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chapter manual assembly 2011 Revised Edition

Manila, Philippines

THE YFC CHAPTER ASSEMBLY MANUAL 2011 Revised Edition

The manual contains thirty-six (36) inspiring and nourishing topics that can serve as a guide in choosing the appropriate topics for the assembly. The manual is designed to further affirm the value of fun, friendship, freedom and faith. It serves as a venue for nourishment and fellowship among YFC’s as they grow into the path of a good and happy Christian life.

the yfc 7 ID’s YFC CHAPTER ASSEMBLY 2011 Revised Edition

a. MISSIONARY

the yfc identity YFC CHAPTER ASSEMBLY 2011 Revised Edition

The inspiring topics in this manual are written based on the YFC Identity (also called the YFC ID). Our YFC Identity is our oneness and commonness as brothers and sisters in YFC.

b. MODEL OF EXCELLENCE c. CHAMPION OF THE POOR d. PATRIOT e. 100% FREE f. SINGLE MINDED FOR GOD g. SOURCE OF UNITY IN THE FAMILY A. Missionary

Our uniqueness emanates from God - as individuals and as one body anchored on His image and likeness.

- This is our distinct desire to deepen the living of our Christian faith for the love and service for others.

Being sons and daughters of God is our true and ultimate identity. To bring the young to Christ is our supreme goal.

- It is an expression of our great appreciation to the work of evangelization, formation and mission of our community, taking it in as our duty, our call and our privilege.

Our true and ultimate identity is that we are sons and daughters of God. Our identity is the result of our innate and core values that we in YFC want to live by. The 7 ID’s is the fullness of who and what we are as a Youth for Christ.

B. Model of Excellence - This is our yearning for personal holiness in our walk with Christ. - Our focus is to develop and hone our own talents and skills for greater use and purpose for God’s glory and mission. - Our goal is to be excellent in all our endeavors- our studies, in our service and in our mission. C. Champion of the Poor - This is our desire to protect the value and dignity of the poor by putting our faith into complete action.

-To bring out our heroism as ordinary men and women and imbibe the value of unity and team work in order to exude love for the poor. - To establish caring relationships and to uphold the value of selfless giving and sharing.

general overview YFC CHAPTER ASSEMBLY 2011 Revised Edition

D. Patriot - This is our desire to cradle our love for God in active love for our country. - Our goal is to strengthen the value of excellence, dedication, and total commitment by making a difference in the lives of others and contribute greatly in making this world a better place for the future. E. 100% Free - This is rooted in our desire to protect life for the continuance of God’s work. - To instill the Christian lifestyle in the young emphasizing on the sacredness of life and to defend the culture of life vs. the culture of death. F. Single Minded for God - This is our goal in forming men and women who will wholeheartedly minister and serve God by building the Church of the Future. - Our desire to uphold and appreciate the importance of loving and following the teachings of Jesus in becoming His true “followers” and “disciples” by understanding our call and vocation, according to the plan and purpose of God in our lives. G. Source of Unity in the Family - This is our deep aspiration to uphold unity of God’s plan for the family and for His domestic church. - Our goal is to grow in the different facets, stages and states of life, thus instilling the value of unconditional love and commitment to everyone surrounding us in these times- our family, our friends, our community, etc.

THE WHAT: The CHAPTER ASSEMBLY is a gathering of all YFC chapter members, club or organization members, that occurs regularly once a month. This manual contains 36 inspiring and nourishing topics. There are 12 talks per year that we can use for the next three years. Note: Should you decide to use the Chapter Assembly as your collective household for your members, please refer to the YFC Household Manual instead. THE PURPOSE: This manual is designed to further affirm the value of fun, friendship, freedom and faith. It serves as a venue for nourishment and fellowship among YFC’s as they grow into the path of a good and happy Christian life. THE VENUE: The venue of the chapter assembly depends on your chosen topic for the assembly. The usual venues are clubhouses, ANCOP sites, or classrooms. As leaders in your respective areas, you are free to choose and discern the ideal and appropriate venue for your activity. THE PEOPLE: All YFC members and YFC Couple Coordinators of your chapter are invited to attend in this regular assembly.

manual instructions YFC CHAPTER ASSEMBLY 2011 Revised Edition

step by step topic guide CHAPTER ASSEMBLY MANUAL 2011 Revised Edition

THE STEP

1. Check the Calendar Schedule and plan your chapter assembly meeting ahead of time. This is important so that you can provide an excellent and inspiring gathering for all your members. 2. Discern the Topic As Couple Coordinator and Youth leaders, you should first know the needs of your members. Work together in asking the household heads of the immediate needs of their members which you can address in preparing for the topic in your next assembly. Ask God for the gift of discernment and then decide from the menu of topics listed in this manual. 3. Make the Choice Once you have an idea of the needs of your members, check the table of contents. Each chapter assembly is categorized into each of the 7 YFC ID’s, with at least 4 to 5 different topics for you to choose from. (See TABLE OF CONTENTS)

Title

A one-liner phrase that will give you an idea of what the topic is all about.

YFC ID

Each topic reflects the YFC identity that you want to strengthen and discuss.

Anchor Verse

This is the main connection of the topic to the readings in the bible.

Objective

This is what the topic aims to achieve.

Dynamics

This is the step-by-step flow of the assembly of your selected topic.

Talk Outline

This is the main message of the entire assembly. This allows you to talk about the topic in a clearer and expanded way.

Speaker/ Sharers Profile

This is a clear description of the ideal people who can best discuss and share about the specific topic.

Guide Questions

These guide questions serve as a chance for the members to talk about what they have learned from the topic to their group.

Reflection Song/s

Through the reflection song, we allow YFC’s not only to listen and talk amongst them but also to God.

Other Verses

These verses are suggested readings and supporting verses to further stress points about the topic being discussed.

4. Get Ready Once you have made your choice, go to the page of your selected YFC ID and topic and you will see a step-by-step instruction on how to go about the assembly. (See STEP-BY-STEP TOPIC GUIDE) 5. Go! Now that you’re well-guided, get your act together and move into conquering more souls for God!

HOW TO WORK IT!

table of contents CHAPTER ASSEMBLY MANUAL

2011 Revised Edition



Manual Description 3 The YFC Identity 4 The 7 ID’s 5 General Overview 6 Manual Instructions 7 Step by Step Topic Guide 8

36 CHAPTER ASSEMBLY TOPICS Missionary 1. On Hands and Knees 17 2. King’s Champion 22 3. Heart of a Winner 28 4. Burden for the Lost 33 5. Mission Impossible 38 6. Called to Serve 43 Model of Excellence 7. Banquet of Love 49 8. United in Christ 53 9. A Piece of Heaven 56 10. Stairway to Heaven 64 11. Down to Earth 66 12. Encounter to Remember 70 13. Simon Peter Says 74

Champion of the Poor

14. Care Champ 81 15. A Jesus Experience 85 16. Standing in the Gap 88





Patriot 17. Keeper’s of Paradise 18. On God’s Side Always 19. Homeland 20. The Patriot 21. Created to Care

95 99 104 109 114

100% Free 22. Foundation 1: True Colors 23. Foundation 2: Boy Meets Girl 24. Is Vanity Fair? 25. Circle of Friends

121 128 135 141

Single Minded for God



26. In Pursuit of the Purpose 149 27. Body Builders 158 28. A Heart Like This 162 29. Following Christ 166 30. A Special Meal 172

Being a Source of Unity to the Family 31. Family Matters 179 32. Amazing Love 185 33. Buddy Watch 190 34. Reaching Out 193 35. In the Midst of the Storm 198 36. Family Strengths 202

missionary

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topic 1

ON HANDS AND KNEES objectives 1. To teach the value and importance of serving others 2. To learn how to serve others unconditionally and whole-heartedly

dynamics 1. Worship 2. ACTIVITY PROPER: Giving to Get 3. Prepare the following materials: •

Cloth (banner size) or large sheets of paper for each group

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Water based paint (Red, Blue, White, and Yellow)

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Newspapers, cloth rags and tissue paper

a. Give a short introduction about the activity and give them instructions b. Ask them to divide themselves into their households. c. The cloth will be distributed to all groups. d. Other materials will be given as an exchange for something. •

Paint = 2 pairs of socks/foot wears for each color

•

Newspapers = 1 wallet and 1 watch

•

Cloth rags/tissue paper = 2 mobile phones

(Note: You can have your own set of materials depending on the available resources.)

e. The group will make a design of their flag using ONLY their hands. Tell them that no paintbrushes will be provided and that they will not be allowed to use one.

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f. Tell them that they should draw or paint images that best represent their household and the individuals within the household.

on hands and knees

g. Encourage them to be creative.

TOPIC 1 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline

h. The newspapers will be used on the floor to prevent any spillage and the cloth rags/ tissue paper to wipe any stray paint. i.

At the end of the activity, ask each household to come forward to present the banner to the whole assembly. Tell them to choose a spokesperson to explain how they came up with their work.

4. Talk Proper 5. Reflection Song 6. At the end of the prayer, you can sing “Follow You” to conclude the whole activity.

anchor verse “Because of our love for you we were ready to share with you not only the Good News from God but even our own lives...” ( Thessalonians 2:8)

“Because of our love for you we were ready to share with you not only the Good News from God but even our own lives...” ( Thessalonians 2:8)

I. Introduction Jesus was great enough to command the storms to stop. He had authority to drive out demons and to part the sea. Thousands of people would leave behind their livelihood and treasures to follow where He is and do what He did. However, it was in His humble service that people were inspired to follow Him. Even when He was glorified as the King of all kings, He would go down to their level, on His hands and knees, and humbly serve His apostles. He even washed their feet. II. Comfort Zones We have heard that Christ is more than willing to go all the way for us, to go out of His comfort zone. Unfortunately, for us, there is a great struggle to do the same. As the name suggests, our comfort zones are the areas where we live, the friends we go out with, the things we do. There are times when these hinder us from loving more people. Our comfort zones are usually based on the lifestyle that we are comfortable with: A. Who we are with Sometimes, we do not want to be with people who are not familiar with us or who are not like us. We do not want to talk to people with whom we have a hard time relating to or to people whom we do not like.

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B. Where we go We want to go to places where it is convenient for us. We want to be seen in the places where we would look cool. There are moments when the way of getting there is also an issue for some of us. C. What we do We want to do the things that we love or sometimes, things that will make us more popular. Because of this, we do not want to do the dirty work or the simple assignments. As we love God and the people He has blessed us with, we need to go out of these comfort zones and go down on our hands and knees.

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played different roles.2 Sometimes, we just have to seek ways of serving more people. In this community, we are given many opportunities to serve. There are more than enough for all of us to do. C. Serve Joyfully We can become joyful despite the dirt in our hands and knees. We made the most of what we have. Here in YFC, this is fun in itself. Christ never complained, thus, we do not complain. We give our all even if we are not acknowledged or affirmed as God loves a cheerful giver.3 We gave up a lot of things yet we joyfully did what we need to do. IV. Conclusion

III. On Hands and Knees

As Youth for Christ members, we are called to be servants. We are blessed to know that God loves us no matter what. Knowing God and knowing His love is what makes people happy, peaceful and alive.

Earlier, we all went down to our hands and knees to make our household banners. We even gave up some of the things that are dear and personal to us to make the banner. There are three attitudes that we need to take to help us do this in our everyday lives.

We were born to make this known to everyone who doesn’t. The only way that we can make that known is by loving everyone whom God has entrusted to us unconditionally – no ifs, no buts, whenever, wherever and however.

A. Give No Conditions We all got dirty earlier. We all gave up some of the things personal to us. Some of us worked without footwear. Some gave up other things. (Note to speaker: You can cite the other things that they gave up – mobile phone, etc)

Though we have limitations, we are called to give what is expected. We gave up part of ourselves. We all did what is needed. We do not choose our service or how much we serve. Christ never set limitations on how much He’ll love, bless or forgive us – neither should we. We need not have hesitations on what and how much we give up as God has. He is always with us and has promised us everything.1

guide questions 1. What do you think are your comfort zones today? 2. How far are you willing to go for God and His people?

reflection song Reflection Song: I give my All Fast Song: Follow You

B. Take Initiative We make do with what we have. We work together to accomplish our tasks. Some of us lead, others painted, and others cheered. We all 1 “My son, the father answered, ’you are always here with me, and everything I have is yours.” Luke 15:31

2 “So we are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God’s message, we should do it according to the faith that we have.” Romans 12: 6 3 “Each one should give, then, as he has decided, not with regret or with a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly.” 2 Cor 9:7

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topic 2

KING’S CHAMPION

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5. Conclusion 6. Reflection Song: Song of a Servant

speaker’s profile Must be a brother who: 1. Has experienced mission trips in the past

objectives 1. To instill the value of SERVANTHOOD 2. To identify characteristics of a true servant 3. To acknowledge the greatness and example of Christ as a servant 4. To know and understand how to be true champions and advocates of Jesus

1. Worship 2. Activity: Spiritual Evangelism The goal of this activity is for the members to learn on how to speak God’s love to others, through words and actions. a. Group the members by pairs. b. Assign them to a specific place around the venue. - Village/ANCOP site – guard; tricycle driver; vendor in the sari-sari store - School/campus – guard at the gate; janitor; teacher; librarian

c. Give them 30 minutes to accomplish the task.



d. Choose at least two pairs to share their experience. 3. Talk Proper 4. Sharer

3. Is on a Cluster Head-level or up 4. A Champion for the Poor or 100% free advocate or has served challenging areas

sharer’s profile 1. A good mix of 3 YFC members and/or leaders (a combination of brothers and sisters)

dynamics



2. Is passionate in service

2. They must be champions in these areas: FAMILY, SCHOOL, PURITY a. Family - has experienced division in his/her family but is still hopeful in God’s promise; family is ok but not part of the community - actively influences them to join cfc; initiates family bonding, conversations with family members, or going to mass as a family b. School - doing well in school - example of good time management; seeks to establish YFC in his/her school - or is active in the YFC there;  invites friends to YFC c. Purity - 100% Free advocate; or had vices but has decided to stop; influences others to do the same; not swayed to go back into old lifestyle  

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king’s champion

TOPIC 2 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline I. Introduction   Do you believe that we are all sons and daughters of a King? That we come from a royalty out of this world?   For us Christians, our God is our King. We are all servants of a Master who had truly testified to God’s love and faithfulness. Our prince is Jesus Christ, yet He came and lived as a Servant of all. He, above all, best exemplified dying unto Himself even with His nature as the son of a King, to fulfill the plan of His Father.   Likewise, we too are invited to share the great feast, in this great privilege of loving and serving our King. It is a privilege because we were called to believe in the Kingship of God to profess our allegiance to Him, to love, extol and follow Him, to die unto Him ourselves and for Him, and to trust in and defend our King.

 

     

Who is a real King’s champion?   1. A Real King’s Champion BELIEVES                             

2. A Real King’s Champion PROFESSES ALLEGIANCE     We are to be faithful, and loyal to our God, knowing where we are before Him. We do not abandon the King. This means loyalty and faithfulness to God at all costs.

The King’s champion will not sacrifice his values and principles to achieve his goals. He achieves success because he is faithful. We, also do the same to our God. We do things that will only show our faithfulness to Him. We place in heart and in mind that everything we do may continue to please our God. May it always be an expression of our love and loyalty to Him. 3. A Real King’s Champion EXTOLS We praise, glorify and worship our King. We come into His presence, a holy ground, beholding the majesty of God. When we worship God, we draw ourselves closer to Him. Our worship should be our ultimate expression of our love for God, with our desire to be into His presence and hear His message. Not only in worship can we express how we extol God, but also in everything we say and do. Our whole being should always glorify Him.   4. A Real King’s Champion LOVES Loving is denying oneself, taking up our crosses and following Christ even all the way up to the cross.  For true love means being selfless and always ready to sacrifice for others. He is a good steward of all the gifts and talents that God has given him. He will not do anything that will displease God. He loves the poor and is generous in sharing his successes with them. 5. A Real King’s Champion FOLLOWS

II. A Real King’s Champion

In order to believe in Him, we have to know our King through prayer, scripture, teachings, and encounters. This also means we believe not only by our minds but also by putting our belief and faith in action. (E.g. going to mass every Sunday, attending our household and being faithful to our prayer time.)

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Following requires believing and trusting. It takes a strong heart to follow, heart that takes full confidence in a power greater than his. In following Christ, we take the path where God leads us to and not what we alone desire. Serving the Lord requires following His commandments at all times. Young as we are, God wants us to learn the importance of following Him, through our parents, our teachers and to our leaders who were placed over us to guide us and take care of us.

6. A Real King’s Champion DIES TO ONESELF         Following the King means total submission and total surrender. No ifs, no buts. It requires self-denial.  

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Dying not in its literal meaning but dying in simple things that are asked from us by God. E.g. being willing to give up short term pleasures like watching movies, playing video games, so we can give priority to our studies. It is saying no to our friends when invited to gimmicks, parties, etc., when we know we have urgent school work to attend to. It is also being willing to give up our love interest if we know it will interfere with our studies.   7. A Real King’s Champion is WILLING TO GO EXTRA MILE Willing to go the extra mile means unselfishly giving with no complaints, and demands or expectations of anything in return.    Lord Jesus, teach me to be generous; teach me to serve You as You deserve, to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek for rest, to labor and not to seek reward, except that of knowing that I do Your will. Amen. He perseveres until he completes every task he sets out to do, whether in school, in the family or in the community. He does not easily give up when there is a problem or when he meets strong opposition. III. Living a Champion’s Life (Sharing Proper) (Speaker may now call on the sharers)

IV. Conclusion As YFC, our primary identity is to be the King’s champion. It may look simple for us to identify and say but this is a challenging task for us to do. As Youth for Christ, we are to imitate Christ and become like the King’s Champion - like Jesus. It may not be easy, but we put our hope and trust in the Lord.  For our God is the King.  And in Him nothing is impossible.

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reflection song I Give My All For the Sake of the Call

guide questions 1. Are you a King’s Champion? 2. What areas in your life do you still need to improve so that you can truly be a servant of God?

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topic 3

HEART OF A WINNER

heart of a winner

TOPIC 3 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline

objectives 1. To know what it takes to have a true winner’s heart 2. To identify ways to overcome struggles and difficulties in everyday life and learn to rise above them as winners

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Talk Proper 4. Group Discussion

speaker’s profile 1. Any YFC Leader from any level of service could give this talk. 2. Sharers should be 1 brother and 1 sister. The focus of the sharing will be about how they overcame their struggles by having a winner’s heart.

I. Introduction             Nowadays, we see people young and old living lives of misery, living a life of unhappiness. There are so many concerns that haunt us – financial problems, personal problems, fears and insecurities. There are so many things in life that we cannot control. These are the things that make us worry, and give us a loser’s heart. The evil one wants to make us victims, to be losers. He will try his very best to destroy us. If you wake up every morning and you are not excited about your day, there must be something wrong. Stop and ask yourself, ‘Do I have a winner’s heart or a loser’s heart’.   II. Having a Loser’s Heart   A. A loser wears a lot of masks to hide his true situation.   1. “I am holy” mask As YFC, many of us lead a double standard life. We project a clean and holy image yet we face so many temptations and we are too proud to acknowledge it. We don’t practice what we preach. We lose our integrity.   2. “I am tough” mask Often, we experience hurts/pains, we psyche ourselves and give ourselves pep talks about how tough we are, how the situation did not hurt us or “OK lang”. If the issues are not dealt with immediately, we could be turning our hearts into stone. We become insensitive and unable to empathize with others. Acknowledging our hurts will reveal the real us through Christ.   

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3. Be proud of who you are. Don’t aspire to become someone you are not.

3. “I can handle it all” mask

 

Most of us are faced with situations where we need help from our brothers and sisters. Many times, we don’t bother to ask for assistance because of pride or shyness. Sometimes, we expect too much of ourselves.

B. A loser does not have passion for life.   Everything is a burden. We see every situation as a problem. Just going through the day requires so much effort. There is more to life than just problems! C. A loser accepts defeat easily.   This is when we give up and have no conviction to fight. Frustrations and disappointments in our service make us sigh and leave things as they are without even trying to find a possible solution.

  III. Having a Winner’s Heart   We are created in the image and likeness of God. Despite the feeling of being a loser, we must bear in mind that God sees a winner in each one of us. We can be a winner because of God’s love and God’s grace. That is why we must believe and claim the victory that God has set for us.   How to have a winner’s heart:  

 

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4. Face your problems and be humble enough to ask for help when you need it. 5. Do not pretend that you can do everything on your own.  

