What's Cooking in the Household?

One of the joys in being a member of Couples for Christ is belonging to a household.  In My First Household Meeting, I went into details on what a household is.  It is in the household that one draws support, strength, love, spiritual nourishment so it is not surprising that lasting friendships are forged among the members.

Since the household meetings are held weekly with the members taking turns in being hosts, it has become an avenue to showcase the cooking prowess of the hostess.  If there is no cooking prowess to speak of (joke only) or the hosts weren't able to prepare, restaurants nearby make a killing from their orders.

It is in the household that you can eat bopis, dinuguan, pinakbet, callos, laing, Bicol express, caldereta, papaitan and other Filipino specialties that you can taste during fiestas and gatherings.  Of course, cooking laureat-style is not the norm for Couples for Christ.  Couples for Christ encourages its members to be simple, so it has to be one solid and one liquid.  But the hosts can not be faulted if they prepared something more than what is expected.  This is borne out of love for their co-members, generosity, plain Filipino hospitality and a celebration for a recent blessing.

Food galore at the Figueras' residence

Christmas Party of the Lopez' household, 2009.

When it is our turn to host the household meeting, I usually cater to what our co-members love to eat like spicy Bicol express, laing or ginataang santol.  There are times that I serve new additions to my menu, new learned recipes from friends, cookbooks or the internet, that I am confident enough to have them try.  It flatters my heart no end when I see them enjoying what I have served and having a good time just being together.

Have Fun With Us, Attend the CLP

In Couples for Christ we believe on the saying "The more, the merrier."  We look forward to holding a Christian Life Program or CLP as this will give us new members.  New members mean new friends.  In our twelve years with Couples for Christ, Jun & I started with a handful of friends then as the years passed, we knew almost everybody in the cluster where we belong.  It is totally inevitable because of the never-ending reorganizations caused by changes in service or grouping.

To be one of us is very easy.  All one has to do is to attend a Christian Life Program.  What is the CLP?  The CLP is the entry point of all members to Couples for Christ. It runs for 13 separate weekly sessions that lead the participants into a "renewed understanding of God's call as Christian couples".  It consists of a teaching, a group discussion and fellowship with each session lasting two and half hours.  It aims to eventually bring couples closer to God. The best part of the CLP is that it is free. 

After finishing the CLP, the couples are put into a household, a cell group of four to five couples under a head couple called the Household Leaders.  It is in the household that lasting friendships are formed and the journey to spiritual renewal starts.

Be one of us and have a fun-filled life.  Join the Christian Life Program.  Email me at cfc.westc@gmail.com for more details.

http://www.couplesforchristglobal.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=16&Itemid=14

My First Household Meeting

After finishing the Christian Life Program (CLP), the participants of the CLP are invited to join Couples for Christ (CFC).  They are put into a cell group of between five to seven couples called a household.  The household meets weekly in the houses of the members on a rotation basis.  At the household meeting, the members pray, share experiences on the night's or day's relevant topic and have fellowship after.  It usually takes two and a half hours.  The household is headed by the Household Head.

Our first household meeting was held a week or two after the CLP at the house of our household leaders, Jun and Rose Ricamonte.  Ours was a small household as there were only four couples in our group and that includes our household leaders.  The first meeting was spent mostly on "getting to know you".  Bro. Jun and Sis. Rose were complete strangers to us as they were not our facilitators in the CLP.  The meeting went on smoothly except for one thing, there was no guitar accompaniment.  Our worship sounded empty.  Nobody in the group could play a guitar except for my husband, Jun.  At that time, Jun hasn't played the guitar for fifteen years and had actually given away his guitar.  After that acapella worship, Jun toyed on the idea of relearning how to play the guitar but wait, where's the guitar?

Welcome!

On the day of the face to face session of Module 1 of Ateneo's Certified Blog Entrepreneur Program under Ms. Janette Toral, I learned that the main output of the first module is to come up with a blog within two weeks. It doesn't mean that I have to submit a url of the blog.  It literally means a blog with at least ten posts by Oct. 29.  I said to myself, this is tough what with two other active blogs.  What to do?  The easiest way out for me is to pick one of the existing blogs as my project.  All I have to do is to add the ten posts.

But no.  I decided to make a new blog this time chronicling my journey as a member of Couples for Christ.  I drew inspiration from the comment of Bro. Alex Domingo at the household meeting we had a few days after the face to face session.  He said that Couples for Christ (CFC) should have a website or blog that would answer the concerns of members regarding its teachings.  I deviated from what Bro. Alex cited as I feel I am unworthy of writing about the teachings of CFC. By the way, below is the picture taken by Bro. Junel Ama, our household head, of the household grouping that Jun, my husband and I belong to:

To my readers who are my brothers and sisters in CFC, I hope I can inspire you to find happiness and contentment in serving the Lord.  For non-CFC readers, I truly pray that you will picture yourself among us by joining us in Couples for Christ.  Welcome to all!!!