West C Celebrates Beloved Weekend

L

ast Friday, February 28, all roads led to Baguio City as far as leaders and members of Couples for Christ West C Sector is concerned.  A good number brought along their cars and vans while others took the ever reliable Victory Liner buses and others rode the buses chartered for the occasion. For those who brought their cars like us, the luggage compartment was packed to the rafters with cooked and uncooked food, cooler with all kinds of drinks, shoes, clothes, pillows for those who cannot sleep without the familiar cushion under their head, junk food for munching while listening to the speakers.

West C really knew how to have fun.  Everyone had a fantastic time last Friday during the Fellowship Night.  Just like Facebook, the theme for this special night is Flashback Friday.  All six clusters had prepared presentations representing the era assigned to them, from the Rolling 60s to the present decade, 2010s.  It was an opportunity for the different clusters to be adjudged the best through the usual contest criteria and audience vote.  For the “Best Ka-look-alike”, audience vote made it for the winner who came from the cluster with the most number of delegates.  The moral of the story is to be in Baguio for the first activity to lend support to one's cluster.  For the cluster presentations, it did not result to a popularity contest though as there was a panel of judges composed of leaders from different sectors.  The announcement of the winners was made at the close of the conference two days after. 

The following two days commenced with the recitation of the Holy Rosary.  A Holy Mass and worship were held before Bro. Mandy Constantino, one of the members of West C’s SGT, gave the Prologue of the Beloved Weekend.  Bro. Joel Dayao, Provincial Area Head of Capiz, tackled talk 1 entitled Ponder, The Family of Love. Two more talks were given in the afternoon by Bro. James Solano, a member of the International Council and Bro. Rommel Ancheta of Ablaze Communications.  As always there were sharings by our brothers and sisters to highlight and underscore the message of the talks.  The Saturday program was ended with the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, a way of honouring the Holy Eucharist by exposing it in proper solemnity so the faithful will pay homage and devotion to it.  Though tired and hungry from a day long activity, everyone went home to their respective dwellings spiritually fulfilled.

Still sleepy from the fellowship that happened in the various cottages and dwellings the night before, everyone trooped to the Teachers' Camp for the culmination of the conference and the Holy Mass. The fourth and last talk was given by Bro. Manny Garcia, another member of the International Council with a heart rending sharing from his wife Sis. Ditas.  

Just like previous conferences, the Beloved Weekend ended with a rousing praise fest led by our very own sector head, Bro. Steve Maningat and the announcement of the clusters which best presented the era assigned to them.  Though not everybody could be proclaimed winners, the important part is everyone had fun practicing for the presentations.

Meet the Ancop Scholars

Much has been said about Ancop's Child Sponsorship Program which is the direct beneficiary of the Ancop Global Walk but seldom can an article be found featuring an Ancop scholar. At the presscon of the Ancop Global Walk 2012, I was fortunate to talk with three of the Ancop scholars, namely, Simon Jake Beringuela, Ken Mark Agustin and John Ray Supera, all of Bagong Silang, Kalookan City.  All of them are residents of the Ancop sites at Bagong Silang.  Each one of them has a story to tell.

Simon, Ken and John Ray, the faces of Ancop Global Walk

Simon Jake Beringuela at 19 years old, is the oldest among the three.  He took up Accountancy at  the University of Caloocan and is currently attending review classes at CPAR for the CPA board in November. Orphaned by his father when he was in third year high school, his mother raised all four children by selling soda.  There never was not enough money for food and other basic expenses and the education of Simon and his siblings was sidelined.  Simon is grateful for being chosen as one of the Ancop scholars.  His dream of becoming an accountant is fast becoming a reality and hopefully this will help in plucking his mother and siblings out of poverty.

Another future accountant is Ken Mark Agustin, the poster boy of Ancop Global Walk.    Like Simon, he is in review classes at CPAR.  He is very grateful to his benefactor for sending him to college and as an added bonus, shouldered his fees for the review classes.  Second child of four children of a taxi driver and a housewife, he is the embodiment of his parents' hope for a better life.  Ken did not stop going to school even if there was not enough to start with.  His siblings stopped their schooling to give way to Ken's.  Unlike his siblings, Ken is smart and intelligent and his parents staked whatever meager resources they had on him.  They were not disappointed, he graduated magna cum laude from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines.

