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| AFCCPC UPDATE |
| June 2009 |
HEADLINES (Click on headline to read the article) The 15th AFCCPC National Convention (June 26-28, 2009) |
15th AFCCPC NATIONAL CONVENTION  MESSAGE FROM THE NATIONAL COORDINATOR
I just came back from the Philippines two weeks ago, fresh from giving teachings and ministering healing during the 24th Airkcabs Catholic Charismatic Convention in San Carlos City, Negros Occidental. After the Convention, we went to Bacolod City, Silay City, Dumaguete City, and Iloilo City to conduct Healing Rallies and Crusades wherein thousands came to hear the word of God being proclaimed and to receive the healing touch of the Master Healer, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. A day before I flew into Negros Occidental, we had a Healing Crusade in my former hometown of Cebu City. What a privilege and a great joy it was for me to minister to my relatives and friends and former neighbors, and classmates in high school and college days. It is an experience beyond description because it was the Lord who touched them and healed them in His love. The Lord allowed me to feel deeply the gift of compassion for the sick and to empathize with them in their suffering. We have seen and witnessed the lame walking, the deaf hearing, the blind seeing, the deaf-mute hearing and talking for the first time in their lives, and tumors and cysts melting away. It was a very uplifting and faith-strengthening experience to witness those healing and miracles, praise the Name of Jesus. Jesus is truly alive and the power and anointing of the Holy Spirit are indeed very real and tangible. Yes, it was taxing physically to minister to thousands of people, but the Holy Spirit continues to strengthen and refresh us. My prayer for them is for the Lord to continue to draw them unto Himself and to transform their hearts and minds so that they and we will become more like Jesus in every way. I also pray that the Lord will continue to heal them and set them free from the spirits of affliction and infirmity and all kinds of bondages by the precious blood of Jesus. Amen! In two weeks, I will leave for Kkttongnae, South Korea to attend the International Catholic Charismatic Conference and the Council meeting of the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ICCRS). This 9-day international gathering which is sponsored by the ICCRS has three sub-themes: "Love in Action," which is the first part, the second part is "The Holy Spirit," and the third part is "Evangelization." It will be held from June 1-9, 2009. This gathering is unique in that it requires the participants to do volunteer work in the hospitals in KKttongnae, to do actual works of evangelization aside from attending workshops and lectures. As a Council member, I've been assigned to conduct and to facilitate the Healing Workshop for three days. I'm looking forward for the opportunity again to minister to God's people in Jesus' Name and to witness the great move of the Holy Spirit, the uncreated power of God. Let us join our prayers for the Lord to touch His people through this event in ways that they have not experienced before because our God is a God of love and power. If you could not attend this Conference, please pray for the attendees and for the members of the ICCRS Council. We will again meet, at the conclusion of the Conference, to plan and to discern as to how to serve the worldwide Catholic Charismatic Renewal and to map out the events and initiatives that would best serve God's people all over the world. This task is not easy but with your support and prayers, we achieve many things by the power of the Holy Spirit. Here in the home front, the Mid Atlantic Region, particularly our sisters and brothers in Baltimore, MD., is all set to host our 15th National Convention. I ask all of you to continue to pray for the success of this Convention. As we all know, with prayers, the heart of God is always moved. In Jeremiah 29:12-14, the Lord God says, "When you call me, when you go to pray to me, I will listen to you. When you look for me you will find me. Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you will find me with you, says the Lord and I will change your lot." I'm sure that this is another avenue for God's myriad graces and blessings to flow unto us. The Planning Committee of the Convention is very positive and hopeful indeed of a very Spirit-filled National Convention in spite of some hardships that they have encountered. I encourage all of you also to continue to
