Pinoy Youth Ministry Quarterly No. 2 (April to June 2011)

8/6/2019 Pinoy Youth Ministry Quarterly No. 2 (April to June 2011)

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[youth ministry]quarterly

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APRIL - JUNE 2011http://globalyoungpeople.org | http://pinoyyouth.org

Vol. 1 Issue No. 2


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[from the DMYP Philippines Desk]

When we talk about youth ministry, ang madalas na pumasok agad

sa utak nan ay fellowship, games, drama, camps, instutes, at

kung ano pa. Which goes to show that we view youth ministry as a

series of program that we should implement.

Tanungin nan ang mga Methodist youth district and annual

conference ocers kung anong pinakamahalagang ministry nila at

sasabihin nilang ang Christmas Instute! In the United Methodist

Church in the Philippines, we have lots of programs and events:

Leadership trainings

Christmas Instute

Sportsfest

Spiritual retreatSummer Camp

School for Chrisan Youth Development

Etc (Bahala na kayo mag-isip kung ano pa )

And what is our usual measure of success with these events?

Siempre, yung dami ng kabataan na nagpunta sa program nan!

Take for example our Christmas Instute. If a district CI had an at-

tendance of 80 or less than 100, sinasabi nan, Bakit ang kon?

and we go on to decide that this years CI is the worst in the his-

tory of the UMYF!

Pero kahit na maraming nag-aend sa CI nan, say 300 or more,

sabihin nan Wow! Ang galing ni God, andaming umaend!

But, aer the Christmas Instute, what happens?

Honestly, maraming members ng local church ang skepcal sa

commitment ng mga kabataang galing sa CI.

youth ministry: ?youth ministry:program

peopleOR

program

peopleOR

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Mighty C. Rasing


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Usually, pagkagaling ng mga ka-

bataan sa CI, they are on re, and

theyre very acve in the church

they sing in the choir, they aend

almost all church acvies, and

be part of the Praise and Worship

Band.

January, lumalagablab na apoy ang

spirituality ng mga kabataan.

February, parang apoy sa stove.

March, uling nalang ang nara at

marami-rami na ang madalas um-

absent sa church. See you next CI

nalang!

In fairness to our young people, itsnot enrely their fault.

We priorize programs over people,

and when we do that, we compro-

mise the spiritual growth of young

people in our church!

Sabi ni Kenda Creasy Dean and Ron

Foster, sa libro nilang The God-

bearing Life, instead of focusing on

programs and events, let us focuson developing signicant relaon-

ships with young people. They said

further:

Naaalala mo ba kung sinoang taong may pinakama-

laking impact sa buhaymo? Was it because of aprogram or because of ameaningful relationship?How can we balance pro-grams and relationships?

Signicant relaonships with other Chrisans maer because

they teach us something about what God is likethe One who

can love us in spite of ourselves and who loves us passionately

enough to suer willingly on our behalf

Wala namang problema sa programs. Okay nga kasi they help

integrate young people into the life and mission of the church.

But more than programs, young people need relaonships

Teenagers need faithful adults to represent the gospel, to

shore up their faith, and to guide them in mission. (Dean &

Foster)

Kaya nga, we need a paradigm shi. When we plan for programs

and events, lets make sure that there is space and me for

young people and adults to develop meaningful relaonships.

Imperfect man tayo, (sino ba kasing perfect in the rst place?)

we can point people to Christ, kagaya ng ginawa ni John the

Bapst nung dumang na si Jesus.

June is the beginning of the conference year of the United

Methodist Church. Umpisa na ulit ng pagpaplano at pag-iim-

plement ng mga programs at events. So, as you plan for theseevents and programs, keep in mind that relaonships maer.

Kahit gaano kaganda ang program, if walang meaningful rela-

onships na mabubuo between young people and some of the

faithful adults of the church, mahihirapang mag-grow spiritually

ang ang mga UMYF.

Pero ingat lang ha, when I say relaonships, hindi yan evangeli-

gaw or disciplechicks ne?

