Are you ready for an adventure?
Take this quick journey of preparing yourself spiritually, mentally, and physically for the very first Biennial Assembly of CBYFP.
WE HOPE TO MEET YOU AT THE DESTINATION.
See you there!
EXPEDITION CBYFP: A Travel Guide
Target Destination: Filamer
Target Date of Arrival: May 23, 2011
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What if, one day, some ambitious “Einsteinic” scientist snapped from the cosmic void of “the great unknown” all the electromagnetic energies and invented a device that allows us to skip time so we can jump to May 2011?
We may already have attained several achievements from the advancement of technology, but even our brilliant 21st century scientists have not yet invented a particular creation (a remote control or a time machine, perhaps?) that can take us to the future.
Simply put, we do not belong to that epoch where “everything impossible is possible.”
Take the movie Click starring Adam Sandler and Kate Beckinsale as an example. If there had already been this kind of invention, we would be probably dead by now because of too much “fast forwarding” (does this term even exist?). Plus, due to the frequent frustrating power failure caused by reasons that the electric companies only know, there might be a 90% possibility that somewhere along the trip to the future, we might run out of electricity and the machine might bug down.
Imagine being trapped in time.
I guess that might be a bad idea to think about. So, we’re left with no other choice than to take on the voyage of reaching May 2011 one day at a time…until we get there.
Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher, carved in history this famous quote: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Hence, this is going to be a six-month long voyage, so we have to prepare ourselves physically and spiritually as well.
FOUR GUIDELINES FOR THE VOYAGER
#1- RECONNAISSANCE
Just a second. Before we reach for our car keys, there’s one important question we need to answer first before anything else:
Why are we going anyway?
On May 23-28, 2011, we’ll be taking on a great adventure of faith together with our other brothers and sisters in Christ from all over the country.
This assembly is going to be a fusion of all the eleven Kasapulanas comprising youth of different ages, personalities, family backgrounds, cultures and traditions from the different Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches, Inc. (CPBC) churches in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. We have one mission: to worship one God under one faith—under one Convention. The purpose of this assembly is to combine the elements of fun, fellowship, unity, spiritual learning and growth amidst diversity to coincide with our theme.
Objectives:
After the assembly, the youth will be able to:
1. uphold CBYFP as a national organization
2. feel belonged and wholly revived
3. look forward to the next camp; and,
4. live victoriously for the Lord in fulfilling the Great Commission until the end.
During the assembly, we specifically aim to:
1. Revisit CBYFP profile (heritage).
a. Relearn the Mission-Vision of CBYFP.
b. Rediscover the organizational structure.
c. Review the history of CBYFP.
2. Revive the fellowship (belongingness).
a. Recognize each other’s uniqueness
b. Restore the joy of being together
c. Reconnect with our purpose
3. Renew the commitment (heart).
a. Recommend a working theme for the next 2 years (assembly)
b. Reinforce and challenge new leaders
c. Rededicate our lives to God
4. Reflect the experience (action).
a. Render service to others
b. Respect other Christian traditions
c. Relay what you have learned
The next thing we need to know is where we are going to.
Our destination: Filamer Christian University (FCU), Roxas City, Capiz
Here are some facts we need to know about FCU and why our assembly is going to be held there:
1. Aton guid ini. FCU was established in 1904, just a year before Jaro Industrial School (now Central Philippine University), by the early American Baptist missionaries to the Philippines. It is a member institution of CPBC.
The CBYFP Program Committee, headed by the President, visits FCU.
2. Free Size. FCU, particularly the Roblee Hall, can accommodate more than 500 delegates. The University's gymnasium is also a condusive venue for some of our activities.
The Roblee Hall
3. They Have It. FCU can provide us with the needed facilities to effectively conduct the program and other activities for the assembly.
4. Rain or shine, our clothes will remain dry. There’s no need to worry about our tents getting flooded if heavy rain might fall, because our sleeping quarters will be at either the elementary or high school buildings.