John Ray Supera is a Grade 6 pupil at the Amparo Elementary School. At a tender age of 11, he dreams of becoming a scientist someday.  With an Ancop scholarship, John Ray is confident that he will be able to alleviate his family's plight as it answers not only the tuition fees but have enough left for transportation and projects.

Simon's, Ken's and John Ray's stories are stories of faith and hope.  In seeing Jesus Christ in the faces of thousands of Simons, Kens and John Rays, hope springs eternal.  Contact us through this website or through email at cfc.westc@gmail.com.

Small Things... Big Dreams

Mother Teresa of Calcutta often said that little things done with great love often leave a lasting impact on a person. Thus, one need not perform grandiose things to make a mark. This is exactly the concept behind Ancop's Global Walk (AGW). By setting aside a measly P10 a day for a month,  one can participate in the walkathon that would help send a poor child to school.

To jumpstart the preparations for this year's Global Walk,  the West C sector under Steve Maningat launched the 2012 Global Walk last April 25 at the Santuario de San Vicente de Paul.  The main speaker for the night was Eric delos Reyes, ANCOP President. He rallied the members of the sector to support this cause which aims to raise funds in order to send less fortunate children to school, hopefully twice as many as those who were given scholarships as a result of last year's walk activity.  Adding pizzaz to the occasion was the attendance of the reigning Miss Philippines-Earth, ANCOP Global Walk advocate and SFC member Athena Imperial.  ANCOP Global Walk overall head Paolo Maningat talked on the importance of getting more walkers and donations to meet the overall target.

The sector activity was a prelude to the second ANCOP Global Walk that will be held on August 12 at 5 in the morning at the Quirino Grandstand.  The Walk will be done near simultaneously with other ANCOP Walks all over the world.  Walkers are encouraged to be a disciple of change, a harbinger of hope for children, whose continuing education provides that spark of light for a future that will be bright for them and their families.


This article came out recently at the Ugnayan supplement of the CBCP Monitor.

On Being God's Children

From the Catholic encyclopedia, recollection means attention to the presence of God in the soul.  It consists of detaching oneself from worldly matters to attend to God and to one’s soul.  Such departure from the usual distractions helps in rekindling one’s relationship with God and hopefully will lead to a spiritual renewal.

The West C Sector was fortunate to have Fr. Sonny Ramirez, OP as its speaker for this year’s Lenten Recollection. It was held in the evening of Holy Tuesday at the Our Lady of Consolation Parish at the Mira Nila Homes in Quezon City.

Fr. Sonny Ramirez, OP

The church was jam packed to the last pew so with the parking lot.  All came ready to do some soul searching and relaxation.  It also helped that Fr. Sonny was the guest speaker and after two years of not hearing or seeing him on TV and radio due to a near fatal stroke, everyone was eager to hear him out.

He started with the question “Sino ka?”  One answered that he is a child of God.  Fr. Sonny said that we are all God’s children and being such, He has only good plans for us, His children.  He sent His Son to live on earth only to die on the cross for our salvation. 

Problems occur when we do things that are not pleasing to Him.  Power that doesn’t fail to intoxicate us, material things that make us secure and invincible, sudden fame. All of these may hinder us from having a relationship with Him.  When we remain complacent and unresponsive to the cares in the world, we might find ourselves one day stripped of everything that are valuable to us.

Not all is lost.  Pleasing God, which is everyone’s primary reason for existence, is easy.  We can do things that make us and our loved ones happy provided that we do only good things.  Let us open our hearts and listen to the musings of the people around us.  Do you see Jesus in their faces, hear Jesus’ voice?

2000 Hail Marys

Last Sunday was an auspicious day for me.  It marked my first participation in the 2000 Hail Mary's.  It was sponsored by our chapter and as such, my husband and I arrived early at the venue, the ground floor of Bahay Rekoleto at Our Lady of Consolation Parish in Quezon City.