REFLECT ON THIS!

+

+

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DiscipleShifSMACK Forum 2 Challenged Pinoy

Methodists to Be Hardcore Disciples

Jesus didnt wait for His disciples to come, but He

went where they hangoutat their workplace,

shingand asked them to follow Him and be sh-

ers of men, said Keynote Speaker Michael McCord

of the General Board of Higher Education and Min-

istry (GBHEM) during the second Student Method-

ist Active in Campus Kirk (SMACK) Forum last May

25-28, 2011.

Organized by the National United Method-

ist Youth Fellowship in the Philippines (NUMYFP)

in partnership with GBHEM, SMACK 2 themed,

DiscipleShift: Making hardcore disciples of Jesus

Christ for the transformation of the campuses (and

the world), aimed at bringing back our Method-

ist roots in campus ministry, empowering existing

chapters and encouraging interested individuals/

church to start one.

One of the most untapped har-

vest areas of the church is the

campus, reaching out to student

youth. Most of the time in our

churches, we tend to make the

people come to us rather than

going out and taking them in,

especially inside the campuses.Yet, our roots indicate otherwise.

The Methodism movement started

in Oxford University- a campus-

with the Wesley brothers, John

and Charles, along with some of

their friends, doing acts of piety. Topmost pic: Rev. Tangunan of Solano UMC being given a certicate ofappreciation by Czarina Ramos, John Samuel Ramos and Joy Eva Bohol;

Above: Rev. Michael McCord of the General Board of Higher Education and Ministryposes after delivering his talk on United Methodist Campus Ministry.

Joy Eva Bohol

Do you want to bea United Methodist

CAMPUS MINISTER!

ContactJohn Samuel Ramos

[email protected]

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Around 30 participants, both youth

and church workers, from around

the country participated in the event,

having majority of them committed

to serving as full time campus min-

isters from one semester to lifetime

after being commissioned. Interaction

between the student leaders and the

adult workers led positive discus-

sions on shifting the church focus from

issues to ministries. Plenary on Youth

Situation, Filipino Youth Culture, Cam-

pus Ministry; team building; breakout

groups; among others by speakers

from within and outside the United

Methodist Church were also included

in the program, strengthening theskills of the participants.

SMACK is an initiative of the National UMYFP, which started in April 2006. It was formally

launched on July 30, 2006 at UMC Good Samaritan, Quezon City. Around 60 students at-

tended the rst SMACK General Assembly. And in 2007 the SMACK Handbook was published

with Mighty Rasing and Earlie Pasion, former NUMYFP presidents, as authors.

The Vision of creating SMACK came from the general observation that there is an apparent

decrease in number of college students who attend the UMYFP activities. One of the reasonsidentied is that college age young people feel too old to join the youth activities and mingle

with the increasing numbers of youngsters. In addition, more young people are leaving their

provinces to pursue college education in the cities.

With the large number of UMYFers moving to metropolitan areas for college, most of them

cannot fully integrate themselves in the UMYF chapters in the city churches. Also, there are

few or no UMC-initiated campus ministries reaching out to these young people. As such, they

look for other young peoples ministries or organizations where they can be involved. They join

ministries that reach out and cater to their spiritual needs. As a result of their integration, theybecome members of new churches and later on forget their Methodist Heritage.

Michael said that it doesnt matter if we only reach out to only one or three students as we

start our work. Whats important is our relationship with Christ and how we could reect it to

someone and be a blessing to anyone we meet. If we channel Gods impact upon us and has

transformed a persons heart, more and more people would come to hear Gods word and be

blessed themselves.

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revelation 3.20revelation 3.20

devotionalThe telling of something has an effect on the

hearer. for example, when young people in the

church call for fund raising, they manage to con-

vince people to respond.

When the audience screams SAMPLE, Sample

at the guest or host of a noontime show, then it is

understood that the audience wants to see a per-

formance of that host.

Sometimes though, saying or asking something

is not a provocation to act, but a provocation to

change ones mindset.

