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Archive for September, 2008

First Ministry Update

Posted by admin On September - 30 - 2008

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Dear IVCF Family & Supporters,

Greetings in Christ Jesus our Lord! I bring you a good report about what God has done in and through the ministries of IVCF Philippines during the first quarter of this schoolyear. In the following pages, I present to you the results of our Evangelism, Discipleship, Mission, Leadership & Nurturing the Movement flagship programs. Read, not only about the number of IVCF activities, but about the impact of our ministries in the lives of students and graduates in our 8 regional units. Be inspired with the testimonies and be encouraged with the pictures in this ministry update. We are equipping our people to be servant-leaders for Christ. May you respond in praise and thanksgiving to God.

May you be challenged to continue to support our movement in the building of God’s kingdom in the Philippines.

Your servant-leader,

Erickson M. Velardo

IVCF National Director

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We have shared the gospel to 3,255 students during the ?rst quarter of this new schoolyear. Four hundred eighty-two students became Christians and we had recruited 650 new members. We had 97 Evangelistic Bible Study groups attended by 828 students. Our Freshmen Treat activities were well-attended in the different campus chapters in the regions. Three were 450 students who attended the Freshmen Treat in PUP. We had 14 Evangelism Training Events attended by 139 IVCF students. Praise God! The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is proclaimed to many students in the country.

Diane A. transferred to Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP-Cavite) because of family and ?nancial problems. In this campus she came to know the Lord through Kalasag Christian Fellowship (our IVCF chapter in PUP). She is now the chapter president of the fellowship. Through prayers and her life testimony she won the hearts of her parents to the Lord. Diane’s parents started to help in the monthly training of the chapter, preparing their meals and praying with us.

EVANGELISM AT GOOD SHEPHERD FOLD’S ACADEMY AT BUENA VISTA, GUIMARAS (WESTERN VISAYAS REGIONAL UNIT)

EVANGELISM AT GOOD SHEPHERD FOLD’S ACADEMY AT BUENA VISTA, GUIMARAS (WESTERN VISAYAS REGIONAL UNIT)

FRESHMEN TREAT AT ASSCAT CAMPUS BEACON CHAPTER (CARAGA REGIONAL UNIT)

FRESHMEN TREAT AT ASSCAT CAMPUS BEACON CHAPTER (CARAGA REGIONAL UNIT)

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Our discipleship activities happens in Cell Groups, Large Group and Prayer Meetings. We have a total of 186 Cell Groups with 943 members. There were 1,439 students who attended our Large Group Meetings and 327 joined our Prayer Meetings. In one campus in Caraga (ASSCAT), 70 students attend weekly meetings in the campus’ student center without electricity. We conducted 24 Discipleship events attended by 356 students. Of the 1,334 student members, 761 are undergoing our discipleship training.

A 1st year student who is a new IVCF member in our Northern Mindanao Regional Unit shares his testimony: “I felt happiness and comfort when I became a Christian. I learned how to communicate and to draw closer to God. It does not only help my spiritual growth, but also changes everything in me. I’m so thankful for having my “ATEs” in IVCF who in?uenced me a lot. I thank the Lord Almighty for not just letting me know Him but also experiencing great and sweet things about Him.”

WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY GROUP OF FIRST YEAR STUDENTS AT PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL (METRO MANILA REGIONAL UNIT)

WEEKLY BIBLE STUDY GROUP OF FIRST YEAR STUDENTS AT PHILIPPINE SCIENCE HIGH SCHOOL (METRO MANILA REGIONAL UNIT)

ISCF DISCIPLESHIP GROUP IN NAGA CITY (BICOL REGIONAL UNIT)

ISCF DISCIPLESHIP GROUP IN NAGA CITY (BICOL REGIONAL UNIT)

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We had Mission events attended by 127 students. Our Central & Eastern Visayas Regional Unit had a Mission Exposure trip to Gilutongan Island, Cebu last August 23-24. Also, our Caraga Regional Unit had a Mission Trip to the Agusan Marsh and shared the gospel to 30 Manobo tribe. In our Southern Mindanao Regional Unit our students are reaching out to a couple of Muslim students using our “Start Right” book and also teaching the “One Way Jesus” song.

Celgen Aurestila, our CEV Regional Director shares about their mission exposure trip: “Praise God for the very ful?lling, yet scary experience during our Mission Exposure trip last August 23-24 in Gilutongan Island, Cebu. The group was composed of 1 high school & 5 college students, 2 staff & 6 young grads. We went to the community for house to house visitation and shared the Gospel. We also helped the small local church there during the Sunday service. The usual sea travel from the town proper to the island is 30 minutes, but we were in the middle of the sea for almost 2 hours because of the big and dark waves that confronted us. Praise God, we all arrived back to the mainland safe, ?lled with joy and reminders from the Lord.”

MISSION TRIP TO THE MANOBO TRIBE IN THE AGUSAN MARSH (CARAGA REGIONAL UNIT)

MISSION TRIP TO THE MANOBO TRIBE IN THE AGUSAN MARSH (CARAGA REGIONAL UNIT)

THE MISSIONS TEAM, IVCF VOLUNTEERS WHO WILL MOBILIZE AND TEACH ABOUT MISSIONS

THE MISSIONS TEAM, IVCF VOLUNTEERS WHO WILL MOBILIZE AND TEACH ABOUT MISSIONS

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Praise God for the 381 student leaders that we currently have in our campus chapters. We have conducted 42 Leadership training events attended by 307 students. Our leadership program includes Leader’s Bible studies, Leaders’ Retreats, intentional mentoring and counseling, Bibles Study Workshops, and other Intensive Training Programs. Mutya Febre, our Regional Director of MMRU, reported that one of the strengths of our college ministry is student leadership. We praise God for the initiative and hard work of our student leaders.