invite people to come so that they too may receive the wonderful and awesome things that the Lord has prepared for those who will come. Allow me to remind the AFCCPC Regional Coordinators, Officers, and Spiritual Advisers to attend our National Leaders meetings on Thursday evening, June 25, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. in the Sheraton Hotel and on June 28, 2009 in the late afternoon, at the end of the closing Mass of the Convention. We will meet in the same venue which is the Sherator Hotel. Before I forget, I would like to inform you that the members of the Board of the AFCCPC have decided to collaborate
with ICCRS in sponsoring a weeklong North American Leadership Training Course to be held in the second week of September, 2010, in the Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. This is a very comprehensive Training Course and it is May the Lord continue to bless all of us and fill us with His presence and love and His mighty power. Have a nice and safe and Spirit-filled summer everyone! Remember, God loves you and so do I. To God be the glory forever and ever. Amen! EAST ATLANTIC REGIONAL “REVIVAL” CONFERENCE Let the Light of Jesus Shine Through! by Teresa M. Gerlinger
Fr. Vic Paloma, pastor of our Lady of Victories and AFCCPC spiritual advisor, thus welcomed everyone to an exhilarating and Spirit-filled Revival conference at the OLC parish auditorium on Friday May 22 and Saturday 23, 2009. The event was sponsored by the East Atlantic Region of the Alliance of Filipino Charismatic Prayer Communities (AFCCPC ) and hosted by the St. John Charismatic Prayer Community of Jersey City. Tying their talks to the theme, “Jesus is the Light of the World” (John 8:12), the conference speakers, Bill Halbing, Bro. Bob Canton, Sr. Linda Koontz and Fr. Joe Cadusale, each spoke and earnestly pleaded for a much-needed Holy Spirit revival in the world to allow the light of Jesus to shine in glory through all the darkness. The conference opened on Friday night with Praise & Worship wonderfully led by the Foundation for Family Life (FFL), followed by the Procession of Our Lady of Manaoag and the Parade of Banners. Fr. Joe Cadusale: “Fanning the flame.” Bro. Bob Canton: “Love is the main thing." Four ladies came up. Sis. Helen Lamar shared that after she had Bro. Bob prayed over her as proxy for her daughter who had cancer, the Lord healed her daughter. One lady shared about how she experienced inner healing in her heart that removed anger that she had been feeling towards someone, and how she received the grace of forgiveness. Sis. Melba Barrameda spoke about how she canceled a scheduled surgery for a gastrointestinal condition after the Lord healed her. Sis. Purita Vazquez testified that after Bro. Bob recently prayed over her on the phone, the Lord healed her of glaucoma. He then proceeded to his talk on “Ways to Have Renewal in Your Prayer Groups.” He said he had actually prepared a talk on another topic but during the Mass, the Lord prodded him to speak instead about the urgent need for renewal within the prayer groups. For this, the Lord specifically gave him Col. 3:12-17, which begins with: “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection…” “Each of us must first die to self in order to be revived. Love is the main thing,” Bro. Bob said. Bro. Bob said that without peace in the prayer group, there is no renewal. “The Holy Spirit is the giver of peace.” He addressed everyone in the assembly: “Leaders, do not shoot down your own members. Deal with your members kindly. If you need to correct anyone for the protection of the flock, do it with compassion and love. Do it in the name of Jesus.” Friday night healing session.
Saturday session begins with the Holy Spirit Blast.
