CFC Central Bangkok greets new members

​​CFC Central Bangkok Chapter concluded its annual 7-weekend Christian Life Program (CLP) held at the Holy Redeemer church on 15 September 2019. The CLP graduates were 22 in total, comprising 4 couples (CFC), 9 singles (SFC) and 5 handmaids (HOLD). Mac/Gigi Velayo and Gary/Anna Hufana led the programme with support from all members, including the chapter leaders John/Princess Balgoa.

CFC Laguna Phuket concludes CLP

CFC Laguna Phuket welcomed 11 new members (6 HOLD, 3 SOLD and 2 SFC) at the culmination of the Christian Life Programme held on 22 September 2019. In addition, there were four children added to the CFC Kids for Christ ministry as part of the CLP. CFC Laguna Phuket is a small expat community established in 2010. Arnel and Vicky Flores have recently been appointed as the Area leaders.

North Bangkok welcomes new members

CFC North Bangkok was blessed with 27 graduates (18 SFCs, 1 HOLD, 8 CFC) who were welcomed to the CFC community during  the CLP Dedication ceremony on 25 August 2019 at Our Lady Mother of God Church in Rangsit. All CLP graduates were Filipinos except for the lone British SFC participant who faithfully attended all the sessions. 

The CLP was supported by the new parish priest, Fr. Worawut Kitsakoon, who delivered a brief welcome remarks during the orientation session. Fr. Arvin, an Indian Franciscan priest from Samphran and the current English mass parishioners priest, also supported the CLP by administering the sacrament of reconciliation to all CLP Team members and participants.

The CLP team was led by Bro. Tony and Sis. Emy Dalisay’s household with the support of SFC North Bangkok led by Bro. Louie and Sis. Pinky Lepiten. This CLP was a sort of transformation of Bro. Tony and Sis. Emy’s household members who served as members of the CLP Service Team for the first time. 

Praise God for the gift of service and for the new members added to our flock

​SFC Central Bangkok welcomes new members

Singles for Christ (SFC) members from Central Bangkok Chapter concluded a Christian Life Programme on 30 June 2019 and welcomed 22 new members. The event was held at Saint John Church, Ladprao, Bangkok and supported by Father Chaiya.  Jason and Rubina Domingo, Couple Coordinators for SFC Central Bangkok, led the service team. As a result of the Programme, three SFCs household were formed. Fr. Chaiya affirmed that the Catholic Church supports the work of lay communities, such as CFC SFCs, to evangelize and enrich the catholic faith. He extended his gratitude to CFC for the work being done in Thailand.

CFC Phuket concludes MER and HER

With support from CFC Singapore, CFC Phuket group concluded a weekend Marriage Enrichment Retreat (MER) 2 and Handmaid Enrichment Retreat (HER) 2 on 29-30 June 2019. Five couples attended the MER and 11 individuals the HER. CFC Singapore service team included Boni/Mary Soque, Kirk Gepilano, Alex/Aby Yabut, Maleen Ngan, Eliza Reyes and Neil Rama.  The first day of the retreats was held at the St. Joseph Church and the final day at the Amora Resort and Spa Phuket.

CFC North Bangkok welcomes new members

​CFC North Bangkok was blessed with 4 graduates (2 SFCs and 2 SOLDs) in the concluded Christian Life Program last 28 April 2019 in the Chapel of the Holy Spirit, AIT. The harvest may be few but the journey all throughout the CLP was what matters most both for the participants and members of the community. The members of Kristine and Alvin’s household were trained and devotedly shared their time, talents and treasures in different ways. The CLP team was led by Patrick Gonzales and Rey Padilla who both stepped out of their comfort zones with the support of SFC North Bangkok led by Louie and Pinky Lepiten.  Regardless of the number of participants our love and joy in service should always be the same all throughout of the CLP. 

Mission to Laguna, Phuket

The CFC community in Laguna, Phuket marks 10th anniversary this year.  Members are mainly expats working in luxury hotels. On 3 March 2019,  Edgar/Moonyeen visited the group and joined their household meeting.   Unexpectedly, they met with Thai couple Khun Prasert and Panida at the mass in St Joseph Church prior to the household. This couple brought CFC in Laguna 10 years ago with support from Edgar/Moonyeen and members from CFC Singapore.  Also in attendance was Bernadette from Phuket town who completed her CLP in 2008. It turned out to be a very special and meaningful gathering with the members of CFC in Laguna, some of them belong to the first CLP.  During the meeting, Edgar exhorted the members to continue to rekindle their spirit and reflect on the CFC theme of the year "live as children of light." Many members renewed their commitment to the daily prayers and attendance to household meetings. Edgar also installed the new Governance Team for the Laguna community comprising Arnel/Vicky Flores (Area Leaders and Evangelization), Ariel/Dhona Campos (Pastoral Formation) and Mike/Majoy Trinidad (Family Ministries).  The meeting concluded with a praying over of the new leaders.

