April UNILAB Bayanihan Center Open Life Groups 0900 - 1020 am Coffee Fellowship 1015-1030 am Worship Service & Kids Church 1030-1200 pm
Community Site Churches WORDCOMM ORANBO 5:00-6:30 pm Kid’s Church 4:00-5:00 pm Rizal and Metro Manila Public School Teachers Association Inc., Center, Oranbo, Pasig City
WORDCOMM CAINTA 10:00-12:00 am Dahlia St., Greenland Subdivision, Cainta, Rizal
WORDCOMM OLONGAPO 5:00-7:00 pm 1395 Rizal Avenue Corner 14th St. West Tapinac, Olongapo City
vector Graphi cs desi gned by freepi k.com
2 Sunday gatherings
truth
• noun
1 the quality or state of being true; 2 (also the truth) that which is true or in accordance with fact or reality; 3 a fact or belief that is accepted as true.
Coming across this definition got me a bit confused for a word that doesn't need an explanation. It may have been the simplicity of it or the absolute quality "truth" imposes. I don't know about you, but using the words 'reality' and 'accepted' for a definition connotes subjectivity, don't they? "Truth" gets messy when our held beliefs, rooted from personal experience and unique idiosyncracies, inform and form 'facts' not immune to biases, in hopes of speeding up discovery. Before we get lost in philosophy or linguistics and a crazy load of quotation marks, we'll take the next five weeks to talk about Christian cliché versus the truth according to the bible. You know what I mean, we have to admit that we sometimes give our friends these "nuggets of wisdom" that are supposed to be comforting—but on the flip side, we shrug them off at best when we're the ones needing some sense. "Everything happens for a reason" or "Nasa Diyos and awa, nasa tao ang gawa." Did that really renew anyone's mind? Like an overdrive, truth is stretched to a point where it doesn't help us move forward, much less arrive at a solution. Not so when the Biblical truth is preached to you. It comes with power and grace and just really makes the difference: truth's "proper function," as beachhead puts it. BIblical truth, though challenged by our realities, has a certain ring to it that makes our journey of discovery trully meaningful, trully moving forward. Now, who's up for a drive on this side? //KS
EDITOR’S NOTE
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THE TESTIMONY OF
Hannah Perdigon
After being a part of WordComm all my life, it has surprised many people to know that I had not yet been baptized. In these circumstances, most kids would probably be baptized at a youth camp, or with other members of their family. Back when I attended a Catholic high school, I remember our CLE (Christian Life Education) teacher asking our class, “Who here has been baptized?” and the horrified look on her face when I didn’t raise my hand when all my classmates did. Baptism means different things to different people. After
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that moment in high school I learned that born again Christian baptism is, clearly, very different from Catholic baptism.
/CONTEXT: I’d never gone to Catholic school until high school. I didn’t understand why my teacher was so shocked. She must have thought I was a complete heathen until I explained that as an infant I had already been dedicated. // Born again Christian baptism is a choice. This wasn’t something I fully understood or appreciated until I missed
NOW THAT I’M OLDER IT’S SOMETHING THAT I WHOLEHEARTEDLY EMBRACE AND ACCEPT, BECAUSE IT IS A LIFE THAT IS DIFFICULT, BUT A LIFE THAT IS WORTH LIVING, WAY ABOVE AND BEYOND WHATEVER IT IS THE WORLD HAS TO OFFER.
the youth camp baptism window of opportunity. The regular water baptisms at “big church”, as we called Sunday service as kids, were very intimidating. Back at the former Brgy. Oranbo venue, literally the entire congregation in their Sunday best would watch you being submerged into a small pool of water on two huge projector screens. It was a very public declaration that you were giving your life to Christ. It was, quite frankly, frightening. And I wasn’t ready for that.
To me, finally getting baptized was a commitment. You are literally “born again” the moment you are plunged into the water. When you’re a kid nobody tells you about what a big responsibility it is to be a Christian. Now that I’m older it’s something that I wholeheartedly embrace and accept, because it is a life that is difficult, but a life that is worth living, way above and beyond whatever it is the world has to offer. And this is how I was baptized by Pastor Ji and Pastor Dave at the Bonifacio residence on a very cold February afternoon, with Cielo, Monique, and Miggy.
INTIMACY
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MAY 27-29 6
MAY 6-8 COMMUNITY
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LIFEGROUP Spotlight: Atty. Richie Pilares and her former law students
One of the things that we value in Word Community Church is Influence—the capacity to have an effect on the character, development, or behavior of someone or something. As disciples of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, we are expected to be the salt and light of the world, agents of change in this dark and corrupt world. I believe that God gave every Christian the capacity to shine and influence someone. No matter who you are, and where you came from, you can influence people around you and be God’s agent of change and blessings to them. I’d like to share with you some stories of influence from our fellow WordComm members. I was privileged to be invited to be a part of the support group that Atty. Richie Pilares started to minister and be a blessing to her former law students. Together with her husband, Jun, Richie meets the group every other Thursdays.