Sr. Linda’s talk began with a powerful testimony of how, 41 years ago, as a nun already eight years in the convent, her own life had been turned around, from a dryness and spiritual depression to a life where she is embraces the joyful Spirit of God. “We have to put our arms around the Holy Spirit,” she said. “Lean on Jesus. Rely on the Holy Spirit.” Sr. Linda cited Mathew 5:14: “You are the light of the whole world.” “Jesus did not give us the Holy Spirit for us to hide under the bushel, “ she pointed out. “He puts us on the lamp stand to let the Holy Spirit shine through us. We need to pull the switch inside us, and we can only do this if we ask the Holy Spirit to turn on the power for us.” she said. Though we are all facing many problems, “do not look at the problem but look instead at the Promise,” she said. (Ps 25:15, Ps 19:15). She explained that the cause of the dimming of our light is sin. When we live in bitterness, anger and unforgiveness, we are in darkness. Sr. Linda expounded that one other way we dim our lights is when we ignore the cry of the poor, citing a relatively unknown passage in Proverb 28: 27: “He who gives to the poor suffers no want, but he who ignores them gets many a curse.” “Let the light of Jesus shine through,” she exhorted. At this point, she asked if there were people in the assembly who had not yet publicly declared their surrender to Jesus as their Lord and Savior. About a dozen stood up and milled around Sr. Linda, as she prayed a surrender prayer and laid hands on each one. The Ocean of Mercy Music Ministry continued singing exultantly as people surrendered their hearts. There was such jubilation swirling in the air: people were joyfully praising, singing, crying, laughing, clapping, waving their hands and dancing, or just gently resting in the Spirit. “We are not just going to Heaven. We are a people from Heaven,” Sr. Linda Koontz said.
When we receive the gifts from the Holy Spirit, we receive His power and become His witnesses (Acts 1:8), he said. To reaffirm this, Bro. Bob had everyone repeat after him: “I am able, I am empowered to do the work of Jesus!” “But remember, “ he cautioned, “ we must not follow signs and wonders. Instead, signs and wonders must follow us.” What shall we do to receive the Holy Spirit? “Seek the Giver of gifts. Seek Jesus!” Bro. Bob urged. During lunch break, as everyone enjoyed a delicious pancit and chicken meal, Steve Kuban, the guest singer, treated all to a spiritual feast of some of his famous compositions, notably “For the Lord is My Tower,” “I will Fight for You,” “Hallowed be thy Name.” Following this was a heartfelt praise and worship led by the El Shaddai Music Ministry of the Most Precious Blood Church in Queens, NY. Sr. Linda Koontz: “How do we have Jesus increase in us?” Citing Psalm 50, she reminded everyone that because God has given us Jesus and the Holy Spirit, our lives should be a continuous sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. “Be glad that you belong to God!” She joyfully exhorted. “The Holy Spirit is not an idea, not a devotion but a person, the Third Person in the Holy Trinity, ” she went on. She said that as Conqueror, the Holy Spirit will take away our grief and pain. “He is an Advocate, a lawyer, and does not over-charge for His work,” she quipped. “The Holy Spirit increases when we obey His voice, ” she continued. Then she asked, what is holiness? “It is giving God permission to use us for His purposes, in order to make Jesus known to a dying world, ” Sr. Linda explained. “Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the only hope. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are what we need to evangelize. Let us rediscover the beauty of being baptized in the Holy Spirit, and of living and walking in the Spirit!” She entreated everyone. “Love is how Jesus increases in us,” she said. “Just remember, when we have run out of love in our hearts, this is when God’s love takes over. He is the one loving and increasing through us,” Sr. Linda Koontz concluded. Eucharistic Celebration of the Mass During his homily, Fr. Bill Halbing was, as usual, filled with the mighty punch of the Holy Spirit. His preaching was on 1 John: “ How do we know if we are on the way to Heaven?” First, he said, we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (Acts 4:12, Philippians 2: 11-12). Second, we must believe that Jesus is both God and Man, the Incarnate. Third, we must obey all of God’s commandments. If we disobey one commandment, we disobey all, he said. Fourth, we must let Jesus take charge of our lives. “ We cannot live the life of Jesus,” Fr. Bill said, “but Jesus can live His life through us, through the Holy Spirit.” “We must obey. We want the instructions from God. The truth will be revealed and the truth will set us free (John 8),” he said. Fourth, we must love everybody. “This means everybody, even the man who took your parking space,” he said. He explained that love is not the trite, over-used, feel-good word that is so easy to mouth, even in the pulpits. “Love means laying your life for another,” he pointed out. The Crucified and Resurrected Jesus allows us to die to ourselves and live in the power of the Holy Spirit. Fifth, we must have faith that conquers. “A faith that conquers means that we will never be conquered. (2 Cor 5,10). We are more than conquerors in Christ!” Fr. Bill Halbing joyfully declared. Saturday Healing Service led by Bro. Bob Canton. A lady who was deaf could now hear. One other lady who had suffered from macular degeneration for years and who had difficulty in seeing in both eyes, could now see better. An elderly man, who previously could not move his neck from pain, felt a release. A young man, who had his cancer-stricken stomach removed just three weeks earlier and was still feeling weak, cried tears of hope and joy as he rested in the spirit.
