Wanted: Home Church Leader, An Interview with Bro. Milton Amayun

To whom much is given, much is required (Luke 12:48). Amidst the pandemic, Bro. Milton Amayun was elected as the new leader of the Luke Home Church, a daunting task even for a long-time Christian. In this up close and personal interview, Bro. Milton talks to us about his new role and how his past experiences helped his present assignment, and his vision and plans moving forward.

1. Can you tell us about what has been keeping you preoccupied these days? How has life been for you since the beginning of the pandemic?

The pandemic brought a time of relative quiet to my travel and meeting schedule. Pre-pandemic, I used to be in and out of airports and airplanes almost every week. And there were meetings of all kinds daily. The lockdowns have shifted the travel schedule to a virtual schedule on zoom.

My wife and I left International Care Ministries as President and Medical Director respectively at the end of the year, but I found myself free to do some of the things I love most. I now teach graduate students two nights a week three hours each time at De La Salle University's College of Liberal Arts. I am Board President of Kids Island Philippines, a small ministry to help impoverished children in Pampanga. I am currently Board Secretary of the UN Global Compact Network Philippines, an association of large corporations in the Philippines that are committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. I mentor young Harvard alumni in the Harvard Alumni for Global Development network. I am an advisor to The Hunger Project, an effort to reduce malnutrition in the Philippines. I am active in the SE Asia Medical Missions Forum. These are all in addition to being in the Luke Home Church. Late at night, I read, play video games or watch a movie on Netflix.

2. Tell us how you started attending Luke Home Church. What stood out for you from that experience?

In March 2020, Sis. Raija and I were asked to leave the hotel residence we were living in because it had to temporarily suspend operations. She returned home to the US, but for 70 days before I rejoined her, I was a house guest of Pastors Diwa and Apple Guinigundo, the hosts of the Luke Home Church. So I participated in a daily routine of fasting, prayer, Bible study, exercise, dinner and fellowship. That was how we got grafted to the Luke Home Church.

The experience allowed me significant opportunities to reflect on my eternal values. It re-lit my love for Scripture meditation, allowing the Holy Spirit to renew my mind.

3. What was your reaction when you were elected as the new Home Church leader?

I was surprised, of course! But I thank the Lord for the opportunity to serve.

4. What past experiences or skills do you think prepared you the most for your assignment as the new Luke Home Church leader?

Wherever we have lived, Sis. Raija and I always associated ourselves with the local church, and where there were none, we assembled our friends and started one. She comes from a Lutheran background, while I was raised a Baptist. We were married in a Christian Missionary Alliance Church in Bangkok. Our first assignment together was Costa Rica, where we joined the Evangelical Methodist Church. Next was Cambodia, where we were part of the church of the then expatriate community in Phnom Penh. At Harvard, we started a weekly Bible study with a few other students and worshipped on Sundays in the Ruggles Baptist Church two blocks from our student housing. After graduation, we were sent to Ethiopia, which was then under Marxist rule. We attended the only church open to expatriates. All other churches in the country worshipped secretly.

From East Africa, we were assigned to the edge of the desert in Senegal, West Africa. We drove 50 miles to the Lutheran Church in St. Louis in the morning and worshipped in the afternoon with the Baptist missionary family in Louga where we lived. From there, we were assigned to World Vision Headquarters just outside Los Angeles. We worshipped in the small century-old church in downtown San Dimas, California. Cotonou, Benin was our last assignment before coming to the Philippines. I started a daily Bible study in my office. On Sunday afternoons, we hosted the English-speaking Evangelical congregation in our living room. But the most significant legacy of our sojourn in Benin was the Bible study group of doctors and pharmacists that we hosted every Friday evening. Before we left Benin, we formed the group into the Association of Christian Physicians and Pharmacists of Benin. The group continues to grow, and has even hosted a Francophone West Africa regional meeting of the International Christian Medical and Dental Association.

5. Tell us about the first things you did as a Home Church leader?

The first thing we did was to listen to the members and plan. We fixed the frequency of meetings, rules of engagement and possible topics of interest.

6. What do you think sets your Home Church apart?

We have so much talent and mature Christians in the group, including four pastors of FOCIM! We will make good use of their gifts in sharing, fellowship, worship and encouragement.

7. What are some of the plans you have for the Home Church in the future?

We will explore issues, share life experiences and learn new songs, skills and spiritual principles. But we will remain faithful to God's Word, making sure it penetrates our lives for service to the Kingdom, to others and to the nation.