The MER 1 and KBMT Experience Continues

With members of the MER 1 service team
(Bulacan South Sector A & B)

The pastoral work to enrich Christian marriages is all year round.

Bro. Lito Depanes from CFC North A has time and again honored us with opportunities to serve the Lord through participation in pastoral work with many brothers and sisters from various different chapter and areas. Last February 2, Bro Jun Palma and I were again able to answer the call to serve. This time we were invited to deliver MER 1 talks to brethren from various clusters and chapters from the province of Bulacan. The venue though was relatively closer to home, a building owned by a fellow CFC leader in Camarin, North Caloocan.

The music ministry leads participants in practicing the songs

Some of the leaders and participants even came from the Municipality of Bocaue where my father has many relatives. It’s always a pleasure to know people from different places which gets a lot more interesting when you discover common roots or friends.

Bro. Jun Palma delivered Talk # 1

Brother Jun Palma how CFC couples should serve God through their Christian marriage. He emphasized the need to recognize our families are central to God’s plan, to understand what He wants us to do to our families, and carry out such work in accordance to His plan. This starts with rededicating our families, our homes and our marriages to Christ.

I gave the second MER 1 talk

My talk underscored the role of couples to act as pastoral leaders in their respective families. The task to build strong families for Christ entails help from the Holy Spirit who empowers and guides husbands and wives and children to perform their respectively roles effectively.

Our own pastoral work as CFC leaders is always ongoing. As new families are established, the task to assist them to develop strong Christ–centered families will always be there.


On a similar note, our work with the poor is never over too.

KBMT participants mainly came from Sitio Ruby’s Phase 5 area

I gave a Kapitbahayan Membership Training (KBMT) talk the following day at the multi-purpose building at Sition Ruby. Many of the participants came from the newly created Phase 5 which falls under the auspices of the caretaker team led by Bro. Edwin Aquino. The main benefactor of this area is St. Paul’s University (formerly St. Paul’s College, Quezon City).

My talk (the first of four KBMT talks) orients the participants about the concept of a genuine community and local versions such as “Kapitbahayan” and “Bayanihan”. The vision and mission of Gawad Kalinga (GK) is also presented and explained to enable participants to embrace it and experience a true sense of ownership of its programs. During the workshop stage, participants are broken down to several groups and tasked to identify common problems encountered in their community as well as to determine agreed solutions to these problems.

Phase 5 GK Caretaker team led by Bro. Edwin Aquino

It’s always heartening to see common folk rediscovering their self dignity and trying to establish unity in their community. I can only hope that they will continue to pursue these admirable ideals as their very own. For what is GK but “…less for self, more for others, enough for all!”


The experience of servant hood continues…..