Declare his glory among the nations, his marvelous works among all the peoples! For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. Psalm 96:3-4
Over the years, Rockharbor Church has always had a heart for global missions. Scripture speaks frequently to God’s affection for the “the nations”. If it matters to God, it matters to us! Our desire to see the Gospel spread to the ends of the earth has opened some incredible doors for partnerships in ministry all around the globe. One of those doors that God has recently opened for us is in a country that sits squarely in the 10/40 window: Cambodia.
The 10/40 Window is a rectangular area of North Africa, the Middle East and Asia between 10 degrees north and 40 degrees north latitude. This area is often called “The Resistant Belt” and includes the majority of the world’s Muslims, Hindus, and Buddhists. Most of the people living in this region are still waiting to hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ for the first time. Therefore, the 10/40 window is an incredibly important region for Christian Missionary work.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20
Since 2022, Rockharbor has had a partnership with an organization that is doing amazing Kingdom work all across the globe - Global Training Network. The vision of GTN is to provide quality biblical and theological training to thousands of indigenous church planters, pastor and Christian leaders throughout the Majority World, so that these pastors and leaders can then effectively equip and lead their congregations to evangelize and disciple their communities for Christ.
Pictured here, Greg & Jean Ishmael have attended Rockharbor since 2022, and have been missionaries for GTN for the last decade. They serve faithfully as greeters, serve on our Global Outreach team, and Greg was recently invited to serve as an elder at Rockharbor Church. As missionaries for GTN, they have worked heavily in Kenya, Bangladesh and Cambodia. In his ministry to indigenous pastors and leaders in Cambodia, Greg discovered a unique opportunity to advance the Kingdom that aligned perfectly with Rockharbor’s vision for global outreach.
In the rural forest of the Kampong Speu Province, a small church body of about 70 believers, called Praise the Lord Church, was in need of a permanent church home. They had been meeting under a tree in front of the Pastor’s house.
Upon visiting the church and meeting with leadership, Greg quickly identified the potential for the exponential spread of the Gospel. This church body was centrally located in a region that was home to thousands of Cambodians who have had very little if any exposure to the Good News! Moreover, Cambodia’s government mandates that in order for a church body to be considered a legal entity, they must occupy a physical space. This young church body was in desperate need of a building! And so, through the incredible generosity of faithful Rockharbor attendees, a campaign was launched to help them secure land and build a church home to call their own.
Rockharbor Church was able to gift Praise the Lord Church with land and materials for the church to be build in the heart of the local village. Pastor Santik, a leader at PTL church, church planter and community leader, quickly got to work and hired an indigenous crew to complete the building. Seen here, PTL church now has a beautiful building that will serve as a community center, refuge, beacon of light and a source of hope in the province of Kampong Speu.
In honor of the completion of the new church building and very first Sunday service, Praise the Lord Church invited Pastor Keith Harrington, Joe Lednicky and Greg Ishmael to join them for their inaugural service. This RH Missions Team arrived in Cambodia a few days before the launch to meet church leadership and get to work spreading the word in the local village about the upcoming service! They made home visits to deliver food, hosted a Vacation Bible School for the children of the village, and met local leaders to see what the need were within the community.
Praise the Lord Church celebrated their grand opening and first Sunday service on February 4th! A church body of 70 members hosted over 260 people for their first service! This included government dignitaries, local police officers, tribal chiefs and people from the community excited to learn more about the new building in their village. Pastor Keith preached the first sermon in the new church building and more than 80 people raised their hand to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Praise God!
Rockharbor will also be participating in ministry in an urban context in Cambodia. Through connections with Pastor Santik, we are supporting a Christian Dorm Ministry that offers affordable housing for students coming in from the Provinces to attend University in Pnom Penh. These students are coming from a largely Buddhist environment and are being introduced to the Gospel, invited to participate in church services, join Bible Studies and be discipled by church leaders from Praise the Lord Church. Rockharbor Church is excited to be sponsoring this dorm ministry for the entire year of 2024. Seen here, the RH Missions Team was able to meet these students, share a meal with them, preach the Gospel to them, and commission many of the students to pursue a career in vocational ministry upon graduating!
God is moving powerfully in Cambodia! It was and incredible time of ministry and fellowship for our RH Missions Team. We are excited for our new relationships in Pnom Penh & Kampong Speu and to be able to join leaders in faithful ministry to the beautiful souls of Cambodia! We see God’s mighty hand at work and are overjoyed to be invited into His ministry!
We are excited to announce that we are sending our very first team of Rockharbor Residents on mission to Cambodia in August of 2024!
And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
Our prayer for Praise the Lord Church and for the Christian Dorm Ministry is that so many in the local community would be blessed by their presence and would have the opportunity to hear the Good News of Jesus Christ for the first time! The Gospel of Jesus Christ is moving, and we are grateful for the doors He has opened for us to join Him in His redemptive work in Kampong Speu!
I will make you a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth. Isaiah 49:6
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the found and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1