6. Be yourself and get rid of your masks. B. Courage-Acknowledging and overcoming areas of weakness. 33

“ Saul told David, ‘you cannot fight with this Philistine for you are 34 still young, whereas this man has been a warrior from his youth.’ But David said, ‘When I was tending my father’s sheep, whenever a lion or 35 bear came to snatch a lamb from the flock, I would run after it, kill it and rescue the victim from its mouth. If it would attack me, I would hold it by its beard and slay it.” 1 Samuel 17:33-35 14

“… David went ahead of his troops and was successful each time because Yahweh was with him.” 1 Samuel 18:14         We cannot control every situation, but we can take hold of our attitudes in dealing with it. 1. Surround yourself with things that nourish and encourage you in faith.

(The Story of David and Goliath) 1 Samuel 17:32-47

2. Victory is contagious. Be around winners.

A. Conviction – Dealing with the basic issues.

3. Cultivate a happy environment. Decide to be happy and own the happiness.

“38Saul fitted his armor on David, put a bronze helmet on his head, 39 clothed him with a coat of mail. David secured his sword over the armor but could not walk because it was his first time. So he said to Saul, ‘I cannot move with all these trappings on me because I am no accustomed to wearing them.’ David got rid of all this armor” 1 Samuel 17 38-39 1. You are a son / daughter of the Lord; therefore Satan has no power over you. 2. You are a YFC member. Live out the covenant.

C. Commitment – Going for victory.   46 “ Yahweh will deliver you this day into my hands and I will strike you down and cut off your head. I will give the corpses of the Philistine army today to the birds of the sky and the wild beasts of the earth and 47 all the earth shall know that there is a God of Israel. All the people gathered here shall know that Yahweh saves not by the sword or spear; the battle belongs to Yahweh, and He will deliver you into our hands.”

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1. Even if you have all or nothing, the winner takes it all. 2. Strive for excellence in everything. 3. Every situation in your life is an opportunity to win. 4. Believe in your work. 5. Trust in the Lord – He put you in the situation because He knows you can handle it.

  IV. Conclusion 58

“ Saul asked David, who stood before him holding the head of the Philistine, ‘Whose son are you, young man?’ David answered, “I am the son of your servant, Jesse the Bethlehemite.” 1 Samuel 17:58   When David overcame his giant, he added glory to his father’s name. The way we live our lives reflect on how victorious our Father in heaven is. We too can overcome our ‘giants’ and give glory to our Father’s name. Let us claim victory in our lives. We have a God who is everything for us. Let us everyday live our lives with a winner’s heart.  

guide questions

1. Which aspect of your life needs to have a posture of a winner’s heart?  

2.

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What are the actions you are taking to overcome this?

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topic 4

BURDEN FOR THE LOST objectives 1. To realize and appreciate the intensity of God’s love 2. To identify the people who are in need of loving, through the examples from the bible 3. To be inspired how to be bearers of God’s love for other people

dynamics 1. Opening Worship 2. Talk Proper 3. Group Discussion 4. Closing Prayer

speaker’s profile 1. A Youth for Christ leader, preferably one who has experienced being a leader for a long time in service. 2. It is encouraged to have 2 sharers, a brother and a sister. The focus of the sharing will be love for the people who are lost.

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burden for the lost

TOPIC 4 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline I. Introduction It’s great that many of us are experiencing this feast that the Lord has invited us to celebrate in our lives.  We have danced, laughed and have met many great friends.  We have experienced much of God’s unconditional love.   He has always been there for us, even raising us up in times of despair. 

 



But not all feel the same way. There are still people who feel that they are unlovable, who have not yet heard of God’s amazing love. As Youth for Christ, and as chosen people whom God has loved first, it is our duty to let God’s love be known to everyone. Sometimes the people that are closest to us are those people who haven’t felt God’s unconditional love. Think of your family, your friends, or the people you encounter every day. Are they lost? Do they feel unloved?   (Allow the participants to imagine their loved ones, and the people around them.   Lead them to realize that so much more people need God’s love).   II. The Lost   For us to be able to share this love with other people, we need to know who these people are.   Let us look at some of the characters in the bible who were subjects of God’s unconditional love.  May they allow us to identify the people in our lives who need God’s love as well.   A. Zacchaeus (Luke 19: 1-5) E.g. The valedictorian of the batch, the Student Council President, the Team Captain of the varsity team, the party people, and the leaders of gangs

 

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In our lives, we will meet many Zacchaeuses.   These are the people, who are popular, influential, and unreachable. These are the people who don’t get to be seriously introduced to Christ. Everyone knows who they are, but we just never thought they’d be interested.  And, like Zacchaeus, they’ve heard of Jesus. They somehow feel He might be what’s missing in their lives, but everyone just seems to be in the way.   What we need to realize is that Jesus wants to use us, if we allow Him, to speak to this people, for them to hear Him in their hearts say, “Quick! Come down! You’re invited too! I died for you, too! I love you as much as any other. Today I will be a guest in your house!” B. The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-24) (E.g. Rebellious people – hooked on vices; shopaholics; students often in the discipline office)   We will also meet many prodigal sons (and daughters).  Like the prodigal son found in the gospel, these are the people being judged. These are the people we find irresponsible and materialistic.  In fact many of them feel ashamed to attend activities that involve God, but many of them want to return to Him but just can’t seem to do so.   These prodigal children need to realize the great mercy of God. We need to let them know that God is just waiting for their first step home and, as in the gospel, we should run out for them and meet them with arms wide open.   But that won’t happen if we aren’t sensitive to recognize who they are and take time to talk to them, when they step into our activities or meet them in our areas. C. The Prodigal Son’s Brother (Luke 15: 25-28) Lastly, we will meet that we can refer to as the prodigal son’s brother. Like the prodigal son’s brother, they’ve always been there, serving in church, or have been part of some parish organization or maybe even YFC.  They’ve been good all their lives but are nonetheless lost, out in the dark. They’re there as we laugh and dance at the “feast” -- our camps, prayer meetings, conferences – but you can see it in their eyes, they haven’t met the Jesus yet.   They’re still hiding, still afraid.  If only they could hear the father plead, “There’s no need to fear. You will always be safe with me.”

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III. A Burden for the Lost   Not everyone fits into these three molds, whatever other examples you may think of, all will have one thing in common – a deep need for God and for His mercy. These people may have been sitting beside us in class this past one, maybe two, three years yet we don’t act.     What we need to have is a burden for the lost – Not just a concern for the lost, but a burden, an actual sadness for those who are far from God. It is by His grace that God places on us, something we can even describe as a “holy burden” that moves us to seek out the lost.   How to respond to God’s challenge of sharing His love with these people:   A. Pray for them We can’t be there for the people who are lost every moment.  But in times of being away from them, we can continue to love them by praying for them.  After all, it will be God who will be there for them every moment.   B. Feel their pain Sympathize with them. Put yourselves in their shoes. Be reminded that the love we share is not of our own, but that of God.  Only God can change people, and only He can really touch their lives.   We will be the instruments for this love to happen.   IV. Conclusion   Our call is important.  God loved us, unconditionally, which is why we are here and who we are today.  The way God loved us and the joy that we felt when we realized that He does is the same love that He is calling us to share to others. It is not enough to discover Christ in us; we need to bring Him to others.   Jesus said, “Love others as I have loved you.”

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guide questions 1. Who are these “lost” people in your life that God is asking you to have a burden for? 2. What concrete ways can you do to share God’s love with them?

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MISSION IMPOSSIBLE objectives 1. To develop a heart and passion for the mission 2. To develop a deep sense of passion in serving God 3. To identify ways of serving others even in the smallest ways

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship

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TOPIC 5 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

I. Introduction God has called us in Youth for Christ to a highly evangelistic and missionary life. We are to make a radical response to Jesus’ call in Matt. 28:19… “Go and make disciples of all nations.” When we say, “all nations”, we mean everyone. YFC is gearing both towards work with the poor and with the rich! “All” also means every possible area where there are young adults. It is our nature to bring the reality of Christ to everyone through witnessing. We are to win the world for Christ.

3. Talk Proper 4. Reflection Song

II. The H.E.A.R.T. of a Missionary

5. Group Discussion

The call to be the new generation of missionaries means we have to have the HEART to carry out the mission. Sometimes this would mean a total change of our old self into a new heart for God. “If you are willing to come after me, you must deny himself …” (Lk 9: 23) Denying ourselves only means acknowledging God’s presence in our lives. Having the HEART means that we must be:

speaker’s profile Any YFC Leader (Chapter Head & up)

anchor verse “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)

H – Heedful We must be in tune with God and be sensitive to where He will lead us. We must not be stubborn to His direction, even if it comes in conflict with what we planned (Eph 5:17). E- Enthusiastic We should be excited rather than burdened because God will use us to bring His glory to others.

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A – Available

I – Imitate

There is no use if we are capable, but not available. It is better for us to be available and just let God use us, for surely God equips those who are called.

Following Christ as a model. In every circumstance in our life, let us ask ourselves, what would Jesus do?

R – Ready We are to be mission ready; sleep with our boots on. Ready to go anytime! T – Teachable We must be flexible -- allowing ourselves to be led with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. III. Passion in Serving God But at the true heart of the mission is our love for God and His people. This would require a heart that has PASSION. P – Pray More than praying to God whenever we have trials, let us pray and communicate with Him at every moment in our lives. A – Abide Acting in accordance to God’s will. S – Serve We are here to serve and not to be served. Being sensitive to the needs of others and building lasting relationships with them. E.g. Family, friends and at school. (The speaker may cite some examples.) S – Surrender Surrendering always to the will of the Father. Allowing the Spirit to lead you to where you should serve. Offering your time, talent and treasure to God.

O – Obeying Obeying God through our leaders and elders. God speaks in every person. Seek Him. He may speak directly in your heart, through people. or through situation. Whenever we are called to do something, do it without delay and without excuses. N – Noble Being a person of high moral principles; a person of integrity. Let us seek to be truthful inside and out. IV. The Pains and Gains of Being Sent Having that HEART and PASSION for serving the Lord, however, doesn’t shield us from sufferings. In fact, being a missionary is not easy. “… Take up his cross daily… and follow me.” Luke 9:23 This call entails a lot of sacrifices and sufferings just like what happened to Jesus Christ. A. Being sent is not a bed of roses. Jesus warns us. (Matt. 10: 16-25) 1. Family – Sometimes your family will not understand the mission that you are doing. Ex. Parents not allowing their YFC children to attend prayer meetings because they simply do not understand. 2. Friends- Many of our friends will say that serving God through YFC is boring and out of trend. But we have to defend our calling and show to them that serving God is one of the greatest happiness one can have. 3. Clergy- Sometimes the priest in our parishes will not understand our radical way of evangelization. We have to explain it to them for us to be able to work hand in hand in our evangelization. Our call is an everyday decision to follow Him, even in small ways, even in small steps. We will be hurt and humiliated for His sake but the Lord knows our sufferings and He will not leave it at that.

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B. The Feeling of Fulfillment What we do not know is that God is using our lives as an instrument to change the lives of others. We may be sacrificing a lot but it may be the reason why other people meet God. For example, our time sacrificed for watching a movie, in exchange for having household or one to ones, may actually result to a person believing in God’s love for them. We feel the fulfillment of the mission when we see lives transformed, relationships healed, and families united. We suffer and experience hardships but in reality it only makes us lean on God more. Thus, we have more opportunity to experience His love. At the same time, we should not grow disappointed when we feel as if there is no “progress” in our mission. Everything happens in God’s perfect timing. What we should have is an eager heart to do His will no matter how hard it is. V. Conclusion God’s call for YFC is to gather all the young that need God, to rebuild the nation, and to be living manifestation of God’s love throughout the world. This call is not only for the leaders in our community. Christ calls ALL of us to go to ALL nations. He calls us to give all of our self to accomplish the work. May our hearts be modeled to that of Jesus’ which is focused on the loving Father and His children. May we heed the call to be true missionaries.

reflection songs 1. For the Sake of the Call 2. I Give My All

guide questions 1. How do you show your passion in serving God? 2. How can you be a true missionary in your family, friends, and in school?

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topic 6

CALLED TO SERVE objectives 1. To understand the purpose of our calling to serve others. 2. To realize the importance of this call and the members of our community. 3. To understand and know the best way to respond to the call of God by serving others.

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Talk Proper 4. Group discussion 5. Closing Prayer

speaker’s profile A youth leader who has served in the community in the same service for at least 8 months.

anchor verse “But God in His grace chose me even before I was born, and called me to serve Him.” (Galatians 1:15)

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3.  Our Response

called to serve

TOPIC 6 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “But God in His grace chose me even before I was born, and called me to serve Him.” (Galatians 1:15)

Yet there are still others who have not yet received and experienced God’s love. God gives us the chance/opportunity to share that love to others, for us to be His instruments.   III. Called to Serve   S- Sharing One’s Time, Talent, and Treasure We share time by attending meetings. Our presence leaves an impact to other people. Let us share our talents by participating when we are needed. (Example: music ministry, writing, being a speaker, etc.) Let us share our treasure by giving what we can give like food, clothes, books, especially with our less fortunate brothers and sisters.   E- Enjoying the Activity

I. Introduction:   Why are you here? During our youth camps, we were taught one main thing- that God loves us and He is inviting us to have a personal relationship with Him. Ever since, we have sought to attend and discover what this relationship was. Slowly, God has shown us, in one way or another, what it means to be loved by Him. We all know the response to this call is to love Him back. Let us discover more about this call that He addressed specifically to us and see what we can do about it.           II. The Call and the Privilege   A. Our Call

We should always participate, not allowing ourselves to be “kill joys”. Show eagerness in all that you do. Make the most out of it.   R- Reaching out Being out of place is a decision. Whether you are just new in a group or have been in it for a long time, you need to make one another feel welcome. Let us make it a habit to introduce ourselves to the people that we do not know yet. Let us not be cliquish.

God called you first. Out of all the people in the world, He called you first because He wants you to feel His love first. You are singled out simply because you are special in God’s eyes. He is asking us to follow Him and influence others to do so as well.   B.  Our Privilege

V- Volunteering Always offer to help others. Be sensitive to the needs of others. Volunteer to be part of the community’s activities/events (example: Serve in the youth camp, be a speaker or sharer, be part of their committees etc.) Take the initiative.   E- Encouraging other people to join/attend

The call may seem hard but God doesn’t want us to just follow Him. The call is also an invitation to enjoy the privileges of being God’s children. As God’s children, we enjoy peace of mind and heart because we learn of His promises for us. We experience love through our families, brothers and sisters, our friends, our support environment that guides us. Through this community, He has made sure that we are always surrounded by His love. (Note to the speaker: Cite privileges of being part of this community—attending the ILC, parties, a venue to discover/showcase/enhance your talents, being part of nation building.)

 

When you share, enjoy, reach uut and volunteer, you would really inspire others to want to be where you are. In this way, we could encourage others to join our community. Let us be God’s instruments of love. Let us be His missionaries.

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IV. Conclusion   Galatians 1:15: But God in His grace chose me even before I was born, and called me to serve Him. We are all called. It is time that we share what we have learned or gained in this community. The love and privileges God has given us should not stop in us. When we S-E-R-V-E, we become good witnesses, leading us to follow Christ, thus, making us missionaries.

guide questions 1. Share how you feel knowing that you are called and privileged to be part of the YFC community. 2. How will you respond to this call of God for you to serve in YFC?

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topic 7

BANQUET OF LOVE objectives 1. To define what the Holy Eucharist is 2. To be able to give more value and importance in participating in the Holy Eucharist 3. To practice proper behavior, posture and attitude in attending and receiving Christ through the Holy Eucharist

dynamics 1. Start the assembly with an opening worship. 2. The music ministry leads the group to a reflection in the middle of the worship. 3. After the worship, the facilitator of the assembly invites some sharers to share how they felt during the worship and the reflection. 4. He/ she should relate the experiences of the sharers to the topic of the assembly, which is the Holy Eucharist. 5. Introduce speaker and proceed to the talk proper. 6. Using the discussion guide questions, members will be divided to groups to share their answers and realizations with one another. 7. Assembly ends with a closing prayer and closing song.

speaker’s profile 1. A YFC Leader who is mature enough and is able to explain the terms used. (e.g. Redemption, sacrifice) 2. He/ She must have a deep understanding of the Holy Eucharist and why it is being celebrated.

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III. Bread and Wine as the Body and Blood of Christ

banquet of love

TOPIC 7 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and…abides in me.” (John 6:51, 54, 56)

Every time a person gets hungry, he always has the innate reaction of finding food immediately to satisfy his hunger. Like our hunger for God’s presence in us, we are drawn back to the reality of finding God in our life. A. Jesus as Bread…. •

satisfies hunger (John 6:35-“Those who come to me will never go hungry…”)

•

is always available (John 6:37-“I will never turn away anyone who comes to me.”)

•

is for nourishment of our tiredness and emptiness (John 6:33-“For the bread that gave life is He who comes down from Heaven and gives life to the world.”)

I. The Eucharist is an Act of Worship The Eucharist is an act of worship by which it proclaims the word of God. It is a way of thanksgiving to God for everything that He has given us. Above all gifts that He has given us, it is the celebration of the sending of His Holy Son to redeem our sins through the consecration of the bread and wine, and participation in the celebration of receiving the body and blood of Christ.

B. Jesus as Wine •

symbolizes ultimate sacrifice of His life for mankind

•

is an act of redemption

Food nourishes our body, the Eucharist nourishes our soul. In receiving the Holy Communion, we become members of Christ’s body.

II. The Basic Description of the Holy Eucharist

IV. The Feast

The Savior kept alive His sacrifice on the cross throughout the ages until He comes again and entrusted to the church the Eucharist as a:

God is inviting us to a grand banquet of love, providence and faithfulness. The Lord is inviting us to eat with Him is this big celebration that we now call the Holy Sacrifice. Our response to the invitation depends on how we behave during the celebration of the Eucharist:

A. Commemoration of Christ’s sacrifices The Eucharist allows us to remember how Christ died for us and how His resurrection saved us from our sins.

A. Dining with God

B. A Sacrament of Love

We are dining with God if we go to Mass and actively participate in it. We are in tune with the Lord and understand our purpose of attending it.

The Eucharist is a sacrament that allows us to see and realize that love was the only reason why He sacrificed Himself for us, and paid for the punishment we were supposed to receive. C. A Pledge of Future Glory Because of this sacrament, it has been an everyday assurance for us that God will welcome us in Heaven, because someone already paid the price of our sins for us.

B. Dining with God but in other table We are seated on another table if we go to mass but are out of focus. In other words, we are physically present but mentally absent. This happens when we have wrong intentions of going to mass or even when we are consumed by a lot of things and not being able to concentrate and participate attentively.

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C. Not Dining with God We are not dining with God when we really don’t participate in the Mass. This happens if we don’t hear mass regularly. We disregard the invitation of the Lord to receive the bread and wine- His body and His blood.

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topic 8

UNITED IN CHRIST

V. Conclusion Receiving the Holy Communion and attending the Holy Eucharist is our way of accepting God’s ultimate love for us. It is accepting God’s covenant to receive eternal life. It is important to remember that we are dining with God when we are in the presence of the Holy Eucharist. It is an invitation by God to partake with Him and dine with Him at the table. Let us make sure that we are dining with Him in the same table and with all of our attention and all our participation.

reflection song Great is Our God/God is My Refuge/Strong Arms (Reflection song will be sung during the opening worship)

guide questions 1. What I did learn from today’s topic about the Holy Eucharist? 2. Have you been dining with God? Do you experience His presence when you come before God in the celebration of the Holy Mass?



3. How can you be more faithful and committed in celebrating the Holy Eucharist regularly and seriously?

objectives 1. To see and realize the importance of God’s work 2. To be involved in the relevant issues of the bigger community 3. To learn how to relate with brothers and sisters/ other youths outside community

dynamics 1. Opening Worship 2. Talk Proper 3. Reflection Song 4. Opening Prayer 5. Discussion Group 6. Closing Prayer

speaker’s profile 1. The Speaker should be a Youth for Christ leader who has developed or initiated close relationship with other youth groups/ community outside YFC. 2. He/she must be able to enlighten YFCs of the bigger work and mission we have in our bigger community.

anchor verse “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and one Father of all, who is over all, and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:5-6)

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C. Be aware of the current issues

united in Christ

TOPIC 8 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and one Father of all, who is over all, and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:5-6)

I. Introduction The CFC- Youth for Christ is one of the many communities for the youth that the Lord has blessed to spread the good news to the world. We are given a great task to fight for peace and bring change in our society. It is the desire of the Lord for all of us to work hand in hand because His work is very vast. But we cannot do this alone. Knowing this, Satan will do everything in his power to disunite the people of God.  Therefore, we have to be prepared.   It is important for us to know how to deal with our brothers and sisters in other communities to protect the relationships we have with them and continue being united in our mission. II. Ways in relating to our Brothers and Sisters outside CFC Youth for Christ A. Initiate friendship We have to show them that YFCs are innately friendly. This is the first step in proclaiming the word of God.  Even Jesus built friendship with his disciples before preaching the word to them. B. Be ready to sympathize We should treat them the same way we do our brothers and sisters in YFC. Be ready and willing to help in times of need.  Loving will not make sense if we will not serve them first.

