Happy 25th Anniversary, Couples for Christ!

On May 18, 2002, my wife Odette and I graduated from an integrated course called the Christian Life Program (CLP) organized by the Couples for Christ (CFC) community, a Christian Family Life Renewal Ministry. It was an activity that led participants into a renewed understanding of God’s call to Christian couples. The CLP ran for a total of 13 separate ses­sions, usually held once a week. Most sessions consist of three basic ingredients: a teaching, a group discussion, and a time for fellowship. Each session would normally last for about 2 1/2 hours.

The CLP has two basic purposes: evangelism and spiritual renewal.

The CLP takes the basic message of Christianity and proclaims it anew so that those who hear it can make a renewed commitment to the Lord in a way which will allow them to receive a fuller experience of the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives.

On the other hand, spiritual renewal functions in three ways:

1. For the individual, it brings a person into a stronger rela­tionship with God by discovering and living more fully the power and gifts he or she received through the Holy Spirit.

2. For the family, it brings married couples to a renewed commit­ment to Christian family life and it starts to build up a commu­nity of committed Christian families.

3. For the Church, it brings people within a particular parish to a fuller experience of life in the Spirit. Consequently it strengthens and revitalizes community life in the parish.

The CLP starts with an orientation session, followed by 3 modules of 4 sessions each.

The first module presents the absolute fundamentals of Christian life. The second module presents the kind of life that God calls us to, and helps couples to make a reorientation of their lives around Jesus. The third module helps couples to appropriate for their lives the power of the Holy Spirit, and provides the basis for continuing spiritual growth.

The topics of the sessions are:

Module 1: THE BASIC TRUTHS ABOUT CHRISTIANITY
1. God's love
2. Who is Jesus Christ?
3. What it means to be a Christian
4. Repentance and faith

Module 2: THE AUTHENTIC CHRISTIAN LIFE
5. The Christian ideal: loving God
6. Loving your neighbor
7. The Christian family
8. Life in the Holy Spirit

Module 3: LIVING A SPIRIT‑FILLED CHRISTIAN LIFE
9. Receiving the power of the Holy Spirit
10. Growing in the Spirit
11. The life and mission of CFC
12. Transformation in Christ


In many ways, after undergoing the CLP, my whole life has never been the same again.

It has led me to further repentance and a renewed faith in Jesus, a closer and more personal relationship with our Lord and Savior. It has also empowered me through my baptism in the Holy Spirit, opening me to many aspects of my faith that I have never realized or utilized until now. My acceptance of the CFC’s invitation to join their community enabled me to integrate my family into a healthy environment for Christian support and continuous formation.

Like other CFC couples, my wife and I still fight, sometimes even over silly things and we still fall down due to sin. But we always find a way to get up, ask forgiveness and continue to be in the Lord’s service. Often we are referred to as “works in progress”, always in the struggle but never out of the fight. Besides, God never promised a smooth life after CLP, but that He will also always be with us until the end of time.

Couples for Christ has grown rapidly through the last twenty five (25) years from an original number of 16 couples way back in 1981 to roughly a million members in around 153 countries today. Its womb to tomb outlook has brought forth family ministries like the Kids for Christ (KFC) and Youth for Christ (YFC) ministries, as well as various special and social ministries and in the last few years our work with the poor in collaboration with non-CFC partners, Gawad Kalinga (GK). While Couples for Christ members are predominantly Catholics (in fact the CFC is the only Asian National Private Association of the Lay Faithful currently recognized by the Vatican), the CFC community and its CLP is open to all Christians from different denominations.

More than four years have passed since that fateful day in 2002 when my wife and I accepted God’s call. Much has happened since then. We now have four children, instead of two. Not long after our CLP graduation, Odette and I have been tasked to serve as our Chapter’s Couple Coordinators for our local KFC. Later, we facilitated during a succeeding CLP in 2003 and were subsequently anointed as household leaders. We have also been called upon to serve as Value Formation Sessionaires since 2004. We have also been serving as Unit leaders and handling the SAGIP program (KFC counterpart in a GK site) in Phase 1 of GK Kapamilya or more popularly known as GK Ruby, an underprivileged community composed of more than a thousand families. I feel honored to be invited time and again to give out various values and pastoral formation talks in many places where Christ’s message needs to be heard. I feel humbled and privileged to be God’s instrument for His plans wherever it may be. Many times have I also experienced a weakening of my interest to serve in the midst of trials, intrigue and oppressions. It is saddening to know that some of these intrigues and difficulties come from a number of people within the CFC community. But God’s grace and strength is sufficient and I thank him I am still here with my family ready to meet the challenges ahead.

Happy 25th Anniversary, Couples for Christ!

May my family and many more families around the world share your next 25 years in God’s steadfast love!

P.S. Pictures that couldn't be viewed in this post can be seen at my other blog http://familiesforchrist.lifewithchrist.org