we've know each other for 20 years. Dan started in television news, served at Menlo Park and Honolulu Churches. He and his wife Pam founded Hawaiian Island Ministries 30 years ago to support and encourage island churches. Amy and I have attend the 4000 participant HIM Conference almost every spring as attendee or speaker. I appreciate Dan's vision, faith and his commitment to unity among churches in Hawaii. His engagement with Compassion International (comp...

"We are not simply to bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself." Dietrich Bonhoeffer  “Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen:  to loose the chains of injustice  and untie the cords of the yoke,  to set the oppressed free  and break every yoke?" Isaiah 58:6 Amy and I are en route today to the Philippines February 10-22  to serve with Compassion International, Hawaiian Islands Ministries and First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu. We will begin our experience in Manila as a part of the Hawaiian Islands Ministries (HIM) team, where we will lead a conference for about 75 staff of Compassion International in the Philippines. I will be giving a plenary talk and Amy and I will do one workshop together on growing your marriage and another on gifting and calling in ministry.  The HIM Conference (himonline.org) in Honolulu has been a great encouragement to Amy and me over th...

“Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard. Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I." (Isaiah 58:6-9)  For four days last week I fasted and prayed in Solana Beach in solidarity with Fast for Family on the National Mall in Washington, DC. This created an opportunity for me to celebrate Advent in a new way. Advent is a time of waiting, of longing for God to appear as God-With-Us, Wonderful Counselor, Almighty God, the Ev...

Today I'm restarting my a fast in solidarity with Fast for Families: A Call for Immigration and Citizenship . Last Tuesday I finished two days of water-only fasting in the Fast for Families tent on the National Mall. I was compelled to fast in solidarity with the five core fasters who began November 12 and to join them in person.  I began fasting after worship and lunch on Sunday in Solana Beach and caught a red-eye to DC that evening. I arrived at the tent Monday morning with just my backpack with a change of clothes. We began the morning with an orientation: putting on the brown ACT FAST hoodie, introducing of core fasters of Rudy, Eliseo, DJ, Lisa and Christian and telling stories why we all were fasting. The tent is set up as a memorial shrine to those who daily die crossing the desert (1-2) or are deported (1100). There are pictures of immigrants posted on the wall, and a shoe found in the desert from an immigrant who didn’t survive the trek to America. At the ent...