Let us read the newspapers, listen to the radio and watch the news on television to be aware of what is happening in our society. We need to be conscious of how our government leaders serve us. It is time to fight for the right principles and to make sure that we have a future to live. D. Support upright activities of other communities CFC-Youth for Christ is anointed by the Lord not only to spread the word but also to live the Word. We need to work with other communities and make a move to bring glad tidings to the poor as Jesus did. III. Conclusion CFC Youth for Christ is a blessing from the Lord not only to its members but also to other communities. He calls us to have a relationship with them.  Though from different organizations, let us join them in working for the mission of Jesus. As it is written Eph 4:5-6 “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all in all.”  We are united in Christ, amidst all the differences in our cultures and way of life. God is our unifying factor. Let us resist the disunity that Satan is bringing forth and proclaim the good news together.  

prayer and reflection

(Note to Speaker: Recite this prayer after the talk.)

Lord Jesus, we thank You for this opportunity to be of service to You and Your people through the bigger family of CFC- Youth for Christ. Forgive us for the times that we have neglected our brothers and sisters in other communities and for not caring about what is happening in our society.   We ask that in Your grace we may be able to build relationships with our brothers and sisters.  In doing so, be able to work hand in hand with them in doing Your mission of bringing glad tidings to the poor.   All this we ask in Your name.  Amen.

guide questions 1. How can you further involve yourselves with our brothers and sisters in other communities? 2. How can we all work together as one?

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topic 9

A PIECE OF HEAVEN

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speaker’s profile 1. The speaker should be a YFC brother who can lead and inspire everyone to worship. 2. He should be able to exhort and pray with everyone during the worship. 3. Speaker/ worship leader should pray, fast and discern before the date of the assembly.

objectives 1. To introduce the YFC culture of worship 2. To instill the importance of worship 3. To stress the importance of worship in all YFC assemblies, households, and other activities of the community

dynamics 1. This is a one-hour session within WORSHIP. The worship is the session itself with a pep talk injected into every part of the worship. 2. Each injected part should explain the why and how of worship. 3. The Worship Leader is also the Speaker. 4. As registration is ongoing, the Music Ministry plays songs to set an inviting mood for worship, as they gather everyone together. It is important that they also teach new songs, especially if it will be included in the line-up of the worship. The Music Ministry should practice the songs at least one (1) week before the Assembly. Note: In selecting the songs for the worship, the WS leader should really pray and discern for it.

THINGS TO PREPARE: •

Closed-door, but well-ventilated venue

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Full-band set-up or at least one (1) acoustic guitar

•

Visual aid for the lyrics of the songs. It can be in PowerPoint, acetate, or any other similar materials.

4. He should also be able to practice with the band prior to giving this session.

anchor verse “Great is the Lord! He is the most worthy of praise!” (Psalm 96:4)

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1. It is but right that we start every gathering with worship.  It is the central point of our gatherings. Worship is a reminder that we are not the center of any event or activity, but GOD.

a piece of heaven

TOPIC 9 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “Great is the Lord! He is the most worthy of praise!” (Psalm 96:4)

I.  Introduction Whatever circumstance we may be in, the Lord deserves nothing less but our praises and thanksgiving to Him. This is because of His faithfulness to us even if we are unfaithful. One of the best gifts that any Christian community could have is the gift of worship. In Youth for Christ, it is an honor and privilege that we are always invited into God’s presence in and through worship.  Worship is being able to come into that loving, healing, and mighty presence of God, and acknowledging that HE ALONE IS GOD. II. Worship is our way of life to the Father A. The Purpose of Exhortation Every worship should begin with an exhortation.  The exhortation should bring people into the posture of coming before God in humility and exaltation.  It should be able to inspire everyone to come before the Lord in jubilant praise. An exhortation need not be long, but should be encouraging and inspirational.  It can be a personal sharing (intended NOT to praise oneself nor one’s achievements, BUT GOD), a story quoted from a book or from someone, or a Bible verse. Note: After the leader gives the exhortation, the worship starts with the sign of the cross and the band starts playing the first fast song

START OF THE WORSHIP PROPER B. The Reasons for Worship  Worship simply begins with the honest desire to be in God’s presence.

2. We worship not just to sing songs, but to listen to God’s words and personal messages to us.  Worship is a beautiful opportunity for us to listen intently, and to connect with Him. 3. Worship is our response to the holiness of God; therefore we must come before Him in respect and reverence. We come before our God in total humility and sincerity. 4. We worship to pay homage to our true King and Champion. We acknowledge that whatever we have is His - our bodies, minds and possessions. To come in worship before God is to come offering ourselves as a pleasing sacrifice - all that we are, and all that we are not. 5. We worship to sing our songs of thanksgiving. Thanking Him for the grace,  generosity, and faithfulness He has bestowed upon us, manifested in our family, friends,  school, and the community despite of our sinfulness. Note: The band plays the next fast song, after which, everyone says their praises to our God.

C. The Way to Worship There are 3 levels by which a worship goes through. 1. Speaking words of Praise - This is where we verbalize our praises and exaltation to honor God’s greatness. (This is usually done even before the first fast song is sung.) 2. Worship - This is when we continue to say words of honor and praise and thanksgiving for His power and majesty in our lives then, we may proceed to offer our testimony of faith and love for the Lord. (Example: “I belong to You, Lord.  You are enough for me...”) 3. Glory - It is in this level when we come more deeply into the Holy presence of God - where God speaks, and we listen with our hearts.  This is when we receive prophecies, visions, realizations, and powerful messages (personal and communal)

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of God’s love and mercy.  Healing may take place after --where the group may be filled with peace and oneness in God. Note: The band plays a slow song which the group sings with. Then, the WS leader encourages everyone to worship in tongues.  After which, time is then given for prophecysharing.

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STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN

       To the Worship Leader: Do not be too conscious of the words you will use.  Just pray with humility and sincerity, and speak from the fullness of your heart. Talk to the Lord as if He is in front of you, because He truly is. What is important is God and His message, and what HE would want the community to hear, and NOT what you would want the group to hear. Avoid making your prayer a “well-rehearsed speech.”

objectives 1. To know that holiness is God’s desire for each one of us

III. Conclusion

2. To understand what it means to be holy in our everyday lives

God has done a lot of things in our lives. That is why He is most deserving of worship. The amazing fact is that as we thirst for God’s loving presence, He, too, thirsts for ours. God wants His children to be near Him, to be one with Him.  We are His own, and He wants to bring us into His presence in order for us to experience “one degree of glory to the next.”  This is the privilege we have --- experiencing joy and peace in worship. Worship is God’s expression of His love to us.  It is a gift, “a piece of heaven here on earth” as we come before His presence in spirit and in truth.  It is a gift to be shared in unity with all the members of the Body of Christ.

3. To aspire for holiness each and every single day

END OF WORSHIP

guide questions

dynamics 1. Worship 2. Talk proper 3. End the talk with a prayer.  Use the song “Refiner’s Fire” as a reflection song within the prayer. 4. Use the guide questions below for group discussion starters after the talk.

speaker’s profile

1. What was your experience during the worship?

1. Any leader can give this talk.

2. Did you feel God’s presence while worshipping God?

2. It is encouraged to have 2 sharers, a brother and a sister. The focus of the sharing should be on one’s journey towards holiness.

3. How can you further develop your expression of worship to God?

anchor verse “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1: 16)

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TOPIC 10 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1: 16)

I.  Introduction As sons and daughters of God, our call is to a life of holiness. Just as Jesus is holy, so we are likewise called to be holy. This means living a life with a great passion for love and righteousness. Thus, it is an invitation to live a life in deep love for God and for our neighbor. Being holy may seem like a great challenge. What we don’t realize is that being holy starts in small actions of choosing God’s way. II. Four Kinds of Good People

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good they can, they see no need to do more than that. Going to mass, saying standard prayers, giving alms during Mass are enough for them. They do not feel that there is something more to be done. They feel they have done enough.           Examples: Traditional Catholics who participate in the sacraments but don’t take it to a personal level of really “living out the sacraments in their lives” – physically present but mentally absent during Mass. C. I am not evil. I am good. I have passion. I don’t know about you. These are the people who detest and avoid wrongdoing, who commit themselves to whatever good they can do, yet lack equal concern for others. They fail to encourage and influence others to do the same.           They do not feel the need to correct what is not good, most especially those that they see in other people. They want everyone to be on the same path with them towards doing good, but have no concern for the people who are still lost.

Seeking to be good is a step by step climb towards heaven. It is an everyday challenge to step up with the hopes of becoming more like Jesus.

D. Infecting others with goodness.

In this world, there are four kinds of goodness, as well as four kinds of good people.

These are the people who avoid wrongdoing, have passion to do what is good, and influence others to do so. They feel that the work is not yet finished until others are also on the same path with them towards Christ.

A. Do no evil and Do no good. These are the people who don’t harm others, but do nothing that would give glory to God. They also live their lives without recognizing the need for God and the desire to live a purpose-driven life.

Jesus’ example: Although He always had complete joy in Himself; He was not bent on   possessing glory for Himself.  Rather, He humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, in order to lead others into glory with Him. (Phil 2:7)

Examples: Atheists, Catholics who don’t go to mass because they don’t see the blessing in doing so; teenagers who just go to school to simply study and fulfill what is necessary but don’t go beyond this primary task; people who don’t have vices but also do not pray; Catholics by name but not by action.

Which of these are you?          Do we take a step closer to holiness as Jesus has shown us how?  Are we closer to our goal of being holy like Christ?

B. Avoid evil and do good – sometimes.

III. Stepping into Holiness

There are people who refrain from evil and also devote themselves to frequent good deeds, yet, while they do not neglect to do what

No matter what kind of person we are, all is not lost. We are all a work in progress and there is still time to grow more in Jesus. Let us strive to:

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A. Increase in love for God We should discover more the ways for us to grow in love with God.  We should not limit ourselves to our daily 15-minute prayer time. There are other means by which we can learn more about God.  Examples could include watching inspirational and religious movies (e.g. Passion of the Christ); reading Christian books that could help us grow in our walk of faith, and exposing ourselves to praise songs rather than those that are anti-God and anti-life. B. Increase in love for the people in our lives We should start creating stronger relationships with the people that God has placed in our lives to love. Let us allow ourselves to be used by God to be a sign of hope, mercy, and love to our friends, neighbors, enemies, and family. C. Increase in service for the Church We should know more about Christ by sharing in the Celebration of the Sacraments. We should allow ourselves to become one with all the parts that make up the one Body of Christ, the Church. More than being warm bodies, we should also learn to help the Church or our own Parish in whatever way we can. D. Increase in faithfulness to the covenant of YFC We won’t be YFC members forever. We won’t remain in the service we are handling now for long. We all “grow up,” and it is very important that as we all grow up, we always live by our covenant, and walk toward deepening, strengthening, and practicing it. Starting now let us start our lives in YFC, living it to the fullest. IV. Conclusion God’s call to us is clear. He is constantly encouraging us into a life with Him, in Him, and for Him. Let us look into where we are right now. Have we grown in holiness? Are we growing? Do we feel the need to grow? Being Holy may sound intimidating. As we climb our way up into holiness, the climb gets higher and tougher. What we must remember is that Jesus is backing us up on this 100%. He is with us in every step that we climb closer towards Him.           

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guide questions 1. Which of the four kinds of people can you best describe yourself as? 2. What should you do to become the fourth kind of person like Christ? 3. Give specific actions you would want to take in order to truly become Holy as a YFC.

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DOWN TO EARTH objectives 1. To clearly define what humility is and how it is shown

down to earth

TOPIC 11 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “My child be humble in everything you do, and people will appreciate it more than gifts. The greater you become, the more humble you should be; then the Lord will be pleased with you.”  (Sirach 3: 17-19)

2. To appreciate that humility allows us to know God more 3. To start practicing humility in every aspect of our life

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship

I. Introduction   Jesus Christ has always been a true example of humility. He is God but He became man to show this. His humility can also be witnessed by how He cared for His disciples.  He continues to reach out to all of us, whoever, wherever we are. He constantly shows us the way to humility because this is His desire for all of us to have.

3. Talk Proper 4. Reflection Song 5. Group Discussion

speaker’s profile 1. A youth leader who was humbled by God through serving his/ her

brothers and sisters in Youth for Christ.

2. A youth leader who was humbled by experiencing God’s unfailing

love in his/ her life.

anchor verse “My child be humble in everything you do, and people will appreciate it more than gifts. The greater you become, the more humble you should be; then the Lord will be pleased with you.”  (Sirach 3: 17-19)

II. How is humility shown?

(Note for the Speaker: Share personal experiences for every point)

          “My child be humble in everything you do…” (Sir 3.17) Humility can be seen in different forms: A. Recognition of one’s sinfulness before God We often commit sin because we choose to live by our own choices and not of God’s. But we should not dwell on being guilty of our sins. Instead, we are called to humble ourselves before the Lord and to repent before Him. The Lord is good. He is a merciful God. He is just waiting for us to come to Him.  It is humility to accept our mistake that God is well pleased.  “The other one, however, rebuked him, saying, “Don’t you fear God? You received the same sentence he did.  Ours, however, is only right, because we are getting what we deserve for what we did; but he has done no wrong.” (Luke 23: 40-41)

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B. Obedience to God God gave us the freedom to choose, the freedom to decide.  But there are times that it’s hard for us to make a choice. And in these times, we must not depend on our wisdom in making our decisions. We should seek to know what God wants. God knows what’s BEST for us. Humility can be shown by remembering this and in seeking God’s will in every decision we make.   “He went a little farther on, threw himself face downward on the ground, and prayed, “My father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering from me! Yet not what I want, but what you want.” (Matthew 26:39) C. Submission to God God created us in His image. We belong to Him. Humility comes when we recognize that HE is God and we are NOT – when we realize that we need Him. We are nothing without Him.  Submitting to God is surrendering our whole lives to Him. “Jesus cried out in a loud voice. “Father! In your hands I place my spirit” He said this and died.” Luke 23:46 III. Blessings Promised to the Humble “… and people will appreciate it more than gifts.” (Sirach 3: 17) Humility is pleasing to the Lord. And with this, God blesses us even more. A. Wisdom God rewards the humble of heart. When we are too proud to acknowledge our being human, there will be times that we will lose our way. But the Lord is gracious to the humble. God promises to give us wisdom to know what is right through the Holy Spirit. “He leads the humble in what is right, teaching them His way.” (Psalm 25:9) B. Good Tidings Humility opens our eyes to see how God works in our lives and how He blesses us in so many ways.

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“The humble will see their God at work and be glad. Let all who seek God’s help live in joy.” Psalm 69:32 C. Honor God honors the humble in a special way. He lifts up those who come before Him. He exalts them and He brings them from glory to glory. “Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you.” 1 Peter 5:6 These are merely narrations of the different gifts the Lord could give us. The Lord wants all of us to receive these rewards. There is, indeed, greater joy when we choose to act in humility, but the decision is still up to us. IV. Conclusion We are called to humility. We are called to follow Jesus.  Being humble brings us closer to Him and allows us to give glory to His name. Through humility, we make God happy and we make Him smile.

reflection song 1. Here I am to Worship 2. I Can Only Imagine

guide questions 1. Share an instance in your life when you became so proud of yourself that you failed to recognize God as the source of everything you have. 2. What specific steps will you do to show the Lord that you’re really surrendering everything to Him?

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ENCOUNTER TO REMEMBER

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b. The current problems and concerns they are encountering at the moment 4. Let them write down their reflections. 5. Let them re-write their reflection but add the following words: c. For the positive things in their lives, they write “We praise and we thank you for…” before the statement.

objectives

 

d. For the problems and concerns they write, “ we’re lifting to you our concerns…” before the statement

1. To define what prayer really is, its parts, the manner in which we should pray, and its importance

6. They will be in a reflective mood again and one by one, they will recite in prayer what they have written.

2. To realize that it is through prayer that we can establish a personal relationship with Christ

7. The household head will close the prayer.

3. To begin practicing our commitment in our daily common prayer time

dynamics

8. The participants will answer the guide questions.

speaker’s profile

1. Start the assembly with an opening worship.

The speaker should be an active YFC leader, who is constantly striving to be faithful to his/her prayer time.

2. The chapter head will introduce the speaker.

anchor verse

3. The speaker will give the talk proper. 4. The participants will be grouped into households to do the activity and to answer the guide questions. 5. The speaker will lead the group into prayer. A reflection song can be played during the prayer. 6. The household heads will end the discussion with a prayer. Activity Mechanics: (After the Talk) 1. The participants should be grouped into households. 2. The speaker will lead the group into a reflective prayer. The music ministry will play a reflection song. 3. In a reflective mood, the participants are instructed to bow down their heads and close their eyes and think about the following: a. The positive things/ blessings that happened in their lives

“But when you pray, go to your rooms, close the door and go to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

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TOPIC 12 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “But when you pray, go to your rooms, close the door and go to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what you do in private will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

I. Introduction Prayer is a medium to communicate with God. It is our utmost expression of humility and openness to God. Prayer and scripture are the two most effective tools for our growth as Christian men and women. It is our primary means of communicating with God. As we communicate with Him, our relationship and love for Him deepens. II. Two Basic Components of Prayer a. Thanksgiving and Praise - It is a time when we thank God for all the blessings we received. It is also a time to give our praises to our Maker. b. Petition and Asking for Forgiveness – It is when we lift up our concerns and ask for God’s mercy. III. How to Begin your Prayer Time Amidst our busy schedules, let us devote some time for prayer and study the scriptures. A. Bring with you your Bible and your journal. The Lord can speak to you in many forms when you pray. He can show you a verse or speak to your heart. This is why it is important that you have your journal on which you can write down the things that God has told you through your prayer. Your Bible also serves as your personal reminder of His love for you. Keep it with you and open it whenever you pray.

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B. Look for a place that is quiet and has no distractions. Prayer is your instant connection with God. Since you are coming into in His sacred presence, it is important that you are not distracted by anything else. You cannot hear His word and He cannot touch your heart if your mind is full of things that you need to think about after you pray. You cannot understand His Word if there are other things that are distract you. C. Speak to God in the silence of your heart. More than reciting the standard prayer, more than asking for the things that you need, the most important thing is that you listen. God speaks directly to your heart and it is in there that you will understand instantly what He wants you to do. You can use the ACTS (A for Adoration, C for contrition, T for thanksgiving, and S for supplication) as a guide in your prayer. IV. Conclusion Prayer is essential in our everyday life.  When you pray, think of your heart as a room that only God can see. In the silence of your heart, you should focus on God and fervently listen to His messages. Let us see to it that every day, we have an encounter to remember with our loving Father.

guide question 1. How did you feel when you were thanking God for your blessings and surrendering to Him your concerns in life? 2. What were the times in your life that made you call to God in prayer?

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topic 13

SIMON PETER SAYS

simon peter says

TOPIC 13 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline

objectives 1. To learn about the life of Peter and how He followed God

I. Introduction

2. To bring out the “Peter” in us more, as we serve and live our lives

Speaker reads through 1 Peter 1: 1-14 as His/her resource reading in handling this topic completely. When God chooses people to carry out His mission, He doesn’t choose the richest, or the wisest of men. Rather, God sees the heart and chooses persons who are available to have the heart for Him. God did the same when Jesus chose Simon Peter.

dynamics 1. Opening Worship 2. Game: Simon Peter Says In this game, the facilitator gives out several commands - if the command is started with the phrase “Simon Peter says”, the participants should obey. But if the command does not start with the phrase, they should not obey it. Those who incorrectly follow a command will be given coresponding consequences. the game will run for 10-15 minutes. 3. Talk proper 4. Group Discussion 5. Large Group Sharing 6. Closing Prayer

Who among you here knows who SIMON PETER is? Let me tell you who He is. Some people put a halo over him and call him St. Peter. From history books, his Aramaic name is CEPHAS. But Jesus gave him the name PETER, meaning “THE ROCK”. II. The Man Named Peter Peter was a pretty tough character in His younger days. His father, Jonah, was a fisherman who lived in Galilee on the shores of the sea. Peter had a couple of buddies, James and John; they ran a fishing business that gave them a pretty fair living. Peter has four (4) basic attributes or qualities: A. Peter was a MAN OF ACTION He never hesitated in anything he does. He always did what He believed was right. It was this quality that made him a leader. B. Peter was a MAN OF COMMITMENT AND LOYALTY He showed his commitment and loyalty to God when he quickly walked away from his net and vowed allegiance to God from Galilee. “Lord, no matter what others may do, I’ll die for you.”