First fruits offering for CFC Bangkok

The three CFC chapters in Bangkok (Central, North and Nonthaburi) gathered together on 3 February 2019 at the Korea House in AIT for the First Fruit consecration. The venue was packed with about 200 members many in red colored clothes to join the Chinese New Year celebration. Art Roa led the assembly and gave a powerful talk on financial stewardship. He emphasized the importance of living the scripture teaching on tithing to become a mature and responsible Christian and to support the spiritual work of the overall church and of CFC.  Edgar followed up with a talk on the theme of CFC for 2019 "Live as Children of Light" and then introduced the First Fruits consecration to the members. This tradition of First Fruits allows each member to express his or her gratitude to God and seek His mercy and graces throughout the year. 

CFC Thailand joins the International Leaders Conference and Continental Leaders Empowerment Conference in Jan 2019

Edgar/Moonyeen Dante and Sonny/Tess Montalbo represented CFC Thailand at the CFC International Leaders Conference (ILC) held at Mall of Asia Arena, Manila on 11 January 2019 and at the Continental Leaders Empowerment Conference (CLEC) for Asia and Oceania at the SM Aura, Manila on 12-13 January 2019.  The ILC introduced the CFC theme of the year "Live as a Children of Light" and provided guidance on how to live out the theme and on future direction of CFC.  Over 14,000 CFC leaders attended the ILC.  At the CLEC, a five-year (2019-2023) strategic plan with clear targets for the continent was introduced. The plan serves as an overarching framework for the continent and informs the development of five-year national plans by the respective Country Governance Team. One of the targets of the overall plan was to make CFC Thailand a full mission centre by 2023. 

CFC Nonthaburi welcomes new members

CFC Nonthaburi Chapter welcomed 18 individuals (2 couples, 2 SOLDs, 6 HOLDs and 6 SFCs) to the CFC community following their completion of the 3-weekend CLP held in Nonthaburi on 6 October 2019. CFC Nonthaburi is the youngest CFC chapter in Bangkok that started in 2015 at the Don Bosco Filipino School. The chapter is led by Jojoy and Emelyn Mission.

Chiangmai CLP welcomes new members

On 7-8 September 2019, CFC Chiangmai and its family ministry welcomed 11 members (1 CFC, 2 HOLD, 1 SOLD and 6 SFC) to the community following their completion of a Christian Life Programme held at the Chiangmai Catholic Mission House. Sonny and Tess led the service team with support from Jemar (SFC Nonthaburi) and 5 speakers from CFC Chiangmai. The service team praised God for the good harvest and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  

Women conference

CFC Thailand Handmaids of the Lord (HOLD) ministry organized back to back women conferences entitled “The Radiance of the Son”.  The first conference was held at the Milton Bender Auditorium, Asian Institute of Technology on 18 August 2019 with 102 attendees and the second at St Joseph Church, Laguna, Phuket on 25 August 2019 with 36 attendees. 

The conference exhorted participants to be strong and courageous when faced with challenges and darkness in life and turn to Jesus who is the Light for help. There were five inspiring talks facilitated by two HOLD leaders from Manila and women leaders in Bangkok.  The two Manila speakers are Betty Talosig, HOLD GMA Coordinator and Leli Roque, HOLD Sector Coordinator Central B Metro Manila.

CFC Phitsanulok welcomes new members

Formed last year, CFC Phitsanulok is the youngest community of CFC in Thailand. With support from CFC Bangkok, the Phitsanulok group comprised mainly of Singles for Christ concluded the 2nd Christian Life Programme on 20 July 2019 and welcomed 16 new members, including two couples. In addition, there were two Nigerian nationals who attended some sessions of the CLP.  The event was held at the Saint Nicholas School building and supported by Father Ronnie Torres who was a former member of Singles for Christ. Farther Rommie also took part in the CLP as a speaker and confessor. The team from Bangkok comprised Edgar/Moonyeen, Louie/Pinky, Lucena, Maverick, Lenin, Beth, Cel, Princess, Fe, Siegrid and Eriel. As a result of the CLP, one couple household, four SFCs and one HOLD household were formed. Due to the large number of expats in Phitsanulok and in neighboring towns, there is a great potential for further evangelization work for CFC. 

CFC Korat welcomes new members

​On 23 June 2019, the CFC community in Korat welcomes 9 new SFC members who completed the 3-Sunday CLP on 12 & 19 May and 23 June 2019 held at St. Lourdes Cathedral, Nakhon Ratchasima. In addition to the CLP graduates, two new sisters, who are already SFC members in the Philippines, also joined SFC Korat anew.

