RELENTLESS: SFC Qatar 13th National Conference
By: Bro Leo Ortega
Just two weeks after the victoriousME United, SFC Qatar geared up for the 13th SFC National Conference on a Friday the 13th of April, 2018. With over 400 strong attendees, the conference was graced not only by the members in Qatar Chapters 1-4 and Mission Areas (Dukhan, Ras Laffan-Al Khor, Wakrah-Messaid) but also a number of brothers and sisters from Jordan and Cyprus.
Weeks before the main event, the marketing team had gone relentless in the promotion of the NatCon through the available social media outlets and advertisements which definitely captured not only all the SFCs in Qatar but also those of neighboring countries. It was a success as a huge delegation came up and flocked the registration area early morning of Friday the 13th.
The whole day event was jumpstarted with a Eucharistic celebration which was celebrated by no less than the Our Lady of the Rosary Parish priest, Father Rally Gonzaga who inspired us all in his homily. He highlighted how we should love the church just as through the church we are loved by Jesus.
The conference was divided into four sessions, each with testimonies from various SFC members who may have been through the good and the tough times and shared how they were able to get through with the help and inspiration derived from the community in particular and the people around them in general.
Session 1: Rekindle was led by Bro Benedict Jadulco, a full time missionary who made us remember of how our relationship with God should be. God has been intimate and personal and we are taken down memory lane of how we should remember Christ since day one. It was so mesmerizing to be reminded that “The love that never dies is God’s Love and the fire that never wanes is the Holy Spirit.” We have a personal relationship with God and as disciples of Jesus we live our lives in the Holy Spirit as brothers and sisters.
In this session we were also reminded that we are a grateful people and we honor those who have helped us, inspired us and served as our role models in what we are today. We honor them by being grateful to God and by passing on the legacy that they have shared with us. In the end, let us remember how much God has shown us his great love through the many Christ-experiences and through the many people He sends our way. This constant remembering brings out joy and gratitude in our hearts, never losing the gist that is within us.
Leading for Session 2: Rejoice was Bro Noli Manuel - SFC International Coordinator. In this session, he highlighted that “The giver has to be more important than the gift.” The giver is Jesus Christ whom we take for granted most of the time when we receive blessings but we always run unto Him in times of sorrow and need.
In this session we were reminded that in our journey in SFC, we have to acknowledge the truth that there were and there will be occasions where we will lose our joy. This is not not because of serving God but because temptations will always be around in the “great times” of our lives which can make us forget the joy we have found in the Lord. But we must always remember that in order to find joy, we must go back to our J-esus O-thers Y-ourself. Let us not forget that the very thing we need to be grateful for is that we are God’s and we have Him in our lives and with that, our joy will always be complete.
Bro Bimbo, SFC Qatar PFO Coordinator led Session 3: Relentless showed us how hopeful should we be in times when we really are in deep challenges and how do we define hope in our joyful pursuit of Christ. It was so inspiring to note when he said that “If there’s an opportunity to serve, continue amidst the negativities. He will bring you out of it.”
We also learned in this session that we must keep the light of hope alive by proclaiming the word, being persistent, be able to convince-reprimand-encourage, be self-possessed and put up with hardship. Our God’s relentless love enables us to feel secured and teaches us to never falter when we are attached to Him. Let us rekindle our gifts with relentless quest in the hope that the source of all our gifts will never fail us. Let us be the first to practice gratitude in our blessings no matter how small or big they are. Let us be the source of joy to others and most importantly, be the hope that others can tangibly hold.
Finally, Session 4: Fulfill Your Ministry was once again led by Bro Noli Manuel taking us back into the very core of the SFC vision – “Every single man and woman all over the world experiencing Christ”. This very foundation of the community has been revisited to be reminded that our community is empowered by the Holy Spirit in our journey to being witnesses of God’s love and creating a society that lives in the pursuit of the fullness of Christ.
In the past 25 years of the SFC, God has been relentlessly pursuing our hearts and He desires that we always feel His love and presence in our personal lives. The SFC ministry is God’s gift to us and our response should be to share this gift to every single man and woman all over the world for them to experience Christ. While our mission is constantly evolving and challenges seem to be unending, we should always trust that the giver of the gift has already gone ahead of us to win the next 25 years and beyond.
In between sessions were a showcase of talents of the creatives group who performed a number of sing and dance presentations. Truly, these God given talents were put to good use and were even more harnessed and shared to the whole of the SFC community.
At the end of the conference were special “surprise” awards which made the event even more delightful. Of course the mandatory photo session is a must! Overall, the 13th SFC Qatar National Conference has been a blast not only because of the hardworking team working behind the scenes but more importantly because of the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who is truly relentless in providing us all our special gifts which we must nurture and make available through sharing to other people.
