What is GateWay Ministries:
In 1998 Nathan Leigh and DD were ministering in the Philippines with a mission group. He and his family had arrived in the Philippines in 1994, where Nathan worked in 4 different areas of Manila making disciples and developing leadership teams. His wife Armida (DD) began ministering at Faith Academy as an educational therapist working with learning disabled students. The mission the Leighs were with moved to become a church planting mission exclusively. This led the Leighs to begin a mission that would allow them to continue the ministries they had begun 4 years earlier. GateWay Ministries (GWM) was incorporated as a non-profit mission in 1999, enabling the Leighs to continue the call God gave them in 1993.
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Since the beginning of GWM the Leigh's ministry moved from working with several Churches and organizations, to now being involved with one movement. Christ Commission Fellowship (CCF) is a movement that plants “small group” churches with a DNA of “Making Christ commitment followers that will make Christ committed followers”. This movement has planted 40 satellites through out the Philippines. The Satellite sizes are varied based on age and geography. The largest is in Metro Manila and has 40,000 in attendance, which consists of 4 services each Sunday. Many others are several thousand, but the majority average between 500 – 900 attendees. All are built on small group discipleship, which allows even the larger Satellites to retain intimacy as a Church. The average for each Satellite is 55% of its attendees are involved in small groups. In November of 2011 Nathan was asked to become Associate Director of Missions for the CCF Movement. Beginning in 2012 He began functioning in that position and was asked to be Department head of International Satellites. The Mission Movement has three Arms; Planting of indigenous churches in various countries (many cannot be named for safety reasons) which is overseen by the Director of the Mission, planting of Satellites in the Philippines, overseen by another brother, and planting of International Satellites, which Nathan oversees. He and DD visit and encourage the individuals that are starting and growing small group churches in various countries. God has produced more than 14 International Satellites, including in Singapore, Sydney, Auckland, Canada, USA and in Middle East countries which will remain unnamed for obvious reasons. God has also brought forth two men to help with the load. One that oversees North America and one that oversees the Middle East. There are also over 10 more possible Satellites where individuals are seeking to begin small groups that will grow into actual Satellites...And the Adventure continues! Nathan has been led to step down as the Associate Director, a Philippine national will step into that position. Nathan was informed by his Rheumatoid doctor that the medication in the Philippines was no longer working. Nathan needed to move to the newest medications which are not affordable in the Philippines for a missionary. He was told that if he did not get on these medications he might be in a wheel chair within 3 years. After some difficult prayer, Nathan faced the reality that God was moving he and DD back to the USA. Living in the Washington DC area, Nathan and CCF are continuing to work together. Nathan & DD are beginning to connect with Filipinos in the area, disciple them and teach them the DNA of small group church. They are also connecting to western churches that are interested in small group church DNA. Several key connections have already happened and as of now GateWay Ministries will continue, except now training internationals living in the USA.