A single knock on the door can be ignored. But

imagine if that knock becomes a persistent call,disturbing and calling out to you?

The knock and call of God is persistent and those

who hears it cannot help but respond to God.

The call goes to anyone without biases on the sta-

devotional

By Pastor Jonathan Loscostus or gender. As long as you are counted as one who hears by the one who calls, then the call IS for you.

If we respond to the call, something happens. If we open our doors, Gods call can take over our very lives!

When the call takes hold of us, we identied as the ones who know and hear the call. Opening the doors ofour hearts is the rst act of responding to the call! If we do not open our hearts to the One who calls us, then

we remain closed, set in our own ways.

The most amazing part is thisthe purpose of the caller who calls anyone is to share Himself with the called

and so the called and the caller will be together. As we respond to the call, the caller becomes with us and

now, an opportunity is established to share a meal, a fellowship and even face to face conversation.

As we respond to this call, God also gives us a task.And as young adults, the best time to meet the de-

mands of this task is during the prime of our lives. A young adult has potentials that other people in other age

levels do not.

The young adult is a source of change and in the Bible God has called and used young adults. Even Jesus!He began his ministry at this stage. This stage is the optimum condition of a human being and though this is a

beautiful condition it is given only once and then it passes away.

As long as there is the call of God and the task set before us, with the knowledge that this age comes only

once, it is wise for us to use it and even invest our energy and lives on things that will eventually bring fruit

that lasts. It is truly a wonderful thing for the prime of a persons life lived well.

God is calling because your life counts and this stage of your life matters.

By Pastor Jonathan Loscos

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Is the UMC really committed to

young peoples ministries?Rev. Mike RatliffAlmost every article written or speech given in the leadership arenas of our church includes a statement on the

need to engage young people in ministry and leadership. Is this because the church is responding to Gods call

to make disciples of young people and provide room for them to join our mission to make disciples and trans-

form the world? Or is it because we know that without younger people, the church is doomed to wither away

into oblivion in the not-so-distant future?

If the church can reach out to share the saving grace of Jesus Christ with young people and invite them to be co-

journeyers in the unfolding story that we are co-creating with God, we will nd them ready and willing to take

our hand and leap into an unchartered future.

If, on the other hand, it is perceived that we are seeking simply to save the church by nding ways to get more

young people in the door, the current trend of young people abandoning the UMC in search of meaning, belong-ing and a compelling mission will most certainly continue. If we do the rst well, the concern about the second

goes away. Believing that Gods love is real and effectively inviting young people to share in that love will cre-

ate a sustainable church into the future.

In the book A Short History of Methodism, we are told that

in 1784 American Methodists were asking in their Discipline,

What shall we do for the Rising Generation? Two of the

four recommendations are as important today as they were for

the founding leaders of the Methodist Church in the United

States, Talk with them every time you see any . . . and Pray in

Earnest for them.

Does every youth in your congregation know that there is at

least one adult other than their parent who knows them by

name and cares about what is going on in their life? Do they

know that there is at least one adult who is consistently, daily

praying for them (and knows them well enough to know what

to pray about)? The Search Institute has identied the need

for every young person to have at least three signicant non-

parent adults to support their development. The Transitions

research project at Fuller Seminary has discovered that the key

to keeping college students connected to the church is the development of meaningful relationships while those

students are youths.

Can we do this in our church? Consider this information from our 2009 statistical data report. The statistics

tell us that we have 421,000 youth and 188,000 young adults involved in ongoing formation and study settings

in the U.S. There are probably at least twice that many young people related to our churches, so can we know

and pray for 1.2 million young people? Is there at least one adult for every youth and every young adult in your

church who could get to know them and pray for them? Want to know what difference it could make?

Watch this video: http://youtu.be/Ko6WM_7Ha2Q.

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There is more we need to do. Young people consistently share that their church wants them in worship, but

not enough to change worship to better relate. Their church wants them in leadership, but not if they are going

to challenge the way things have been/are being done. Their church wants young people to come inside their

buildings, but doesnt want those buildings to show signs that they were there. These statements are generaliza-

tions, and there are many exceptions where young people are loved, respected and seen as partners in ministry.