Kudos SFC Qatar!#
ME United: Across the Borders
By: Sis Erika Paulette C. Dela Cruz
“For where two or three have gathered in My Name, I am in their midst.” – Matthew 18:20
We have proven for so many times that God’s love knows no boundaries and has no limits. It’s like an invisible thread that brings people together and keep us intact. It was once again manifested and felt during the ME United 2018 as CFC Singles for Christ Middle East held the annual virtual gathering for a night of steadfast prayer and worship hosted by SFC Qatar last March 22, 2018. God’s love never fails in bringing the whole SFC Middle East and other countries around the globe together. The overwhelming joy of being in a community was felt throughout the night. Each country conquered distance for they have been connected by the boundless love of God.
Surprisingly, due to the advancement of technology, there have been less problems encountered when it comes to the internet connection. God triumphed over any form of harassments. It has been a peaceful and solemn prayer time. It is truly amazing how we can reach out to others and spread His love with just one click. God was hugging us the whole time making sure we can feel the warmth of His presence wherever we may be.
It is an awesome representation that no matter where we are, God’s love will bind us. The number of viewers from different countries including UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, the SFC Fearless, and of course, Qatar was overwhelming. Our brothers and sisters from our mission countries, Jordan, Cyprus, Lebanon, and Iraq also joined us in worshipping our God. And despite the huge time difference, our brothers and sisters from Thailand, Canada, Italy, USA, and the Philippines were also virtually present during the event. This is the essence of a community. That though we don’t know each other personally, we can still be able to experience Christ together; we can pray with and for each other. God brought the community together and it was amazing. There will always be a special connection among all of us. Truly, we are one in Christ.
On a personal note, I was privileged and honored that God called me to be one of the event’s emcees. Though, I have doubted my capabilities at first, God worked through me. He was guiding me the whole time. I just followed where the spirit leads and the result was better than what my human heart hoped for. Being in that service allowed me to see what happens behind the scenes and I am in constant awe and admiration on how God guides and provides for those who do His work. I truly honor how each of the service team shine for Jesus with the sole purpose of loving God through the gift of service. It wasn’t an easy preparation, there have been a lot of obstacles along the way, but at the end of the day, it was God’s victory that prevailed. It was God who sustained the whole team. It was God who united everyone who participated.
During the time of worship, prayer, and thanksgiving, everyone put their focus on God alone. It was very comforting knowing that thousands of people all over the world are united in prayer. It was a soul-cleansing prayer and worship for every aspect of our lives have been prayed for. Every struggle has been surrendered to God. Every prayer intension has been lifted to God. In that night of oneness, everyone concluded the night with a brand new heart. Each gift has been rekindled. Everyone became more eager to fulfill their ministry.
ME United served its purpose again. God’s love was extended to everyone beyond distance, beyond measure, with no boundaries, and across every boarders. Truly, God’s love never fails, never gives up, and never runs out.
As mentioned in the Middle East Unity Prayer, ME United has been one of the oasis of hope and it truly brought light to God’s people especially here in the desert. Let us continue winning souls for Him. Let us rekindle our gifts and proclaim His Goodness.#
SERVICE LOVE IN COMMUNITY, AN AFFAIR TO REMEMBER
By Sis Yen E. Melo
The only thing constant in this world is change, and change is good.
This saying holds true in the recent turn of events with the Singles for Christ community in Qatar. As we are all well aware, we have been growing exponentially (praise God,) thereby increasing our number of chapters from the existing 3 to 4!
Alongside this growth are some minor struggles here and there. For one, getting a room allocation in the church has become quite a challenge for all of us lately. Sometimes, it is even difficult to get a schedule at our mission house. It is a good problem though because we are, indeed, on the rise.
To mitigate these minor roadblocks, our CFC leaders came up with a solution of combining some of our activities by “cluster,” that is, Chapter 1 with 3 and 2 with 4. And like icing on a cake, the prayer assembly will now be conducted on a national level on alternate months moving forward. By doing so, we will now have another opportunity to mingle with our brothers and sisters not just from our own chapters but from other chapters as well! (*Happy dance*)
And so the first SFC National Prayer Assembly came into play. It was slated on the 15th of March 2018 (Thursday night) at the Seraphic Hall.
Fast forward to the main day, the hype was quite similar to our National Conference. It was exciting to see familiar people. There were a lot of new faces around (Shout out goes to our new CLP ‘graduates’ from 2017!) Even though it was scheduled at the end of a busy workweek, the mood was still high. You will not see a single soul looking tired or sleepy.
Bro. Mao Rait delivered a wonderful exhortation by taking us to our first household experience especially those moments when we had to laugh until we cry with them. (Miss them now?) The vibe was interactive. We also remembered our first service in the community – our first national conference, our COW, and so much more. It was such a nostalgic moment. He then went on to lead our praise and worship that was so powerful and moving! We had goosebumps while singing and praising! We were literally in tears when the songs and the prayer ended.
To break some ice and allow us to meet new people from other chapters, Sis. Adah Reyes then asked everybody to participate in a game so familiar with all of us when we were younger – the boat is sinking. The twist from the childhood game that we knew was that the passengers must be represented by each chapter, and we must know each one. It was a big vessel, 30 people to begin with, which was later on trimmed down to include our couple coordinators. Laughter and giggles erupted in the four corners of the hall.