From home, I brought food to be shared with everyone, crucifix, table cloth, candles, projector, laptop and of course, a rosary.  The image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, flowers, prayer guides and a tall vase to be used as a receptacle for the personal petitions were brought by Sis. Rose Banzon and Sis. Estela Baytan.

It was on March 25, 1933 when a teenage Salesian seminarian, Juan Riu Farran, heard from a co-seminarian that he will obtain at least three graces if he prays 2000 Hail Mary's on  the feast of the Incarnation of the Son of God.  When the day arrived, Riu prayed the 2000 Hail Mary's and asked that he become a Salesian, to become a priest and to become a missionary.  In a span of 19 years, Riu obtained all three graces.  The devotion of the 2000 Holy Mary's has spread to many countries with the Marian devotion and fervor of the Filipino people.

How do you go about with the 2000 Hail Mary's?  From the 2000 Hail Mary's, a sample schedule is attached though the time could be adjusted.  The sequence of the prayers are included plus the Divine Mercy chaplet and other prayers.  There are 20 petitions and the prayer leaders for each petition have to lead in praying 100 Hail Mary's.  After completing the 100 Hail Mary's, personal petitions that are written in small pieces of paper could be dropped in a vase, box or any container.  To mark each petition that just ended, a rose is put in a vase.  To check on how many petitions had been prayed for, one has to count the roses in the vase.  Dropping of petitions while in the midst of praying the 100 Hail Mary's is allowed though it would be better if it will be done in between praying of the petitions so as not to distract the body.  

After singing praises to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the petitions in the vase should be burned. Usually it takes nine hours for the entire proceeding to be completed.

While I was writing down my petitions, I sensed a liberating experience in entrusting my cares and woes to the Lord through the intercession of Mama Mary.  Now I have somebody else praying with me and for me.for all my troubles and aspirations.  Days after Sunday, my husband and I received several blessings, most of which were included in the petitions we wrote.

CFC West C Magnificat Echo Weekend

This article came out today on the Ugnayan issue of the CBCP Monitor.


A month after the first Magnificat Weekend for the leaders of Couples for Christ Metro Manila was held, it was time to bring the message to the Unit Leaders, Household Leaders and senior members of CFC West C.  Led by Bro. Steve and Sis. Minnie Maningat, the sector held their Magnificat Echo Weekend at the Teacher's Camp in Baguio City from March 2-4, 2012.

Steve Maningat, sector head of West C, Metro Manila

As early as the morning of Friday, more than six hundred participants from the six clusters of West C converged in Baguio City to participate in this monumental event.  By Friday night, the echo conference proper started with a fellowship night-cum-chorale competition entitled "West C Goes Glee."

Saturday's and Sunday's activities started with the praying of the Rosary followed by a Mass celebrated by Msgr. Allen Aganon, Couples for Christ Spiritual Director.  To kick off the Saturday sessions, Msgr. Aganon gave the prologue, expounding on the significance of the Magnificat from which CFC's theme this year is based on.

Over the course of the conference, four talks were delivered and all of them delved on the faithfulness of Mary to her Son, Jesus.  From these words, we learned that Mary was always there for Him at all phases of His life and therefore, she could be considered the first disciple of Jesus.  It was Mary's "yes" to Angel Gabriel that paved the way for mankind's salvation.  The Blessed Sacrament was exposed at the end of the Saturday sessions.

The CFC West C Magnificat weekend ended with a praisefest and healing session.  As the echo conference came to its inspiring end, everyone was spiritually high and ready to emulate Mary and ready to take on the mission that God has entrusted to them.

Magnificat Weekend

One of the biggest activities that we go to being leaders of the Couples for Christ community is the MC Weekend.  This is a gathering of the members of the Mission Core (MC) Group, the top leaders of Couples for Christ. The MC Weekend Conference is a retreat cum fellowship that every MC member looks forward to every year.  It is held at Baguio City on the last weekend of January.  Every year, the theme for the conference changes.  For this year, it is called the Magnificat Weekend based on the community's theme "Proclaim the greatness of the Lord"  (Luke 1:46).

