Thursday, June 25, 2009
SOS: Save our SOUL.
Monday, June 22, 2009
WHO AM I? A Challenge I Need To Face.
Now, Being part of this community I was been able to see my self, know my self better. I know exactly the very purpose of my existence, it is because of GOD. I am here because of GOD and soon I will be gone from this wonderful world because I will be seeing GOD. Life is so beautiful and important with us if the Lord is there in our deepest heart. We know that not all the time we remember specially if we are in our happy moments. He is so loving, because even the time we fall down and no one to talk to or even our family or close friends are gone with us, still the Lord and Savior was always there to comfort us. The pain that we encounter in our life, is just a manifestations of his love and will reminds his existence, his love are lasting forever.
In my life I admit that sometimes I tried to give up for I feel so alone but with his help I never give up for I believe he listens and comforts me. I pray all the time and I know that God can hear what we pray for. As time goes on I'm very thankful for all the blessings I received. I totally trust him and have faith with him, he give me life and the chance to live in this beautiful world.
Song lyrics | Who Am I lyrics
We will travel ONE WAY with JESUS.
- Hillsong United Lyrics
Sunday, June 21, 2009
SEEK and You Will FIND GOD.
Finding answers for all the questions in my mind and in my heart gives me a hard time figuring my own life. Struggling to survive and leading life to what it should be or should I say in the right path is very untamed to me. Seems that there is was a force that hinders me to achieve it. I am weak, very weak. It is true, finding your self and living life with JESUS CHRIST is HARD. The QUESTION is how far will you commit your self? How far will you give in?
Turning my past life and starting over with GOD is not easy but gives me happiness and satisfaction. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” Everything will depend to you. YOU WILL DECIDE for you have the OPTION. If you think your weak then change that attitude.
I am happy to be part of this community, living with JESUS CHRIST, moving forward with HIM gives me SECURITY. You have the will power to govern your life that will lead us to him. If they can do it so do I.
SFC Components
A single person can only be acknowledged as a full-fledged SFC member after he / she has gone through the 13-week Christian Life Program (CLP). Mixed CLPs (meaning CLPs with CFC, HOLD, SOLD and SFC participants) and Fast Track CLPs (meaning CLPs with compressed talks or over a weekend) are only used for starting areas. Once an area has SFC already, the 13 week CLP format should be used.
B. Pastoral Formation Track
SFC members must go through a series of pastoral formation for nourishment and sustenance. This is very crucial to their growth as individuals and empowerment as servants in the ministry.
C. Households / 1 to 1s
Household meetings are the best venue for an SFC member to receive basic pastoral nourishment and guidance especially after going through the CLP. There should be at least 2 household meetings per month.
In addition, household heads also have the important responsibility to conduct 1 to 1s with their members regularly. 1 to 1s are very important in discussing intimate matters with the members, especially issues which members are not yet open to discuss within a group.
Note: Household meeting discussions should be separate (men with men; women with women) for most times, but there could be joint meetings on occasion.
D. Prayer Assemblies
There should be monthly prayer assemblies and monthly teaching assemblies for General Membership. It should be Chapter based. Any prayer assemblies above the Chapter level are not encouraged. There may be assemblies in other levels (Cluster, Sector) but they should be few and far between.
E. Leadership Trainings / Chapter Teachings and General Assemblies
SFC can come up with these specialized assemblies that cater to specific topics and issues. Normally, these are conducted as follow-up to the basic formation track. Please refer to the Pastoral Formation Track later on in the Manual.
F. Programs
As a way to enhance the ministry, SFC came up with programs for specific functions, such as:
Corporate Evangelization
Campus Evangelization
Community Evangelization
Government Evangelization
Gawad Kalinga
Social Ministries
In addition, SFC also has support functions focusing on certain skills and tasks such as:
Pastoral Formation
Transition
Communications
Vocation
There is a special focus given to 3 aspects of the work of evangelization (3 Pronged Approach):
1. Christian Life Program – the normal 13 week program to enter SFC
2. Bayani Brigade / GK1MB (GK Isang Milyong Bayani) – the volunteer program for GK, can be used as a stepping stone to the CLP
3. Staff Development / Values Formation – offered to corporations and other institutions. Conducting values formation courses in line with their corporate / institution values. Also can be used as a stepping stone to the CLP.
G. Special Events
Special Events are also great avenues for a single person to expand his / her perspective of the greater work of SFC.
International Events (organized by the SFC International Council)
SFC International Leaders Conference (annually – every February)
SFC Great Adventure Tour (annually)
SFC Global One (every other year)
SFC Global Leaders Forum (every other year)
There may be Regional, National and Area Conferences as well.
SFC Leadership
With SFC being under the overall umbrella of CFC, the presence of CFC connotes that SFC is part of a bigger family. It puts the ministry in a proper perspective in terms of transition.
Parallel Structure to CFC
The structure of SFC is parallel to CFC, meaning, there aren’t as much interconnections with the CFC structure as compared to YFC and KFC. SFC is connected to CFC by having CFC be the Sector and Cluster Heads of SFC. The Sector Head is connected to the Family Ministries Head, who is, in turn, in the Council or Governance Team.
Empowerment of SFC
The Unit Head and Household Head positions should automatically be filled in by an SFC. As such, this will allow the SFC to be trained, empowered and be given the opportunity to pastor other SFCs.
SFCs are also to be transitioned to Chapter Head levels. Two considerations:
First, for areas that are at the Cluster level (and above) but do not have SFC in any level aside from being Household Heads, SFC members can take the next higher level – meaning the Unit Head level. There should be a plan in place, however, for SFC to take on being Chapter Heads.
