Word Circular 2015 - August

WORD

CIRCULAR AUGUST 2015

AGENTS REDEMPTION OF

Doing Missions the WordComm Way

EVERY SUNDAY at UNILAB Bayanihan Center OUR SUNDAY GATHERING SCHEDULE OPEN LIFE GROUPS 0900-1020 AM COFFEE FELLOWSHIP 1015-1030 AM WORSHIP SERVICE & KIDS CHURCH 1030-1200 PM

Community Site Churches Sunday Gatherings WORDCOMM ORANBO 4:00-5:30 PM Rizal and Metro Manila Public School Teachers Association Inc., Center, Oranbo, Pasig City WORDCOMM CAINTA 9:30-11:30 AM Dahlia St., Greenland Subdivision, Cainta, Rizal WORDCOMM OLONGAPO 6:30-8:00 PM 1395 Rizal Avenue Corner 14th St. West Tapinac, Olongapo City

2 Sunday gatherings

Being redeemed is not enough.

Now, before you even start throwing stones, think about it—our calling goes beyond accepting and embracing the redemptive love of Christ. It even goes even further into asking us to become (and bring) redemption itself, and that’s overall theme for our upcoming series— becoming AGENTS OF REDEMPTION. So, join us for the month of August as we celebrate Missions Month with our partners and volunteers from inside and outside of Wordcomm. And as you read through the pages and stories from this issue, we hope that you’ll be able to find a place where you can be redemption to people in your schools, offices, and spheres of influence.

As a church and, individually, as followers of Christ, this is our mission and should you choose to accept it, well…

Get ready for an exciting ride. //EJ

EDITOR’S NOTE

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INTIMACY

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Why should I join the Young Adult meetings?

That’s the question I asked myself when I was invited. Thinking this through, I realized that if my view about church was just attending service every Sunday and going home, one could consider me a “Zimbabwe” or a simbauwi person.

As I contemplated about my church life, it occured to me that I’ve been a member of this church for many years but I’ve only aquainted myself with a few people. God reminded me that the church is more than just a building. In fact, it isn’t a building at all, but rather built around people.

When I attended my first Young Adult meeting, I felt like it was one of the best decisions that I’ve made. Since joining, I’ve met a group of people who take the time to get to know each other personally, listen to every story, and encourage one another to grow in an authentic relationship with Christ — isn’t that great?

Are you looking for more free coffee and fun filled activities? Well, this fellowship is more than that.

It’s a safe place to share burdens and a place to get real answers to real questions with friends who influence one another to seek God’s heart.

It’s a community built and guided by His word and His love. It’s where I want to belong.

Young Adults meet every other Wednesday at 7:30pm Contact Mike Velasco @ 09175873146 to join

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My journey with God contains 3 life changing experiences, the first one was when I changed my religion from Catholic to Born Again, the second was when I was baptized with my family back in April 2007, and lastly when I became part of the CBSI family.

I believe that these three stages in my Christian life helped me prepare who God really is in my life. At first, I thought that I wasn’t cut out for the CBSI life, because I felt that I wasn’t ready for it yet. I saw how my mom would answer her CBSI homework with much diligence and I immediately said to myself that I’m not ready for that!

Looking back at that experience, I suddenly thought that I was just afraid of what CBSI would do to my life, and when I recalled that, I told myself that I wasn’t ready—but in fact I already was.

Ever since I accepted God in my life, or even before that, God made sure that I was. My first experience with the CBSI homework, I immediately steeled myself for what was to come, I read it and when I attempted to answer it, I failed. Was it really that hard?

“ BEFORE YOU LOOK AT THE QUESTIONS, TAKE A MOMENT TO ASK GOD, IN PRAYER, TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU ARE READING.

”

I was bewildered. How could I miss that one sentence? Then I understood why.

I thought that I was reading it but I was just browsing through the whole thing. I didn’t even bother putting my heart into it; and I treated it simply as a piece of paper containing but simple words.

I have never been so wrong in my entire life. It is a study of God’s word, and for you to understand God’s word, is if you are willing to know Him with all your heart and soul. I prayed to God for forgiveness and I tried it for a second time, and to my surprise, I actually understood it.

I knew praying to God was good but I didn’t realize it was that good. I use the BibleGateway site to help me answer the home study questions, and when I look at it, I feel accomplished as a follower of God since I can see all of the highlighted verses I’ve read since the beginning. I can finally be true to my given name “Dominic” which means “Belonging to God.” I know it’s just the beginning, but I know that this journey is something I wouldn’t want to end.