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C. Peter was a MAN OF COURAGE

D. Man and Woman of Conviction

When temple guards seized Jesus as He prayed alone in the garden, it was Peter who drew His sword in defense. Though at one point he denied Christ, He was the only one of the disciples who even tried to stay close by Jesus in His hour of trial.

We should fight for what we believe in. Have conviction and love for the things that God is calling us to do. We should be steadfast in faith and put all our trust in Him.

D. Peter was a MAN OF CONVICTION In his preaching with Jesus, His famous line says “I say, You are the Son of God”. It was that same conviction that, fired by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, caused Peter to become the early leader of the Church. His conviction to serve and love God eventually caused His life for the cause of Jesus Christ. Peter was crucified upside down, because He did not deem himself worthy to die as His Lord had died. III. Called to be Peter Maybe you are wondering why we are talking about the life of a man who lived and died 2000 years ago. We are called to be like PETER of today. There is something in the life of this man that is in all of us. Like Him, we, too, are called to be MAN AND WOMAN OF ACTION, OF COMMITMENT AND OF LOYALTY, and OF COURAGE AND OF CONVICTION. A. Man and Woman of Action We should be willing to do the things we believe is right and pleasing to God. Never hesitate to follow God in whatever He wants us to do. B. Man and Woman of Commitment and Loyalty We should be willing to serve the Lord in whatever circumstance, comfortable or uncomfortable for us. We know how to practice loyalty to family, to brothers and sisters in YFC and to our country. C. Man and Woman of Courage We should work hard to achieve all our goals and dreams in life. Do good in our studies, serve in our community amidst difficulty and love God amidst all our problems.

IV. Conclusion Like Peter, our lives are not perfect. But the way God used Him amidst his fault and failures should give us hope, for the God who changed Peter’s life is the same God who is still in the business of changing imperfect people like us. Let us pray that as we continue to aspire to be Men and Women of God, we can continue to strive to remember these qualities and attributes: ACTION, COMMITMENT AND LOYALTY, and COURAGE AND CONVICTION.

guide questions 1. How can I become like Peter today? 2. How can I develop and apply the characters and qualities of Peter in my personal life?

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topic 14

CARE CHAMP objectives 1. To learn what it means to be true champions of the poor 2. To instill the importance of living life with love, humility, joy, and compassion for others, especially for those who are in need 3. To make caring for the poor a habit and a mission in their everyday lives

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Talk Proper 4. Discussion Group 5. Wrap up by speaker 6. Closing worship

(Note to the speaker: At the end of the talk, the speaker should rally everyone. He should exhort them to be heroes for the country and to be champions for the poor.)

speaker’s profile

1. A YFC Leaders who has embraced a deep love and commitment in ANCOP service 2. He/ She is a known ANCOP champion in his/her school, or in his/ her own area (sector, province, or chapter)

anchor verse “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40)

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C. Someone who believes in the mission of Jesus.

care champ

TOPIC 14 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY talk outline “Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for Me.” (Matthew 25:40)

Jesus came here for the poor. A CARE Champ believes that he shares in the mission of Jesus of championing the poor. He should be willing to give time, treasure and talent for them. III. People We Champion a. Hungry and Thirsty “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink...” – Matthew 25:35

I. Introduction

We should be conscious of those who have nothing to eat, like the children on the streets, orphanages. and feeding homes.

As CFC-Youth for Christ, we are called to serve God. Aside from the renewal of families, Jesus’ mission is to minister the poor. He did, after all, come to this world and lived among them.

b. Stranger “... a stranger and you welcomed me...”- Matthew 25:35

As Jesus’ partners in mission, we have been called to champion the poor for Him. One way of serving Him is to serve the poor. We have been blessed with a community that is geared toward building the church of the poor. This task is the most concrete way of sharing God’s love with others.

We should have compassion for those who are in the home for the aged, girl’s homes and boy’s homes. c. ILL

The youth of today, with their passion and energy, have so much to offer to the world. But sadly, their talents and resources have been channeled in an unconstructive manner. Thus, it is our ministry’s desire to build up Care Champs for this world.

“... ill and you cared for me” – Matthew 25:36 We should give joy to those suffering from serious illnesses such as cancer, AIDS, leprosy and those that are physically challenged.

II. What is a Care Champ?

d. In prison

A. Someone who is an active member of Youth for Christ.

“... in prison and you visited me”- Matthew 25:36

A CARE Champ should attend activities of Youth for Christ regularly so as to be nourished and reminded of the love of the Lord. This way, he will also know how to care and love others. B. Someone who has a heart for the poor. Jesus has a special place in His heart for the poor. A CARE Champ should be someone who can empathize and sympathize for them the same way that He did.

We should visit those that are in correctional facilities/juvenile homes, rehabilitation centers and mental institutions. IV. C –

Being a CHAMPION of the Poor Creating perfect and beautiful moments by sharing our time, talents and treasure.

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H–

Hoping and dreaming for a better future with them and for them. We introduce them to great and new things that will enable them to discover their passion in life.

A–

Advocating the value of compassion by outdoing each other in love and generosity.

M–

Making a piece of heaven real here on earth by letting them see and experience Jesus in them. It could be by lending an ear to a weary heart, assisting a cripple in his therapy, and visiting the lonely in the hospitals.

P–

Protecting and restoring their dignity because we are all equal in the eyes of God. We are all entitled to an equal share of God’s blessings if only everyone would learn how to share.

I–

Initiating partnerships with public and private organization and offices that may further our work with the poor.

O –

Opening doors of opportunities for growth and healing.

N–

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Never forgets to pray for them and to motivate them to pray for themselves.

V. Conclusion Having a family and belonging to a loving community, we are privileged to share such great blessings to our poor brothers and sisters. We might not realize it yet, but in the end, when we serve the poor here on earth, we are actually serving our God in heaven.

guide questions 1. From the acronym CHAMPION, which letter do you think you need to improve more on? Why? 2. How can you be a Champion of the poor in your own way? 3. What concrete steps are you willing to take in order to become a CARE CHAMP?

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topic 15

A JESUS EXPERIENCE objectives 1. To know how to interact with our poor brothers and sisters 2. To build up the value of love by giving them an avenue to appreciate the poor 3. To understand how to take part actively in the work of loving the poor

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Activity (The activity can be shortened to 1 ½ hour) 4. Processing and Sharing

anchor verse “The needy will never be lacking in the land; that is why I command you to open your hand to your poor and needy brothers in the land.”(Deuteronomy 15:10-11)

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II. Wrap/ Processing Points for the Speaker

a Jesus experience

TOPIC 15 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY activity dynamics “The needy will never be lacking in the land; that is why I command you to open your hand to your poor and needy brothers in the land.”(Deuteronomy 15:10-11)

I. Activity This is an experiential activity. The venue for this can be in a place like hospices (hospital, infirmary, home for the aged, boy’s town, girl’s town, and orphanage) or ANCOP sites in your area. These venues are some of the choices you can select from for the activity for this assembly so that the YFC members attending will truly experience God in a very exciting way. This is about going out of their comfort zones and being able to share their self to others by sharing their time, treasure and talent. 1. Find proper venue and time for this activity. Talk to the contact person prior to the visit and set an appointment with them to present and explain the purpose of the activity. 2. Prior to the activity day, arrange a schedule, program and activity to be done in the chosen venue like tutorials, teaching of songs, story-telling, dance workshop, etc. whichever is applicable to the place. 3. You may group them into households with 5-7 members. 4. Spend at least 2 – 3 hours (if time and venue permits). They will be given time to share their talents with a certain family or they can simply mingle with the people in the area. 5. After which, a group discussion will be done and the processing of the activity will also be conducted. 6. Close the activity with a prayer, which may be done per group.  

The poor are special in the eyes of God. Though poverty was never part of God’s beautiful plan for us, it is real. May this be a challenge for all of us to appreciate and be aware that there are people who are in need of our time, talent and treasure. Today, we had a chance to see the poor, the sick and the oppressed. We are God’s children; they are our brothers and sisters.  It is but right that we show them love just as how we receive it. The Lord loves the poor. Let us continue to follow Jesus’ example. It will be difficult, but through God’s grace, we shall continue to learn how to share ourselves to others. Let us live with the poor. Let us love the poor just like Jesus loves them.

guide questions 1. What did you feel after the activity? 2. What was your Jesus experience from this activity? 3. What other things can you do to everyday experience Jesus in your life?

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topic 16

STANDING IN THE GAP objectives 1. To realize that it is our duty to love and serve the poor

standing in the gap

TOPIC 16 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recover of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed.” (Luke 4:18)

2. To further appreciate our work in ANCOP 3. To volunteer and influence others to be a part of ANCOP

dynamics 1. Worship 2. Talk proper 3. Group Sharing

speaker’s profile 1. It is advisable that the speaker should be a cluster head or any leader that is actively serving in ANCOP. 2. An active YFC residing in an ANCOP Village can give the sharing.  

anchor verse “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has chosen me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recover of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed.” (Luke 4:18)

I. Introduction (Read the Story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, Luke 16:19-31. The speaker can either tell the story or ask one of the participants to tell the story.)     The story focuses on the importance of loving the poor. Like the rich man, it can cause us our eternity. Either we go to heaven or hell because we have or have not answered the call of God of loving them. It is a sad reality that more of us decide not to answer the call when there are more people who struggle to survive everyday – there is so much poverty around us. Poverty that is due to the breakdown of relationships.     II. The Rich and the Poor This relationship happens between the rich and the poor. The rich can afford to live luxuriously, while right in their very own neighborhood is a swarm of poor people, only wishing to be able to eat a meal. The rich has accepted that poverty is part of the global order.   The poor has been considered an eyesore, a big problem to the country and other nations as well. They are seen as dirt and as unclean. They are also perceived as menace to the society doing crimes and drugs. III. Standing in the Gap Note: Demonstrate visually by asking two volunteers to stand beside you, you being at the center. The other two being the rich and the poor, and you, “standing in the gap”

What our world needs is love. Love can BRIDGE this gap. We have to be that person with love that stands in the gap.

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    Standing in the gap isn’t at all easy: A. It can be frustrating. We might experience rejection in reaching out to them. •

The rich thinks that the poor will be poor forever, simply because they do not strive hard to have a better life. (Laziness, Vices, etc.)

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The poor thinks that it is hopeless; that nobody is willing enough to help them in their situation. They think being poor is their destiny.

B. It will require a great sacrifice. We can’t paint a picture of hope overnight. It takes time. •

It is not easy to tell the poor that there is hope and life can be better.

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It is not that easy to tell the rich to share and to give.

C. We will be stretched to the limit with our abilities because it requires our time, talent and treasure

  IV. Closing the Gap  

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We are all called to stand in the gap in order to close it.

ANCOP closes the gap between the rich and the poor. We call each other brothers and sisters. In camaraderie, no one is poor, no one is rich, no one is a Christian, or no one is Muslim. All are equal in worth and in dignity. This happens because of two things: 1. ANCOP as a source of unity. It doesn’t matter if you are poor or rich. This is beyond religion; it doesn’t matter if you are Muslim or Christian. All are equal in worth and dignity. We are all united. 2. ANCOP as initiators of Justice and Peace. When we share, we give justice to the lives of those who are deprived. And because there is contentment in our lives, there is peace.

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IV. Conclusion   Our love for the poor will create a generation of people who treat each other as brothers and sisters. The spirit of the Lord is love. Thus, it is through love that we can “bring the good news to the poor…proclaim liberty to the captives…recovery of sight to the blind…free the oppressed.”   Let us bring more people to ANCOP, more heroes, who can “stand in the gap” and close that gap, through the Lord, who made both the rich and the poor.  

guide questions

1. How do I see the poor right now? 2. How can I become a bridge between the rich and the poor?

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KEEPERS OF PARADISE objectives 1. To develop a keen sense of stewardship through the environment 2. To know that it is our call to take care of the environment

dynamics This talk should be done in a place where the activity can be applied. (e.g. Tree planting in an ANCOP site, proper waste segregation in parks/ public markets, newspaper drive in their clusters, etc.) 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Talk 4. Activity 5. Conclusion/ Wrap Up of the Speaker 6. Closing Prayer/ Worship The Chapter Leaders can choose from any of the following activities: A. Tree Planting The group can buy seeds prior to activity and locate a place where they can plant them. They should also promise to take care of the seeds that they have planted even after the activity. B. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle The group can locate a place where they can collect and segregate trash.

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C. Waste Segregation They can round up all the members to gather all newspapers, bottles, aluminum cans, and bring it to the junk shop.

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D. Watch the movie INCONVENIENT TRUTH.

anchor verse “Then the Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it.” (Genesis 2:15)

“Then the Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it.” (Genesis 2:15)

I. Introduction In Youth for Christ, we learned about God’s love. A great manifestation of this love is through the environment, the world we are living in, the paradise He originally designed. He designed it to be perfect and beautiful. “God looked at everything He had made, and He found it very good.” (Gen 1:31) But looking at the world today, it is hard to imagine that this is still what we call Paradise. Environmental problems have caused us to doubt the concept of Paradise. Let us recall the original plan of God about the world we are living in. II. The Land called Paradise God created the universe out of love. He created it in such a way that all kinds of living creatures and vegetation can exist side by side. He perfectly designed it for us. More than just being a piece of Land, it was gift from the Creator Himself given to us. A. Paradise Given God’s very nature is love. He created paradise as a manifestation of His love for us. He wanted to show us how much He loved us that He created the world and gave it to us to live in. He gave the world to us in order for us to have everything we need. It was God’s everyday reminder that He provides and takes care of us. More than being a source of our needs, God entrusted us to have dominion over His creation. (Gen. 1:28) He entrusted it to us to cultivate, guard, and protect.

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B. Paradise Lost We forgot that it was a gift. We forgot that it was a high privilege for us to take care of God’s prized possessions. We got confused on the real purpose of the gift. We got greedy to the point that instead of cultivating it we started abusing it.

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ON GOD’S SIDE ALWAYS

(Note: The speaker should give examples of abusing the environment.)



Though we have abused the gift and in the end abused God’s kindness, God’s nature does not change. God’s love still remains the same. What happened should not hinder us from fearing God. God is still calling us, giving us another chance to gain back the lost paradise. C. Paradise Regained “But once more God will send us His spirit. The wasteland will become fertile and fields will produce rich crops.” (Isaiah 32:15) There is still time to regain what we have lost. Let us give back to the environment what it has given to us. Let us learn to plant trees. Let us not waste precious things like electricity, water, and paper. Let us learn how to maximize and not abuse the things that we have received. Let us not grow tactless into thinking that these things will never run out because in time they will. [ACTIVITY PROPER]

III. Conclusion Our experience today is a reminder for us that there is still hope. Let us seek to bring back what was lost. As YFC, it is one of our duties to take care of the gifts that God has given us. After all, it is also us that will merit the effects of our carelessness or our prudence in the end. It is more than taking care of things. It is actually showing God how much we value the things He has given us. Just as we care for the things precious to us, let us also take care of the things precious to God.

objectives 1. To explain the importance of loyalty to God 2. To further explain that our loyalty to God entails loyalty to the people He has entrusted us to take care 3. To mold each one to become more patriotic by imbibing the value of loyalty

dynamics 1. Worship 2. Talk proper 3. End the talk with a prayer 4. Reflection 5. Group Discussion 6. Closing Prayer

speaker’s profile 1. Any leader could give this talk. 2. It is encouraged to have 2 sharers, a brother and a sister. The focus of the sharing will be loyalty to God, leaders, group or principles.

anchor verse “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Mathew 25:23)

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B. To our Leaders. Our leaders are anointed by our God. We need to respect and give them our loyalty, because they are the ones who will lead us to be closer to our God as they lead us in doing His work.

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C. To our Group.

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” (Mathew 25:23)

I. Introduction As God’s children, we have been taught that God loves us. As YFC, we are invited to return to that great love, and make our Father happy. We were taught that it is not enough to just love God and our neighbor, but to love our country. We are taught that being good citizens is one of our ways to respond to God’s love for us. In striving to be good citizens, one significant value we can start with is Loyalty. Loyalty means faithfulness. A loyal person pledges allegiance to another and promises to stand by its side for any purpose and principle. A loyal person can be trusted, for one will fight for the other. II. Our Subjects of Loyalty “No servant can serve two masters…” Luke 16:13 We should know whom to give our loyalty. We need to be careful and seek guidance from God as we give it to people. Loyalty will be no longer considered as loyalty if it is just given easily. Our loyalty should be given to the following: A. To God. First and foremost, we are called to be loyal to our God, to serve Him with everything that we are. Everything that is happening to us is all from Him. He deserves our outmost love, attention and loyalty.



God allowed us to enjoy our journey with Him. After capturing us with His immense love, He has allowed us to serve our community through our cluster, chapter and household. He is calling us as well to be loyal by helping and supporting every member of the group we belong to. D. To our Principles. Since He entrusted us with His work, we are called to be loyal in what we believe in for us to follow and fulfill His purpose in our lives. We are bound to infect other people with a life embracing God, thus, we should be the first to stand up for these beliefs.

III. Our Acts of Loyalty: A. To God •

Living a life in accordance to His words.

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Praying and reading the Bible.

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Hearing mass.

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Observing the Holy Sacraments.

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Doing everything for God’s glory.

B. To our Leaders •

Paying respect and courtesy to them always.

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Obeying their directions and respecting them.

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Making sure that they know everything that is happening within your group, especially if it concerns the welfare of each other.

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Accepting their limitations especially when they have directions that we don’t understand and those we don’t want to do.

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Protecting and respecting them all the time.

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Always pray for them so that they may guide and set examples to the group.

C. To our Group •

Helping them in their duties, their studies and praying for their concerns.

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Supporting them in their spiritual life. Our teachings to others would be of no value if we cannot help our group mates.

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Avoid spreading loose talks and negative rumors. Talk directly to the person concerned to clarify and settle things.

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Protecting them from danger especially the sisters.

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Looking after the welfare of the group when it comes to decision making.

D. To our Principles •

Living out our principles.

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Protecting and enriching it.

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Practicing it at all times.

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Living out our duties to God and others.

IV. Conclusion Loyalty must be practiced at all times. It is based on how we show our love to God and to our neighbor. It is also a way for us to show our sincerity in the responsibilities that are given to us. The enemy is moving fast to defeat the people who are loyal to God. They want every person to be one of them in their kingdom in hell.

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Let us guard ourselves and one another. Let us continue to be loyal to God and our responsibilities, as we continue to give justice in everything that we do. In the end of all these things, we would be hearing the Lord’s invitation of sharing eternal happiness with Him. (Matt. 25:23)

reflection song Song of a Servant

guide questions 1. Are you loyal to God? To your leaders? To your group in YFC? To your principles? 2. What steps do you need to work on to grow more in loyalty to others?

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HOMELAND

4. Processing

1. To define the real meaning of patriotism

5. Talk Proper

2. To realize that our love for country is our deep manifestation and response of our love for God

6. Group Discussion

3. To know how we can concretely apply the value of patriotism in our everyday lives

dynamics 1. Registration and Teaching of Songs 2. Worship 3. Activity Proper The participants should be grouped into a minimum of 7 members before starting the activity. In the activity proper, the speaker will ask the groups to create a scenario depicting patriotism by the following: A. loving the environment, B. giving importance to education,

 

After the activity, make sure that the scenarios portrayed become the basis of discussion between the participants and speaker. Interaction therefore is advised.

Note: The speaker should let the participants recognize that the scenarios that they have portrayed are ordinary things happening in their everyday lives which they fail to appreciate. Let them understand that being a patriot is an everyday decision that they need to make.

objectives

 

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C. being proud to be a citizen of their country. The groups will be given five (5) minutes to create the scenario, after which a representative from each group will explain the scenario his / her group have created. The group that shows creativity and clarity of the scenario will receive a reward after the activity.

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TOPIC 19 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline          I. Introduction Patriotism is our love and pride for the country, its culture and heritage. In Youth for Christ, patriotism is our call to make a difference in the social, political, cultural and environmental dimensions of our society. As God’s anointed stewards of our homeland, how can we really show our love and respect for our country? II. Our Contribution Loving our homeland can be shown in many ways. Here in Youth for Christ, we have provided programs and avenue to live out patriotism such as the different social ministries, our work in ANCOP and Pro-life. Thus, as YFC members, we should know the concrete steps on how to value the homeland our God has given to us.

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Loving our homeland means dreaming to be the professionals who will bring our country out of poverty. By striving to be the best students, we will fulfill not only the hopes of our parents, but more importantly the hopes of our country to have the best doctors, engineers, teachers, accountants, scientists, etc. We must recognize that studying entails a lot of sacrifice on our part. These are some examples: 1. Practice time management between your academic and extracurricular activities.