When the atmosphere subsided a bit, we were once again taken into prayer mode to welcome our first sharer, Bro. Wes Yang. One memorable nugget of wisdom that I remembered from him was when he quoted Pope Francis saying, “We have so much to do, and we have to do it together.” Most of us could relate to his story when we were discerned for our first service in SFC. He added that most of us were like “Bat-man,” that is, we always ask the question “Ba’t ako?” (“Why me?”) He added that we are always anxious to say yes to God. We have doubts on our capacity to serve. Bro. Wes shared that the Lord pursues us so intently that He finds ways on putting us to the place where He wants us to fulfill His mission. There are no excuses. Right now, this brother of ours is currently serving as a household head in chapter 1.
Our second sharer is a familiar figure to most of us because we saw him on numerous praise fests, CLPs, and conferences, to name a few. Bro. Mack Cortel has been in the community for a long time, starting his journey in YFC where he discovered his passion for music, particularly in playing the guitar. However, there came a time when he started to distance himself because he felt like he was left in the dark when some of the brothers from his first SFC household started to answer the call of the religious life or the married life. He also felt “unwanted” in the community for a time. Later on, Bro. Mack realized that the reasons of him wanting to leave the community should also be the very same reasons for him to stay. My favorite takeaway from this young man’s chronicle was when he said, “No community is perfect. We are not serving anyone but God, and the joy of service outweighs all pains, all hurts.” At the end of his story, we were encouraged to push through the cold and dark night because the morning light will come.
It was indeed a night of affirmation for all us to always say yes for the Lord’s mission.
Our first national prayer assembly was a success, and with 167 members present that night, it was truly an affair to remember.
With the challenge to rekindle our faith and fulfill our ministry, are we all geared up for it?
And do I see raising hands and nodding heads in confirmation that we will all see each other in the next national prayer assembly and double our number?
For that, may God be praised.#
RAYS OF LIGHT: A LIGHT RISING IN THE DARK
By: Bro Leo Ortega
Members of Cluster B from all ministries of the CFC community gathered once again for the second cluster prayer assembly. Total darkness engulfed the venue which was soon lighted with a realization from the event's host Bro Dennis Pereira that darkness is equivalent to sin and Jesus is the light of the world who saved us all from this darkness.
A lot of takeaways from the prayer assembly were captured from a number of sharers. A sharing of Bro Arvin and Sis Cecile of CFC Chapter 6 taught us that "when we pray for others, we are giving light to them without us knowing so let's continue to intercede for those who need prayers". Truly, prayer is a powerful tool in order for us to achieve things we are wishing to have. As we have been in the community, we no longer just call it a prayer time but rather a prayer life since we have committed ourselves to this culture since we said yes to the Lord’s invitation through our Christian Life Program.
It was also interesting to learn from Bro Mak and Sis Meg of CFC Chapter 2 that God do not give us purely blessings but also trials in which our faith get tested. They were looking of a prayer community where they can be able to fulfill their gift of service and their child who is a YFC member evangelized them to be part of the CFC. As the couple puts it, “God really works in ways we cannot see”. Their family is now together in Qatar serving God.
The power of incessant prayers and the expanding your network in the community also lead to the realization of Sis Rachelle of the handmaids of the Lord (HOLD) that when you surround yourself with people of good faith, you can always have someone to lean on in times of troubles. The light which will keep us motivated may arise from simple encouragements from people who might have been through a lot but still have the ability to smile and radiate positivity within us.
On the other hand, Bro Frankie and Sis Doris of Chapter 6 went through a lot of challenges on their way to the assembly. There have been circumstances when the couple felt like giving up but then God reminded them of the “light after the dark tunnel”. God will never give us problems we cannot be able to handle. As the couple realized, “He will bless us always amidst the troubles.”
And finally, from SFC Chapter 2 is Bro Yahweh Balondo who have been through “dark” phases in his life in which his belief is totally challenged realized that “If the Lord is testing his faith, he didn’t easily gave up but rather kept his candle lighted.” There are times when we get to a point where we need to save ourselves by strengthening our faith and believe that “there is one bigger God guiding us.” Overwhelmed by the love of service, he might have taken for granted the herd of sheep he should be looking after but then again, the light of the Lord have made him recognize this and gently led him back to where he should be heading with the herd he is staffing.
The cluster assembly became an outlet where we have shared stories which others may share the same or similar experience and got to learn from the wisdom derived out of those. It is one way of truly making sure that the fire within us keeps burning just like a ray of light which will guide us through our daily undertakings and struggles in life. Jesus is the only light who will keep us away from darkness maybe in the form of sins, wrongdoings, vices and a lot more worldly lures which we are always guilty of. Let us keep our rays of light shine bright and give hope to others and save those whose lights have been slowly fading to the darkness.#