Photo taken from the CFC website

My husband and I prepared well for this trip.  As early as the first week of January, Jun bought a new pair of tires to replace the worn-out ones.  He also made sure that our vehicle was in tip top condition so as not to encounter mechanical problems while out of town.  Three years ago we had that unfortunate experience when this same vehicle conked out in Baguio City for the 2009 MC Weekend.  We had to leave the vehicle in the repair shop of Jun's client.  We traveled back by Victory Liner a week later to retrieve the vehicle.  Meanwhile, Bro. Rainier and Sis. Meng Figueras welcomed us in their vehicle for our trip back home to Manila.

We checked in at Hotel Elizabeth on a Friday afternoon.  I readily fell in love with the hotel the moment I stepped in their lobby.  The hotel staff were friendly and attended to our needs immediately.  I am not surprised, Hotel Elizabeth has been voted Baguio's Best Hotel a few years back.  The room was clean and doesn't smell musty.  I told myself, "I have found my home in Baguio".  After resting and freshening up, we, together with another CFC couple, Bro. Deng and Sis. Reiah Yango proceeded to the venue, Camp John Hay. 

Breakfast with Reiah at Hotel Elizabeth.

Jun and I at the driveway of the hotel.

The conference had fellowship on the first night and talks on the next two days.  There were worships and Mass before each session and a praise fest capped the conference on Sunday noon.  Though Sis. Reiah and I suffered from hypertension from Day 1, the conference and bonding time with CFC brothers and sisters made the trip all worthwhile.

Great Divide

This is the original article that I submitted for In His Steps, the daily prayer guide of the members of Couples for Christ and its ministries.  My initial attempt at writing for In His Steps appears in the Sept. 12, 2012 issue.

LUKE 6:20-26

And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said:  “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours.  Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied.  Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.  Blessed are you when people hate you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man.  Rejoice and leap for joy on that day!  Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.  For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way.  But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.  But woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry.  Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep.  Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”

Jesus Christ has always been the champion of the poor, the downtrodden and the oppressed.  At the time this gospel was written, there was no middle class to speak of that would bridge the elite class and the poor.  The elite had everything including access to the churches but the poor had practically nothing. Fast forward to the 21st century and although there is already a middle class, the elite still owns almost everything while the poor still suffer. Look around and the great divide is still evident.  Though it is not a sin to be rich and endowed, sharing of resources to the poor is expected of us.  Sharing could be in the form of giving them equal opportunities and opening doors for them to uplift them from their present predicament. This gospel is about hope.  Jesus is assuring us that there is something better to look up to in His kingdom.  Whatever suffering we have endured or are enduring on earth will be rewarded in the afterlife.  Heaven is one great equalizer:  both rich and poor have equal chances of entering His gate.

Christmas is Sharing Love

It is officially Christmas season for me with the onset of Simbang Gabi.  Though the puto bumbong and bibingka are available all year round, they seem to taste better when you eat them after attending the dawn Masses of which they become synonymous with.  As the days get nearer to Dec. 25, everyone is busy preparing for the countless Christmas Parties, Noche Buena, and gift giving.  I am no exception.  Christmas has taken a very materialistic meaning to it which veered away from the reason why we are celebrating it.  That He was sent to save mankind.  That God the Father in His deep love for us has sent His own Son to save us.

While watching the Christmas episode of Glee 3 on TV the other day, I heard the cast sing "Do You Know It's Christmas".  This song dates back to 1984 when Band Aid, a group made up of British bands, sang this to raise funds for famine-stricken Ethiopia of which more than a million died.  BBC crew referred to the famine as "the closest thing to hell on earth".  The lyrics of the song hasn't escaped me.  It sings about sharing what we have to those whose concern is when their next meal will be.  I don't think that Christmas was in the minds of the Ethiopians during the great famine of 1983-1985.

Amidst the revelry of this season, let us all reflect on the real meaning of Christmas, that is, sharing love.  Would you rather be on the receiving end of relief lines or be the giver?

Clinging to God's Promise

I saw this image earlier in Facebook which was shared by my cousin.  What immediately came to mind is the verse from the book of Jeremiah (29:  11-14) that goes like this:  

"For I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare, not for woe, plans to give you a future full of hope.  When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you.  When you look for me, you will find me.  Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the Lord, and I will change your lot, I will gather you together from all the nations and all the places to which I have banished you, says the Lord, and bring you back to the place from which I have exiled you."