2. Practice a good study habit. 3. Do not give in to temptations of cheating. 4. Be a servant by sharing your knowledge to your fellow students. 5. Finish your studies to be able to serve your countrymen. C. We must value our citizenship

Valuing this country means being a good citizen. Practice following our duties and responsibilities to our state. These are some examples:

A. We must value our Environment

1. Practice your right to vote during elections and vote wisely.

We should not contribute to make our homeland miserable. Protect the ecosystem within or outside of our territory for this is the basis for our survival.

2. Support your duly elected government. 3. Obey the rules of local government, City or Barangay, like curfew and other ordinances.

These are some examples:

4. Patronize your country’s products.

1. Join Tree Planting.

5. Respect your country’s traditions and cultural symbols like

2. Practice garbage segregation. 3. Throw your garbage in the trash bins. 4. Don’t contribute to pollution. Don’t smoke. 5. Conserve water. B. We must value Education

the national flag and the national anthem.  

III.    Conclusion Loving the country through valuing the environment, our education, and our citizenship is a deep manifestation of our love for God. He has given us our country for our homeland as a sign of His love. As Youth for Christ members, being patriots is our decision to respect, follow and fulfill

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the promise we have with our God and our country during our Covenant Orientation. As His anointed stewards we should do everything to protect and enrich this country.

guide questions 1. Explain what patriotism personally means to you. 2. Do you think there is hope for our country? 3. In what ways can you be a part of giving hope and love to our country? Give concrete examples.

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THE PATRIOT objectives 1. To appreciate that the essence of patriotism is love for God 2. To know how we can concretely and actively do something for the nation 3. To develop a deeper love and concern for the poor and be motivated to translate this love through actions

dynamics 1. Creative: SKIT (The King and the Generals) Pointers to consider: a. Make the story light. b. It is suggested we create comedy skit. c. Highlight the point about the reason of serving. d. For added effect, use makeshift costume and props. 2. Talk Proper 3. Sharing There must be 1-2 sharers who will magnify the major points of the talk, i.e. being a patriot, provider, protector, or priest. 4. Group Discussion 5. Afterwards, the speaker will process the sharing and will segue to the closing worship.

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SKIT- The story: The King and the generals There was once a King with two generals, who work alternately to ensure the safety of the fortress and accompany the King during outside mission.  The generals were both great soldiers and leaders.  They vowed to protect the King and the kingdom with their lives.   They differed only in one thing: the reason why they serve. The first general served because it was his sworn duty to serve the king.  He started his training since he was young. He learned to owe his allegiance to no one else but the king. The second general, on the other hand, served because he loved the king with his heart.  You see, the second general and the king grew up together and were friends since they were small.   Many times did the king saved the general’s life from the wild animals when they were kids.  He happily served as a general because this was his way of returning the love and kindness that the king has given him. The Skit: The story focuses on the reasons of the generals translated in the performance of their responsibilities.  The first general, because he saw his service as an obligation, soon get overworked and burnt out with everything that he was doing.   The second general, on the other hand, had a deeper reason, which was love.  Love enabled him to endure the difficulties that go with being a general. Morale: In serving, we must have a deeper reason than “it is my responsibility” or because I am obliged.” Because if it is our only reason, when things become too demanding, we get easily disheartened and tired.  Our reason for serving others and doing our responsibilities should be LOVE.  Love pushes us to endure.

anchor verse “My children, our love should not be just in words and talk; it must be true love which shows itself in action.” (1 John 3:18)

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TOPIC 20 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “My children, our love should not be just in words and talk; it must be true love which shows itself in action.” (1 John 3:18)

I. Introduction This country is God’s gift to us and we are born and raised here for a greater purpose. We wouldn’t be who we are if we are not born in this country.  We wouldn’t think the same way, talk the same way, and act the same way.   We are where we are right now because God designed us to be here. However, we are not here just to fill in a space. We are here for a deeper purpose and that purpose is either incidentally or ultimately connected to our motherland.  II. The Patriot A true patriot is someone who is passionate for the country and for his countrymen.   He is someone who takes his responsibility and accountability seriously.  He holds nothing back, realizing that all he has is given for a purpose. He does this not because he is obliged to do it.  He does it because he is pushed by a greater purpose; and that purpose is LOVE.   “…our love should not be just words and talk; it must be true love which shows itself in action.” 1 John 3:18   A true patriot loves God.  And his love for God pushes him to translate this love to the people around him, especially those who need it the most.  

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III. Our Call As God’s followers, we are called to be patriots. We are called to translate our passion for God into concrete actions. We are to be: A. Stewards of God’s gifts As patriots, we are to be passionate in sharing.  We are called to be good stewards of God’s providence.  We share what we have to others but most especially to those who lack. Patriots give their all in excellence, be it time, talent or treasure. 1. Take time to listen to other people who need someone to talk to, to play with the kids, or to visit regularly the sick and the needy. 2. Tutor the kids and youth in ANCOP sites or in the depressed areas or teach them skills such as singing and dancing, physical health and hygiene. 3. Share whatever we have with others. Celebrate birthdays in ANCOP sites, be advocate of our work with the poor and social justice. B. Source of encouragement We take courage to guide the youth. We aim to inspire and build up their spirits.  We motivate the young people in ANCOP sites to study. We focus on their talents and skills. We should be generous to them with our compliments and praise. C. Vessel of hope We ourselves believe that they can rise above poverty. We entertain and encourage their big dreams, like becoming engineers or public accountants or businessmen. We dream with them, we support them as they aim to fulfill their dreams. D. Champion of the poor Knowing is one thing, loving is another. When we call ourselves champions, it only means that we have decided to love. We are proud of being connected to ANCOP. We talk about working with the poor to our friends, family and relatives, not really boasting about what we do, but simply sharing the joy we have.

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As patriots, we are called to be passionate in caring.  God has lovingly shared with all of us His divinity by creating us in His image and likeness.  Thus, we are capable of things of the Spirit—care, sacrifice, and heroism.  All these are within our capacity to give.  We can go beyond ourselves, dying a little if we must, to sacrifice, to forego our selfish tendencies so that others may simply live.   We are all called to be patriots, to love God above all else and let this love radiates from us to others. IV. Conclusion Being a patriot is living life to the fullest; living life with a deep sense of purpose.  It is knowing that we are where we are because God intends us to be there. This is our inheritance and we are called to be stewards of this.  Our love for God pushes us to answer this call.  Our love for God pushes us to be more than just citizens; our love for God pushes us to be patriots.

guide questions 1. How can you be a patriot of the poor in your everyday life? 2. In your own little ways, how can you show that you are a steward of God’s gifts, source of encouragement, vessel of hope and champion of the poor?

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CREATED TO CARE objectives 1. To appreciate the meaning of accountability and stewardship 2. To realize the importance of YFC in transforming individuals into becoming productive and fruitful citizen 3. To practice accountability and stewardship through volunteering in ANCOP

dynamics 1. The suggested venue for this assembly maybe an ANCOP site, a Youth Center or an Orphanage that has been adopted by a chapter, high school, or campus. 2. Activity: Pay it forward A. Group the chapter into pairs (YFC and ANCOP youth pair – if the venue is done in an ANCOP site, or YFC and another youth from the area). B. Each person in the pair will teach his/her partner a skill that the other doesn’t know. (E.g. teach a song or dance step, etc.) C. After 15 minutes of teaching, each pair will present the skill they learned to the group. 3. Talk Proper 4. Divide the assembly into households. 5. Group Discussion.

anchor verse “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10)  

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TOPIC 21 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” (1 Peter 4:10)

I. Introduction           The youth of today are full of potential. They can do a lot of great things. It could be for themselves or for the people around them. But when you look at the youth today, this is not what is happening. Most fail to see what the Lord has given them and use it for a greater purpose. Their hands are used for hurting people. Their minds are left unused for the good of others, often times, brainwashed with selfishness. Instead of a generation full of vibrancy, productive hands, and creative minds, we have become a generation of youth lacking in potential, disheartened, and negative in thinking. We have a band of youth with idle hands and dangerous minds.             II.  Idle Hands and Dangerous Minds           Idle hands and dangerous minds cause poverty to yourself and poverty to your nation. The devil deceives us that having idle time may seem harmless. The youth don’t know that the more they are idle, the more the devil is able to work in them. When we allow the poor to do nothing, they are slowly led into a life of:   A. Mediocrity They settle for less. Poverty is heightened because they do not seek to improve. They result to wasting their time doing crime, forming gangs, and doing drugs. We have youth that instead of striving to be excellent, they settle for the average or less.

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B. Loser

 

Their minds are conditioned to think that they are useless. They get easily discouraged with their failures and thus have no urgency to succeed. They don’t have the desire to study, or to work. They have lost their ability to dream for themselves. C. Sin With the idle time that they have, they allow the devil to feed their minds with negative things. They try to commit suicide, abuse themselves, and seek to hurt others.  Slowly, their thoughts are brought out into actions, actions into habit, and from habit into lifestyle.   

 

“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” Romans 15: 1-2 We, too, can grow idle if we let other youth do the same. We, too, can become victims of these things if we remain blind to what is happening to the world around us. It is our responsibility to use what God has given us to help other people.

  III. Productive Hands and Creative Minds   As YFC, we now have a chance to change all these things. God gave us the capability to uplift life and hopefully, uplift our nation. Let us not put it to waste. Our response is to live a life that is productive and creative, in turn teaching others to do the same. We need to teach them how to:   A. Live a life of excellence

 

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We should use our time, talent, and treasure to uplift them. We should use these so that they can discover and use what God has given them.  B. Live a life of a winner We should spend time with them so that we can inspire them. As we spend our time with them, we share of our lives, and thus motivate them to dream for themselves.  

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C. Live a life of righteousness We reveal Christ to them. We make them busy in the Lord’s work by involving them in the youth camps, ANCOP activities, put them into households, etc. We live our lives as an example of righteousness to them.           IV. Conclusion   We are created for a purpose. We are not meant to stay idle and let other people’s lives be the same. The Lord has given us time, talent, and treasure not to hide but to share. The Lord has blessed us with gifts so that we could reach out to our brothers and sisters, to love and to care. Therefore, let us become blessings to others. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10   Let us be passionate and be active in bringing the poor out of that idle state. Let us inspire them to dream.  

guide questions

1. What did God give you that you think you can use to help others? 2. How can you lead others to lead a life of excellence, a life of a winner and a life of righteousness?

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FOUNDATION 1: TRUE COLORS (Overview: This talk is the first of a series in the first module of the 100% Free Advocacy. It is a prerequisite to the succeeding sessions as it sets the tone and outlines the need for such a program particularly among the youth today.)

objectives 1. To realize that it is because of God and in His unconditional love for all of us that we are created this way 2. To reflect on the person that God created us to be and appreciate our being unique and special 3. To live out our identity and purpose: to love and express this love to the fullest

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. First Activity: My Self-Portrait 4. Talk Proper 5. Second Activity: Circle of Love First Activity: My Self-Portrait 1. Group the participants into pairs of the same sex. 2. Give each participant a sheet of paper with a picture of a blank face on it. 3. Ask the participants to draw their self-portrait as an answer to the question: “How do you see yourself?”

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4. Give the participants another sheet of paper with a two-columned table. The first column will be labeled as “WHAT’S HOT?” and the second column will be labeled “WHAT’S NOT?” In the first column, the participant will answer: “What do I like about myself?” In the second column, the participant will answer: “What do I not like about myself?” Ask the participants to share with their partner what they drew and wrote, and how they feel about it.

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foundation 1: true colors

TOPIC 22 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline I. Introduction We all have a perception of ourselves. There are things we like and we don’t like about in ourselves. We measure ourselves against certain standards - our own, of the significant people in our lives, the world’s, and God’s. Unfortunately, the desire to live up to the world’s standards has caused a lot of the youth today to be in a constant seeking of love and appreciation in the wrong places. No matter how they try to get what they want, they mostly end up wanting more or even more confused about their own desires. Clouded with worldly desires and fleeting happiness, many youth have forgotten who they really are. They have forgotten that they are God’s precious handiworks, who need not submit to standards of the world. II. True Values A. Our Human Nature (Man’s dignity as a person) Even while each one of us is unique, there is something common in all of us. We are human in nature, but, regardless of color and status, we were all created in the image and likeness of a divine God, a God who is perfect. (Gen. 1:27) Since God created us in His image and likeness, the only way to realize our value, is to know our Creator, the Maker of all things. We are far superior to any other creature in the world for we are created with our intellect and will. Being made in the image of God, our dignity is of and from God. He created us to have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals - domestic and wild. (Gen 1:26)

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B. Our True Worth We are not valuable because of the things we own or even the talents and skills we have. Sadly, not all of us realize our worth. We have failed to see that in God’s eyes, every person is valuable and special, thus equally entitled to our love and acceptance. However, this does not mean that we should condone or approve of everything that we find in our neighbor. We value other people because of how God originally created them. God gave us our capabilities, strengths and talents to have power and responsibility over and for His creations. We were given the privilege to think, take charge, take care, and make use of all the things that God has created. III. True Calling A. Our Call to Love God is love, and He created us out of love. Hence, our dignity as human beings leads us to find fulfillment through love. Made out of love, we too have the capacity to love, as well as invite others to love. B. What is love? The world has a thousand or more definitions of love (ex. Love is Blind, Love is a thousand mysteries etc.). Sadly, media today has created a whole new meaning of word “Love”. Love in the movies, romantic novels, television series, and even reality TV shows have tarnished the real meaning and beauty of love. C. The Many Facets of Love There are three terms that Greek use for love from which we may learn: 1. Philia or “Brotherly Love” This is the love that is evident in brother-sister relationships and friendships. It’s the kind of love that doesn’t exactly have

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that “thrill” factor but is still love because it produces/brings about trust, joy, and respect for another person. In the gospel of John, it is used to express the relationship between Jesus and His disciples. 2. Eros or the “Cloud-9 Feeling” This is the kind of love that is usually seen in romantic movies. It is mostly manifested through a state of being-on-top-of-theworld, that feeling of being so high in love. Most often, this is the kind of love that has no solid foundation because it is based on fickle emotions, and changing circumstances. 3. Agape or “Christian Love” By contrast, agape moves beyond the selfish pleasure-seeking characteristic of Eros. This kind of love manifests genuine concern and care for the other. To love with an agape love is to go beyond the feeling of being in love; it is choosing and deciding to love with a commitment in spite of shortcomings and failures. It decides to love through and through no matter what. 4. Love of God and Love of Neighbor Every person is made to be loved. He experiences this love when he is in communion with other people (who carry God’s image). No one has seen God. Yet if we love one another, God dwells in us and His love is brought to perfection. (1 John 4:12) In our human nature, God gives us the invitation to love with great measures. He loved us first even in our own weaknesses and frailties. Realizing and accepting this great privilege of how God loves us unconditionally can allow an overflow of love in us. Such that we would be able to move toward reaching fulfillment of loving Him in return and others as well. Our love for God should translate to love for neighbor. “If anyone says, “My love is fixed on God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. One who has no love for the brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20) Thus it is man’s call to live in communion with others. We are called to live in communion with God, and with our neighbor.

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5. Celibacy or Marriage In Catholic tradition, communion with other people is characterized by the total gift of one’s self. This gift of self can take two forms – celibacy or marriage. This also a kind of unconditional love of giving ourselves to God or to another person in marriage by deciding to give a life-long commitment to love. IV. Conclusion We are created in the image and likeness of a God who is perfect. We may not be perfect by worldly standards, but we carry God’s perfect image in us. God wants us to realize our worth that even at the point when we feel most unloved; it is when He’ll love us the most, because we are His priceless possessions. We must realize, believe, and take confidence in His love in order to free us from the bondage of the standards of this world. We must be free in experiencing the unconditional love of God for us to share with those who do not know God’s love yet. We are made essentially for this purpose: to love. The world today may hinder us from using our capacity to love not only others, but maybe even ourselves. The challenge today is to continue to know our Creator, seek to love Him every day, and to continue to decide to love others with a commitment that goes beyond emotion, instinct, and fleeting circumstances. Let us love in a way that is pleasing to God. We were made OUT OF love, made BECAUSE OF love, and made IN ORDER TO love. LOVE is our true value, our true nature, our true worth, our true calling, our very essence, our true color! Second Activity: Circle of Love 1. Ask the participants to form groups of 5-7 members each and to form a small circle as a group. 2. Provide each participant with a sheet of paper, and some coloring and writing materials. 3. Instruct the participants to write their name at the top of the paper, leaving plenty of space for writing. They can decorate the paper, and be creative as possible.

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4. The object of the activity is to express love for each other by acknowledging the image of God in the other person. The participants will write something good or positive about each of their group mates as the papers are being passed around. A signal will be given for them to pass the paper to their right. They take time to write something good about the person whose paper they’re currently holding before passing it on to the next person on the next signal. 5. Allotted time for writing on the paper in each turn is 30 seconds to a minute. 6. The passing and writing will end once the participants receive his/ her own paper. 7. Activity will end with a closing prayer. The prayer should focus on being thankful to the gift of life and love God has blessed each and every person in the group.

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topic 23

FOUNDATION 2: BOY MEETS GIRL (Note: The talk “The Foundation: True Colors” is a prerequisite for this assembly)

3. Talk Proper The talk proper can be done in a more creative manner – there will be two speakers, preferably a male and female leader who are partners in service to explain how they are a brother and sister to one another. 4. Second Activity 5. Closing Prayer

objectives 1. To have a deeper understanding of the complementary relationships of the two sexes 2. To accept and appreciate the natural differences between man and woman 3. To live out our roles as man and woman of God

dynamics 1. Worship 2. First Activity: Hands Up, Masks Down a. Gather ather all the male participants in one group and all

the female participants in another group. Do this activity separately in different session rooms, with a facilitator for the male group and a facilitator for the female group.

b. Post the tally board for everyone in the group to see. c. Ask the participants for a show of hands to signify their choice per item. Tell the participants to answer each question honestly, and that there are no correct or wrong answers. d. Make a tally per choice and write the number on the tally board. e. When both groups are done, gather as one big group and post both tally boards. f.

The speaker will compare the responses of the two groups, and then will segue to the talk proper.

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The Differences of Male and Female

foundation 2: boy meets girl

Men

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Women

Regarding Speech Pattern

Men don’t talk too much.

Women on the other hand talk a lot.

Regarding Relationships

Men want respect and trust.

Women want love and care.

I. Introduction

Regarding the Mind

Men are analytical and think in abstract.

The activity showed us that there are things that males are more prone to do than females, and vice versa. There are things that characterize a man, and things that characterize a woman. Can you imagine a world with only men? Or just women?

Women are intuitive and they think concretely and in detail.

Regarding Problems

Men are secretive.

Women are vocal.

Regarding Outlook in Life

Men look at the larger picture.

Women are more into details.

Regarding Personal Traits

Men are focused on one task at a time.

Women can do multiple tasks.

TOPIC 23 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline

In the beginning of creation, only man was there. He was expected to love. As a person, he had to love and he needed to be loved. So God created a woman, and upon seeing her, the man exclaimed excitedly: “This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh: This one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of man this one has been taken.” (Gen. 2:23) II. God’s Intent A. Man and woman are equal in worth and dignity. This is because God created both in His image and out of love. (Gen. 2:21-23) B. God designed man and woman to be different from each other, in order to carry out a partnership that is complementary and interdependent. This partnership is not just about a romantic relationship but in any situation this partnership can grow into, since God gave both of them the commission to subdue the earth and have dominion over all of creation. But before one can fully understand what it is to complement and to be interdependent with the other, we must understand the differences in the way God designed the two sexes to be.

Complementary and Interdependent Relationship of Men and Women Men

Women

Servant King: leader, provider

Encouragement to the men: we support them

Tender Warrior: protector

Add exceedingly to their strength

Wise Mentor: pastor (steward of right and wrong)

Provide indispensable affirmation

Faithful Friend: good companion

Help them connect: given the gift of relationships, we initiate building friendships for them; serve, nurture and protect life Precious: they are to be taken cared of; in a romantic relationship, they are the ones sought after

Human sexuality encompasses the whole being of a person – the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual – all intertwined in one totality.