However, the fact that over 10,000 of our churches report NOT ONE youth or young adult involved in ongoing

spiritual growth experiences tells another story.

The recent Call to Action report suggests that we need more programs for children and youth. While there areplaces where this is true, the crying need for our young people is to have meaningful relationships with caring

adults who will openly and honestly share their faith journey and encourage our youth and young adults along

the path to discover God through Jesus Christ and to discern a future that utilizes their gifts to transform our

church and their world.

Sadly, we often hear that there are only 7.8 million of us in the United Methodist Church in the U.S. Lets

instead look at how those of us who are adults represented in that number might join with the young people

among us to change our world, and in so doing, change and grow our church as well.

The Rev. Ratliff is associate general secretary of young peoples ministries at the General Board of Discipleshipin Nashville, Tenn. This article was originally published at the UM Reporter, http://www.umportal.org/article.

asp?id=7848. Used by permission.

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Kendisbilab?!Yan ang lagi mong tinatanong sa sarili mo.

Every time you feel yourself falling for

someone, you always wonder if its the real

thing. Paano nga ba malalaman kung siya

ang the one?

Kung lovestruck ka, take it slow. Hindi na-

man siguro mag-e-end of the world if you

pause for a while and take some time to readthis book. Walang guarantee na mapapansin

ka na niya pero malalaman mo kung pwede

na bang i-level up ang friendship ninyo.

Sakto para sa mga kabataang di na makatu-

log, tinitigyawat at madalas tulala dahil may

hindi maipaliwanag na masayang dam-

damin!

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Balancing ActBeing a United Methodist Young Adult

April Gonzaga-Mercado

I was born in a family of musicians, policians, arsts and comics. A prominent family, I should say, both in

my local town and my home church. I grew up aending Sunday Schools and family Bible studies. I grewup listening to my Dad and uncle as they sing Gospel duets. I grew up singing in a choir and I became more

and more acve in church throughout my teenage years. Summer camps, Christmas Instutes, praise and

worship pracces, cell group meengs, name it I did it.

Back then, life in the church seemed so sweet. I feel like I can be the master of everything. I was like a

circus acrobat doing a balancing act. Juggling between my me for my studies, for my ministries, for my

friends and for my family really seemed like an easy feat. But I knew that at some point I will begin to

struggle with my me. I had to choose between choir pracce and thesis wring, between praise and

worship rehearsals and on-the-job trainings, between my friends and family, between my church and my

personal aspiraons. I was at a crossroads.

Aer graduaon, I knew I had to make my schedule work because I have a new path to take and a new

challenge to conquer. I was ready to leave my ministry in pursuit of a career. But I was also glad at the

same me because I knew I will soon be free of a ring roune that occupied me for many years. For me,

there was nothing more sasfying than the feeling of independence. Or so I thought.

I was a fresh graduate, who got her rst job, who was also in a loving relaonship, who met her new set

of friends. My world suddenly became bigger. My horizon broadened. I was soaking in the moment of

independence. And at that point in my life, as supercial as it may sound, that I thought: life couldnt be

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any sweeter than this. Sadly enough, there was no holding me back from picking my new life over my

past involvements. My decision was swi and easy but came o as somewhat in a haphazard state. In 2

short years aer graduaon, I never thought that I would be in life-changing situaons. I was compelled to

resign from my job to enter domesc life.

I got married at the very young age of 22, instantly becoming Mom to my then 3-year old stepson (be-

lieve me, my love story is another story on its own ;-D). At 23, I gave birth to my baby girl. Fast-forward to

another 2 years, another blessing came in the form of a second son. At 25, I felt like I had it all. The Lord

blessed me with a loving husband and 3 beauful kids.