This verse is one of the more popular verses of the Bible.  I am not surprised at all with that because people who have reached the end of the rope will cling on to even a flicker of hope.  Just by reading it will put a damper to an episode of hopelessness.  I am no different from other people.  I, too, like to escape from the pits of despair.  Just thinking that there is a God who knows what's best for me and that He won't allow me to fall and fail, immediately lifts my spirit up.

So when everything else doesn't seem right, cling on to His promise.  Read Jeremiah 29: 11-14.

Photo Contest Winner

Two weeks ago I headed to Conti's Trinoma to meet with Madelin Galvez, the winner for the photo contest that I ran recently.  At stake was an Epson inkjet printer.  It was more convenient for me to just send the printer through courier but I decided to give it to her personally so I could also meet her.  Like me, Madelin is also a blogger.  She has several blog sites to her name.  

The winner of the just concluded photo contest, Madelin Galvez.

Thank you Madelin Galvez for participating in this contest.  Hope to see more of you in the blogosphere and in Facebook.

Kids for Christ

They say that Couples for Christ is a womb to tomb organization meaning that there is a ministry that one can join no matter what age or status in life you are in.  Couples for Christ is composed of five more ministries, i.e, Kids for Christ (KFC), Youth for Christ (YFC), Singles for Christ (SFC), Handmaids of the Lord (HOLD), and Servants of the Lord (SOLD).  All together they form the Family Ministries.  For this article, I will be writing about the youngest ministry, Kids for Christ.

IKV 2011

Kids for Christ brings children of Couples for Christ members aged 4-12 years old to enjoy a relationship with Jesus Christ in an environment of fun and life giving.  It supports Couples for Christ mission of bringing families to the plan of God.  In the chapter, KFC is overseen by a KFC Couple Coordinators, CFC members who have volunteered to serve in the ministry.

As a new member of Couples for Christ more than ten years ago, I herded my two older children to every monthly assembly of the KFC.  It was usually done on a Sunday morning and while the kids were doing their activities, other couples who likewise brought along their children spent the time getting to know one another.

Kids for Christ realizes that for its program to be effective, it has to embody the 4Fs namely:  Fun, Friendship, Faith and Freedom.

• Fun - activities should be enjoyable and should stimulates the child's creativity, sensitivity and perception.
• Friendship - activities encourage friendship among the children.
• Faith - activities explain relationship with God in kids language.
• Freedom - activities allow kids to express themselves freely.

Aside from the monthly assemblies, members of the Kids for Christ look forward to the International Kids Village (IKV).  The IKV is held during the summer months when school is off.  For the 15th IKV, it will be held in May, 2012 at Davao City.

IKV 2011

Covenant Orientation

Last Saturday, my husband and I attended the Covenant Orientation of the newest members of our chapter at Our Lady of Consolation Parish.  I couldn't help but reminisce the time that Jun & I attended ours in 1998.  How time flies.

We had our Covenant Orientation on a Sunday afternoon at the old barangay hall located at the back of the Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church in Project 6, Quezon City.  I recall that almost all of the new members of the new unit were present for the occasion.  The four household heads of the new unit were present so with our unit leaders.

The Covenant Orientation is part of the first year formation program for all Couples for Christ members.  It is mandatory for all members and is given three months after the Dedication Night or twelfth talk of the Christian Life Program.  The Covenant Orientation is given early on in the journey in Couples for Christ to drill in each new member his covenant and commitment with Couples for Christ.  

Front and back of the covenant card.

The inner portion of the covenant card.

Aside from laying the covenant that each should abide as a Couples for Christ member, prayer and scripture, ways to strengthen family life and Christian culture are also discussed.  All topics spoken of at the Covenant Orientation are given emphasis by the household head during the regular household prayer meetings soon after the Covenant Orientation.  

Love Your Enemy

One of my friends posted this picture in Facebook and I was drawn to it.  The first thing that caught my attention was the image, two animals known to be enemies since time immemorial in an obvious demonstration of affection.  So cute!