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III. Misconceptions on Human Sexuality The world has confused man and woman regarding their roles and because of this, it has caused a misunderstanding on the meaning of being a real man and woman. Ever since our first parents fell into sin, the world has taken control of our sexuality. The modern world has distorted the beautiful plan that God has intended for every man and woman He created. It has threatened the very core of a person’s identity. Since that day, man and woman have engaged themselves to an endless pursuit of impossibility where man wants to be woman and woman wants to be a man. A. Homosexuality Some believe that they have been born as a person with a heart of what is opposite to his or her gender. Some quote them as saying that they have a woman’s heart but trapped in a man’s body or vice versa. God made woman in such a way that she is different from a man. What only exists is human sexuality that is composed of being a man or a woman, any other desire or attraction other than that is a distortion of our real sexuality. You are created as who you are today. There is no mistake on how God made you as a person. B. Romantically In Love with the Same Sex There is absolutely nothing wrong with loving a person but this love must conform to God’s design otherwise it is simply not love. Showing love and concern to the same sex is normal, but once it elevates itself romantically then it doesn’t become love anymore. 1 Cor 13:4-7 tells us what romantic love truly is and if we are to live out this definition then falling in love with the same sex cannot be LOVE. The sad reality is that more and more people fall into these lies simply because our generation has given up and started accepting all of these as the truth. What we should realize is that our attractions and emotions must not define who we are as a person. IV. Conclusion Men and women are in themselves complete, at the same time, complementary. Individually, they have the capacity to be the best. When they bring out their natural geniuses and go hand in hand together, they

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create something bigger for this world. They both have to realize that they need the help of one another to fully allow them to live out God’s unique purpose in them. When men and women work together, it leads to the fulfillment of our human sexuality. We began to realize earlier that we are made out of love and we are to love. Then God further made us man and woman. This is what allows us to live out our basic call to love. A part of this plan is for a man and a woman to fall in love with each other. The love that God planted in this design is meant for the greater plan of allowing his creation to go forth and multiply (Jeremiah 29:6). So great is the love that it can further create another person, when they enter marriage. But before this happens, what is important first is that each person should understand and fully live out what he or she is made of. That would further allow one to take part in fulfilling the greater plan of God.

guide questions 1. How can knowledge about the differences of male and female help you in your relationships with the opposite sex? 2. What is your response to the expected roles of a man/woman?

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topic 24

attachment Hands Up, Masks Down tally board Item

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Man

Woman

IS VANITY FAIR?

Easily cries when watching dramas, soap operas Talks with a lot of details Has 50% more physical strength than the other sex Tends to express hostility physically rather than verbally

objectives 1. To have a positive perspective regarding the human body

Interested in sports

2. To aim for a balance on the attention they give to inner and outer beauty

Is stimulated more by sight rather than by romance

3. To live out ways of caring for our body and soul

Tends to be more personal rather than practical Feel free to change the items. You can change some items that make it harder to distinguish men and women (e.g. Expressing anger silently or out loud; has a huge appetite, etc.)

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Video Showing Video Profile: It illustrates vanity. (E.g. Devil wears Prada, Legally Blonde, Mean girls, and others) 4. Talk Proper 5. Vanity Challenge Fun Test (attached below) 6. Group Discussion

anchor verse “Do you realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.” (1Corinthians 6:19-20)

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III. Guidelines on living life beautifully

is vanity fair?

TOPIC 24 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “Do you realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.” (1Corinthians 6:19-20)

I. Introduction Attitudes about the body and the way we look differ from person to person. We could go from totally not caring for our physical well-being and the way we look to being almost obsessed with it. We could either eat or do anything that gives us pleasure or we could go on a diet and count every calorie intake. We could do away with cosmetic or spend thousands on making ourselves beautiful/ handsome. But what is the right attitude to take? II. Injustice of Vanity Unfortunately, a lot of things that we do nowadays are harmful to our bodies. Some of these are smoking, drinking, drug abuse, unhealthy eating, violence and pre-marital sex. They destroy the very beauty that God has designed. We resort to these things now because of our discontentment with what we have. We have come to a point where the approval of society has become very crucial to our life. We have come to feed ourselves with mere vanity. Vanity is a want of a substance, of something not absolutely relevant to life so as to satisfy an individual’s desire for such. It is empty pleasure, pride, conceit and unsubstantial enjoyment. Vanity removes the value that God has placed in our bodies. It has brought us to the point where we hunger so much for the approval of others on how we look that we forget how perfectly God has made us. We fail to remember that the standard that we ought to look at is not of the world but of God. We try to please other people so much we forget that it is only God, who made us and that it is only Him that we ought to please.

We have to come to feed ourselves with things that are nothing but temporary happiness and absolute emptiness. Let us try to please God by not neglecting the inner beauty that would anyway radiate and do wonders for our outer beauty. What we should do is to: (Note: Hopefully, the speaker could cite some scenes from the movie to illustrate each point) A. Take care of your Body We mean here basic things like eating the right food, getting enough sleep and rest, practicing personal hygiene and good grooming. Many times, we tend to overlook these things and go at once for the extras like frequent visits to the beauty parlor or undergoing expensive procedures like nose lift, Botox injection, etc. B. Have the Right Attitude Let us always remind ourselves everyday that we are God’s child. We are special in God’s eyes; it’s as if we are His only one. We are perfect as we are because we are created by a perfect God. C. Develop your own Conviction Our personal conviction is our personal affirmation of the things that we believe in. It drives and keeps us focused on the goal that we want to achieve, that no matter what other people say, it is the conviction that we will always look back on to keep us going. D. Make yourself Attractive God made us all handsome and beautiful. Anything that will hide our true beauty should be avoided and anything that will enhance it (with proper stewardship of resources) will give glory to God. (e.g. Find ways to keep ourselves clean, good-smelling and well presentable.) E. Try not to compare yourself with others Comparison is neither our way of letting ourselves feel confident nor inferior. God did not make us less or more than the others. He made us equal and perfect in His eyes.

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F. Be contented. Be happy!

THE VANITY CHALLENGE FUN TEST

Every day, try not to count the troubles you have. Instead, thank God for the blessings He continues to give you. Then, we will realize that God has provided more than our basic needs and He will continue to provide for us. He has His own time, means and ways in granting our wishes. God wants to make us better than who we are. His greatest desire is always the best for us. Let us do our part in developing what God has started. Always strive to be better in everything you do. IV. Positive Perspective The Holy Scripture is very clear on this. “Do you realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body.” (1Corinthians 6:19-20) God made us in His own image and likeness and Jesus redeemed us when we fell to sin. That alone is reason for us to feel good about ourselves. That should make us feel proud about who we are. And God being in us should also be a reason for us to take care of our body. Imagine Him being in us! As temples of God, our bodies therefore are made sacred. We have to make sure that nothing, unnatural and against His will, can ruin the body that He has given us. When we analyze our bodies and the way its parts function, we realize how great God is to be able to create a body so perfectly designed that every single cell of the different systems in our body work together for a specific purpose. God has made our body beautifully. This body is a gift to us. Not just a gift but a gift from our God. Because of this, we should feel honored and happy to receive such gift and do our best to take care of it. V. Conclusion We ought to take care of our bodies because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit and a gift of God. There are bad things we ought to avoid and good practices we ought to do without going beyond the necessary. But most of all let us care for the inner beauty because our soul is eternal while our bodies will decay when we die. When the time comes that we come face to face with God and give an accounting of how we lived our life, we have to make sure that we present our body and soul in the way He expects it to be, pure and unblemished in His eyes. Beautiful – in and out, just like how He created it to be.

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1. Distribute the Vanity Challenge Test 2. Have them answer it and add their scores 3. Read the Interpretation of their scores A. Are you constantly comparing your appearance to other people? B. Are other people’s opinions on how you look more important than your own? C. Are you uncomfortable when you go out and not have the perfect hair or put on makeup? D. Do you spend more than one hour getting ready to go out? E. Does the way you look in the morning determine your mood for the day? F. Has a bad hair/skin/body day kept you from going to school? G. Do you believe that maintaining your looks is essential to maintain the friendships/relationships that you have? H. Is gaining twenty pounds more frightening than failing an exam? I.

Do you always want to buy the new fashion today?

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Interpretation based on the number of Yes answers: No. of YES answers

Interpretation

1–2

You are extremely comfortable in your own skin. You have confidence in yourself and don’t let your appearance ruin your life.

3–4

You do worry about how other people think of your appearance but it doesn’t consume your thoughts. Remind yourself daily that the “inside” matters more than the “outside”.

5–9

You are consumed by your physical appearance. You need to get in touch with what qualities are truly important in life.

guide questions

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topic 25

CIRCLE OF FRIENDS objectives 1. To understand the true meaning of friendship 2. To develop openness in relationships and to value accountability in relationships

dynamics 1. Worship

1. How did you score in the vanity test?

2. Activity Proper

2. What do you need to do with regard to living life and keeping a balance of attention for inner and outer beauty?

3. Divide them into two groups, all male and all female. 4. Ask the female group and the male group to form two circles each, one inside the other. Instruct those in the inner circle to face those in the outer circle. 5. The speaker will be asking personal questions to the participants. They must share their answers only to the person in front of them in one minute. Finding Friends (Sample Questions): a. What are your simple joys? b. Who are the two persons who know you the most? c. What is your dream vacation? d. What makes you laugh? e. When was the last time you cried? f. What are your fears? g. What is your favorite childhood memory?

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h. Where do you spend your weekends? i.

If you have a million dollars, what will you do with it?

j.

To whom do you look up to the most?

circle of friends

TOPIC 25 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline

Materials: Stopwatch Guide Questions 6. After every minute, the outer circle moves clockwise and the inner circle, counter clockwise. The activity is done when the circle is finished. 7. Talk Proper 8. After the talk, lead them to reflection and prayer

speaker’s profile It is advisable that the cluster head or any other leader from the cluster level and up gives the talk.

anchor verse “The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them.” (John 15: 13)

“The greatest love a person can have for his friends is to give his life for them.” (John 15: 13)

I. Introduction Here in YFC, we are all friends. We are one family. Through the activity we did, we opened a window of our lives and started to develop friendships. We shared something with someone and listened to something that someone shared with us. II. Altered Circles Some, if not all, of us might have experienced losing friends. This can be for many different reasons but primarily – miscommunication. This miscommunication leads to unresolved hurts and pains. This experience makes building friendship harder, the blessings that we get from being friends and having friends cannot be discounted. Having friends that we can talk to helps us in becoming happy, healthy and holy: A. Healthy and holy because someone is guarding us from the things that we can do if no one knows or if no one is watching. B. Happy because we get to share our burdens and joys. III. Forming the Circle There is a need for all of us to be part of a circle, to belong to a group, to be a friend and to have a friend. The only way that we can build true friendships is through openness and accountability.

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1. Openness

IV. Conclusion

By sharing the little things about us, we open opportunities to share big things. This opens our life to another person and this also allows the other person to share his/her life with us. Openness allows others to help us and lets us help others as well. There are three things that make openness easy for all of us – respect, acceptance and trust.

True friendships are blessings from God. When we have even at least one true friend, then we are truly blessed. True friendship doesn’t grow overnight. We have to be patient and just treat our friends with love the same way Jesus treated His friends. Treat them how we want to be treated and slowly a true friendship will blossom.

2. Respect and Acceptance

The challenge right now is for us to be and seek Christ in our friends. We seek Christ in our friendships and realize that the first true friend we’ve ever had is in Him.

This means sincerely listening to the things that are being said and accepting the opinions shared. Respect allows us to be comfortable in what we will listen to and what we will tell because we treat each other as equals. 3. Trust This is the foundation of real and sincere friendship. Being trustworthy is being available for the other person to the best of our ability. Trust allows us to rely on one another and be there for one another whatever the circumstance maybe. 4. Accountability We all are a work in progress. Through accountability, we take on the responsibility on knowing the progress that our friends are going through. If they fall, we are the first one to understand and encourage them. We remind them and correct them of the faults and mistakes that they have done. Faith, hope and love make accountability happen.

(The speaker could then encourage the group to find an accountability partner. Make sure that the partnership is not between opposite sex. Once everyone has a partner, the speaker will lead them into a prayer. The prayer can be about seeing Jesus as a friend and how we are fortunate to have a friend in Youth for Christ. Give time to listen to the reflection song. After, encourage the partners to pray for one another, allowing them to entrust themselves to one another.)

reflection song The reflection can be any song on friendship that emphasizes the value of openness and being accountable to one another. (e.g. That’s What Friends Are For, Count on Me, You’ve Got a Friend)

guide question

FAITH: Faith makes all things possible. Through faith, we hold on to the truth that anything is possible, that God can make things happen; thus, we do not give up on them.

1. How do you value your friendships?

HOPE: Hope makes all things work. Through hope, we continue to see that there are greater things ahead for all of us. Thus, hope lets us seek for any change that can happen.

3. How can you gain more friendships in YFC, in school, etc?

LOVE: Love makes all things beautiful. Love makes everything worth it and it is love that changes everything. It is only God’s love that can make the change happen and last within the person.

2. Here in YFC, in your school, etc., how do you think you can sustain and strengthen your friendships with them?

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topic 26

IN PURSUIT OF THE PURPOSE objectives 1. To understand our purpose why we are created by God 2. To realize that everyone has the ability to pursue one’s purpose in life

dynamics Note: For this assembly, choose a venue that is conducive for reflection and prayer.

1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Start the assembly with video clips / excerpts from the movie CLICK. (Note to YCOM: Read the talk outline first, then, choose movie clips or dialogues that are relevant to the talk) In the event of the unavailability of resource/s, prepare a comical skit instead based on the Ship and Lighthouse story found in the talk outline. (Note to the script-writer: READ OUTLINE FIRST)

4. Talk proper 5. A reflection song (I Give You My Heart by The Katinas). 6. The speaker should lead them to a minute or two of silence giving them this point to ponder: “Living with purpose is the only way to really live” for their reflection. Then guide questions will be spoken after the reflection. 7. After which, the speaker may be assisted to hand out 2 small pieces of paper to each member. He/she then leads them to writing down their personal purpose on both pieces of paper. They (the members) get to keep one copy of it, and the other they have to give to someone whom they have chosen to be accountable for them on this area and vice versa.

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8. As a token, distribute wallet-sized copies of the poem below by Russell Kelfer. (Purpose Driven Life, p.25-26) 9. Below is the poem you will use:

in pursuit of the purpose

YOU ARE WHO YOU ARE FOR A REASON You are who you are for a reason. You’re part of an intricate plan. You’re a precious and perfect unique design, Called God’s special woman or man. You look like you look for a reason. Our God made no mistake. He knit you together within the womb, You’re just what he wanted to make. The parents you had were the ones he chose, And no matter how you may feel, They were custom-designed with God’s plan in mind, And they bear the Master’s seal. No, that trauma you faced was not easy. And God wept that it hurt you so; But it was allowed to shape your heart So that into His likeness you’d grow. You are who you are for a reason, You’ve been formed by the Master’s rod. You are who you are, beloved, Because there is a God!

TOPIC 26 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations” (Jeremiah 1:5)

I. Introduction “If I have a hundred reasons to die, I have a thousand reasons to live.” What on earth am I here for? The purpose of your life is far greater than your own personal fulfillment, your peace of mind, or even your happiness. It is far greater than your family, your service, or even your wildest dreams and ambitions. If you want to know why you are placed on this planet, you must begin with God. You were born by His purpose and for His purpose. (The Purpose Driven Life, p.17) But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose. The Bible says, “It is God who directs the lives of His creatures; everyone’s life is in His power.” (The Purpose Driven Life, pp.17-18) II. Plotting Your Course

anchor verse

What is our purpose for being in YFC?

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.” (Jeremiah 1:5)

It doesn’t matter how long we have been in YFC. It is still possible that we do not know why we were called here. The Bible says that even before we were born God already knew us and has set us apart for a purpose. (Jer.1:5) Over time, we may have learned how God loves us, but we need to remember that this love was not given for us to keep – we need to grow in His love. We need to share this love. We have to follow God’s purpose for us. YFC has helped showing us how and still continues to show it to us today.

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A. Personal Holiness We have to be proud of our identity as being “FOR CHRIST”. We should strive to be closer to God and to become holy. We can do this by: •

Having a regular and intimate prayer time (accompanied with reading the Bible and devotionals like ‘In His Steps’ everyday).

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Bringing Christ in everything that we do at all times (even with as simple as praying before eating, or before playing a game, or being on the road on your way to school, etc.).

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Resisting temptations to sin (Like cheating, lying, 100% Free issues, etc).

B. Brotherhood and Sisterhood In joining YFC, we became a part of a bigger family. They help us reach our goal toward personal holiness. These are our YFC brothers and sisters, as well as our Couple Coordinators. We should strive to grow in relationship with them. In so doing, we must: •

Remember it’s not just you. It was never just about you. (We all have our brothers and sisters who will support us in everything that we do.)

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Recognize that we are not alone in this journey. Therefore, we must always show love and respect to them in everything we do. Even simple yet significant as honoring other people’s time (We should always be on time, and respect other people’s time).

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Get to know our brothers and sisters more closely/personally (By knowing things as simple as their favorite colors, simple joys, etc.)

C. The YFC Vision We are part of a big Christian community, who believes in the vision of “Families in the Holy Spirit Renewing the Face of the Earth.” This is a vision that we should all come to share as part of that one big family.

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Let’s encourage our family members and friends to join and actively participate in the community (Our non-CFC parents, our inactive YFC siblings).

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Invite others to participate in our work with the poor through ANCOP (By bringing them to your visits in ANCOP sites, or inviting them to ANCOP events, or helping out our ANCOP Scholars)

D. The Fullness of Life Being in YFC, we are privileged to have opportunities to hopefully enjoy the fullness of life because it provides us the kind of environment that would bring us closer to God. We have brothers and sisters who will help us live our lives for a purpose - God’s purpose - for a full life in Him. “The greatest tragedy is not death, but life without a purpose.” •

LIVE FOR GOD. (We weren’t put on Earth to be remembered but we were put here to prepare for eternity. What ultimately matters most will not be what others say about your life but what God says.)

•

LIVE LIFE. SHARE LIFE. (We should share this fullness to others. We should not be contented that we are the only ones who are happy and experiencing God’s goodness.)

III. Going against the Tide What slows us down in finding our purpose? Note: Narrate the story of the Ship and the Lighthouse

There was once an oil tanker sailing back home from a long journey. It was a dark and stormy night. He was tired and lost but he didn’t want to stop because he was genuinely looking forward to going home. Suddenly he saw a bright flashing light straight ahead in his path. If he keeps going, he would surely hit the source of light. But he didn’t feel like moving so he told the light, “Please move, I want to stay in my course.” He kept moving forward and was getting closer to the light so the ship said a little more loudly, “Move out of my way or I’ll hit you!” But the light refused to budge.

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The ship got frustrated and said, “Look, I’ve been traveling for days now and I’m really tired. I need to get home soon. I have other ships waiting for me. Don’t you know that I’m a special ship? Please move or else…” Still the light remained where he was. The ship kept moving against the waves, blowing his little horn amidst the crying wind, expecting the light to move away from his path. Suddenly he heard a loud, booming voice coming from the light saying, “Take heed. Shift your course to your right. There you will find your way home. My light will show you the way.” Then the clouds shifted. The moon cast a shadow on a big white structure standing majestic on a high hill. And the voice continued, “Trust in me. This is THE LIGHTHOUSE.” What do you think happened next? Like the ship, we all take our own courses but sometimes, instead of getting to our destinations faster, we get delayed because of our own attitudes. A. Laziness We are sometimes too lazy to attend households, to keep our date with the Lord during our daily prayer time, and to move and share God’s love to the people around us. We should instead take initiative. We should give effort and make sacrifices in our endeavor to fulfill God’s purposes in our lives.

C. Grumbling We like complaining about the people around us and about the things that go wrong or against what we want. When a leader corrects us, we protest instead of accepting our faults. We should strive to be obedient and inspiring so that we can become an instrument of unity.

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D. Pride We sometimes think that our own abilities are enough and that we no longer need God. We think that some people are not capable or good enough to do the mission. We sometimes push for what we want instead of praying for God’s plan for our lives. Humility and trust in the Lord should be the posture of our hearts. We don’t own our lives; we are just mere stewards of it. A wise man once said that “A man grows most tired when standing still.” When we refuse to do anything out of fear, laziness and apathy we get closer to sinking our ships. We should instead raise our sails of faith, hope and love and move forward in the course that God has prepared for us. We should put our hope and trust in God. He is our Lighthouse. IV. Sailing On How do we accomplish this purpose? As we speed and continue on our journey, we see that God’s purpose is indeed for our own good. Thus, it is important we: A. WORK WITH THE LIGHTHOUSE. Know who we’re serving with. We work WITH God, not merely FOR God.

B. Passiveness There are times when we choose not to do anything about the bad things that are happening in our world today because we are afraid to fall out of favor with our friends and other people. We should try to be proactive. We should actively participate in bringing God to others, no matter what the cost. We are to give back what is due Him who ‘lent’ us this life.

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God is our partner.

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He is never aloof, you are not alone.