2002: Joshua 8, Julia 5, and Job 3

But I must say that married life is not guaranteed 100%

worry-free. It also has its shares of ups and downs. To this, I

apply the Lords promise that a cord of three strands is not

easily broken (Ecclesiastes. 4:12). I really dont mind do-

mesc life taking up a lot of me. At that me, I seemed to

be totally content on just being a wife and a mother. The

more I immersed myself in the blissful scenario of my exis-

tence, the more I see that having kids is totally dierent

from raising kids, and that you should also be a friend toyour husband. It can be frustrang, disappoinng and even

heart-breaking. Its a life-long challenge that not every par-

ent and wife knows about.

As a mother, I also need to teach my children the ways of the world just like how my Dad taught me when

I was growing up. I nd it important to hold on to a lot of lessons. The most important of which for me is

from the Book of Proverbs 22: 6: Train up a child in a way he should go, and when he is old he will not

depart from it.

A couple of years later, as my kids were growing up, I applied for a part-me job as events coordinator to

help my husband with the expenses at home. But as I become more and more aware that something was

missing in my life, Im beginning to realize that there is a connecon which I know in my heart of hearts

would be very vital in my existence not just as a wife and mother but me as a person. No job can ll that

missing connecon. I was soul-searching. I know that being a mother and wife are not just my purpose.

I just know it. The Lord was calling me to

commit to a higher level of ministry; a com-

mitment albeit a long me coming but none-

theless worth giving is what inspired me to

re-commit my life back to my Lord. Just like

old mes. I was really hungry for it. This was

what my parents trained me to be.

This is also what I am training my kids to be:

that each of you should use whatever gi

you have received to serve others, as faithful

stewards of Gods grace in its various forms

(1Peter 4: 10). And so I began my life to serve

as a young adult leader.

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There are simply no words to describe how faith-

ful the Lord is to me and to my family. In the midst

of all our struggles, in many aspects in our life as

a family, and in all my struggles as a leader of the

church, His rewards are just endless.

Our prayers are always answered and our cup-

board never empty. This same faithfulness we

bring back through our trust and obedience to His

will and commandments. I always teach my kids to

be grateful for everything in their lives, from the

clothes on their back right down to the very ny

eraser in their pencil case.

As my ministry expands, I oen pray for the Lord to give me the wisdom on how to set priories and on

how to balance my me equally between my family, my ministry, my work and my friends. So divinely is

the world organized that every one of us, in our place and me, is in balance with everything else (Jo-

hann Wolfgang von Goethe).

As many years have passed, this circus acrobat has now mastered the art of balancing on thin ropes, jug-

gling and somersaults. But I dont want to be recognized as a circus performer neither as a person born

in a prominent family of musicians, policians or arsts, because none of these would be of value. Promi-

nence is of no importance when you are face to face with your Savior. Come judgment day, I pray, that I

will be proud to declare that I was born into a family of the faithful.

Christmas 2010: Joshua 17, Julia 13, Job 11

Avail

able

now!

>>>>>>>>>

The Music of the MEA-Wide

Christmas Institute 2010!

The ofcial soundtrack of the WeSPEAK MEA CI 2010 is now available.It features the songs of the musicalplay of the 2nd Big Night at the MEA CIentitled Sino si Pray? written by Pre-cious Romano (BulPAC).

It also inlcudes the theme song of theMEA CI Declaration composed by

Eboy Refuerzo and performed by NanteAmador.

The We SPEAK CD album is the rstproject of the We SPEAK Ministries forWorship Resources.

Please contact Mr. Ismac Fisco viaemail:[email protected]

The ofcial soundtrack of the WeSPEAK MEA CI 2010 is now available.It features the songs of the musicalplay of the 2nd Big Night at the MEA CIentitled Sino si Pray? written by Pre-cious Romano (BulPAC).

It also inlcudes the theme song of theMEA CI Declaration composed by

Eboy Refuerzo and performed by NanteAmador.

The We SPEAK CD album is the rstproject of the We SPEAK Ministries forWorship Resources.

Please contact Mr. Ismac Fisco viaemail:[email protected]

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Pinoy Youth Ministry Quarterly No. 2 (April to June 2011)

Documents