Last 22nd March 2025, as the music ministry passionately played the gathering song that filled St. Peter’s auditorium in Catholic Archdiocesan Education Center at Highland Road, Singapore the participants to this year’s OGD L.E.A.D.S and Mission Volunteers Training started occupying the seats for the day-long activities.
The 4-part talks started off after the praise and worship with One Global Data (OGD) Orientation. Bro. Gerol Del Pilar, a full-time pastoral worker for 19 years and presently serves as Mission Area and Pastoral Worker (MAWPR) for Luzon, Philippines walked through the participants to the importance and usefulness of the OGD as the pastoral tool of Couples for Christ community. He emphasized that the task of building up the OGD and updating it regularly by every leader and member alike is not too simple task, but essential.
In the Philippines, where mostly are digital migrants; he cited that having a tool such as OGD needs adjustment and learning. He added that it’s a complicated process, but critical to the community’s governance. As he pointed out, it’s not about OGD, but LOG (Love of God). The participants, represented by household leaders and up from the 9 different chapters of CFC Singapore including Pastoral Formation Office (PFO) were reminded that we model our mission to the Good Shepherd. And that like the Good Shepherd who knows His sheep, and so we too, as servant leaders should know our members and their growth. And the OGD is a great help to track the pastoral formations of every member. Through 1 Peter 5:2, Bro. Gerol highlighted our calling – “be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them – not because you must but because you are willing, as God wants you to be.”
The data contained in the OGD system according to Bro. Gerol, “once organized into reports and charts are critical to the ability of top CFC leaders to gauge the health, vibrancy and sustainability of CFC’s life and mission in the area.” That being a valuable tool at hand, it enables pastoral decisions for the spiritual growth of every member and the entire CFC community.
The inspiring talk culminated with a brief question and answer segment where CFC member participants shared their experiences and challenges navigating the OGD.
The second talk, called L.E.A.D.S Orientation and Training was delivered by Bro. Jerel Superable, an enthusiastic lay missionary for the past 19 years, and currently serving as Mission Area and Pastoral Worker (MAWPR) for Asia. He considers his missionary experiences, as he shared his personal accounts of his work in different provinces in the Philippines and overseas as his Galilee moments – the places where he met the Lord who invited him to an intimate relationship.
He highlighted that aside from our own personal Galilee, God wants us, as Couples for Christ community to go back to our collective Galilee which are our basic priorities, plans and hopes that we as CFC are aiming for. These, as he presented through the CFC Community Imperatives for 2025, speak about the specific mission objectives for Evangelization, Formation, Governance and Heart for the Poor. Bro. Jerel pointed out that evangelization and heart for the poor are outcomes of our formations and governance; and of which, he further underscored that these outcomes are achieved by God’s grace alone and that we have no control.
The mission landscape of Asia, according to him has its own top issues and concerns across the different mission elements of Formation, Governance, Evangelization, and Heart for the Poor. That as a community of believers, we are not spared of challenges. Nevertheless, such issues and concerns are being turned into opportunities as action plans are identified. He stressed the need for more formations, adding that the formation of the evangelizer is critical to the work of evangelization. In his personal experience, when we receive enough formation, we become so excited to be a leader.
The L.E.A.D.S Team is a support group of the Mission Support Group (MSG) in uplifting the pastoral fundamentals in a particular area. It is an acronym for Leadership, Enablement and Decision Support. Bro Jerel explained that it intends to train, empower, and assist CFC, Family Ministry leaders, and Program Heads in the use of the OGD and Members Portal as a pastoral tool. The roles and responsibilities are tied together thru the acronym, T.E.A.M:
- Train – Conduct workshops/trainings on how to use the OGD and Members Portal
- Enable – Work with areas by giving usable information to maximize OGD and Members Portal utilization
- Assist – Assist and support the area leaders in faithfully updating of data/info required in the OGD
- Mentor – Ensure that the area meets its goal consistently
Bro Jerel concluded his informative talk by citing the two main goals of the L.E.A.D.S TEAM, which are: data clean up for better and reliable data, and increase in utilization of OGD to optimize pastoral planning and decision making.
In the afternoon, Bro Gerol Del Pilar talked about the Call to Missionary Discipleship. It equips volunteers with the right perspective, attitudes and strategies to fulfill their missionary call. During his talk, he posed the question, “Why do you want to be a missionary?” He pointed out that the answers have theological foundations. First, it is our response to the great commission in Matthew 28: 19-20 that says, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and behold, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”
Speaking as full-time pastoral worker himself, he reiterated that “mission is active, not passive; and that we are sent beyond our comfort zone.” The goal is not just conversion but formation, helping people grow in faith. He sees mission as not all about giving, but it is also receiving; and that’s what makes it life-giving. He pointed out towards the end his talk the postures of being soldiers of Christ: willing to sacrifice, firm and steadfast, and mission ready.
The last talk of the day, Strengthening and Sustaining the Mission, was delivered by Bro. Jerel Superable. “We are sent to missions”, he highlighted, “because there is a sender, Jesus Christ.” He differentiated the different mission phases that include establishment, enrichment and empowerment. A workshop ensued wherein participants were asked to group together with their mission area group’s fellow participants and came up with posters highlighting what are they planning to bring in their mission areas. These groups comprise the following:
- North 1 and West 2 Chapters – West Malaysia
- North 2 and North 3 Chapters – Goa, India
- Serangoon 2 and East 2 Chapters – Cambodia
- East 1 Chapter – Indonesia (local)
- West 1 Chapter – Myanmar (local)
- Serangoon 1 – Singapore (local)
Each group presented their own posters and shared with everyone their ideas and plans for their assigned mission areas. Bro Jerel concluded his talk by inviting everyone to pray together the Prayer for Mission.
Right after the closing prayer, and going for the dinner, the service team, composed of mission chapter coordinators thanked the speakers coming all the way from Philippines to deliver the talks.
It was indeed a meaningful day for CFC Singapore. The talks are very relevant to the continuing pastoral formations of the community; and inspiring too, as respective chapters are gearing for another fruitful year of mission service.