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He is that silent, strong structure (i.e. the Lighthouse) (amidst the heat, the currents, and the storm, waiting for your safe arrival).

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If you want your life to have an impact, focus it on God.

B. TUNE-UP OUR ENGINES. Discover who we are. We are who we are according to God’s purpose. And we need to check to make sure that we are all in tiptop shape and we get nourishment. •

We were created in the image and likeness of God

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You are Youth FOR Christ; we live in the culture of Youth for Christ (attending assemblies, going to Mass, praying everyday)

C. STAY AFLOAT. Balance our lives. With everything that is going on in our lives, we might lose track of all our cargoes – the different aspects of our lives. Indeed, God wants us to devote time for Him, thud we need to remember that we have to give what is due Him. Our life is not our own. And too much of something is not always good. •

Family (Spend time with them, get to know them, don’t use YFC as an excuse not to)

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Prayer and Service (Have a regular time with God, be active in YFC)

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Personal life (Have time for reflection)

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Studies / work (Be Christ-centered and excellent in all that you do)

You were made for God, not vice versa. And life is about letting God use you for His purposes, not you using Him for your own purpose. It is only in God that we discover our origin, our identity, our meaning, our purpose, our significance, and our destiny. Every other path leads to a dead end. V. Conclusion You were made by God and for God and until you understand that, life will never make sense. God is not just the starting point of your life; he is the source of it. To discover your purpose in life you must turn to God’s Word, not the world’s wisdom. Living on purpose is the only way to really live. Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s purpose that prevails. (Proverbs 19:21) And living a purpose-driven life includes others. For we are not only responsible for ourselves but we are also responsible for others. Together, we exist to fulfill God’s purpose for each one of us.

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guide questions 1. What are the things that you are going through right now that is fulfilling God’s purpose for you as a YFC member? 2. How do you plan to sail smoothly in the way God wants you to go?

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topic 27

body builder

BODY BUILDER

TOPIC 27 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “But you will receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes to you, and you will be my witnesses…even to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

objectives 1. To realize that we belong to a bigger family of the Catholic hurch 2. To challenge everyone into bringing back the vibrancy of Christian community in the church 3. To realize that we too are partners of the church in bringing back God’s people

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Talk Proper 4. Sharing’s 5. Group Discussion

I. Introduction Many YFC’s enjoy life being in the community because they feel that Christian life is an adventure. They actively participate in the activities of the community – vibrant worships, inspiring conferences, creative evangelizations, etc. But despite the nourishment we get from the community, we sometimes miss out our calling as part of the bigger family of the Catholic Church. Although we are effective in our community’s work of evangelization, it is not enough when we fail to affect the people that we go to mass with. When it comes to our life in the church, we are merely Sunday Catholics. II. Misconceptions about being Laity           We have not been that active in the church because we have some misconceptions about being a laity:

6. Closing Prayer

A. Mass is enough

speaker’s profile 1. The speaker may be any YFC leader who is active in his/her parish. 2. The sharers should at least be those who have served in the activities of the parish. Let them share the joy of serving in the church and how that service has helped them as a parishioner or in their Christian life.

anchor verse “But you will receive the power when the Holy Spirit comes to you, and you will be my witnesses…even to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8)

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We are not mere audiences in the life of the Catholic Church. Our responsibilities are not just to attend Sunday and Holy days of obligation masses but to actively participate in the mission of Jesus through the Catholic faith. B. Priest or the clergies are the ones who “run the show.” Although we look up to them as pastors, we too are anointed by the Holy Spirit in our baptism. We have received the gifts of the Spirit that we can use in the work of evangelization, thus making us partners in the mission of the church.

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C. Too young

IV. Conclusion

The church is not just meant for old people. Witnessing does not look on a person’s age but on our desire to follow Jesus. Young as we are, God will definitely use us in many ways. (1 Timothy 4:12)

The laity is the sleeping giant of the church. We, the laity, compose the 99% of the church. We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to be used as witnesses not only where we are now but to where we will be in the future. (Recall Acts 1:8) The church is the body of Christ. And since we are the bigger part of the church, it is up to us if we will accept the duty of taking care of it.

III. We are the Church

 

We are not just spectators and financers in the church. We are the church. The beauty, liveliness and excitement of the church depend on us, its body. We have an active role in its life and mission.   How can we actively participate in the church? A. Know and appreciate the reasons behind the traditions. The sacraments in which we participate will be more meaningful to us if we know the heart on why it is done. In effect, masses will cease to be dull but will instead become nourishing. As service for the church, we can form choir groups to sing during masses or younger YFC members to serve as Knights of the Altar, mature YFCs to be readers / lectors and teach Catechism to children. B. As YFC, let us extend our service in the church. As our service for the church, we can form choir groups to sing during masses or younger YFC member to serve as Knights of the Altar, mature YFCs to be readers/lectors and teach Cathecism to children. C. Be a good Catholic in your home and in school. We, lay people, are the ones who are in the real world. Thus we are the ones who can reach out to all. We have the capacity to spread out the Catholic faith through the way we speak and act. D. Promote and live out our community’s programs in the church. We have exciting programs in youth formation and social involvement that will definitely attract the parish youth (e.g. ANCOP, SPED, Prison Ministry).  With proper formation of the church’s body, we can be assured of a more lively church.

guide questions 1. How can you personally contribute to the church? 2. How can your chapter participate in building up the church? What activities do you suggest you can be part of so that YFC in your chapter can be actively participating in the church? 3. What activities can you suggest doing to involve your household to the church?

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topic 28

A HEART LIKE THIS

a heart like this

TOPIC 28 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline

objectives 1. To realize our true worth of as sons and daughters of God

“Man judges by appearance, but God looks on the heart.”(1 Samuel 16:7)

2. To understand our value and purpose according to God’s plan 3. To know the importance of protecting our worth by living a life of integrity

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Activity: The Price is Right. a. The group can be divided according to their households. b. The game master will present one item at a time to the audience. Items should vary in look, in usage, and in category. (e.g. Trashcan, earrings, notebook) c. Each household will choose one representative. d. When the game master presents an item, each representative will try to guess the right price. e. Whoever is closest to the right price gets the point. 4. Processing 5. Talk Proper

I. Introduction How did you determine the prices of the things that were presented to you? Did you set the price too high or too low? Some of us judge things based on what they look like or on what they are known for. We rarely recognize their real value unless we know how they were made and where they came from. Same thing with what we do with people. Same thing with what we have experienced in our lives.           We are often misjudged by other people around us. We feel hurt whenever people label us differently from who we really are. Because of this, we either live up to the preconceived labels or work hard to rebel against it. In effect, we live our lives completely different if not opposite of who we really are. Thus, we fail to recognize our true worth.   II. Your True Worth Jesus knew very well His true worth. He knew that He was the Prince, the Son of Man, destined to be King. Even though people regarded Him as a carpenter’s son, a crazy man, a blasphemer and a criminal, He still knew who He was.   We, too, should be the same. We too should strive to look at our hearts and see who we really are.            We are…

6. Group Discussion

A. Special because we are children of the King

7. Closing Prayer

B. Privileged because He provides for everything we need

anchor verse “Man judges by appearance, but God looks on the heart.”(1 Samuel 16:7)

C. Made to be great because we are made in His image and likeness The heart is where our true worth lies. We are special, privileged and made to be great. “Your heart will be where your treasure is.” Mathew 6:21  

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                            III. Posture of the Heart Here in YFC, we now realized and discovered what our real worth is. All these will replace how the world defines us, a worth not based on money, on labels, material things, positions, status in life, etc. Therefore, we should always see to it that our heart, which is the true measure of our worth, maintains a certain posture at all times.   A. Joyful heart

 

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Have joy because you know your worth. When you know this, you   are contented in everything you are. It doesn’t matter what you have or don’t have, for real happiness comes from within. B. Prayerful heart

Be continuously dependent on God to remind us of our worthiness. A prayerful heart allows us to be mindful of the things that can tarnish our real value.           C. Grateful heart   Be thankful in everything and anything that is happening to us. No matter what happens in our lives, we should always see it as a blessing from God.  “You, O Lord, know me, you see me, you have found that at heart I am with you.” Jer. 12: 3 (The New American Bible) God sees our hearts. God knows who we really are. He sees our value in spite of our doubts, fears, sins, and insecurities. Therefore, we should always be confident in Him.

  IV. Guard your heart           Even if you already know your worth, the evil one will always try to deceive you.   He will constantly shake the posture of our hearts. There will come a time that he will lead us to doubt our real worth. If we give in, this might make us compromise ourselves and allow the world to define who we are once again.

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This is where we can use our integrity to guard our hearts, to keep our true worth intact.    Integrity is …           A. Being true to your self

  

You are God’s child. You bear the name of your Father, who is the King of all kings. Therefore, you should not be ashamed of who you really are. When you try to do good things because of the Father, it should not stop you when people think you’re weird or different. B. Being true to others What you say, you do. Don’t pretend to be something else just to satisfy other people, or just to fit in. Fulfill your promises to the people around you. Be honest at all times. We need to be true at all times. This allows us to protect our worth from being tarnished or stained by lies. It motivates us to constantly seek the one who gives us worth and anchor ourselves on Him. Having integrity brings us right back to Him and keeps us fixed on God alone.

  V. Conclusion   Never forget how much God saw us worthy enough for Jesus to die on the cross. He sees our sins and loves us despite of it. We have worth because He made us worthy. Let us always strive to protect this worthiness. Let us all strive to live according to how He has designed us to be.  

guide questions

1. How do you see yourself right now? 2. Are you struggling to be true to yourself and others? 3. How do you value and live out your worth as a son and daughter of God?

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topic 29

FOLLOWING CHRIST

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6. Prayer for commitment in following Christ through the sacraments of faith.

speaker’s profile This should be given by a mature YFC leader, preferably cluster head level and up.

objectives 1. To understand and appreciate the different sacraments of faith of the Catholic Church 2. To appreciate the purpose of these sacraments in the lives of Christians and members of the Church

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Activity Proper “GUESS THAT WORD” a. Divide the group into two teams. b. Each team will select 1 player from their team to be the “GUESSER”, by placing a piece of paper in his/her forehead. c. To guess the word, the GUESSER will ask questions answerable ONLY by yes or no. These questions can lead the guesser into knowing what the word is. (Ex. Is it a person? Or is it a place?) d. The group will answer yes or no ONLY. No one may say anything else. e. He/ she will only have 1 min to guess the word through asking questions. If he/she already knows the word, he/she can immediately say the word out loud. f. If the guess is correct they would get the point. This will also be done alternately with both of the teams. The ones who made the most number of points wins 4. Talk Proper 5. Sharing/Group Discussion

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TOPIC 29 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline I. Introduction In our youth camp, we were introduced to Jesus Christ and that He is inviting us to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him. What we have to know is that in order to do this we need to grow in our faith. As we do, we gain an understanding of Him. What we don’t realize is that one of the ways in which we could understand and follow Christ is through the SACRAMENTS. Young as we are, we are called to love and do these sacraments as our way of serving God. II. The Sacraments The SACRAMENTS are visible signs of God’s grace in every important part of a person’s life: Birth, maturity, festive meals, wrong doing and forgiveness, sickness and death, accepting leadership and the beginning of a new family. The purpose of the sacraments is to bless the people, to build up the body of Christ and finally to give worship to God. Because they are signs, they also instruct. They not only lead us to faith in following Christ, but by words and objects, they also nourish, strengthen and express it. That is why they are called sacraments of faith. The Church recognizes 7 Sacraments and these are as follows: A. BAPTISM – This celebrates the beginning of life in the family of God. (This sacrament is an initiative done for us by our parents a few months after our birth.) “Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:1)

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B. CONFIRMATION - This reminds the members of God’s family that to belong to Church means to be open to the Holy Spirit, to love and serve others, to take an active part of the Church, and to share with others what we believe. (This sacrament is also an initiative of our parents as well.) “Peter and John went down to these people and prayed that they might receive the Holy Spirit. They imposed hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.” (Acts 8:15-19)” C. EUCHARIST- This says that Jesus is really with His people in the flesh, reminds the members of God’s family to give thanks to God. Receiving the Eucharist is to tell in a public way that a person is a part of the family. (This sacrament is our call to live out and receive in our own free will and decision. As young believers, we practice our faith by receiving the Eucharist every Sunday in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.) “Then taking bread and giving thanks, He breaks it and gives it to them, saying: This is my body to be given for you. Do this as a remembrance of Me.” (Luke 22:19-20) D. RECONCILIATION (also known as CONFESSION) - This is the sacrament of forgiveness and healing. This is a reminder that God is a loving and forgiving friend. He wants all of us to stop doing wrong and to seek forgiveness. (At our age, we are called to perform this sacrament out of our own free will and are challenged to do this as regularly and as often. Sinful as we are we acknowledge our sinfulness before God’s anointed ones in the Church. Through this we choose to be purified and live a holy and peaceful life before God. “Then He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men’s sins, they are forgiven; if you hold them bound, they are held bound.” (John 20:22-23) E. ANNOINTING OF THE SICK- This is also a sacrament of healing. It celebrates the desire of the Church to care for her sick and old members. (In our community, we acknowledge this gift by our culture of praying over our sick brothers and sisters)

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“Is there anyone sick among you? He should ask for the priest of the Church. They, in turn, are to pray over Him, anointing Him with oil in the name of the Lord.” This prayer uttered in faith will reclaim the one who is ill and the Lord will restore Him to health. (James 5:14-15) F. HOLY ORDERS- This is called a vocation sacrament, which show’s God’s desire that His family be cared for by leaders- bishops, priests, and deacons- who serve the needs of the members. (Young as we are, as a vocation or path we can take, this sacrament can be performed by our own free will and discernment as we grow older to the life in the future that we want to have.) G. MATRIMONY- It is also a vocation sacrament; this celebrates the love shared by husband and wife. It shows that God wants married people to be close to Him. “Have you not read that at the beginning, the Creator made them male and female and declared, “for this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and cling to his wife and the two shall become one? Thus, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, let no man separate what God has joined together.” (Matthew 19:4-6) III. TO UNIFY US AND GOD In all these sacraments, UNITY is the central theme. A. Baptism unites us to Jesus as it initiates us into His body- the people of God. B. Confirmation gives us the Holy Spirit, the principle of Unity. C. Eucharist is the food of unity- when we receive Jesus’ body and blood; we are united to the Lord and to one another. D. The Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession) helps reunify us with the community whom we have hurt through our sinfulness E. The Sacrament of the Sick strengthens our bond of unity with the Lord during the difficult time of illness or near-death. F. The Sacrament of Marriage stresses the unity of the married couple with the Lord. G. The Sacrament of Ordination emphasizes the unity of the priest with the Christian Community.

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IV. CONCLUSION These Sacraments are gifts that give us the opportunity to give worship to God. By doing all these, we become closely united to Jesus. We also become signs of God’s gift of eternal life. Thus, we are assured of a share in God’s eternal life. Through the sacraments, we continue to follow and respond to Christ in a most visible way leading us to the path of faith and holiness.

guide questions 1. Do we fully understand the purpose of the different sacraments of faith? 2. What role do the sacraments play in your life? 3. Have you been faithful in performing these sacraments? If yes, how? If No, how can you strengthen your commitment in following Christ through the sacraments?

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topic 30

A SPECIAL MEAL

a special meal

TOPIC 30 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline

objectives 1. To understand in a deeper level the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist 2. To appreciate the value and true essence of it

I. No Ordinary Meal

3. To learn and understand the different parts of it

Who among you here likes to eat on special occasions? (E.g. fiestas, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day, or even your birthday)

dynamics Note: The venue should be in a Church or a Chapel.

1. Registration 2. Opening Prayer 3. Orientation a. Preferably, the Chapter Couple Coordinator or the Youth Head explains to the members that the activity is an instructional mass. b. He gives a tour of the church or chapel explaining important areas of the Church (e.g. Sacristi, Altar). 4. Session Proper a. The session is done through an instructional mass format. b. As the mass is celebrated, each segment is explained further. Note: The mass celebrant (priest) should be informed about the activity beforehand.

Many of us like to celebrate special occasions by having a special meal on our table. Aside from the food, many other things make these meals special. We share this meal with family, while having delightful conversation with friends, etc. These meals make ordinary occasions special for us. But there is one meal that sets itself apart from all other meals. It is the celebration of the Holy Eucharist. (Read Luke 22:14-20) II. The Holy Eucharist The Holy Eucharist is a sacrament and a sacrifice in which Jesus Christ, His body and blood, His soul and divinity, is contained, offered and received under the appearance of bread and wine. Eucharist is also called the Blessed Sacrament, because it is the sacrament that gives us Jesus Himself. The Eucharist symbolizes the following: 1. God’s continuous love for us.

5. Group Discussion

2. The saving deed that Jesus accomplished on the cross.

6. Closing Worship

3. Unity among Catholics.

speaker’s profile The session should be given by a priest who can explain the purpose and significance of the different parts of the mass. Preferably, he is the Parish Priest in the area.

4. God’s covenant of love and His command to us to love and serve others. 5. The highest form of Christian Worship and the center of our Christian life as the most important action of the Church.

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cfc youth for christ

ch a p te r asse mbly ma n u a l

single - minded for God

[ a s pec ial meal

(2 0 11 e d itio n )

Much could be written about what takes place during the mass. For our appreciation, here is a brief overview of the structure of the Eucharistic Liturgy and some comments on the significance of each of the actions. (NOTE to SPEAKER AND THE TEAM) Presenting the Organization of the Mass can also be presented in a very creative way. While significant actions or parts are being discussed, Music Ministry can support the presentation by playing the appropriate song in that particular part of the mass. This is like walking them through the entire celebration of the mass to prepare them for the main celebration after the

PART OF THE MASS

    

   

THE ACTIONS OF THE MASS

              

               

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ACTIONS

                                     

                                                 

 



             

   

             

                                             

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THE ORGANIZATION OF THE MASS

(From: The Church and The Sacraments, 1998, Vibal Publishing House Inc.)

This is the order of the mass. Many of us may sometimes neglect to take advantage of the opportunity to remember and receive Christ through the Eucharist. Perhaps we are just too lazy to go to mass. Some claim they are too busy. Others think going to mass is boring and not worth the effort. Still others feel that their prayer at home or their service in community is enough and is just as acceptable as the prayer in the Church. III. Conclusion The Lord wants us to receive Him by joining the community to praise Him and thank Him through the celebration of the Holy Mass. We are called to come to Mass every Sunday with the rest of the community to worship and praise God. And we receive Jesus, Himself in return. We live the Eucharist by living the Lord’s life; caring for others as He cares for us, understanding others as He understands us, loving others as He loves us. Our faith is credible only if the Jesus that we receive at the Eucharist shines out for all to see through our words and deeds.

guide questions 1. Do you believe that the Mass is the highest form of worship we can give to Christ? Why? 2. Do you participate actively in the celebration of the Mass? 3. Do you go to Sunday Mass regularly and receive Christ there? If no, what commitment can you give before your brothers and sisters in desiring and committing to go to mass frequently?

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FAMILY MATTERS objectives 1. To appreciate the importance of the family as a true blessing and gift from God 2. To have a deeper sense of being one of our own family 3. To move into establishing or re-connecting a good and united relationship with the family

dynamics 1. Opening Worship 2. Ask the participants to talk about their family tree. 3. Talk Proper 4. Reflection Song 5. Group Discussion 6. Closing Prayer

speaker’s profile A YFC leader (sister/ brother) whose parents are active CFC leaders/ members.

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family members is not the same as having a conversation or being involved in the life of your family members. This is true quality time. B. Each family member is different from each other.

family matters

TOPIC 31 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline

Realize that each person in your family is different. Each of them has their own preferences and character. You can’t expect them to know what you want or to understand why you want it. C. Each family member has individual struggles.

I. Introduction

You may be going through difficulties in school, with your friends, with your boyfriends or girlfriends. But do you realize that your parents have their struggles, too? And that their struggles may be much bigger than yours? They could have trouble at work and that means trouble providing for you and your schooling. That means problems putting food on the table. Rather than getting angry that they don’t understand you, why not try thinking about them for a change?

We may be very different from each other. From the things we like and do not like, to our situations and interests among others. But one thing that we all have in common is the gift of family. Indeed, the family has been known to make or break a person. Whether we like it or not, the family has so much influence in our lives to the point that the lives that are in close contact with us are affected as well. II. The Family Situation If we want to make our family life happy and complete, and if we want our relationships within the family to work out, we should understand the situations that our families are in. A. No Quality Time The family is pressed for time. If you live until you’re 80 years old, you would spend only about 23 to 30 years of your life with your families. Out of those 23 to 30 years of your life, take out the time you spend: •

In school

•

Sleeping

•

out with your friends

•

On the phone

You see then, when you add it all up, you really don’t have much time left to start on loving and honoring the family you’ve got. No better time to start doing it BUT NOW. Also, physically being with your



D. No one chose to be in their family. We are all born into our family. We are in our family not by choice but by the will of God. So, each time we complain about our family or compare them with other people we tell God that He made a mistake. As you can see, the family is in such a fragile state. There are so many factors that can shake the foundation.