The ProgCom pose with Pastor RD Celeste.
5. Three-in-One= School + Church + Hospital. Just beside FCU is the infamous Capiz Emmanuel Hospital, established in 1908, also a member institution of CPBC. A little further is Capiz Evangelical Church. So, praise God for the Christian atmosphere and conduciveness of the venue that FCU offers.
Peace! Nang Star, Mezan and Nong Jec Dan...Nong Chester?
For more information about FCU, click here.
All these and more will be revealed once we’re there.
The next thing to consider: money matters.
What are the expenses?
Church Fee:
P200.00 (2010-2011)
Individual expenses:
Registration Fee: P200 and Food Fee: P300.00
FARE*
Negros-Iloilo: Supercat: P399.00
Oceanjet (with id): P300.00
Roro- P90.00 Dumangas
Port-Dumangas terminal: P20.00
Dumangas terminal-Iloilo terminal: P40.00
Iloilo-Roxas: Bus (economy)
Student: P127.00 Regular: P140.00
(aircon) Student: P142.00 Regular: P162.00
Iloilo-Roxas: Van-P120
Aklan-Roxas: Van: P100.00
Roxas terminal-Filamer: (Tricycle) P8.00
* Fare rates may change without prior notice.
Seems like we have a lot to prepare, so, let’s start searching for the right bag to put in all our camping stuff.
#2- PACKING UP
All set and ready to go!
We begin by making sure we have our bags ready for all the necessary things that we must bring for a camp. Here’s a tip from a not-so-frequent-camper-but-once-a-girl-scout-trouper: make sure to have a checklist. This will be of big help in organizing our belongings and to ensure that all the important needs are packed.
What to Bring:
Bible, Beddings, Pen, flashlight, Notepad, T-shirt for t-shirt printing, Eating utensils, Medicines, Toiletries, 1 pack of noodles and 1 canned goods (for outreach)
And when we say “camp,” this means we shouldn’t expect to be sleeping on a comfy and bouncy waterbed inside an air-conditioned room. For first time campers, ask anybody who has attended the previous CBYFP camps and they’ll explain what I mean.
The challenge: are you willing to sacrifice your comfort zone?
For six days:
· No watching of Imortal or whatever we love to watch daily on T.V.
· No “Yaya, give me what I wants!” (Aay…sosyal ja nga bata ho! tsk,tsk,tsk. Wrong grammar pa…Haha!)
· It’s goodbye to Facebook for awhile.
· We have to reduce our 15-minute bath time to five mins. only (we won't be the only ones to use the bathroom)
· …the list goes on.
Yup, we need to have endurance here, but isn't that the excitement and fun (!!!) of camping?Plus the fact that we’ll be with other youth whowill be exactly in our same situation of completing a “six-day-comfort-zone-sacrifice.”
But, this is all for the Lord right? Remember His sacrifice on the cross? It was way far too “suffering”. It was His whole life that He sacrificed just for us; ours is just a matter of sacrificing our comfort zones for Him.
Are you ready to take on the challenge of taking the "six-day-comfort-zone-sacrifice" for the Lord?
If you are, then get your backpacks ready and let’s start packing up! =D
It’s now time to start the engine.
#2—STARTING THE ENGINE OF FAITH
Faith is believing in hope beyond the horizon.
May 2011 is still a long way to go. Many preparations have still to be made. But everything that has been planned for so far will all be useless if we won’t allow God to literally “take the wheel” and lead the way.
This is the beauty of not knowing the “great unknown”, because we have something to pray for, to yearn and to hope for. Even the CBYFP Youth Board has something to look forward to—like putting the plans into action and seeing them materializing from a piece of paper to reality. It is thus our earnest prayer that these plans for the camp will be successful (please help pray for this). While we’re at it, let’s allow our faith to do the works.