Got this picture from the Jesus Daily Facebook Page

There's a Bible verse that comes to mind about loving one's enemies.  Matthew 5:44 says "But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you."  Easier said than done.  Isn't it that there's also a saying that says "Keep your enemies closer"?  

Who is our enemy?  He could be someone who has hurt us and definitely doesn't deserve our love.  It is just against our human nature to show our best element to somebody who has hurt us in the past.  But as Christians, we were taught that forgiveness is the first step to healing.  We have to forgive first before we can have complete healing.  Isn't it that it feels good when we are in speaking terms again with that someone who has caused us pain?

Ancop Global Walk: Walk for a Scholar

Four days from today, Ancop, the ministry of Couples for Christ mandated to bring God's transforming love to the poor is launching the Ancop Global Walk on August 21, 2011 at the SM Mall of Asia.  It is global because it will be replicated simultaneously all over the world.  The walk aims to raise funds for the Child Sponsorship Program or CSP of Ancop.  Ancop believes that the best way to alleviate the poor from the mire of poverty and break the chain of despair and hopelessness is through education.  If one child finishes college, he can help his whole family rise from poverty.  Send one hundred children to school and you see the multiplier effect on a big segment of our society. 

Let us all join Couples for Christ in this noble undertaking.  For a registration fee of P300.00, you can participate in the walkathon that will help send a poor child to school.  Stand up and be counted.  If you are a Metro Manila resident, please take note of the following details:

WHAT:  Ancop Global Walk

WHEN:  August 21, 2011 5AM

WHERE:  SM Mall of Asia

WHO:  Everyone who wants to be an instrument of change

This is where the action will be for Metro Manilans on August 21.

If you were not able to register for the walk, you can still help by clicking on this link:  CFC Ancop West C. By setting aside P35 a day for a year, a child can get an elementary or high school education that is the first step to his journey away from poverty.

Christian Life Program

Are you a weekend Catholic, meaning your idea of being a Catholic is to attend Mass on Sundays?  Do you have everything but feel empty inside?  Do you want to have a more personal and intimate relationship with the Lord, your spouse and your children?  If you answered Yes to any of the questions, you are an ideal candidate to attend the Christian Life Program.

The Christian Life Program (CLP) is the entry point to the Couples of Christ.  It is open to couples from all walks of life who want to have a deeper relationship with God and a more meaningful existence as a Christian.  While the organization is for spiritual renewal, it is not boring or dogmatic as religious organizations are perceived to be.  Being a member of Couples for Christ opened me to a lot of friends, better understanding of what a wife, a mother or a Christian should be.  I have been a member since 1998 and I won't stay this long if I found it boring.

Come August 13, 2011 at 8 PM, the chapter where my husband and I belong to will be conducting an Orientation on the CLP.  I hope you say yes to my invitation.  By the way, did I say that it is FREE?  It is free.  Just come with your spouse, have an open mind and be ready to make new friends.

WHAT:  Christian Life Program

WHEN:  August 13, 2011 to November 5, 2011

8:00 in the evening

WHERE:  Sanctuario de San Vicente de Paul

Tandang Sora Ave., Quezon City

CONTACT PERSONS:  Bro. Deng Yango (0916-4625254)

Sis.  Reiah Yango (0922-7245192 or 288-0402)

Sis. Marla Rances (788-2025 or 215-1305)

Sis. Vicky Francisco (0929-1540737)

God is My BFF

Whenever problems arise, what do you do to lessen the load?  As for me, I pour the heaviness of my heart to my husband, children, my family or to my dear friends.  I don't broadcast my problems to the world, just to a select circle of people.  Their words of wisdom, comforting words, ready shoulders to cry on and reassurance that everything will be alright do a lot to lift my spirits.  

What if the problem is just insurmountable? A problem that neither money nor the counsel of well-meaning friends can alleviate?  Whom do you turn to?  I turn to God.  I draw strength from the words of St. Matthew from 11:28-30:  Come to me, all you work hard and who carry heavy burdens and I will refresh you. Take up my yoke upon you, and learn from me for I am gentle and humble of heart: and you shall find rest. For my yoke is good and my burden is light.  I lift all my cares and minutes after I feel a sense of serenity within me.  Truly He is my best friend, my BFF.