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I was curious to know how Atty. Richie was able to do this so I asked one of her student named Marinelle how Atty. Richie impacted her life. And this is what she told me:
B
efore (last semester) when she was my prof in one of my classes, she was basically one of those people we (as first year, first sem law students) look up to and who we wanted
to become like in the near future. We admire that she seems to be able to balance her career and family life (based on how she would tell stories about her husband in our class and one time when she brought her daughter to class). In a way it seems that she got the best of both worlds which is probably difficult for most to have.
she exerts or gives back to us equally, if not more, of what she asked. What I'm trying to say is that even though she has authority over us or as our professor, a superior, she didn't act as if she was above us.
I also felt that she only asks us (study load) only until what is reasonable and
us and how everything
Instead, she placed herself in our shoes and guided us from there, understanding is not as how we're used to.
INFLUENCE
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It's good because there surely are those who would not do the same for us (Disclaimer: I'm not saying there already is/are hahaha). Now that we get to know her outside the classroom, if before I feel that she gives us as much as she asks from us, from the time alone that she set aside for us (which in the first place she doesn't even have to), most of the time I feel that we're always at the receiving end and that we're taking more than what we're giving (which I'm not really that comfortable with). We have actually talked among ourselves that Atty. Ramos Pilares is being too nice (how can someone be so smart, pretty, nice, understanding, caring and God-centered all at the same time?! Haha "walang halong bola"
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was part of our discussion one time and at times we think that she's too good to be true haha.) and that we're very thankful we got to know her. Before, she was just our mentor but now she has also become our friend-our "Ate" in law school life (and even spiritually). In a way, observing her and talking with her outside the confines of our textbook makes life seem brighter (because she's a bright person, when we also listen to her outlook life isn't so bad and there are many things we can be thankful for and should be thankful for). These are things "I already know" from the start but rarely find in real life. And I'm glad to know that it's all possible and not just
wishful thinking on my part. Wow! How I wish people around me would also say that I’m too good to be true and that every time they spend time with me makes their lives brighter. According to Marinelle, "It’s possible and it’s real." I believe that we can all do it because We all have the Holy Spirit who can make us 'too good to be true' people who shine and make others’ lives brighter.
It’s my prayer that every one in WordComm, in our own simple ways can influence people around us and be their light that shines bright to glorify our great God who makes all things beautiful. //Ptr Jai
INFLUENCE 11
TRUTH OVERDRIVE: WHAT THE WOR SAYS, WHAT TRUTH SAYS.
Why is this important? The church and the world can agree to something, but not necessarily truth. We must know the Word and understand the true purpose of what it says. Short Story Either the church or the world can overdrive truth. The world and the church want to work together with truth as their language, but can be confused and reduced to a mental power of words. Disabling people to act accordingly. Long Story Have you encouraged someone that they “can do it� in the midst of a situation?
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ORLD SAYS, WHAT THE CHURCH
Do you over promise to someone “God hears our prayers.” Did someone tried to convince you with an idea about “God who opens a window when a door closes?” When words are so good it forms into a song. So soothing it finds its way into the church preached as a sermon. Or Steph Curry simply states it and becomes a life anthem, you know… “I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME”. Words are assuming to be truth. And when it does and it isn’t, we have a mess called TRUTH OVERDRIVE – (what WORDCOMM wants to call it.).
editorial feature 13
The world is hungry for a solution. It is natural for it to pick up a few things from the church. And so is the church, which wants to speak the language outside. Together the world and the church produce these overdriven truths that want to solve the problems of everyone. The origin can be from both the church and the world, neither are BIBLICAL TRUTHS.
In automobiles, overdrive means to cruise at a certain speed with less RPM. This improves fuel economy. Overdriving generates speed by over gearing. So when you should be on 3rd gear, an overdrive function places you at around 3.5; the .5 over gear is the magic. But sometimes a car has a big load. It may be luggage, passengers or a hill to climb. In overdrive mode, it cannot achieve the proper RPM to accelerate in order to move faster. In this case, the driver should disengage the overdrive function. No more magic, just get to the proper gear. When we don’t know when to turn off overdrive, we forget how to drive a car. Like truth, there is a proper function. When we overdrive it, we’ll tend to enjoy the cruising and soothing feeling thus reducing it to a mental power of words. Then we can’t act accordingly. In this series, hopefully we are able to equip you on how to drive truth. Understand the true potential of TRUTH and not overdrive. And of course not to start an OVERDRIVE!
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Here are some OVERDRIVEN TRUTHS we will cover in this series: April 3 April 10 April 17 April 24 May 1
God is good all the time Let go and let God Everything happens for a reason God answers prayer with a yes, no or wait Give and it will given to you
Ptr. Gus Ptr. Dave Ptr. Woolim Ptr. Dave Ptr. Woolim
We know there are more; we worked hard to choose the best for you to be able to get a feel. So the next time someone encourages you that “God will not give something you can’t handle.”, you’ll know how to handle the advise instead. It is a 5-week series, hoping you stick it out considering its travel season. Oh, you can still stay connected with us through our podcast. Just download the app PODBEAN then follow Word Community Church. Here you can listen to us once we upload the episode a few days later.
//beachhead
editorial feature 15
ROMANS 10:8
"The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart"
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