Every Nation Campus Ministries

From May 21 to 26, thousands of teachers, students, parents and concerned community
members throughout the country will volunteer their time and effort to renovate school
buildings in preparation for the opening of classes on June. This week-long, nationwide
campaign launched by the Department of Education is the National Schools Maintenance
Week, also known as Brigada Eskwela.

This is an opportune time for us to show our genuine heart to partner with the public schools that we are ministering to as well as those that we plan to reach.

Last year we participated in the Brigada Eskwela of some high schools here in Manila and it benefited not just them but also what we are doing in their campuses. What we did enhanced how they see us ˆ we are no longer seen as a mere religious group but a practical and relevant bunch of people truly wanting to help. Many more open doors to minister followed after that.

We can opt to donate paints, brushes and other cleaning materials. It would be great also if we can organize volunteers from our youth groups to help out in the actual cleaning and painting. This will speak volumes to them about us.

For a more detailed information on how you can do this, you can coordinate directly with the principal of the school you wish to serve.

“My child is not perfect. I am not perfect. And if you tell me you’re perfect, you’re a liar. I want Lindsay to fail—kids need failure to have success.� - Lindsay Lohan’s mother, Dina in Seventeen magazine, April 2006, p. 140.

“KIDS NEED FAILURE TO HAVE SUCCESS”…. this quote got me thinking. Do i want my daughter to fail? I recently had a talk with a dad concerning his son growing up and graduating in high school. I encouraged him to push his son to get involved with people who love God and be part of a mentoring program that we offer in different campuses in the Philippines. His reply shocked me. He told me that when he was young he would do some things that were not right like drugs and drinking. He thinks it was just normal for an ordinary teenager to go through this. “EXPERIENCE IS THE BEST TEACHER.”

I got out from that conversation thinking EXPERIENCE IS NOT THE BEST TEACHER. I don’t need to experience pre-marital sex to learn my lesson about STDs and pregnancy. I dont need to experience smoking to learn about LUNG CANCER. I don’t need to experience drunkenness to learn how alcoholism can RUIN A FAMILY.

KIDS need MENTORING, KIDS need a LOVING FAMILY, KIDS need POSITIVE FRIENDSHIPS, KIDS need GOD to achieve SUCCESS

Joshua 1:8 (New Living Translation)
Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.

L.A.: I love my bed. I love to relax and do nothing. I love being comfortable.
God: Who has changed the world and made an impact by simply being comfortable?
L.A.: Umm… umm
God: C’mon L.A., you know the answer.
L.A.: God, uhm, like, uhm, no one?
God: Yes, L.A. So get out of your spiritual bed, JUMP out and move in faith.

I have been a Christian for 16 years. I read my bible and pray. I have small groups. I attend service (I should because I’m a Pastor. Hehe. I actually preach in them) but somehow I feel like I was in my comfort zone.

I don’t want to be a settler; one who is just content with past victories and keep the status quo. I want to JUMP AND INCREASE IN MY FAITH.

I remember Peter jumping off the boat…

Matthew 14:28 “Lord, if it’s you,� Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.�
v29 “Come,� he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.

We laugh at Peter for his lack of faith, but the question is where were the other 11 disciples?
They didn’t even try! I saw a t-shirt that said, “you miss all the shots you don’t take”. That is true. I don’t want to just be a spectator. I want to JUMP smack into the destiny God has for me.

Wherever you are right now I hope we all get out of our spiritual beds our comfort zones and JUMP OUT AND DARE TO DO SOMETHING RADICAL

1. JUMP OUT! TURN OFF THE TV AND PRAY MORE
2. JUMP OUT! SAY NO TO DOTA AND READ THE BIBLE MORE
3. JUMP OUT! STOP BEING AFRAID AND WITNESS TO A FRIEND
4. JUMP OUT! DONT HESITATE TO INVITE A RELATIVE TO CHURCH

WHATEVER GOD IS ASKING YOU TO DO, GO AHEAD AND JUMP INTO IT!

I love the game of basketball and I love ministry.

Here is my attempt to put the two together. Some lessons I learned while eating junk food and watching the “all- star weekend”.

Principle # 1: 3 Point Shoot Out Principle
The “same old sweet stroke” the winner of the shoot out ( in this case Jason Kapono of the Miami Heat) usually possess the most basic/fundamental shooting stroke. There are just some things that you never change when you shoot the ball -the release, the follow through, the focus on the rim.

Ministry: you want to grow your youth group? be willing to stick to the basics/fundamentals. Are your people motivated to do one2one? Do they have the heart for the lost, constantly planting small groups in their campuses? Are they friendly in the youth services? Pastors Dennis Sy and Patrick Mercado are experts at this. They never get tired of doing the basics. This is the most important thing.

