A good shepherd gives the sheep a sense of belonging. He knows his sheep. He knows them by name. In John 10:14, Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd; I know My own sheep, and they know Me.“
At SFCC, we are blessed to have a leader with a servant heart. He never tires of mentoring, guiding, and taking care of his flock. Every month the Primary & 144 level leaders gather to get downloads from Pastor Tim & his wife, Bambi. He relentlessly feeds & refreshes the leaders with new revelations, fresh inspiration, and recasting the vision. He leads his flock to water regularly. He prepares hearts to be receptive to the nourishment of the Holy Spirit. Like a good shepherd, he grooms his sheep, keeps them clean and free of contamination from the world & the flesh. He prepares them to be disciples, followers of Jesus. They will in turn be ready to shepherd others.
The year is about to end. And we celebrate the fruitful year that was & look eagerly forward to a more progressive, productive year of advancing God’s Kingdom. A child of the King has every reason to party because God is infinitely good.
Category: Blog
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SFCC Primary & 144 Christmas Gathering
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Encounter God Retreat, Dec. 11-12, 2015
https://youtu.be/zcBe1M1oXRs
Freedom.
Fire.
Focus.
These are just a few of the benefits of accepting Jesus and getting to know Him on a deeper level.
“Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Cor. 3:17)
A young college girl quit showing up at church when her father got incarcerated. She became paranoid and fed on the enemy’s lies that she and her family were the constant talk of the town. But now, she is free to hold her head up and stand on the truth that she is God’s beloved child.
Another young girl was freed from hurts caused by her parents, as she witnessed how they would lie to each other and have affairs behind each other’s backs. At the Encounter, she has tasted forgiveness & has released forgiveness is turn.
“I have learned to let go of my past,” declares a young junior in high school.“Now, I am ready to collect new, happier memories.”
Another high school girl, young as she is, has experimented with drugs to drown the ache of being abandoned by her mother. But receiving God’s forgiveness has freed her from anger & resentment and is now free to worship and serve the living God.
An overseas Filipino worker had a traumatic experience in Qatar that had him imprisoned in fear for a long time. But receiving the Father’s perfect love cast out all his fears, and now, he feels whole again.
A full-time mother learned to forgive herself. She used to keep things to herself, but is now very open and is using her test as her testimony.
The 30 participants were all on fire and filled with God’s love. One by one, they stood up to testify about the radical change that God has done in their lives. They are now more focused on the things that are of eternal value. They now carry the assurance that God and His love for them is bigger than anything they will ever face.
God uses the same gospel to save people, no matter how different we are. He desires to have an encounter with each one of us, and turn our stories into His story. In this encounter, fresh new chapters have begun.
Anyone who has encountered God will never be the same again. -
The Best Leaders Are Insatiable Learners
When one is put in a position to lead, that is not a signal to rest on one’s laurels. An effective leader takes responsibility for his own development and is a perpetual learner. It takes a real sense of personal commitment to push one’s self to grow. It is learning as fast as the world and its systems are changing. In becoming a learner, a leader will be able to coach and motivate those who follow him.SFCC holds a Leadership Gathering once a month. Pastor Tim gives first-hand mentoring and downloading to his Primary and 144 leaders. It is also an opportunity for the leaders to bond and get to know each other. At every meeting, there are always the latest updates, updated tips and methods to win and consolidate souls for the Kingdom. This is also a time of refreshing one’s drive and passion to keep doing what God has called us to do. It is a time to remind one another that we are called and are empowered to go and make disciples of all nations.
Pastor Tim illustrates a point during the Primary-144 Gathering 
The steady stream of SFCC’s strong, dedicated leaders -
Proclaiming Liberty to the Captives
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed…” (Luke 4:18)
The San Fernando Christian Community Jail Mission Team has been active for almost two years. And God has been faithful by giving us a glimpse of His works behind the scenes. In prison, one’s life would seem to be put on hold. The inmates see nothing but a dead end street ahead. But God’s light can penetrate and obliterate any darkness. His love cannot be deterred by prison bars. That is why volunteers sacrifice their Monday mornings to bring hope to the hopeless and the Truth that Jesus died for them, too. They bring the Good News that with Jesus, there is another chance at life. Even when confined within prison walls, they can be set free.
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LifeChurch Roxas Visits SFCC
What an eventful week for San Fernando Christian Community! This week, Pastor Rey Pactanac from LifeChurch Roxas, along with some of his Primary & 144 leaders visited the center. Each of them was very gracious to share their hearts to the congregation. A Leadership Mentoring was held for 2 days at the SFCC Worship Hall. Those who participated received an outpouring of fresh insight & wisdom. Everyone was encouraged, refreshed, and given a new eagerness to live the life of a true believer & disciple. Pastor Rey was also the special guest speaker at the monthly event, Soaking, as well as the Saturday & Sunday services.
LifeChurch Roxas headed by Pastor Rey 
“Maraming magandang mangyayari sa iyo kapag sumusunod ka sa Panginoon!” (“A lot of good things will happen to you if you obey Him.”) 
“Dapat excited tayo na mag-share, dahil ang dala-dala natin ay Magandang Balita—Salita ng Diyos!” (“We should be excited to share because what we bring to the people is Godd News—His Word!”) 
“Ikaw ang ilaw sa tahanan mo.” (“You are the light in your own homes.”) 
Learning hour is happy hour. -
Teaching Children Effectively
No one can deny that today’s influences factoring in our children’s overall development can be dangerous. They are being reached from every angle by varying social, political, and religious views. Technology has become their nurse and mentor. Everything has become impersonal, superficial, and, let’s face it—with zero relevance, contributing nothing to the desired growth of the child. With that disturbing fact, we realize that we can play a huge role in battling it.