The CLP was conducted by CFC North Bangkok leaders with members from CFC Korat giving some of the talks for the first time. The CLP was also well supported by the resident priests, Fr. Ferdinand C. Aporillo and Fr. Joseph T. Baslao, MSP and with the approval of the Vicar General for Nakhon Ratchasima Diocese, Rev. Fr. Somchai Pongsiripat. 

With the addition of 11 new members, two new SFC household groups were formed and two members have moved up to become household leaders.  Thus, there are now 5 household groups in Korat (4 SFCs, 1 mixed group of CFCs and HOLD).  

We praise God for the gift of a bountiful harvest from the CLP and for the amazing work of the Holy Spirit. With more empowerment from the Holy Spirit, we believe that this is just a beginning of a stronger and bigger CFC family in Korat.

Enriching marriages in Christ

For several years now, CFC Bangkok organizes Marriage Enrichment Retreats (MER) I and II for its couple members during the first quarter of the year. These seminars are essential formation programmes of CFC aimed at strengthening marriages and building homes for God through better appreciation and understanding of God's plan for marriage and family life. This year, both retreats were held at the Camillian Pastoral Centre in Latkrabang during the weekend of 9-10 March 2019.  Some 15 couple participants attended MER 1 and 11 MER 2.  Four couples from CFC Manila who came to Bangkok to deliver powerful talks and facilitated exciting sessions were Raffy and Amie Ballesteros; Ding/Tess Aguinaldo; Lito/Linda Tayag and Tito/Leny Cayamanda. Their rich experiences in marriage life and long involvement in CFC made the retreats very successful and enriching for both participants and service team members alike. 

Covenant Orientation in Phitsanulok 

Phitsanulok lies in upper central Thailand and takes 4.5 hours drive from Bangkok. There is a new CFC group established last year with very active members mostly Singles for Christ (SFC). Most of them are teachers in different Thai schools. Monthly visits are made alternately between Louie/Pinky Lepiten, who visited the group last January,  and  Edgar/Moonyeen with support from SFC members in North/Central Bangkok chapters.  Edgar/Moonyeen, together with Lenin (SFC), went on 23 February 2019 and joined the household prayer meeting. They also gave three Covenant Orientation talks.  Most members informed that they will join the SFC conference to be held at AIT on 10 March 2019.  

Youth for Christ welcomes new members

Youth Christ Central Bangkok welcomed 2019 with its first evangelization youth camp held on 19-20 January at Phramahatai School (Beside Holy Redeemer Church) Bangkok. The camp theme followed the CFC Theme of the year 2019. “Live as Children of Light”.  The camp is an entry point to becoming a member of Youth for Christ and was led by Kyle Dante and Angelo Saga. Parz Maristela served in the music ministry. First time camp servants Chompoo Maristela and Richard Hufana facilitated the entire event.

Sharers from Central and Nonthaburi (Don Bosco) YFCs and speakers from the household of Siegrid Tejeno of SFC North Bangkok guided the youths in fun-filled and spiritually uplifting activities. Participants' parents came to surprise their children and engaged in the exchanging of letters and dialogue activity. The camp ended with 9 members added to CFC-YFC Central Bangkok and North-East Bangkok Chapter. After the camp, participants joined the General Assembly of Central Bangkok and were welcomed as new members. The team was grateful to the Lord for the  fruitful harvest and for allowing them to serve in His vineyard.

CFC Thailand joins the Mission Core Weekend

Over 2,500 leaders of CFC climb to the mountain resort of Baguio each year for the mission core weekend retreat. On 19-21 January 2018, Edgar and Moonyeen attended the retreat for the first time representing CFC Thailand. Called Solemn Charge, the retreat reflected on the 2018 theme of CFC based on the second letter to Timothy by Paul. It expounded Paul's final exhortation to younger Timothy as Paul knew his ministry was coming to an end and emphasized on the importance of proclaiming the Gospel even in difficult circumstances with courage and sacrifices as exemplified by Paul's missionary life. Paul's story was depicted through talks, celebration of the Eucharist, testimonies from members and drama presentations. It was a great opportunity to meet with CFC elders, particularly those who supported CFC Thailand during its formative years, including Brod. Roquel and Sis Nina Ponte. The conference also offered a time to bond with the country coordinators Brod Bombee and Sis Beth Tiongsion who kindly facilitated the participation of Edgar and Moonyeen and allowed them to meet with other leaders who had previous engagements with CFC Thailand. The retreat will be echoed in Bangkok sometime in May or June 2018.