Jesus, the light of the world, shone His face upon everyone. The following ministries served at the this Regional Conference: SOUTHEASTERN REGION Regional Coordinator’s Report Ramon Mescallado Focusing on the professed Mission of the AFCCPC, this report has used the elements of the Mission as the template for recounting the events and the aspirations in the Region.
Thus, Our Mission is revisited and restated to determine and facilitate the inclusion of events that are relevant to the Mission. This approach was also, and continues to be, a useful benchmark on whether or not we are moving towards the accomplishment of Our Mission or have I been just spinning my wheels and chasing my own Gospel tale. “For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.” Habakkuk 2:3 Our Mission:
“A Regional Report consists mainly of a Report regarding the activities of the prayer groups or prayer communities in your region which directly or indirectly involve the AFCCPC or you in your capacity as AFCCPC Regional Coordinator/or VNC or Chairperson.” (Bro. Bob Canton, e-mail May 9th). SW Florida Region Planning and Celebration of the Diocesan Charismatic Conference Periodic Prayer Group Meetings Bro. Al Albarracin, Editor of The Trumpet and a former alliance Director pitched in superbly for the then stricken Regional Coordinator/Commissioner at the February Central Area Leaders Meeting, placidly acronymed CALM. Eight above communities and the prayer group from Ave Maria University have participated in two annual Central Area Prayer Meetings. These gatherings have been rather successful, promising, and encouraging so that the leaders have increased the frequency of such gathering during the year. The second such meeting this year was held in March at St Andrew, one of the two parishes in Cape Coral. At the January 2009 Area-Wide Meeting, this Coordinator gave the teaching – “Hope for the Christian” Christian Life Seminar (CFC-FFL) Leaders of parish-based worldwide ministries and lay associations, e.g. Knights of Columbus and Cursillo and parochial ministries like the Choir, Parish Council, Extraordinary Ministers, Youth Group, etc supported the seminal gathering. CFC-FFL is a worldwide organization (140 countries) permanently Decreed by the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Life in the Spirit Seminar Attended: AFCCPC Regional Conference Gathering of National Leadership Groups Teaching on Charisms ; Presentation on the Highlights of the Colloqium on Charisms (Rome); Sharing from the Korean, Hispanic, Haitian groups. Unity and Vision for the Charismatic Renewal Movement. Gifts Workshop Receiving the Holy Spirit Noemi and I were invited by our evangelistic kindred in their Weekend Praise and Worship. We mutually shared our experiences in our journey in Faith and growing in the Holy Spirit. We prayed for guidance and fortitude in reaching out to our brethren and spreading the Gospel. I moderated the Baptism in the Spirit session at the St Joseph’s Church in Kannapolis, near Charlotte. Extraordinary Ministers Music Ministries Parish Council Registered for Conferences in 2009 All Florida Catholic Charismatic Commission AFCCPC Couples for Christ – Foundation for Family and Life National Service Committee Blog www.1cor1347.com As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized in one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit….
