Metro Lucena Christian Church's 5th Anniversary

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This year's theme was about family gatherings so we come up with traditional games like pukpok palayok, pabitin, tingkayad, sack race,patintero and hagisan ng itlog.The venue ,Vista Verde Clubhouse,was big with a swimming pool,basketball and tennis courts.It was good to see kids enjoy the parlor games and go swimming, some teens also played badminton.The weather was nice despite of the typhoon or LPA that week.

tatlong maria preps

pabonggahan assembly challenge

banderitas for the fiesta theme

rainy day Saturday ,the day before the event

Many of our family of churches joined us in our event - Batangas Church,Cavite Church,Laguna Church,Naga Church,Daet Church even some disciples from Manila Church.Many of the families of disciples came to join the celebrations as well. I think the biggest delegation is still the Merano Family -with Rendz,Russel,Neng and Ryan,Uni,Nanay Conching and 6 grand kids.There's also the Melarpis siblings and De los Santos Family from Cavite church who is also our neighbor in Lucena and even Keana's group of friends came over too.

from all over South Luzon Geo Region -photo by Meanne

last game -patintero

Bong Aquino shared the message in line with the theme about family citing these passages:

1 Peter 2:9-10 

9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Ephesians 3:14

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.

Hebrews 2:11

11 Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

1 Peter 1:22

Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.

My response:

God designed for us to be part of a family- especially a spiritual family.It indeed requires deep love because a church family is composed of different people with different upbringing,so much character differences and many other differences imaginable.It is hard to graft yourself into a family or group.You may have the feeling of being confused and disconnected and wouldn't even think of trying.But then comes God's will-what is pleasing to Him? definitely it is not our own preference with our sinful nature always trailing after us-the tendency to isolate self with anything that has something to do with Christianity.We need a spiritual family to guide us and teach us everything Jesus had taught his disciples.That is one of the reasons we go to church on Sunday mornings.

I've been a part of MLCC for the past 5 years, there have been many situations and sometimes I find it hard to fit in because of my own limitations and other people's ways I just couldn't understand and reconcile with biblical teachings.These things will take time to be polished -in God's time.God's word is continually teaching me to always bear, deny myself and look at the bigger picture and stand up for what is right.It is God's church and it will prevail no matter what people do.