I’ve been experimenting (even currently involved) in ministries that takes advantage of technology (the internet and computers at least). And hopefully, I could also use this to reach more.

Just a short burst of thought. I’m just pumped up!

God bless.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. – Romans 1:16

I am not a good theologian, nor a good preacher. But my heart really breaks when I hear preachers deliver their message “hiding” the Gospel. Are we afraid that we are going to offend the listeners? Are we afraid that if we offend them they won’t return to our services? If yes, then you shouldn’t be a preacher!

I won’t expound here, you can go to google and search “are you ashamed of the gospel” and you will see a lot of messages about this. I just want to remind every preacher. If you are a preacher, straighten up and be a Biblical man and DON’ BE ASHAMED TO PREACH THE GOSPEL and not those “how to live/how to set goals/etc..” messages! Or at the very least, don’t forget that Jesus Christ SHOULD be the center of our messages!

Image: Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My Wife

It was really an amazing night. Even though we don’t have the privacy and “intimacy” that a classy restaurant or a private dinner will give us, it was fun and uplifting to share your love stories with other couple and learn from the “veterans”.

Best of all, my wife was really beautiful that night.

Beauty and the Handsome!

The Couples on the Dinner Fellowship

The Youth who organized the Dinner Fellowship

Thank you so much for all who prayed and donated! God bless. Soli Deo gloria!

If viewing the photos via the slider below is slow, you can also find the photos here, here and here.

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Preparations

We were planning for an activity for our Community Sunday School class (children that are not from the church) and we decided to have a program with games and food. We delegated the task to who shall do the program, games and all. Then the wife of our pastor who works in a children’s center in Manila came into contact with an organization that conducts activities for the children. They will take care of the gifts, food (popcorn and cotton candy), give aways (colors and coloring books), and the mascot. They were asked if they do go to churches and they said yes and we invited them to our church. That organization is the Chummy Chum Foundation Philippines.

Our initial target were just the attendees of the Community Sunday School class (around 60 children). However, we were informed that they usually handle 200 – 300 children in one event, so we opened the event to the whole Sunday School department and encouraged everyone to invite their friend to attend the activity.

So in short, we were saved from the trouble of preparing food, gifts etc, for the activity.

Chummy Chum

The Chummy Chum Foundation isn’t actually a Christian organization, but they have a very wonderful mission, to give joy, laughter and fun to unprivileged children in the country. They started their ministry on September 2007 and had been to many hospitals, children’s center, churches, orphanages and more, usually serving more than 200 children. They provide gifts, toys, and their trademark is the Gummy Cotton Candy Factory and Chummy Popcorn Maker. They also provide their center of attraction – Chummy Chum. For more info about their work and their organization, visit their website at http://chummychum.org. If you want to invite them, you can also sign up on their website.

They are mostly volunteers and their job is not easy so you really see that these people want to bring smile to these children’s faces.

The Big Event

The Chummy Mobile cam around 11:30 in the morning (our worship service isn’t finished yet) and the start of the program is 2pm (but we said to the children that it’ll start at 1pm). So they were able to rest in preparation for the program.

Children started coming in at 1pm. At first, we thought that we won’t reach the 200 children. But by 2pm, the church is already filled with children from all over the barangay. The program started with songs, games, and a special number. The Chummy Chum volunteers and our teachers really had a hard time ‘controlling’ the 200+ children inside the building. But despite of the heat and noise, everybody is having fun. The cotton candy maker and popcorn maker started running at 1pm and those will be given at the end of the program.

Everybody is curious what Chummy Chum look like and when the time came for him to show up, everybody was rushing to him, chanting “Chummy Chum, Chummy Chum” and wants to hold him. Chummy Chum danced for the children and had time for some picture taking before bidding farewell. If not for the intense heat that afternoon, probably he could stay longer (and we want him to stay longer but we also don’t want the person inside Chummy to suffer from heat stroke ).

After the event, we gave a certificate of appreciation to the Chummy Chum Foundation that was received by Ms. Rowena Bula, General Manager of Chummy Chum Foundation Philippines.

Popcorns, Cotton Candy, colors and coloring books were given to the children as they leave the place.

200+ children, 200+ smiles and laughter.