Principle # 2: Slam Dunk Principle.
Slam dunk is all about creativity. Over the years you have people dunking with 2 basketballs, wearing blindfolds, jumping over people, this year’s winner Gerald Green dunked over a table!!!

Ministry: We have to realize that we minister to different kinds of people, who have different tastes. Across the board we have different kinds of “bridge events” and youth services just to attract different kinds of people. We have”Leadership Edge” (for aspiring leaders), “urban hope” (for rappers and skaters), and various talents inC and Champion for Christ workshops. Our services in Quezon City, U-belt, Ortigas and the Fort are worlds apart. Why? Because we are reaching a diverse group who have different tastes in music, hobbies and means of expession.

Be creative. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Principle # 3: Skillz Challenge
This contest is fairly new. This tests a player in various aspects of basketball - dribbling, passing and shooting. Dwayne Wade beat Kobe Bryant here.
(Buti nalang!!!)

Ministry: People have asked me if there is a secret to how to grow your youth group. The answer is there is none! There are hundreds of factors that need to be considered for a youth group to grow (relevant preaching, anointed worship, leadership development, passion for the lost etc, etc).

Never settle for who you are now. Always look for things to improve on.

Bottom line = do anything and everything to develop your skillz.

I have been preaching for almost 10 years . i still remembered the first
time p. ferdie c gave me that opportunity. it was a disaster! so i decided
to blog about some of the lessons i learned these past 10 years and
hopefully you never do copy them

so here goes “how to lose a guy/girl in ten ways ( while preaching)

1. not having a “take home message” - you must be able to summarize your
preaching in a sentence.. what is the take home message? ( try asking your
leaders, if they got your point..if they can’t summarize it in a sentence
chances are the other listeners were lost.)

2. not bible based - this is not some talk show wherein we express our
opinions. great preachings are usually based on the bible. try it. it
works!!! ( seems elementary, yet at times we forget)

3. not using “explanation – illustration- application ” - a healthy balance
of these will spice up your sermon

4. not reading and researching- ever heard of preachers who always share the
same story.. that simply means he/ she is not prepared. not reading and
researching ( internet, writing personal stories in a notebook, reading
different kind of books) will bore your listeners

5. not avoiding personal “bida� illustrations - personal stories are
encouraging , but overuse, make you sound like you are boasting. if you are
using yourself as an illustraion, you can choose to talk about a funny
experience or just make fun of yourself

6. not being “kontra tiempo “- as a new preacher, i always shouted, always
hyper ( i think i got that from my mom ) , but just like basketball i had to
learen to change tempo. sometimes loud sometimes soft. sometimes slow
sometimes fast. this will keep you from being monotonous.

7. not using visual aid - this generation loves to multi- task. a talking
person is not enough. get an object lesson, nice powerpoint, nice videos.
remember to keep the message of the Word , but be creative in presenting it.

8. not condemning but convicting- always speak the truth but make sure you
add love. the overall feeling a listener must feel is “im a sinner,i need to
get close to God”, instead of “shucks, im a sinner. i’m hopeless”

9. not being yourself- i tried to be pastor steve, ferdie, rico and joey to
name a few.. it didn’t work!!! why? cause im l.a. God created me this way.
im going to talk and present the scriptures the same way i do when im
talking to my friend ( besides people will know if you are being natural or
fake.. tip… they prefer natural.)

10. not preacher centered - not gimmick centered nor
joke centered but simply Christ centered. hopefully, as we preach people
will know and love Christ more. thats the end goal right ?

happy preaching!!!

Every 3rd Thursday of the month, all the Metro Manila youth pastors and campus ministry heads meet to update each other about the respective youth services, campus ministries, preaching series, and sometimes, their personal lives.

Each meeting has its own flavor but it maintains to be informative and amusing. Here is a peek into what happens when all our youth leaders sit in one room for an hour and a half to discuss work, munch on Yellow Cab pizza or the Caf’s tuna sandwhich, and well, have fun.

It’s always the first agenda to listen to ministry updates from everyone. Hearing reports of growth in small groups and open doors in the campus never fails to uplift spirits and verify that as a church and organization, we are accomplishing something. The results are encouraging testimonies of young lives being changed that fill our small groups inside the campus, coffee shops, malls, Mcdonald’s, Burger King, sidewalks, mango trees, and any nook and cranny that can serve two or more people to meet and pray.

Evaluation is always part of the meeting. The table is always open to suggestions and constructive criticisms of how we do what we do. Most of the time it’s a discussion on how to enliven the youth services. There are fifteen youth services happening in Metro Manila every week. From Alabang to Fairview, there is a service for any high school and college student. Our youth pastors and campus ministers see to it that our services would welcome any personality and idiosyncrasy. And that it would keep them coming back for more. But more than the fanfare of putting up a youth service is the commitment to preach solid foundations from the Word of God.