Second, for areas that are below the Cluster level, CFC should be at the topmost level, while SFC in the levels below (at Chapter size, SFC should be Household and Unit Heads; at Unit size, SFC should be Household heads; etc.)
SFC Philosophy and Covenant
a. Body as a temple of the Holy Spirit
b. Proper stewardship of God-given talents
c. Indisollubility of marriage
d. Participation in the Life and Mission of the Church
e. Productive Lives as citizens of the country
f. Deep personal relationship with Christ using the charismatic dimension of worship
a. I shall live as a follower of Christ:
b. I will work towards the evangelization and transformation of my work place, my family and my community:
c. I will be a committed and active member of the CFC SINGLES FOR CHRIST:
d. I will make myself available to the Lord for service
e. I will study and seek to grow as a Christian person:
With all this input, it may be overwhelming for the “man on the street” to hear. So SFC came up with an easier way to remember all the above information. SFC is...
A Generation of Single Men and Women Experiencing the Fullness of Life and Restoring the World for Christ
Vision and Mission
Mission: Bringing Glad Tiding to the poor
These statements of Vision and Mission are made clearer through the CFC Postures, CFC Focus of Work and CFC Pillars.
Postures (every CFC community member should have these in their heart in everything that they do). They should be:
– Pro-God
– Pro-Family
– Pro-Poor
– Pro-Life
– Pro-Environment
Focus of Work with the many things that we are called to do, it must be said that that everything we do is about evangelizaiton and mission, founded on strong families, and now having a threefold thrust:
– Work for Life
– Work with the Poor
– Work for Justice
Pillars (these are what keeps the community up, focused and moving forward. Without any one of these, the community would not be complete):
– Evangelization and Mission
– Pastoral Support
– Family Ministries
– Social Ministries
– Gawad Kalinga
– Pro-Life
– Special Ministries
Singles for Christ Vision
In 2003, the younger CFC Family Ministries (meaning Kids for Christ, Youth for Christ and Singles for Christ) were given a vision that “in 10 years the whole world will kneel to Christ”. There is no exact definition or explanation as to what that means, but it is a vision that each ministry is working towards. In SFC, that vision statement was made more relevant with this statement – SFC’s ten year vision:
A Generation of Leaders and Martyrs
In line with this, SFC also adapted the 7 Pillars of CFC to make it relevant to SFC and it`s vision of making a generation of leaders and martyrs. It is SFC`s goal to form SFC to become a generation of:
a. Bravehearts – Relating to the CFC Pillar of Evangelization and Mission. Wherein we want every SFC to be brave in proclaiming Christ to the world.
b. The Faithful – Family Ministries. Wherein we want to make sure that CFC truly becomes a womb to tomb ministry, with no fall outs along the way to Heaven.
c. The Holy – Pastoral Support. Wherein we want every SFC to become pastorally mature and get supported in whatever state of life they are in.
d. Patriots – Social Ministries. Wherein we want SFC to be involved in the life of the country they are in – to work for justice and total human liberation from sin.
e. Heroes – Gawad Kalinga. Wherein we want SFC to see the blessing of Gawad Kalinga to CFC. How GK is helping the poorest of the poor. And how this blessing is changing the lives of the people who benefit from it, and the people who actively participate in it.
f. Witnesses – Pro-life. Wherein we want SFC to live lives that are good examples to others – whether in community of not. And wherein SFC can speak out against what is crippling people today.
g. The Chosen – Special Ministries. Wherein we help SFC find their true calling – marriage, single blessedness or religious vocation – and help them in their path to claim that calling.
CFC Singles for Christ
History
CFC-Singles for Christ was established in 1993 as a ministry to single, young professionals of Couples for Christ, headquartered in Manila, Philippines. CFC-SFC gradually expanded into areas already established by CFC and established its own SFC mission areas. By 2005, CFC-SFC had over 200,000 members worldwide. CFC-SFC now has a worldwide membership of 300,000.
Organization
Like the rest of the CFC Family Ministries, CFC-Singles for Christ is established in an area side-by-side with Couples for Christ, usually at a parish. CFC-SFC members are organized into Household cell groups (a group of about 10 to 12 singles), which are led by a Household Head. Multiple households form a Unit, multiple units form a Chapter, multiple chapters form a Cluster, and a Sector can be formed depending on the amount of clusters in the area.
CFC-Singles for Christ is overseen by the CFC Family Ministries Director, currently Melo Villaroman, Jr. CFC-SFC is directly governed by the SFC International Council based in Manila, currently led by Aldy and Joy Katigbak, the YFC International Couple Coordinators. Locally, CFC-SFC is overseen by SFC Couple Coordinators, CFC members who have volunteered to serve in CFC-SFC. Couple Coordinators report directly to the CFC Chapter Head for CFC-YFC pastoral formation, training, and finances.
Conferences
Annually, since 1993, CFC-Singles for Christ gathers over 10,000 of its members and leaders from all over the Philippines and abroad at the CFC-Singles for Christ International Leaders Conference (ILC) usually held every February. The CFC-SFC ILC is CFC-SFC's global conference and CFC-SFC Philippines' national conference.
CFC-Singles for Christ USA (SFC USA) held the 14th CFC-Singles for Christ USA National Leaders Conference at the Town & Country Rest and Convention Center in San Diego, California in August 22-24, 2008. The CFC-Singles for Christ USA National Leaders Conference is one of the largest Catholic singles conferences in the United States.