In 1939, Mary Stevenson of Pennsylvania, USA wrote a poem that remains very popular to this day, Footprints in the Sand.  Orphaned by her mother at the tender age of 6 and a childhood spent during America's toughest and most trying times, Mary wrote this poem.  It talks of God's benevolence, magnanimity and love to mankind.

On introspection, I came to the conclusion that being benevolent, magnanimous and loving is not exclusive to God.  Ordinary mortals can emulate God.  A lot of our countrymen are mired in poverty and its attendant problems and we just can not afford to sit back and relax in the comforts of our homes and airconditioned offices.  Let's get our act together and find out what our less fortunate brothers and sisters need.  We need not look far.  He or she may be your household member or your barber or hairdresser.  As I said, we don't have to look far.

Be Smart, Use the CFC MMD

If you are a chapter leader, chances are you have been busy for the last few weeks making the database of your chapter.  Chapter Leaders have to submit their rosters of members to their respective Sector Heads for offering at the 30th anniversary celebration of Couples for Christ last Sunday, June 26.  Another reason is the Center's campaign for full compliance and implementation of the Couples for Christ Members Management Database or CFC MMD. The CFC International Council (IC) envisions the CFC MMD as a tool for the mission.  It aims to lessen the time spent for administrative work so there will be more time for pastoral formation and evangelization. 

The CFC MMD is the latest buzz going around in our sector.   By going through the manual for the first time, I was overwhelmed by the scope of information that has to be encoded for each member of our chapter. If a chapter has at least 50 couples, that's 100 databases to be encoded.  From my experience, I did not find any difficulty as there is batch encoding.  The CFC MMD is so easy to navigate specially because of our familiarity of how social networks like Facebook, blogs, LinkedIn, Multiply and the like work.  Now tell me, who doesn't have a Facebook account up to this time?  Even my nephew's dog has an FB account!  

To put it simply, it is like a Facebook fan page of a chapter, a cluster, sector.  It gives you a bird's eyeview of what goes on in a chapter, cluster or sector et al.  The scope of the network depends on the member's level of service.  If you are a chapter leader, you can only view the activities, reports and members' database of your chapter. A cluster leader on the other hand has access on the chapters under his cluster and so on and so forth.

Why is it a powerful tool for the mission?  The portal can generate reports at real time of the evangelization and pastoral formation initiatives of the smallest chapter.  It can keep track of all members, both active and inactive.  It is like having your CFC DNA.  Just by reading the reports, a leader can chart the course that his group will take.  Since the reports are important in decision making, encoding of data should be done responsibly by a qualified chapter servant if the chapter leader is not available to do it.

We are now ready to start.  Go to Google and type http://cfcglobaldata.com.  After clicking go, your screen will look like this:

Log-in by typing your username and password.  This will bring you to your chapter's dashboard.  At this page, you can choose the task that you want to do by clicking on the appropriate tab.

Not only data of a chapter or cluster et al can be found in the CFC MMD.  A member can also access his own page by doing the following:

Go to Google and type http://cfcglobaldata.com. Instead of logging in, click on Member's Portal.

 

To be able to go to your page, you have to type your member ID number and password. Don't know your member ID number?  Ask your chapter head or chapter servant for your number.  If you are a first time user, you have to provide your ID number and email address.  

Check your email for your password.  Once you have your password, click to login.

You are now in your own page.  You can choose to edit your profile, upload your profile picture, or change the system generated password to one of your own creation.

I hope this little exercise has helped you with the creation of your chapter's database.

Pearl of Great Price: Celebrating 30 Years of Blessings

June is a busy, make that hectic month for Couples for Christ.  It is anniversary month.  Traditionally, the anniversary is celebrated with congresses, that big parade and celebration at Luneta and what have you.  This year, 2011 is special.  CFC is 30 years old.  To mark the 30th or Pearl Anniversary and the unity that has remained strong and steadfast, despite undergoing tough challenges, Couples for Christ has a lot of activities lined up.