GOD Then I saw that one sentence:

JOURNEYING WITH

by NICK RAULE COMMUNITY

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influence pt.1

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The day teacher Dongdong asked me if I wanted to teach with her and Dani at a kid’s conference, I gladly agreed with no hesitation. Without asking what or who or where I was going to teach, I said yes. Without asking myself if I really wanted it or why I should even give it a try, I gave my her my yes. And just like that, I was in. Never would I have imagined my experience to turn out the way it did.

It was without a doubt the most tiring week of my summer. In the day, we’d run around, read stories, make arts and crafts, play games, color worksheets, break up fights, wipe away tears, soothe tantrums and (try to) have quiet time, all while trying to understand 7 different languages (not including baby talk).

Despite the difficult week, what was even harder was falling in love with each and

naomi bustamante

every child while being fully aware that in a week’s time, I’d have to say goodbye.

I can never forget the morning we sang Shout to the Lord for our praise and worship session. From hearing screams along the hallways to crying because they missed their parents; from “teacha, I need to shishi (wee-wee)” to “teacha, why you wear ripped pants?”; from hi-hellos to “sawadee ka (good morning)” and “okay kah”; from 80 kids, 7 languages, 3 classes to just one song, one voice, one line: “I sing for joy at the work of your hands, forever I’ll love you, forever I’ll stand.”

Singing with my students, eyes closed, I thought, this was the work of His hands, why we all came together, why I gave my yes that day Teacher Dongdong asked.

This is why I teach. This is why I stand.

K CCCerids nf ence o C B angkok

God definitely had some sense of humor during the 5-day conference in Thailand.

The experience was chaotic, being with kids of missionaries age 3-16 at least 7-hours a day for five days! Everyday was a new challenge on dealing with the kids—with their mood swings and long hours. Take note that it was “5 main teachers vs 80 multi-national kids from 7 countries”.

It was an experience of a lifetime, getting to know and taking care of kids from different Asian countries. Each day that I got to know them more, I saw how God worked in these kids. I actually didn’t expect that most of the kids aged 3-6, that we took care of would be responsible and very obedient. We also found the secret to make them sleep during the afternoon: Stickers!!!

dani tiangco

Volunteering for this conference and taking care of the kids filled me with a different purpose with my walk with God. Even with the busy schedule with the kids, I did hear God’s voice. I heard lots of answers to my long-asked questions to God, He showed me that He does and will continue to provide as long as I do everything for His glory.

INFLUENCE pt.2 11

AGENTS REDEMPTION OF

Doing Missions the WordComm Way 12

Dear WordComm, Welcome to Missions Month at WordComm. I like missions month. Having now been a missionary for the past 36 years it is easy for me to get excited about the topic of missions. But I realize that is not true for everybody at WordComm.

For some, our missions month is just another activity that we do each year, just another chance to let people know that we have ministry partners and projects; just another thing that has become a part of our WordComm tradition.

Maybe you’re saying; “Ok maybe it’s important, but honestly Pastor Dave, I don’t connect, I don’t see the point. Missions just isn’t my thing.”

Fair enough, I need to take you where I find you. But my hope and prayer is that by the end of August you might begin to see Missions in a different color than you currently do. My hope is that you will begin to see Missions in a way that is both relevant and important to you in a very personal and practical way.

We have chosen as our missions month theme the tagline, AGENTS OF REDEMPTION, because we think it captures the uniqueness of what we want a WordComm mission expression to be.

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Webster defines an Agent as: • A person who acts on behalf of another, in particular • A person or company that provides a particular service, typically one that involves organizing transactions between two other parties • A person or thing that takes an active role or produces a specified effect I like this definition. In one way or another I think all three definitions apply when you connect being an Agent with doing missions.

As a member of WordComm, we hope you will see yourself as a person who acts on behalf of others, being God’s heart and hands to those who don’t know Him or who don’t have the capacity to act for themselves. We, as Christ followers, also have the unique opportunity and privilege of being His ambassadors to a fallen world, organization transactions as it were between God and those around us who still need His grace, mercy, love and redemption. God does the redeeming but we must be His ambassadors

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of reconciliation. Finally we are called to play an active role as Salt and Light in the world that we live in, showing people how to find hope and faith in a hopeless faithless world.

What can you expect this coming month?

Messages that will tackle such issues as: Just how real is the Gospel to you?, What’s on God’s heart?, Being the Church Outside, Finding your mission field, and Going global. There will be great testimonies, guest speakers, chances to connect with missions partners, opportunities to be equipped, and chances to “taste and see”.

All in all I think it can be a powerful month for our Church, moving us one step closer to fulfilling our mission to bring Christ to the world.

So join us, take advantage of the opportunities, plug in, go for a ride and see what God wants to do in your life.

From the heart of your missionary pastor, Pastor Dave

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FIELD

TECHNIQUES:

A Sheep Chasing Workshop

How to share your faith without scaring the sheep away August 16 and 23, 9am