Soli Deo Gloria!

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Soli Deo Gloria.

The purpose of that blog is not to give ideas or tips etc., but merely to blog about what we are currently doing in our department. Of course I hope and pray that people might get some ideas from my posts here, but I also hope that other experts could comment, or share what they are doing in their own churches.

So, please do check it out at http://thesundayschooldirector.marvincruz.com (sorry for the long URL, I’m planning to purchase a domain for this one soon – donations accepted ) http://sundayschooldirector.co.cc.

God bless..

Soli Deo Gloria

Update: Due to some functionalities I need, I moved the blog from blogger to my selfhosted WordPress blog.

The camp’s theme (no final phrasing yet) is about exposing this children in the ministry. Showing them that they are already part of the church and some of the things that they are currently doing (distributing and collecting hymn books, stacking up chairs after service, etc.) are already part of their ministry and that there other ministries that they can be involved. We will also impart to them the importance of discipline and commitment.

It’s a big task actually. We’re preparing future leaders of the church. And it will not end at camp closing. This will be a continous discipleship, something this church haven’t done for a while.

This camp will be a replacement of the traditional “Vacation Bible School” that almost all of the churches in the whole Philippines are conducting every summer. As for me, this VBS is very popular, churches spend money on it, but there were no proper follow up. I am not saying that VBS is useless. I believe that, still, many children and families are presented at God’s feet during this event, but our church want to focus more on the current members of the church. Training them and enabling them for the ministry.

As I’ve said earlier, we plan zero (0) amount to spend on this event. How? We have delegated the expenses to our members. Each family were assigned a specific meal, some families were assigned for the materials that are needed. We lack funds. But this church went from one activity to one activity without that much of funding. Church families are willing to give their time in preparing foods for church activities (we sometimes call this bayanihan).

Camp will start on April 24 in the afternoon up till April 25 noon. Activities include film showing, some community work, group activities and discussion.

Prayers are very much welcome for this event. We still have a lot of things to prepare.

Soli Deo Gloria

My forte in the church is not CE (Christian Education). Though I did teach (on my former church) youth for sometime, my forte was in music (but I am not  an expert in music). When I came in this church (my wife’s from this church), I never planned of being involved in the church leadership. But still I was involved, first on their worship ministry (they don’t have any music team), then on Christian Education department. I was appointed by the teachers. I don’t know where to start and how to properly do it. I have some background regarding CE back in the seminary but it’s just a background. But by God’s grace, I was able to sustain more than one year of leadership.

I was blessed with a wonderful team. The teachers were cooperative, open minded and vocal. We had some “renovations” made to the structure of the Sunday School program. We’ve conducted some training for our teachers (facilitated by….. ourselves), youth seminar, a dinner fellowship for couples. We’re currently planning for a small children’s camp this April (instead of the traditional Vacation Bible School), and a supplemantary feeding program on May.

This church (which is already a more than a decade old), went through a few downfall. Currently, we are trying to establish the “Church Leadership” by electing (appointing actually) key leaders (Deacons, Deaconess, coordinators for Men, Women, etc.).

Dwelling deeper in the ministry, because I am thinking of being involved deeper on the church’s leadership. I’ve already talked to my wife and she was supportive. I am planning to be involved in the office of the Deacons. There are a couple of reason why I want to. First, as it turned out, there is only one person in the church who is willing to do the task of Diaconate and this person migh leave soon for a work abroad. Second, which might sound obscure for some, is that being in this position, I can have some sort of “authority”. It’s not that I am after that “authority” per se, but there are things I know I can do better with it. Our pastor also agreed that, it is good to have those leaders also with the Diaconate position. I don’t want to discuss the “meaning”, etc., for the word Deacon (cause different churches interprets it in different ways). There are a lot of things in my mind that I want to suggest or do in this church.

I don’t know yet when will this happen or if the existing leadership will accept my “application”. But whatever the case maybe, may the will of the Lord be done.

Also, it’s been more than a year now. And I am thinking, what progress do we have with our department. There are still a lot of things to do. We still need to put our hearts more into the ministry that the Lord had entrusted us. I pray everything will work out great, by God’s grace, this year.

Soli Deo Gloria.