All the excellent preaching series, entertaining games, and elaborate object lessons are put together to attract young people from all walks of life.

Of course, we don’t always get good reports. We also tackle areas of improvement in the various aspects of youth ministry. And with the wealth of experience present in the room, each problem arrives at the best solution there is. It is also a challenge to come into agreement sometimes. But the wisdom in diversity and working with a common goal in mind enables everyone to come up with the best decision always.

In between all these serious work-talks are big laughters on jokes, miscalculations, and dead terms that suddenly resurrect itself.

We can never over emphasize the significance of teamwork. We all know that for this ministry to work, we all need the wisdom, creativity, giftings, and individuality of the people around us. And every 3rd Thursday of the month, we know that this teamwork happens.

I came across an Internet article a couple of weeks ago regarding the 2006 Robotics Olympiad in Nanning, China. To our country’s pride, a group of high school students from a small educational institution in Tanauan City bested 30 other teams representing 20 countries like Japan, Russia, Singapore and South Korea. They created a 2.25-meter café with 11 humanoid robots which include a waiter, a receptionist, a coffee mixer, a customer, bar attendant and security guards.

Promil babies?

Do you recall those Promil commercials showcasing world class Filipino kids? The young chess champ? The violin wiz? The math genius? And the famous lines, “the sun is the center of the Solar System moving around it are the planets?� (If you are very familiar with the last one, most likely you are either as old or older than me ☺)

Is it because of that milk? It could be. But more than that, I believe it is because God gifted us Filipinos with bright minds. I believe we do not lack the skill or intellect to be a great race. What we lack is character. That is why we need discipleship in our schools. We need to reach them while they are young so they can couple their God-given gifts with a godly character.

May those Promil commercials and those 13 and 14 year-olds from the Olympiad give us a greater passion to go and make disciples in the campuses…award winners or not.

- Christian Flores

I won’t forget the day that LA Mumar called about Every Nation Campus Ministries. I was in St. Louis, Missouri raising support. It had been pretty uneventful and I was starting to get discouraged. Then out of the blue I got a call from Manila on my US phone.

It was LA. He sounded really excited and nervous. He was talking faster and more high-pitched than normal. Hehehe. He said that Pastor Steve talked to him about leading ENCM and that he wanted me to join. He said, “This is what we wanted to do before!�

He reminded me of when we were in Rico Ricafort’s discipleship group (which was the funnest leadership group ever), and how in between movies, eating, and joking around, we would talk about what we could do for the students. I got excited as he talked and began pacing the room. Suddenly raising support wasn’t that hard! We were gonna reach the students. Thousands of them would be prepared for life, to be all that God meant for them to be.

That call energized me to finish raising support, come home, and get to work. Today, I still get a boost when I think about that day, and why I decided to do this. Anything that’s worth doing will eventually have problems or obstacles that need to be hurdled. What keeps you going is the vision you have that makes it all worth it.

Campus ministry is no different. It can get tiring and challenging. What keeps you going is the vision for the students, knowing that every act of serving them is a step forward in preparing them for LIFE.

- joseph bonifacio

In lieu of not having a Campus Harvest this year, we will have a Metro Manila Youth Leaders’ Convergence on May 28, 2007 at the Every Nation Bldg., Fort Bonifacio, 9:00am - 4:00pm. There will be plenary sessions in the morning and workshops in the afternoon.

For the provinces, you and your students are also invited. Just inform our office so we know what churches to expect. We will also have a Regional Convergence in your area this year.

For the manila churches, please approach your campus minister or youth pastor for more information.

See you there!

It may seem biased coming from the head of Every Nation Campus Ministries, but I believe it with all my heart . I am fully convinced that YOUTH MINSTRY IS THE BEST MINISTRY IN THE WORLD!!! Is this an arrogant statement ? Maybe, hehe. But I just can’t think of a better ministry FOR ME. Ask Tiger Woods and he will say golf is the best sport. It’s the same with Michael Jordan (basketball), Lance Armstrong (cycling) or Manny Pacquio (magic sing).

Try asking around church. Pastor Paolo Punzalan will say it’s Kids Church. Ask Pastor Sonny Oaman and he will say taglish services have great potential. Ask Pastor Nuel Nanez and he will say Singles ministry is the most exciting. This is not to compare each ministry for each one is equally important, but somehow you NEED TO BELIEVE THAT WHERE YOU ARE RIGHT NOW, THAT CURRENT ASSIGNMENT, THAT CAMPUS, THAT CITY OR THAT NATION IS THE BEST SIMPLY BECAUSE GOD HAS CALLED YOU THERE.

As for now, I know God has called me to the youth that is why I know it’s the best for me. And I’m willing to do everything in my ability to be a good steward of what God has entrusted to me.

What about you? What’s the best ministry for you?