By Julie Despi, BCBP Consolacion
“This is my commandment: Love one another as I have loved you. A man can have no greater love than to lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do what I command you, I shall not call you servants any-more, because a servant does not know his master’s business; I call you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. You did not choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that will last; and then the Father will give you anything you ask Him in my name.” John 15: 12
It is the time of the year again when various chapters of the BCBP Community gather together to celebrate the National Anniversary Celebration At its 35th year, more than 4,000 delegates from all over the Philippines & abroad converged at the SMX Convention Center to witness this most anticipated annual event. Proudly enough, the BCBP Consolacion Chapter came in strong in number with 50 delegates. The main event took place on May 1st & 2nd with special activities that occurred on April 30, like the golf tournament and the art exhibit, which served as a charity event and fundraiser for all attendees.
May 1st was not like any other Fridays. The delegates were warmly welcomed and snacks were served while people mingle with other fellow BCBP members from other chapters. Later in the afternoon, the general assembly jump started with a key note from our incumbent national president, Brother Joey Avellana, and was followed by a very energetic but emotionally filled praise & worship session. To make the evening more special, three of our brothers shared their personal life testimonies of how God worked in their lives, and how they were used by God to be an instrument of His love towards our brethren. The first sharer was Brother Noel O. Delos Reyes from BCBP Greenhills. He shared how God stood by him as he constantly pray for guidance and protection during his post as the Regional Director of the Police Regional Office in ARMM in the midst of election and political turmoil last 2013. Brother Jay Avilio from BCBP Cebu, shared how God became his guardian & protector during his tedious and perilous mission to establish the Masbate Outreach. He survived a heart attack, dead-for-a-minute experience through God’s healing grace and prayers kept him alive. Lastly, Brother Jose Michael Wong from BCBP Dipolog imparted how he became a strong witness of God’s unfailing love and transformation as he shared how God and the BCBP community helped him turn away from suicidal thoughts, diminish his bad habits & change his life for the better. He found dealing business in honest way is the most profitable way. The general assembly alone was very solemn yet powerful, which made the attendees anticipate what is to occur the next day.
May 2nd started as early as 5:30 AM to allow sufficient time for attendees to finish their breakfast meal and to accommodate the very hectic schedule of Sec. Rene Almendras. Brother Rene said that it is not enough to be honest, we should also be brave and bold in order to make a difference in the government and in personal life. His life experience be-came a very interesting segue to the main highlights of the NAC Business Forum: The BCBP advocacy talk on corruption
Allow me to commend the key speakers as well as the relevant topics they have dis-cussed:
Tito Serafica – Evangelizing the marketplace; changing our business and changing our lives.
Prof. Ronald Mendoza – Presenting a countryside consultation of confronting
Mrs. Grace Pulido-Tan – Moral ascendancy and fostering more trans-parency in the government to sustain Economic Development.
Walk our talk bravely and boldly Sec. Greg Navarro – Promoting actionable Ethical Practices for all business Stakeholders
Sec. Rogelio Singson – Honesty & Integrity in Public Service. Get out of your comfort zone and make meaningful changes.
H.E. Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle – Rallying Christians Towards Morally Upright Decisions. Inclusive growth (good governance, integrity and preserve creation)
After the sharing there was a Q&A session facilitated by Atty. Alex Lacson and followed by a rapporteur former Senator Joey Lina. We must fight corruption in the inside and apart from God we can do nothing and to fight corruption is to Christianize the country, practice faith and walk the talk. The morning sessions were overwhelmingly informative, so it was a good thing we had a free time from 12 PM to 4 pm to spend quality time with our respective families. The Holy Eucharist was celebrated by Fr. Herb Schneider. After which, the fellowship started off with a sumptuous dinner buffet. The night was an accumulation of entertainment and games. What made it more fun was the laughter and delegates who responded enthusiastically in every song and dance number, as well as cheering those who won various raffle prizes. As the night deepens, the celebration became more lively as people danced their night away at the beat of the 80’s music. The event reached its culmination upon the announcement of the NAC 36 venue, along with the batch of the appointed core members headed by Brother Roderick Ngo of BCBP Cebu South. What a truly great way of ending the night with a bang! It took a year of preparation and indeed, the NAC 35 event was like no other! We highly appreciate the count-less efforts of our very own PSD team and our chapter head, Kuya Marvin, who made all these things possible. Thanks to them, everything was in order and well-taken cared of, from the plane tickets, hotel accomodation, transportation, up to the welcome kits and T-shirts. Being able to witness NAC was beyond words. Aside from the great experience and the great camaraderie that were formed along the way, great lessons were obtained that we should all remember:
– We know not, but God knows. With God you can do everything.
– Faith in Christ will keep us steady in the stormy sea of change
– Change is both inevitable and necessary. If everything stays the same, no one is growing. Not all change is pleasant, but
when we’re being led to a better place by someone who loves us, we don’t need to fear.
Value servant leadership as this is a far greater achievement than the success obtained by undermining others’ needs The 36th NAC will be hosted in our very own city, Cebu! We got a year to prepare and as we look forward may we live each day moving forward with God’s love in our hearts.
BE BRAVE! BE BOLD!
And let God lead the way. Hope to see you next year!
“Let it not be so among you; but if anyone has a desire to become great among you, let him be your servant; and whoever has a desire to be first among you, let him take the lowest place. Even the son of man did not come to have servants, but to be a servant, and to give his life for the salvation of men.” Matthew 20: 26 – 28
Source: SIDLAK 2nd Quarter Issue
