Humble Beginnings

More often than not, humble beginnings are told after a breakthrough. This story is an attempt to break that cycle because a humble beginning is a wonderful story as it is.

Ethan is currently involved in State Varsity Christian Fellowship (SVCF) as the president of the organization. He is a third-year BS Food Technology student in College of Home Economics, UP Diliman.

His IVCF journey started with Sibol Camp in 2017 where he made friends, experienced the Lord’s goodness and established spiritual disciplines. Followed by a series of IVCF events like LCDCs, Days of Prayer, and Leadership Summits, he said that all these are great reminders on how to live the Christian life in the real world. One highlight that he remembered was being prayed over alongside his peers in Manila Leaders Council (MLC). For Ethan, IVCF is more than an organization; it’s a community of believers with Christ as the center, a way of life, and a fellowship of prayer.

Through those experiences, he was inspired to take the leadership role which to him is a challenging role already. But being a leader in its pioneering stage all over again is an uphill battle that he didn’t foresee in SVCF, given its rich history of thriving for the past years.

The pandemic is one of the major reasons why the number of members in SVCF decreased. For almost three years, classes shifted online, and face-to-face meetings were prohibited. UP Diliman with its diverse students from different parts of the Philippines went back to their homes for the meantime. Also, during those years, previous student leaders and members have graduated, resulting in having to start anew.

With God’s grace, they took the giant leap and started a weekly kamustahan meeting with the help of Joy, their staff-in-charge. Starting with two students, they slowly grew in number until they got recognized as an organization in UP-Diliman. Recently, Di Fernandez, IVCF National Director and SVCF member in her student days, called for a strategic planning meeting to discuss the rich history of SVCF and how the new generation of SVCFers can adapt to the growing concerns and outright rejection of Christ in the campus.

Ethan is also thankful to have ates and kuyas in IVCF as well as his local church, and his parents who are helping in his journey. It’s also a joy to know that there is continued support from the SVCF alumni. With such a community, and by the grace of God, these humble beginnings will slowly thrive and blossom.

Prayer Points

Pray for Ethan, his fellow student-leaders, and IVCF staff Joy as they re-pioneer the campus work at UP-Diliman. Pray, too, for the other campuses that are in pioneering or re-pioneering stage. May God plant in their heart the vision for a thriving campus chapter.

Pray for alumni groups from different universities to rally together so that they can support their respective schools’ IVCF chapters. Pray for a growing partnership among students, staff, and graduates.

Movement in the Regions | JANUARY 2024

• In Northern Luzon, 15 students attended the Discipleship and Leadership Training Camp with the theme, “Amisig.”
• In Metro Manila, students from University of Sto. Tomas (UST), National University (NU), Mapua Institute of Technology (MIT), and Technological University of the Philippines (TUP)-Manila met for the “Espana Fellowship.”
• In Southern Luzon, Kalasag Christian Fellowship students (PUP-Maragondon) met weekly for prayer and devotion.
• In Bicol, around 25 students at Partido State University joined the monthly large group fellowship.
• In Central and Eastern Visayas, 38 students from 5 islands participated in the Discipleship and Leadership Training Camp with the theme, “Eternals.”
• In Western Visayas, graduates from Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Manila, and Singapore attended the Cross- Current City Leaders’ Training (Module 1).
• In Northern Mindanao, students at Central Mindanao University (Bukidnon) conducted a Morning Prayer Walk for the proclamation of the Gospel in the campus.
• In Caraga, the ASSCAT Campus Beacons held a fellowship entitled, “Rewind/Renew” to start the year.
• In Southern Mindanao, the Sower Chapter in University of Mindanao Tagum College continued with their weekly small group meetings and monthly corporate prayer meeting.