We may not yet clearly see what God has in store for the Biennial Assembly, we are certain that He is working. Even though we may not see Him physically and though His plans have not yet been clearly revealed to us today, we are confident that He is in control of what is to come.
Faith, according to Max Lucado, is not the belief that God will do what you want. It is the belief that God will do what is right.
This is what the engine of faith is all about—trusting and depending on God for what He thinks is the best. God says, “Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55: 9). And if we believe in Him with all our heart and do not depend on our own understanding, and, if we remember the Lord in all we do, He promises to direct our path (Proverbs 3:5-6).
And when God makes a promise, He will fulfill it.
Preparing for a big assembly is not as easy as you think it "sounds" or "looks"; but, once we start our engine of faith and allow God to weave all our preparations and concerns for the camp together, we will simply be amazed by His handiwork.
Here’s one last thing before we go: make sure our gas tank is fuelled with prayer.
#3- FUELLING WITH PRAYER
Prayer is the "fuel" that will keep us from running "out-of-gas" along our journey.
It takes a lot of faith and endurance along this journey towards the camp. We may experience a lot of potholes (which are so literally typical in the Philippine terrain) along the way—pressures, flaws, tough decision makings, etc.—but author Ru dela Torre said in his book Road Trip that in order to keep on going despite the rough ride, we need to “gas-up” in prayer.
Prayer is the fuel that gets things started and gets things done in accordance to God’s will; for, when a believing person prays, great things happen (James 5:16).
God also promises us in Jeremiah 33:3 that if we call upon Him, He will answer. But of course, we have to do our part first before letting Him “do the rest.”
For example, if you are bothered by how to reach the P500.00 registration fee for the camp or the fares, why not start allotting a portion of your daily allowance for it starting today? Say five pesos? If we can spend P20.00 or P30.00 for our daily cellphone load, hopefully P5.00would not be a really big burden to our pockets, because we are on a mission—and in this mission, we need to have some tactics and a bit of ingenuity in order to succeed.
I believe saving P5.00 a day will definitely be of big help. Let’s do some calculations. For thirty days, we already have P150.00. Multiply that for five months and we have P750.00 by April. In that way, we can save more than enough for our registration.
Here’s a bonus: a sense of fulfillment, right? =)
Take it as a suggestion. But as Christians, we should commit to God all our concerns and really claim His promise of answering our prayers. He knows the desires of our hearts, and He is willing to honor them. Let us be reminded that “…if we ask God for anything that agrees with what He wants, He hears us. If we know He hears us every time we ask Him, we know we have what we ask from Him.” (I John 5: 14-15).
So, we have first to show God that, indeed, we are willing to put some effort in order to achieve our desires. Of course, with that we need to have some discipline on our part so we can really accomplish our goals. The reward in the end will be worth it.
Let’s pray for our camp and commit everything to our Father—
that He will bless our personal preparations;
the program;
the officers, committe members, and speakers;
the delegates;
the venue;
the entire assembly.
The Apostle Paul further assures us in Philippians 4:19 that our God “…will use His wonderful riches in Christ Jesus to give [us] everything [we] need.”
All we have to do, is to fuel up our engine will a full tank of prayer...we’ll just be stunned if we do.
If we [fuel our faith with prayer and] commit our plans to the Lord, they will [defintely] succeed (Proverbs 16:3).
********
Hence, after a careful
1) reconnaissance, we need to
2) pack-up so we can
3) start our engine of faith and along the way,
4) fill our gas tank with gallons of prayer so that by May 23, 2010, we can reach our destination safe and sound.
So, fellow CBYFP youth…are you ready to take on the journey?
Let’s enjoy our ride to the Biennial with the Lord.
See you at FCU!You may also send your inquiries regarding the Biennial Assembly to: cbyfp_biennialcamp@yahoo.comPhoto Sources: CBYFP Facebook Group, www.deviantart.com, www.enchgallery.com, www.theoviator.blogspot.com
