The roots of REACH Inc. stretch back to an evangelistic Bible study in Olongapo in 1953. Gene Tabor was a U.S. Navy man conducting a Bible study with Filipinos in and around the U.S. base. Though tempted to give up, he claimed Isaiah 42:4 as a promise from the Lord.
He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth; and the isles shall wait for his law.
Eleven men and women eventually accepted the Lord in that Bible study. They were a down payment on God’s promise toward a disciple-making ministry in the future. Gene returned to the Philippines with his family in the 1960s under the Navigator banner. Fruitful ministry and innovation laid the foundation for the contextualized disciple making ministry that became REACH, Inc. in 1976. Through the years, thousands of men and women embraced Christ and experienced new birth and hope. They walked with Him, were transformed in His presence by His Word, and responded to God’s call to discipleship, while learning to draw on His resurrection power to make an impact within our twisted and broken world.
Strategies & Activities
Persevering follow-up, excitement of changed lives, commitment and taking God and His Word seriously are necessary ingredients to make a lasting impact on a broken world. How that is accomplished varies according to the local context.
Group Identity
The Philippines is a highly relational and family oriented culture. Identity is often tied to belonging to a group. In REACH, new disciples find acceptance and develop security with God and their new spiritual family in a local ministry that provides mutual love and support
When security is established, values and character can be addressed. Kingdom values are more effectively transferred in the Philippine context through interaction, leading to group affirmation of Biblical principles. Group quiet times, small-group Bible studies and regular fellowships create a ripe environment for spiritual growth.
However, this does not negate the importance of one-on-one follow-up where personal issues can be opened and dealt with so the disciple can be conformed to and complete in Christ.
Continuous Discipleship Training
Establishing and equipping disciples is a process that takes time. Disciplemakers on the frontline of a spiritual battlefield also need encouragement retooling from time to time. Therefore, conferences, special speakers, high school summer camps, and collegiate summer training programs are organized to support the mentoring process and keep workers focused and fit for service.
Community Transformation
Inherent in the REACH vision of infiltrative disciple making is community transformation. REACH corporately and individually is involved in several activities to bring about broader change.
- Relief Work
- Resources Development Cooperative (RDC)
- Meyer Memorial Study Loan Program
- Christian Farmers Multipurpose Cooperative
- Values Transformation Seminars
- Tutorial Services
- Schools
Ministry Tools
Walk through a Christian bookstore and many of the materials you see are imported from rich, Western countries. Even when translated, they may not speak to Filipino conditions. Therefore, REACH felt an urgent need for materials written by Filipinos for Filipinos that incorporate our rich heritage in conveying discipleship principles.
How We Operate
REACH has nine official ministry areas and is expanding to other areas as the Holy Spirit leads. There are also small groups of alumni or friends of the ministry meeting in other communities.
Staffing for these ministry areas is mostly by self-supporting professionals since the full-time-worker model can be crippling in the developing world. However, a small cadre of local and foreign missionaries serve full time to strengthen existing ministries and pioneer new areas in ethnic communities and on university campuses.
Recent graduates may also serve short term as interns to hone their disciple-making skills, and at the same time, help in various ministry responsibilities. A dedicated crew of office personnel keep the ministry operating at an organizational level.
By God’s grace, REACH is sending full-time and bi-vocational people to establish contextualized, infiltrative disciple-making ministries in Southeast Asia.
How is REACH Supported?
REACH is supported mainly by people helped through the ministry and those who believe in its mission. The discipleship community looks to God to direct people to give as they learn about current needs.
Ministry staff are largely self-supporting, but actual ministry expenses are funded by voluntary contributions from valued donors. Such gifts are instrumental in advancing the pioneering aspects of the work, including emergency and disaster relief, medical care, field-staff support, leadership development, and capitalization for economic projects.
How Can I Help?
If you have further questions about the ministry or would like to know how to partner with REACH, you may contact us through one of the means below.