For a lot of people, milestones lose meaning while in lockdown.
When things become routine as with worship and fellowship, we may start to see them as something monotonous, without excitement. Consequently, we could fail to see the wonder in celebrations. Yet milestones are great standpoints to reflect on the past and to view the future with hope and positivity. They are great ways to celebrate life, as we go through it—especially, our spiritual lives.
In the Philippines, more than a year has passed since the community quarantine was imposed, and since then, the church has conducted worship services online. All disciples from young and old, in different ministries, and all places nationwide, have now adjusted to meet, sing, and preach the Word virtually. Yet even after developing a sense of familiarity in this setup, the ICOC Philippines Worship and Media Team did not fail to make the ICOC Philippines 32nd Anniversary exciting. They exceeded expectations by preparing a jam-packed anniversary worship service and program all under the year-long theme, “Stronger”.
From the morning until the afternoon of July 25, 2021, the disciples all over the Philippines participated in fun-filled virtual activities and rejoiced in virtual fellowship.
Beginning at 9:00 am, the worship service premiered promptly via the ICOC Facebook and YouTube pages. To kick off the 32nd anniversary, various disciples explained the meaning of worship by describing who God is, followed by beautiful renditions of “Behold Our God” and “Every Praise”. A powerful line-up of speakers came after this strong start: Elder Bobby Montealegre and his family proceeded to welcome every viewer by emphasizing God’s faithfulness to the church and all disciples for 32 years. Teacher Rolan Monje led us back to the cross by compelling us to emulate Paul’s mindset of seeing our trials as an opportunity for reflection on Jesus’ death. And Evangelist Koko Enrile delivered the benevolence message that highlighted giving as an act of grace, that which we first received
from God.
This was followed by a segment called “Amazing Christian Testimonies and Stories” (or ACTS), where Violy Guy of ICOC Parañaque, Jay Maramara of ICOC Makati, and Danny Cabadsan of ICOC Cebu shared their discipleship stories and the powerful ways God moved in their lives. In line with the theme “Stronger”, these messages and testimonies eminently showed how our faith goes from strength to strength—in dynamic power and growing with each trial and victory with God.
But as we grow stronger, how should we stay on the path to be victorious? Through the main message, Naths Zuñiga of ICOC Muntinlupa and Edwin Vertudez of Mandaluyong/San Juan reminded us that the answer is to Never Stop Growing.
In this joint sermon, they explained how we continue to mature and develop ourselves, through tears and trials and through dedication and imitation. The first point talks about finding reason and overcoming suffering by focusing on Jesus’ example, for us to imitate the way he called out to God amid persecution. On the other hand, the second point explains how growth can be found in staying connected and committed and finding examples of faith and hope that can inspire and refresh our own faith. Evangelist Ariel Lastrado responded to the main message, and the worship service ended with a vibrant rendition of “Friend of God” sung by the music ministry, In Hymn.
Afterward, the anniversary celebration portion of the program began with the warm video greetings of disciples all over the world who love and treasure the Philippine church. Those who sent their warm regards were the following: Kevin and Amalia Agot of ICOC Virginia, Delano and Nadine Stewart of ICOC Las Vegas, Bob and Susan Wedin of ICOC Phoenix, Anthony and Saun Galang of ICOC Oahu, Hawaii, Ken and Lina Chau of Sacramento, California, Cesar and Jennifer Lopez of ICOC Los Angeles, Sabrina Gonzales of ICOC Los Angeles, Josh and Stacy Peterson of ICOC Albuquerque, New Mexico, David Jung of ICOC Winnipeg, Keith Rasmussen of ICOC Denver, Gordon Ferguson of ICOC Dallas, Charon Anderson Buncayo of ICOC Dubai, and Chester and Sirikit Umaguing of ICOC Colorado Springs.
The video greetings were then succeeded by the graduation of the Asia-Pacific School of Missions (APSOM) Scholars, a two-year course directed by Rolan Monje. APSOM is a training program that aims to raise the next generation of leaders who will go into ministry, either full-time or part-time. The program also equips the students with adequate knowledge about certain areas such as financial stewardship, public speaking, people skills, shepherding, event management, and conflict resolution—producing not only confident but also well-rounded graduates. For this year’s festivities, the following are the APSOM graduates of 2020: Peter Michael Corpuz, Giovanni “Jojo” Belgar, Oliver Bong Gulapa, Jhun Hugo Rommel Guce, Ariel Ladores, and Ryan Rasines. And the following are the APSOM graduates of 2021: Faye Casis, Richard Demonteverde, Eda Rica Fauni, Amor Ladores, Elmer Nayre, Yzabel Montealegre, Dennis Valdellon, Jessie Ibay, and Niño Francis Mercado.
Perhaps, the most entertaining portion for every viewer was the online worship bloopers, in which preachers, song leaders, dancers, and other people part of the media team shared their blunders while recording materials to be used for online worship. The program was then finally concluded by the dance ministry, D4G, with their dynamic and energetic production of the song “10,000 Armies”.
At 2:00 pm, disciples all over the Philippines reconnected and celebrated together with their respective ministries via Zoom. Together, the disciples laughed, reminisced, and praised God for how he worked in the church and in their individual lives. Through these Zoom “Reunions”, they shared their notable experiences and encounters as disciples and how these have helped them become more faithful to God. In their respective breakout rooms, the virtual fellowship became a great opportunity to meet and reunite with disciples, with nothing but joy flowing in everyone’s hearts. The anniversary worship service and celebration may have taken the whole day, but instead of getting drained the disciples found themselves renewed, recharged, and refilled with love and gratitude.
32 years is our milestone. So we celebrate the anniversary wholeheartedly because it is the day we remember how God has extended his grace to us, from being only a few disciples to now being over 5,200 faithful followers of Jesus. Because the world may be monotonous now in the new normal, but God’s love is always new—and we celebrate because in Him we find meaning in every single thing.
For while things around us may rob us of wonder and excitement, He remains wonderful.