Bethel of CHMC-Alijis from our Western Visayas Regional Unit shares her testimony: “I made a tough decision in resigning as an of?cer in the school club I was involved in. It was painful for me to choose between that club and IVCF. IVCF was just in the pioneering stage in my school and I am the only student leader that Kuya Eumir [Villamor, IVCF staff] knows in our school. I chose IVCF because I see myself growing in faith and character, especially in the leadership part. Leading my classmates to Christ is something that I am happy to do.”

STUDENT LEADERS PLANNING FOR LCDC (SOUTHERN MINDANAO REGIONAL UNIT)

STUDENT LEADERS PLANNING FOR LCDC (SOUTHERN MINDANAO REGIONAL UNIT)

BAGUIO LEADER’S COUNCIL MEETING W/ STAFF & GTS (NORTHERN LUZON REGIONAL UNIT)

BAGUIO LEADER’S COUNCIL MEETING W/ STAFF & GTS (NORTHERN LUZON REGIONAL UNIT)

NURTURING IVCF FOR CHRIST’S GREAT COMMISSION

We praise God for all our partners, helpers, and supporters. IVCF Philippines is blessed for having 65 advisers, 34 ISCF counselors, 112 Graduate Team volunteers, 14 Church partners, 37 Regional Advisory Council (RAC) members, 161 donors giving to the regions and 172 donors to the national general fund & staff support.

We have been very active in the IVCF National Office.

•Our Human Resource Department was very active in the following trainings for our people: Staff Conference, New Staff Orientation & Trainings. We had 3 Graduate Team (GT) Orientation and Trainings in Quezon City, Cagayan de Oro and Calapan, Mindoro. A total of 47 GTs attended these events.

•Our ISCF National Coordinator started working on strengthening our high school ministries through volunteer orientation & trainings, curriculum evelopment and ISCF Promotions.

•Our Resource Development Department worked on communications to donors, improving our database and website, strengthened relationships with our IVCF alumni.

•Our Admin & Finance Department continued the important work of providing support to our ?eld ministries with building maintenance, library work, nancial accounting and other of?ce tasks.

•Our National Director focused on communications with our Board of Trustees, staffworkers, alumni, Balikatan leaders, local donors, and other Christian organization. He attended the Balikatan Conference in the USA, led the preparation for the IVCF Annual Corporation Meeting, joined MMRU evangelistic & discipleship events, and started to promote IVCF in local churches.

•Our Board of Trustees have met regularly and dealt with IVCF direction setting and policy issues.

•Finally, our Financial Report below shows God’s grace to IVCF Philippines. We give thanks to God for blessing us with the needed ?nancial support these ast 3 months. Praise God that as of August 31, 2008 we have deposited staff salaries in full and on time. We were able to ?nance our ministry programs and paid 58% of last schoolyear’s de?cit. However, ?ow of funds is not regular.

Please continue to pray for provision for our ministries. We need more supporters and prayer partners.

We praise God from whom all blessings to IVCF Philippines now.

GT ORIENTATION & TRAINING AT THE IVCF BUILDING

GT ORIENTATION & TRAINING AT THE IVCF BUILDING

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Our Sacrifice

Posted by admin On September - 17 - 2008

200898_our_ssacrifice_full“… offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1

The workplace has a dwindling number of employees who would go beyond their call of duty and take an extra mile without thinking of repayment. Most workers demand pay for extra effort and time.

Sometimes we also think that the Christian life is like that, that God deserves only a portion of ourselves, of our time and money. But the apostle Paul is clear in his call for us to give our all to God. “Offer your bodies,” he says. Paul understands that we owe our whole being to God.

Paul distinguishes our offering from animals sacrificed lifeless on the altar. “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices,” he commands. Whether Paul already imagined the fastlane culture that leaves workers panting for breath – on the verge of collapse – we do not know. But he seems to have understood very well our propensity to inhabit this earth as “dead men walking”, thus his specific call for us to offer ourselves not in our pathetic and miserable state but in our vigor and strength.

It is necessary then that we take care of our wellbeing while we do acts of service. Indeed, we must serve well. But we must also live well. Only then can we truly serve God faithfully and excellently.

But Paul’s exhortation to offer ourselves as living sacrifices might as well refer to our transformed state, with “renewed minds” that know and understand God’s good, pleasing and perfect will. Alas, such new life emerges only after passing through the darkness of death, when old habits, old lifestyle, and old ways of thinking are cast away for good.

Our holy and pleasing sacrifice, then, is a life lived to the full in Christ.

When nothing lasts

Posted by admin On September - 3 - 2008

“Love never fails.” – I Corinthians 13:8a

200809_love_never_fails_fullWe profess undying love to our beloved. Some of us even offer celestial elements as a kind of collateral. But when harsh times come we easily give up on the people we supposedly love. Instead of the moon and the stars we throw them our tantrums.

We also profess love for our neighbors. But when they throw tirades at us, gossip about us behind our backs, or ignore us, we drop them from our social registry and from our prayer list.

The Apostle Paul compares love with spiritual gifts the early Christians were tempted to brag or strut about. He says love is superior because it never fails. The spectacular gifts of tongue, prophecies, and knowledge, he says, are imperfect gifts for an imperfect world. They expire when perfection comes. But love remains. Why? Because it is perfect.

When all things fail, cease, and disappear, love never fails, says Paul. The Message adds a tinge of sweetness and renders it, “Love never dies.” This truth proves false our secret angst that “nothing so good lasts eternally.” Love certainly does. It is so good. And it is undying, unfailing, lasting forever. Why? Because it is who and what God is. God is love.

By Millicent Guarin

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IVCF Board Retreat and Planning

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