The celebration officially started with a Global Community Recollection Day on June 4.  For the chapter leaders, the recollection was given a week earlier during the Chapter Leaders Training on May 28.  After a week, said recollection was cascaded to the general membership.  A week before the big celebration at Luneta, various activities will be held to be participated in by delegates from all over the world.  The climax of the anniversary celebration will be a grand parade at the Luneta in the afternoon of June 26.

To commemorate this special milestone in CFC, a song was composed  and recorded.  I have downloaded the song (with lyrics and chords) and included it in this article so you will not have a hard time searching for it.

Aside from the song, CFC is coming out with a coffee book that will include pictures of different household groups, etc.  You can have it at P500 apiece.

Commemorative t-shirts which are very cool and world class are available.  The t-shirts come in different shades of blue, depending on the ministry you represent:  royal blue (Couples for Christ and Servants of the Lord), navy blue (Singles for Christ and Youth for Christ) and aqua blue (Handmaids of the Lord and Kids for Christ).  Aside from t-shirts, there are also commemorative stickers for a very affordable price of P20 each.

Let's all be counted and join in the celebration on June 26.  See you all.

Shok Ariola: The Making of a Full Time Worker

I had the opportunity of meeting a full time worker of the Couples for Christ when my husband and I were the Youth for Christ (YFC) Couple Coordinators of our chapter.  His name escapes my mind and he was assigned to the YFC of the West C Sector.  He was full of passion and dedication and from the information about him that I gathered, I found out that he graduated with honors from college.  I asked myself what is it in mission work or becoming a full time worker that made him give up a higher paying job working in a prestigious company to settle for a minimum amount of pay?  I said to myself that this is not normal nor logical.

Last March at our sector's Echo Conference at Baguio City, we had Bro. Shok Ariola as one of the speakers.  Bro.  Shok Ariola is a full time worker and at present the Program Head of Singles for Christ and the Migrant Workers Program.  I asked myself what message will Bro. Shok impart to the participants as I have already a preconceived picture playing in my mind of how a full time worker delivers his talk or sharing.  It was not a good picture, the result of listening to the sharings in the past of other full time workers who used the stage to fish for praises or empathy for the sacrifices that they have to endure because of their low pay.  When Bro. Shok delivered his talk, it erased my prejudice on full time workers by just being himself.  It was a refreshing departure from the typical talk by a full time worker.  But who is Shok Ariola?

Shok, aside from his day job at the CFC Center, occasionally travels to Africa and Mekong countries to do mission work.  He is as ordinary as anyone of us, no holier than thou posturings that endear him to the people he associates with.  He is the loving husband of Carel and father to their two lovely children.  He is also father to a nineteen year old whom he had when he was in his teens.  

He is a product of a broken family and one weekend he left home after a big fight with his mother. He ended up in the house of this friend who cannot accommodate him as his friend was on his way to attend a Youth Camp.  Since he needed a place to stay for the weekend, the Youth Camp was the perfect place with free meals no less.  Shok claimed that no earth shaking moments happened at the camp.  His transformation to a new life didn't happen overnight but noticed that  he doesn't curse the way he used to.

Six years after attending the Youth Camp in 1996, Shok left in 2002 and spent a year in Africa as a full time mission worker.  He decided to become a full time worker for the Couples for Christ because he wants all people to experience what he had experienced.  He wants people to experience the good changes in his life, the love of God and for His people, and the joy in serving Him.  

In 2004, he went back to Africa and this time with his wife and daughter in tow to spend five years spreading the Word of God by conducting Christian Life Programs.  Those five years in Africa were memorable times for the family as he became closer to his wife and vice versa.  While away, his parents became part of the community as members of the Servants of the Lord and Handmaids of the Lord.  His siblings also joined Couples for Christ.  Shok is quick to say that he didn't talk them into joining but his unceasing prayers did the trick.

Just like other missionary couples, Shok and Carel worry and struggle to provide for the needs of their growing family but they find comfort in the knowledge that the God who provided for today is still the same God tomorrow.

Couples for Christ is fortunate to have full time workers like Shok who help spreading the love of God less difficult for us.  Let us continue to support them with our prayers and be more generous with the amount that we tithe.