Fact: children need to know Jesus. They need to know the Truth—that He loves them, that He died for them, and that He wants to have a personal relationship with them. We affirm that one of our main goals is to introduce Jesus to them. “We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the LORD, His power, and the wonders He has done. He decreed statutes and established the law, which He commanded our ancestors to teach their children, so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Then they would put their trust in God and would not forget His deeds but would keep His commands.” (Psalm 78:3–7)
In this generation, there is an influx of information, leaving no room for undeniable Truth. These kids are left with no goals, no vision, and no reason to live for.
Children are precious in God’s sight. If we read the Scriptures, we will realize that children are not just mentioned, but are very prominent in the Bible. Indeed, there are more than 1,500 references to children and childhood (including orphans). Very often children and youth are found playing important, even crucial roles in the outworking of God’s plans. The question is not how many children in our society are ‘unreached’. The question is who will reach out to them?At San Fernando Christian Community, upgrading is a way of life. With the desire of improving the foundation, skills, and knowledge of the Champion Kids volunteers, SFCC invited CEF (Child Evangelism Fellowship) to conduct a 5-day training on Teaching Children Effectively. The course is designed to offer a fresh approach to evangelizing and teaching children based on spiritual and educational principles. The objectives of the course includes providing increased knowledge about the spiritual needs of children, using effective methods of evangelism, and making use of practical ideas to make learning enjoyable.
With these added skills, SFCC is confident that more kids will be blessed.
The TCE students take turns presenting their prepared demo teaching. After that, they get critiqued and are given pointers.
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Loving His House
San Fernando Christian Community is second home to everyone. It is a house church that reflects God’s qualities and His character. The community lifestyle is patterned in the spirit of love, faith, truth, forgiveness, and grace. We love each other, readily forgive each other, mourn with those who mourn, laugh with those who laugh, celebrate each other’s victories and breakthroughs, receive and give grace, readily extend a helping hand, and touch base with God and all His truth, love, & forgiveness.It was no surprise, really, that the during the onslaught of the latest Typhoon Lando (international name Koppu), there was still a decent number of attendees. The awful storm did not deter them to brave the winds and attend the Sunday services (Oct. 18, 2015). When I asked around, intense hunger for the Word was the number one factor that drove them out of the comfort of their homes. Job’s words in Job 23:12 says, “I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” There is a longing and desire and a craving that God has built into them. It’s a very natural and a very normal thing.The second factor was their concern for the condition of the church building and its grounds. They came armed & ready to lend a helping hand. Debris, fallen branches, & leaves were cleared from the courtyard. Tents were dismantled to keep them from getting torn by the fierce wind. That happened in between the 2 services held.To borrow a show business phrase, ‘the show must go on’. This, too, is part of the SFCC culture—that the vision will be carried no matter what happens, whatever it costs, and whatever it takes.
Clearing the courtyard of fallen leaves 
Dismantling the courtyard tent lest it be torn to pieces by the angry Lando 
‘Bayanihan’ is a spirit of communal unity & cooperation. This is how we love the house! 
Isaiah 25:4a says, “for you have been…a shelter from the storm…” 
Meanwhile, outside, the storm rages on. 
The decent turnout at the Sunday services. Yes, this is our church. This is our house. Photo credits: Christopher Cornelio -
If You Are AvailABLE, God Will Make You ABLE
“So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.”—Galatians 6:9-10 (MSG)
San Fernando Christian Community is blessed to see God moving in our lives. God is continuing to open doors of opportunity. Different communities, establishments, facilities, and campuses have accommodated us, giving us a platform to share the love of Jesus. Truly, God is taking San Fernando City by storm!
Right now, we are at an exciting stage in our church growth—physically & spiritually. And with growth comes the need to increase along with it. God’s grace has supplied us with faithful, selfless, committed volunteers who come on weekends or whenever they are called. However, we need more. In fact, we need all the help we can get. No special requirements except for your willingness, teachability, and availability. You are the MIRACLE others are waiting to see happen! Share a smile, lend a hand, invest your time, talent, and energy, and see God move through you and within you!
Be a part of God’s eternal plan!
1 Peter 4:10 says, “Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time.” (MSG)
Here are some of the teams where you can serve as volunteer:
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Let's Be Friends: Bonding with a Band (A SOL 1 Team Project)
Anyone can be creative and make use of what they have and who they know in order to make things happen. In this case, SOL 1 students named Team Him organized an event, inviting the people they met at the Logos Hope Ambassador Program as special guests. They borrowed the Ilocanos Sur Barangay Hall as venue.
Among the members was widowed mother Mayeth Mikitpikit who used her connections to invite the event’s main attraction—a live acoustic band. It was also to her credit that she volunteers as a Guest Relations greeter every Sunday at the center. She applied her training as GR in welcoming and entertaining the guests, making them feel at home and relaxed.
The once shy, soft-spoken Irhea Panit has come out of her shell. Usually contented to be in the background, she took center stage and spoke in front of the guests as host.Matthew Agcaoili used his training as a Multimedia volunteer at SFCC to set up the sound system for the band. His artistic creativity was also applied in decorating the venue’s mini stage and photo booth.
Sandelyn Nuesca, a 19-year
old student took the reins and led her teammates into making the event a meaningful one.
It was a successful event due to the fact that each of the team members made use of what they had (talents, resources, connections) and pooled them together to work as one. The bond that was formed between the organizers and the guests did not end when the event ended. The guests also accepted the invitation to attend SFCC’s soaking and weekend services. Truly a testimony that a ‘whatever it takes’ attitude achieves the goal—to win souls for Jesus!
The acoustic band was willing to pitch in their talents for free. 
The participants enjoyed the ice breaker. 
Good clean fun for everyone. 
Leading them to prayer. 
Friendships are formed when someone takes the initiative to reach out.