1Corinthians 12:12-13; 26 EASTER REFLECTION: Maybe some of us are wondering why in spite of the fact that we have good speakers and leaders, the community is still not growing as it should be. We try to justify that community growth is not based on quantity but on quality. We sometimes forget that quantity is the product of quality. The big question or challenge is, "Are we really building a Christian Community or just a group?" If we go back to the time of early Christians which we can read on Acts 2: 42-47, we will note how deep and strong the love of every member for one another was. They did not consider what they have as their own but for everyone in the community. A Christian Community should be a place of love, hope, peace, joy and healing. Everyone should be an instrument of love, more so, a blessing and inspiration to one another. Everybody should speak, act, and work for the salvation of every member. It should not be a place of intrigue, gossip, judgment and condemnation. We need to TRUST one another as God trusted us so much. We need to understand that we have different levels of spirituality. Our weakness can be the strength of others and their weakness can be our strength. Although our goal is to be perfect, we cannot be, for only God is perfect. Let us accept the truth that we need one another. Let us support the strength of others and help them on their weaknesses. Let us be humble also to accept the truth that we need the help of others to overcome our weaknesses. False spirituality is when we become self-righteous as if we are the only ones who are good. True spirituality is when love, patience, understanding, and forgiveness go wider. When we learn to accept the strength and weakness of others and accept our own weaknesses, too. We need to move forward from the emotional level of love to the spiritual level of love. Emotional level of love focuses so much on feelings, emotions and expectations. If this is not satisfied, it leads to frustration and condemnation. Spiritual level of love is to love like Christ, to understand that we need one another. We need to trust the goodness of the person. Let us not forget that whatever and no matter how big the sin of a person is, God is still doing everything for his salvation, as what He is doing for us, up to the point that He even gave His only begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, to save us. Do not act the other way around, for we have no right to destroy what God is trying to save. Let us always remember that we are all so precious to God and the value of each one of us is Jesus Himself on the Cross. Christian Community should be Christ–Love driven! (Bro. Don Quilao is Eastern Canada Regional Coordinator of AFCCPC and is a member of the Editorial Staff of The Trumpet. He is the Head Servant of the Filipino Canadian Charismatic Prayer Communities, the umbrella organization of Filipino Catholic charismatic prayer communities in Eastern Canada, endorsed by the Archdiocese of Toronto, and affiliated with the AFCCPC. He has recently been honored to be chosen to chair the Canadian National Catholic Charismatic Conference to be held during the same weekend that the Baltimore National Convention will be held.) NEWSLETTER The May 2009 issue of The Trumpet is now on-line. Access our website, www.afccpc.org, then click on the Newsletter page. AFCCPC LEADERS MEETING There are generally 2 National Leaders Meeting of the AFCCPC per year. Officers and Coordinators are required to attend at least one National Leaders’ Meet. The first such meeting in 2009 will be held in conjunction with the National Convention. National Coordinator Bob Canton has called a meeting of officers, regional coordinators, Board, and spiritual advisers to be held on Thursday, June 25, 2009 at 7:30 p.m. (that’s the night before the Convention) at the Sheraton Baltimore City Center Hotel. A second session will be held immediately after the conclusion of the Convention in the same hotel. The Agenda will be emailed by Bro. Bob to the leaders in mid-June or earlier. Expect as an agenda item a call for reports from the officers and the regional coordinators. Written reports are encouraged in the interest of time and efficiency. Another certain item to be discussed is the venue of the next National Convention (in the year 2011). A recent Board decision may be presented to the general body for comment or discussion – the decision to co-sponsor with ICCRS a week-long North American Leadership Training Course scheduled for September 2010 to be held at a most interesting venue, the Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH. For the AFCCPC to be asked to work together with the ICCRS in this worthy project of training leaders is quite an honor. |
“Jesus is the light of the world but He also wants us to be His light in the world,” Fr. Vic Paloma exhorted. “ To be His light, we need to recharge. We need to be replenished by the grace of God. This is what this conference is all about.”
Sister Linda Koontz: “We are the light of the world.”
Bro. Bob Canton: “The Gifts of the Holy Spirit- Tools for Evangelizing.”
