Church

Objectives:

1. Expand the number of cell groups in current and new CHO target areas.

2. Increase Bible knowledge and teaching capacity of CHO church planting staff and cell group leaders.

3. Introduce separate workshop training for men, women, youth and children..

4. To provide community access to Christian ceremonies (weddings, funerals, christenings etc) at local churches and build a Christian cemetery.

CHO aims to share the gospel through all of its programs, though also specifically aims to grow the local church. In the next six years, CHO aims to have sixty churches along the long border with Thailand, equipping these churches through the training of church leaders.

The church planting scheme focuses initially on villages in the O'Chrouv and Malai districts, as these have particularly been affected by the war between 1979 and 1998. As a result, these districts have a high level of issues such as child trafficking and are populated by many people who have not heard the gospel . Thus the need for Christianity here is great.

CHO also runs workshops for existing church leaders in order to increase their scriptural knowledge as well as holding monthly meetings for all pastors in the O'Chrouv and Malai districts, in order to unify and strengthen the churches. Each Christmas, all the churches join together and each church takes it in turn to host the celebrations.

Cambodian women are often heads of hoseholds and are largely more receptive to the gospel. Thus women's ministry is a priority, to equip and enthuse women of God, so as to reach men. CHO also has a thriving children’s and youth ministry; every church has a Sunday school in which Biblical stories, Christian beliefs and morals are taught and a youth group is run in Poipet. This is in order to give children strong foundations in the Christian faith.

CHO staff attend a devotional session every morning in order to spiritually equip them, and help them to share the gospel within the projects in which they serve. The annual staff retreat also provides an opportunity for prayer and mutual spiritual encouragement. The church planting team within CHO commits to praying for the projects every day and as part of their work they visit the projects to pray with those involved.