III. Importance of the Family A society that flourishes depends on how a family is being built, after all the family is the basic unit of society. We should strive to have families that teach and provide warm and loving environment. The future of this world may well depend on how a man and woman is being molded in terms of: A. Character •

It teaches us good behavior both inside and outside.

B. Morality •

It teaches us the sense of right and wrong.

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C. Leadership •

It teaches us to lead with integrity and responsibility in everything that we do.

D. Spirituality •

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It keeps us grounded spiritually, keeping us always focused on what is good in the standard of Christ.

The importance then, goes even beyond the family itself, because a well molded person in body, spirit and soul can truly make a difference in the world. IV. The Key Here’s a story that can make the points clearer. There was once a family taking a trip to mountainous. They had an accident and no one survived except their pet monkey. At the scene of the accident the police were conducting an investigation. They were interrogating the only witness - the monkey. They asked the monkey, “What were the children doing right before the accident?” The monkey made signs and gestures that they were fighting. Then they asked “What was the mother doing?” In signs and gestures again the monkey answered that she was nagging. They asked again, “And what was the father doing?” The monkey gestured that he was drinking. Lastly they asked, “So, what were you doing?” The monkey said he was driving. To tell you the truth, if monkeys like us drive our families we are bound for disaster. Many families are broken because troubled, imperfect, weak, and often selfish people took it upon themselves to drive. As we discussed earlier, with all the differences and individual struggles each family member has, all this makes the family so volatile, so easy to break. We have to give God the wheel. He has to be real enough to us, so much so that we trust Him with our families. He has to be real more than just the guy in our textbooks who parted the sea. He is so much than that. He is real. He is our Savior. Let him take control.

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A. Protect the Unity When our parents made a promise to be there for better or for worse, we were part of that promise. We should commit to be there for our parents and siblings, not just when things are good but especially when things go bad. Christ alone can unite us like this because He loves us even with our shortcomings. Pray hard for the strength and the love to love your family unconditionally. B. Trade everything for the joy of the Lord Trade your anger. Trade your jealousy. Trade your complaints and hurts. You and your family’s imperfections can be made perfect through the love of Christ. C. Lead other families to Christ You should take it upon yourselves to lead other families to Christ. Even if you are going though difficulties with your family, you can be a source of inspiration to other people. Don’t be a bad influence on your friends when they tell you about their problems with their parents. Instead of helping them indulge in their anger or resentment, pray for them and be there for them as strength. V. Conclusion Realizing these things brings us to awareness that the family is really part of God’s plan. He has designed and instituted the family so that it brings life, love, and order into the world that He has created for us. The family is God’s gift to us. It is beautiful and relevant. And God has a beautiful plan for our family. We, as one family, should begin to stand up for what is right. Let us take on the challenge to be witnesses of God and decide to be great as a family.

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guide questions 1. Where are you at in your family right now? What are your families’ realities? 2. How can you be an instrument of peace, love, and unity in your family? 3. How do you intend to be God’s instruments in fulfilling our vision of “Families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of the earth?”

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AMAZING LOVE objectives 1. To instill the importance of being a source of unity in the family through love 2. To provide an opportunity to show concrete love for self, family and the community 3. To develop the value of goodness channeled through one’s own self, family and the community

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Opening Worship 3. Activity “Do You Love Your Neighbor?” a. The group forms a big circle seated. b. Someone plays the “it” and stands in the center of the circle and goes around asking “Do you love your neighbor?” c. If the person asked says yes, everyone moves out of their chairs and find another seat. d. If the person answers no, he states his reason, “because I love persons who...”(e.g. who wear green shirt) They fill in the blank with anything pertaining to one or more players. e. Persons pertained should move out of their seats, shuffle and find new ones. 4. Session Proper 5. Reflection 6. Group Discussion 7. Closing Worship

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speaker’s profile A YFC leader (brother/sister) who remains to love his family unconditionally regardless of the situation he is in. He has a deep love and concern for his family being their source of unity.

amazing love

TOPIC 32 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline

anchor verse “Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope and patience never fail.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

“Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. Love never gives up; and its faith, hope and patience never fail.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

I. Introduction   To love and to be loved is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us. God is love and He is the only source of love that we need. Jesus was the best expression of His love for us. As Youth for Christ, we must also express this love. But for us to do this, we must first acknowledge His love for us.  This is manifested by allowing ourselves to use this gift in our lives as an individual, as a part of a family and of a community.   II. How do we love?   The best example of loving is Jesus. He loved unconditionally. He forgave even if He was hurt. He went out of His way to tell the people of His Father’s love for them. He was gentle to the afflicted and He mourned with the sinners. He ate and lived with the people who were rejected. He loved everyone equally, just like His Father did.   This is our challenge as Youth for Christ.   We can start loving thru the people closest to us:   A. Our family 1. Parents (“is patient, kind and not rude…”) •

Respecting them (e.g. asking for blessing, doing house chores, addressing them in a respectful manner)

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•

•

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Obeying them for they know what is best for you (e.g. not engaging in early relationships, waiting for the right time to court and be courted)

2. Brothers and Sisters (“is not ill-mannered, selfish or irritable…”); (“does not brood over injury”…) Respecting them

•

Helping them in their certain needs (homework or exam preparations)

•

Being a “brother’s keeper”

•

Giving simple things can even make siblings closer

•

Ensuring quality time is spent regularly

B. Studies 1. It is our priority among the many service that we have as YFC (“Rejoices with the truth and is not self – seeking…”) •

Excelling academically

•

Ensuring balance between co-curricular and extracurricular activities

•

Respecting authorities in the school like administrators, faculty and staff (even the school janitors and guards should be called Sir or Ma’am)

2. Our parents worked hard to send us to good and reputable schools (“Does not rejoice over wrongdoing…”) •

We dishonor our parents if we cheat in our studies

C. Community (YFC Household) (“love never gives up; its faith, hope, and patience never fail”….) 1. The YFC Household is where Christian environment can be built, nourished, sustained and empowered. •

Regularly attending households

•

Sharing experiences

•

Giving comfort to fellow members of the household

•

Listening and Learning from experiences of others

2. The YFC Household is a venue to express and experience the love of God

Honoring them all the time (e.g. Anniversaries or Birthdays)

•

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Caring for one another

•

Sharing in times of need

•

Being brothers’ keepers (accountability as a household)

Expressing love brings out the good in us. We also bring out the goodness in others. Together, we build a culture of goodness. III. Conclusion   The only way to live is to love.  The only way to love is to live like Christ!  We may be imperfect but His perfect love will be shown in us if we just decide each day to follow and imitate Him.   (At this time, the speaker asks the participants to read 1 Cor 13:47 replacing the word love with their names, their parent’s names, their siblings’ names, their fellow members of the household)

reflection song  

You are My King / Amazing Love Note: After the reflection song, the speaker leads everyone into prayer.  It is suggested that the prayer should be about thanking God for the gift of love, asking Him to guide us in expressing this love and to challenge everyone.

guide questions What are the three loving actions that God is asking you to do in the following areas: 1. In your family 2. In school 3. In your YFC Household

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BUDDY WATCH

buddy watch

TOPIC 33 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline

objectives 1. To establish importance of accountability between brothers and sisters, allowing them to grow as sons and daughters of God 2. To exercise their ability to take care and handle people 3. To give them a sense of belongingness at the start of their YFC life. (Note: for club meetings that are 1 hour only, the speaker can give just one guide question to talk about for the EMMAUS WALK)

dynamics 1. After the Opening worship, the facilitator will start the activity with an Orientation of what’s going to happen for the morning. 2. The facilitator will then announce the assigned “Buddy” for each participant. 3. Introduce the main activity: “EMMAUS WALK” and will give instructions on how it should be done. 4. Activity Proper should be at least 30 minutes. 5. Processing of the activity by the facilitator. Voluntary sharing of their EMMAUS WALK experience to the big group.

I. Orientation After our Youth Camps, we have learned a lot of things about who Jesus is, His plan for us, and how we can grow more into a deeper relationship with Him. Our spirits are so high that we think we can do anything. However, this is not always the situation. There will be times when we feel down and low, losing the fire in our hearts. This usually happens when we are by ourselves and we are alone. Thus, God wants to remind us that we cannot do this on our own. We need FRIENDS to lift us up, to encourage us, to pray for us and to be with us in the most trying times of our life. (Note: The Facilitator should then announce the Buddy System, after which he/she will explain the main activity: EMMAUS WALK)

II. Activity Proper: Emmaus Walk EMMAUS WALK is taken from the Bible where in two strangers were talking to each other while walking without realizing that Jesus is walking with them. (Note: Write the whole story of the Emmaus Walk.)

This is the chance for you and your “Buddy” to have a heart to heart talk and have an in depth knowledge about each other. REMINDERS ON EMMAUS WALK P – Pray. A – Affirm.

Begin and end with a prayer. Being buddies, we need to affirm each other to show that we care.

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R – Respect.

You are accountable to your Buddy. Whatever you have talked about should be kept between you and your buddy.

T – Trust.

Since the Lord has given you your buddy, you must learn to trust him/her with all your heart.

N – Nurture.

Commit yourselves to take care of the friendship that God has given you.

E - Enjoy. Have fun and enjoy the moment being with a new found friend. R- Radiate.

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Let God be radiated in the friendship that you have. Let other people see Christ in that friendship.

III. Sharing Proper IV. Processing Our friends, our buddies, are God’s gift to us. God uses them to bring His messages of love to us. Today was an opportunity for us to strengthen or start a friendship with one another. Our buddies are given to us so that we always have an assurance of someone that we can trust. During our life in the community, God will continue to reveal things to us through our partners. He will continue to give us buddies who can journey with us in our walk with God. We may have not been able to share everything now, but we can trust in God’s gift to us. Slowly, our friendship with each other will grow. V. Closing Invite everyone into a prayer. Pray that their friendship in YFC continue to grow, pray that trust, respect, and love will always be present in the relationships they will gain in YFC. During the prayer, ask each person to pray for one another. End the prayer with a worship song.

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REACHING OUT objectives 1. To appreciate Christian relationships and to experience the joy and excitement that comes with it 2. To imitate Jesus’ example in expressing affection, verbally and physically, to our brothers and sisters

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Talk Proper 4. Reflection Song 5. Group Discussion

speaker’s profile 1. Any YFC Leader (Chapter level and up) 2. Sharers should be committed household heads who will share about the joy of serving God and His people and a YFC member who enjoys having regular family time

anchor verse “Do nothing out of selfishness; rather humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interest but everyone for those of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

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C. The Influence of Media

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TOPIC 34 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “Do nothing out of selfishness; rather humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interest but everyone for those of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

Some wrong values on how people relate with one another are already being dictated by media. i.e. unstable relationships of celebrities and what we see in television become our basis on how we deal with our own personal relationships; contraceptives are being openly advertised indirectly promoting irresponsible sexual intercourse. These things influence our own personal life and how we deal with our relationships. II. Aspects of our personal life and relationships that are being affected.

I. Introduction

A. Feelings

The Lord intends for His people to have a relationship with each other that is caring, giving, having much respect and love. This was evident during the early Christian communities.

Feelings are too often allowed to determine how people relate to one another. Behaviour of people nowadays are based more on how “real” their feelings are rather than it being right or wrong, thus easily giving in to the temptation of being angry, moody and other negative emotions.

“The community of believers was of one heart and mind. And no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power, the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favour was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles and they were distributed according to need.” (Acts 4: 32-35) Unfortunately, with the rapid change in society, worldly values have now caused relationships to suffer, thus weakening the bonds that tie a person to his family and community. We have to go back and remember what the Lord desires for us. A. Distorted relationships The relationship of people towards one another these days, are being dictated by the world. B. Technology The development of technology, truly, has made life a bit easier for everyone, but it has also been a source of strain for some relationships that have forgotten what it means to be personally there for one another.

On the other hand, some relationships these days lack expressions of affection and personal support. B. Commitment In an age of uncertainty, people fear commitment and prefer keeping their options open, and thus are prone to throwing and destroying relationships as often as they like. (i.e., afraid of being open to the household; flirting and having romantic relationships without commitments; couples that live together without the sanctity of marriage.) (The speaker should cite more examples if possible.)

C. Self-esteem Society values people according to the world’s standards such as physical beauty, intelligence and material success. These give people, who don’t measure up with the “standards”, a poor sense of self-worth and low self esteem and thus are fearful of relating to others who they believe are “higher” than they are.

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III. Christian Relationship Jesus taught us that we are all brothers and sisters. He showed us ways on how to relate with one another. “Do nothing out of selfishness; rather humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interest but everyone for those of others.” (Philippians 2:3-4)

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reflection song Your Love is Extravagant/ All for Love (any song that talks about love, friendship and service)

guide questions 1. How is your relationship with your household, family and friends?

A. Commit to one another

2. In what way can we show our affection to our brothers and sisters?

In John 15:12-13, Jesus shows us that our commitment to one another goes beyond death. We should live out our covenant in YFC.

3. In what aspect of our personal life and relationships do we need to improve on? Why?

B. Serve one another Jesus washed the feet of his apostles showing us that the best way to love is to serve. (John 13:1-20) This is why our leaders serve us. C. Be Honest to one another We must be willing to let our brothers and sisters know what is going on inside us. We should be willing to discuss our struggles so that they can support us. (John 3:19-21) D. Be Affectionate to one another We should express affection in our relationships both verbally and physically. Personal greetings, warm smiles, nice words, handshakes, brotherly hugs and sisterly kisses would be a good way to show how much we love and care for each other. E. Love one another In 1 Corinthians 13: 1-3, the Lord tells us, that above all else is love. IV. Conclusion As the Lord intended for our relationships, we as Youth for Christ should be conscious of not allowing worldly values to ruin our relationships with one another. We should be confident in the Lord and follow the Jesus’ example of loving one another. Our relationships should build us up and make us grow more in love with Christ.

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topic 35

IN THE MIDST OF THE STORM objectives 1. To realize the crucial role of YFC members as instruments of unity in the family. 2. To understand the importance of living in a family that is united with love, respect, and confidence with one another.

dynamics 1. Registration 2. Worship 3. Teaching of Songs 4. Talk Proper 5. Closing Prayer

speaker’s profile 1. The Speaker may be any YFC Leader (chapter level and up) who has experienced a storm in the family and has been instrument to keep his family united in the midst of it. 2. The sharer can be a member or a household member, who may be experiencing storms but sees to it that he/she is putting faith, hope, and love in his/her family.

anchor verse “By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heirs of righteousness that comes by faith.” (Hebrew 11:17)

in the midst of the storm

TOPIC 35 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heirs of righteousness that comes by faith.” (Hebrew 11:17)

I. Introduction Since God created Adam and Eve and placed them in the Garden of Eden, the family has been the basic unit of society – a father, a mother and children are God’s plan for a family. Because of the importance God has placed in the family, it is constantly under attack by the devil. This is why we have family problems, age gaps, disagreements or broken families. As YFC, our role is to keep our family united in God, especially during times that our families are tested. Noah kept his family safe and united by building an ark in preparation for a great storm. Let us learn how we can be “Noah’s” of our own family by striving to build an ark of love, faith, and hope in the midst of the storms in our lives. II. The Storm That Ruins Our families today are subject to a lot of things. Although we do not realize it, our families are slowly being brought to the midst of a great storm. (Note: speaker should share own experiences within the family)

A. The Storm of Disagreements We’re used to having petty arguments, with our parents, with our siblings. These may seem all petty at first but even these petty fights may all roll into one big argument of pain and hurt. It could cause siblings to grow apart from another, and cause children to have hidden resentment against their parents.

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B. The Storm or Sickness and Financial Trials These things we can never avoid and some may not be our own fault. Although this is so, it could cause the family to be disheartened, failing to see God in each other. This can also be a source of arguments as to who is to be blamed for all these things.



C. The Storm of Our Own lives We may not realize it but most of the time we are focused on our lives. We are focused on our studies, our friends, our own problems that sometimes we fail to interact with our family members. Some of us may have been branded as a “dormer” by our own parents, always out of the house and only comes back when it’s time to sleep. There are times that we don’t share problems with our families. As a result, we grow distant to one another.

III. The Ark that Saves Even though we feel that our families can be drowned in the midst of these storms, God gives us the grace and the ability to save our own family from sinking. Just like how He instructed Noah, He is also instructing us to make an ark that will save our family. A. An Ark of Faith – Heb 11:6-7



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Faith is confidence and trust based upon evidence that is seen, heard and experienced in the family. (Heb 11:6-7) Our families are subjected to a lot of crisis and most of the time; it is when our faith is tested. We have tendencies to respond to these trials with rebellion, depression, anger, and bitterness. God is asking us to build an ark of faith and influence our whole family to place our trust in God and His promise. With faith and Christ‘s presence in the home, our Biblical response to crisis should include family prayer time, perhaps fasting always and attendance at worship to give praise to God. B. An Ark of Common goals – Gen 6:13-14 Although we have our own lives to live, we should remember that we are in living in the midst of our families. It is our goal to live in harmony with the rest of them. Our parents maybe setting goals– for the children’s education, to own one’s own home, an exciting vacation, a common time spend for Sunday mass, etc.

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As YFC we need to respect and honor our parents for keeping goals for the family to grow in a loving relationship with one another. At the same time, we are called to set spiritual goals within the family as well. C. An Ark of Unity – Gen 2:24 Things may be getting hard and trials can cause us to walk out on our own families. What we should always remember is our families are gifts from God. There may be a lot of things to turn to but our families will always be there for us. Though imperfect, though slightly dysfunctional, it is given to us by God and we should do all things to keep it united. We should: •

Accept whatever happens, the good and the bad and keep on loving still.

•

Accept that you have your own responsibilities within the family.

IV. Conclusion God has told us that another disaster awaits this world, our family may not be spared from this, and you need to be prepared like Noah prepared for the flood. We must always invest on love and unity in our families so that when storm comes, we are strong and we are intact. As YFC, we need to realize that no matter what, our families will always be God’s gift to us. We always need to be an instrument of love, joy, peace and unity in our homes. If we do this, God is pleased, because, if there is love, joy, peace and unity in our families, God is there.

guide questions 1. What are the storms in your family right now? 2. How can you be a true instrument of unity in your family? What kind of ark does your family need? 3. What kind of goals do you feel need to be set for your family?

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topic 36

family strengths

FAMILY STRENGTHS objectives

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TOPIC 36 OF THE CHAPTER ASSEMBLY expanded outline “For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, we should love one another.” (1 John 3:11)

1. To identify and acknowledge the strengths of our own family 2. To help discover the uniqueness of every family 3. To be thankful and consider the family as a gift and a blessing from God

dynamics 1. Opening Worship 2. Talk 3. Activity Proper 4. Group Sharing (by Household) 5. Prayer for Family 6. Closing Worship

anchor verse “For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, we should love one another.” (1 John 3:11)

I. Introduction Our families are blessings to us. No matter what situation our families are in, we are all our blessed with the gift of a mother and father, and brothers and sisters. In the same way, All families have strengths. In this activity, we will all discover our own Family Strength. As we identify our strengths as a family, we will be able to recognize the important areas we also want to grown in terms of building strength for our families. II. Activity Dynamics 1. Distribute the “Discovering our Family Strengths Chart”. Ask the participants to individually fill up the chart as honestly and as sincerely as possible. 2. Next, explain the Goal Setting Worksheet. Ask the participants to also fill up the worksheet by choosing activities that continue to build at least one of their areas of strength. In addition, choose one or two areas that they feel needs improvement. List the activities you will do and when. 3. Group them according to household, to discuss and share their realizations and discoveries about their families. 4. After everyone has shared, they will end their group discussion with a Family Prayer. Each member of the group will be asked to pray for his/her family. The facilitator will close the prayer after everyone has prayed for their own respective families.

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guide questions 1. Share about your chart and your worksheet. 2. What have you learned and discovered about your family? 3. What is your personal action plans in improving your family’s weaknesses? Discovering Our Family Strengths Chart Strength Area

Very Strong

Some Growth Needed

Much Growth Needed

Caring and Appreciation Time Together Encouragement Commitment Communication Adaptive Ability Spirituality Community and Family Ties Clear Responsibilities Goal Setting Worksheet Strength Area

Caring and Appreciation Time Together Encouragement Commitment Communication Adaptive Ability Spirituality Community and Family Ties Clear Responsibilities

Our Goals

Activities We Will Do

When