Couples For Christ Singapore

Perth and Darwin, Australia.

Chiang Mai and Phuket, Thailand.

Malaysia.

Laos.

Myanmar.

Timor Leste.

China.

South Korea.

These are just few of the countries "conquered" by the CFC Singapore Mission Ready Teams (CFC SG MRTs) last year. You might think we're a perfect bunch of people but WE'RE NOT. We're just like you – broken, unfaithful, and stubborn at times. The only difference is that despite all our imperfections, we pressed on and decided to respond to God's call of evangelisation outside Singapore.

I know a lot of people who think THEY'RE NOT YET READY and that IT'S NOT YET THEIR TIME, but really, there's no perfect day than TODAY – new year, new life, new level of service for the Lord! Thus, if you're into making New Year's resolutions, let GOING ON MISSIONS be your #1 resolution!

Going on missions is not about sending the so-called "cream of the crop" members of the community. It's not about sending the best speakers, sharers, singers, or instrumentalists. Rather, it's about going out of one's comfort zone and lifting everything up to God. It's about allowing Him to use you despite your feelings of unworthiness or unpreparedness.

Think about all the blessings which God graciously provided for you and your family last year and let GOING ON MISSIONS be one of your simplest ways to express your gratitude to Him.

DATE: 15 January 2012 (Sunday)

TIME: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM

VENUE: St. Paul's Auditorium, CAEC

See you there!

Bro Pau

Be Blessed and Be a Blessing in mission!

Bro Jonar Lusung (with Mai) and Bro Elmer Lobusta (with Miyen)
For Bro Beng and Sis Ludette

The son of Mary and the brother of James

Mk 6:3

A story is told that James was initially an unbeliever. It was only after the Crucifixion that James started to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, his conversion coming during Pentecost. Subsequently, he became a leader of the church in Jerusalem. He died a martyr in the hands of the scribes and the Pharisees. They brought him to stand on the Sanctuary parapet and shouted out to him, “You are leading the people astray and encouraging them to follow Jesus who was crucified.” James answered back, “Why do you ask me about the Son of Man? He sits in heaven at the right hand of the Great Power and he will return on heavenly clouds.” As James proclaimed Jesus at the parapet, many started to believe in him. They realized that they had made a mistake in allowing James to testify about Jesus so they threw him over the parapet. Since the fall did not kill him, they stoned him to death.

The unbelief of James was shared by many of Jesus’ relatives and neighbors in Nazareth: He departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the Sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith. (Mk 6:1-6)

Jesus’ visit to his hometown was not a private but a formal one since he brought his disciples with him. His purpose was to teach and do the same work he had done in many other towns and villages. Many (meaning not all) who heard him were astonished. But eventually the undercurrent of dissatisfaction of the few prevailed. They asked about the origin (“where”) of this teaching. They wondered about the nature (“what”) of his wisdom. They had heard of his mighty works. But they could not bring themselves to believe in the greatness of a man who was one of themselves. After all, he was just a village carpenter, the son of Mary, the widow of Joseph, and the cousin of many who were still living in their midst.

 This Christmas season many members of our community will be visiting their respective hometowns. In our family, the tradition is to gather in our Quezon City residence on Christmas Eve, attend Mass together, share the noche buena, and exchange presents. But this year will be different. Our eldest daughter who lives with her husband and five children in the U.S. will not be able to come to the Philippines since it costs too much to buy seven return air tickets. Our eldest son who now works and lives in Singapore with his wife and daughter will also not be able to join us since, unlike in the Philippines, there are no prolonged Christmas holidays in Singapore. My 97-year old mother had also decided to stay in Unisan during the holidays and so my eldest sister (the only one remaining in the Philippines since all the others live with their families in the U.S.) who lives in Lucena decided to be with her this Christmas. We will thus be having a simple Christmas gathering and celebration this year.

Yet this will probably be our most memorable and blessed Christmas ever. We have already received God’s most wonderful and unexpected gift. God has brought my 97-year old mother (she will be 98 next month) and my 67-year old sister into the CFC community. In addition, God has restored the CFC community in my hometown, Unisan, after it hibernated for over five years.

It all started in January this year when, with my sisters from the U.S., we celebrated our mother’s 97^th birthday in Unisan. The party was attended by our parish priest and our classmates from high school. When we asked the parish priest if he had met some members of Couples for Christ, he informed us that there had not been any CFC activity for some years already although a couple of CFC members still served in church. It was at that time that we decided to do something to revive the CFC community in Unisan.

The first steps were to find out the names of the CFC members in Unisan, to get in touch with them, and to find out if they would be interested in reviving the community. For this purpose, we sought the help of our parish priest, my mother, and my eldest sister. On 8 October, we met for the first time with around half a dozen CFC members in my mother’s house in Unisan. We then began planning the Christian Life Program. We returned to Unisan on 15 October to give a teaching and to finalize the CLP schedule and the assignments of the members of the service team. We agreed on an 8-week CLP format to be held every Sunday (or Saturday, if there is a major church activity on a particular Sunday) from 23 October to 10 December. We then visited my hometown every weekend to prepare for the CLP, announce it during the Mass, and invite participants. We returned regularly to give some of the talks, join the service team, and lead the team’s service meetings.

On 10 December, seven couples and four handmaids completed the program. They were dedicated and they signed their covenant and joined the Lord’s Day celebration. By this time, over a dozen CFC members have returned and served as members of the CLP service team. The CFC community in Unisan has been revived! My mother, Mrs. Paz Abuel Uriarte, 97 years and 11 months old, completed the CLP with 100% attendance. She is perhaps the oldest member of the CFC community worldwide and certainly the oldest to complete the program. My sister, Mrs. Letty Uriarte Ablaña, 67 years old, also completed the CLP, missing only one session. Before returning to Manila that weekend, we left our Tagalog Bible with my mother because she wanted to immediately start her daily Bible reading using the one-year Bible Daily Reading Guide distributed during Dedication. This is God’s most precious gift to us this Christmas.

When Jesus, the son of Mary and the brother of James, returned to his hometown, he was greeted with unbelief. When we returned to our hometown early this year, we were confronted with the information that the CFC community had practically disappeared. But with God’s grace, we were led to three couples in Unisan who, unlike the unbelieving people in Nazareth, believed that it was possible to revive the CFC community. They only needed someone to lead. They only needed modest financial resources to organize and conduct the Christian Life Program. Soon we were able to link them up with CFC Quezon. Then support came from CFC communities of neighboring towns of Atimonan, Tayabas and Agdangan. And as the CLP sessions progressed, more and more CFC members came forward to join the service team. By the end of the CLP, a total of 24 persons had rejoined the community.

Although Jesus did not perform too many great deeds in Nazareth, he allowed miracles to happen in Unisan. It was truly a miracle that my 97-year old mother was able to complete the CLP without getting sick or indisposed even once for the entire duration of the eight-week program. For each session, she would walk from her house and climb the stairs to the second floor venue. She would sit through the weekly four-hour sessions without fail. She would join the group discussions and even dance a bit and raise her hands during worship. Indeed, the Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit, has finally called my mother to the community of the Son of Mary, Couples for Christ.

In preparation for the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, over 200 Couples for Christ Singapore (CFC SG) members from various ministries attended the advent gathering last December 3 at St. Peter's Auditorium, CAEC.

Dubbed as "CFC Holiday ADVENTure", the event celebrated the joys of travelling and going on holidays - from the attendees dressed up as tourists, holiday-inspired presentations from various ministries, trivia questions about holiday destinations, to the programme backdrop.