Participants of all ages at Race for LIFE 2009

Families enjoying the 3K walkPeople of all ages, from a one-year-old to an eighty-two year old, ran, walked, and had fun for a great cause. For the aficionados, it was a tough competition. Others, on the other hand, treated it like a walk in the park, spending precious time with their families, walking their dogs, or just hanging out with friends.

Congratulations to all those who finished the race! And thank you for generously participating for the benefit of our Real LIFE scholars. 

You can now view the results of the race here. And check out a few memorable shots from the event at Real LIFE's Facebook page.

One of the flooded areas
affected by typhoon Pepeng

Giving out relief goods But this trying time was an opportunity for the church to reach out to the community. Some of our Victory centers, including Baguio and those in the province of Pangasinan held relief operations. Our Victory Urdaneta center, in particular, serves as the relief center of Operation Blessing. Many of our members in the North have also donated and helped out with relief efforts in their area. This was also an avenue for the local government to connect with the church as it was recognized as one of the major relief centers there. They are currently planning and carrying out medical missions.

 Please continue to support those who were affected by the floods with your help and prayers.

The said church locations will continue to function as drop-off centers for donations. So, if you are planning to bring in more relief supplies, please include over-the-counter medicines specifically pain-relievers, fever, and diarrhea medicines.

For more information about our weekend services, please call your local Victory center or keep yourself updated by following our Twitter and Facebook accounts. These are the phone numbers of Metro Manila Victory Centers you need to remember:

Alabang - (02) 771 1212
Caloocan - (02) 367 2996
Fairview - (02) 431 6164
Fort Bonifacio - (02) 813 3678
Greenhills - (02) 584 1212
Malate - (02) 522 1212
Metro East - (02) 631 1212
Ortigas - (02) 631 1212
Pasig - (02) 642 3124
Pioneer - (02) 687 1212
Quezon City - (02) 426 7031
U-Belt - (02) 736 0752
Sta. Rosa - (049) 541 2723

We hope to see you this weekend. Stay safe always.

With the multiple centers opened by Victory to receive and distribute relief goods to flood victims, the experience has been overwhelming but satisfying. Seeing the hundreds of volunteers and donors who have wholeheartedly pitched in what they can to help by giving, praying, and going to distressed areas brings the hope of God’s comfort and mercy amidst the calamity.

These pictures tell about the relief efforts happening at the following Victory relief centers:

Volunteers about to pack goods for distribution
at the Every Nation building

In response to the recent calamity brought about by Typhoon Ondoy, Victory Metro Manila has been doing relief operations for flood victims in Marikina, Pasig, Taguig and other areas.

Specifically, the following Victory Centers are currently open to receive donations, whether in cash or kind:

• Victory Alabang (+63 (2) 771 1212)
• Victory Fort Bonifacio (+63 (2) 8171212)
• Victory Greenhills (+63 (2) 584 1212)
• Victory Malate (+63 (2) 522 1212)
• Victory Ortigas (+63 (2) 631 1212)
• Victory Pioneer (+63 (2) 687 1212)
• Victory Quezon City (+63 (2) 426 7031)
• Victory U-Belt (+63 (2) 736 0752)
• Victory Malolos (09228424403)
• Victory Los Baños (+63 (49) 536 8201)
• Victory Sta. Rosa (09228424403)

The following items are considered priority goods to be donated:

• Clothes
• Bottled water
• Baby milk formula
• Canned Goods
• Bread
• Medicine (Biogesic, Neozep, Diatabs, Alaxan, etc)

For donations in kind, Victory is receiving cash and check donations at the centers stated above.

For those interested in making bank donations, please follow the following instructions:

PESO ACCOUNT
Account name: Victory Christian Fellowship
Account no: Current acct no. 0821-0298-13
Bank name:  Bank of the Philippine Islands
Bank address: Fort Serendra Branch Ground Floor Serendra Retail Area Bonifacio Global City. Taguig City

DOLLAR ACCOUNT
Account Name: Victory Christian Fellowship
Account Number:  Dollar savings account no. 0824-0542-58
Swift code: BOPIPHMM
Bank Name: Bank of the Philippine Islands
Bank Address: Fort Serendra Branch Ground Floor Serendra Retail Area Bonifacio Global City, Taguig City

Please email carol.almadin@everynation.org.ph with the following information so that we can confirm your deposit:

Your name
The Victory church you're a member of (if applicable)
The Name of the Organization on behalf of whom you're giving the donation (if applicable)
The dollar or peso amount deposited
Date deposited
Bank branch

THROUGH CREDIT CARD
Philippine-based donors may call 8171212 (9:00am to 5:00pm Philippine time) and inform the operator you would like to make a credit card donation to Every Nation Ministries for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy. You will be connected to a representative who will take down your information.

International donors (persons based outside the Philippines) may process their credit card donations through the Every Nation Ministries donation gateway.

Thank you very much and please do continue to pray for those who are affected by Typhoon Ondoy.

For more updates, follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Plurk. You can also check photos on Flickr and videos on Youtube.

First Sunday gathering of Victory RoxasVictory Roxas
In November 2007, Pastor Richard Escosar was sent from our church in Iloilo to start the church plant in Roxas City. As outreach activities began in campuses the following year, students started to get to know God and they consistently attended small groups. Soon, more people began meeting in different areas in Roxas City. Last August 9. Victory Roxas started its weekly Sunday service.


Over 240 people at Victory Bayombong's launch

Victory Bayombong
Victory Bayombong was launched last August 16. Over 240 people attended their first service, including new members and visitors from other Victory churches. With the opening of this new church, we believe that there is a greater opportunity to reach people in Bayombong. Victory Bayombong currently has an average of about 106 people attending weekly.

Victory Bacoor
Another church is about to start in one of the major gateways to Metro Manila. On Sunday, September 20, Victory Bacoor will begin holding its weekly 10 AM Sunday gathering at the second floor of Heritage building along Aguinaldo Highway, Bacoor, Cavite. Let’s invite our friends and family who live near the area.

Anniversaries

A cultural performance during
Victory Sorsogon's anniversary celebrationVictory Sorsogon
Victory Sorsogon recently celebrated their second anniversary. Around 200 people attended the event. Despite being a small city, many doors have opened for us to spread God’s Word. One of the colleges there granted us favor to minister to students on campus and in dormitories.

Victory Malolos
Victory Malolos celebrated their first anniversary last week, September 13. One year ago, the church started with around 180 people attending their regular gathering. Victory Malolos now holds two services at The Cabanas Cinema 2.

With more churches added, more people will have the opportunity to join us weekly. We’ll keep you posted on the ongoing church plants in the provinces and other parts of the country.
 

Participants in last year's race

Real LIFE Foundation is passionate about providing a better future for underprivileged Filipinos by giving them access to a good education and transforming their communities through community service.

Pastors Manny Carlos and Juray Mora
ordained as bishops

Last July 25, the Council of Christian Bishops of the Philippines ordained Pastor Manny Carlos, who oversees Victory Metro Manila and Pastor Juray Mora, who looks after our churches in the provinces, as bishops of our ministry. At the same event, the Victory Ministers Association (VMA) held an induction of pastors, who formally declared their commitment to the organization.

The term “bishop” may be commonly known as a title assigned to religious leaders. But it is important that we understand its biblical significance. The word “bishop” is actually mentioned in the Bible. It comes from the Greek word “episkopos,” meaning overseer, a title that indicates a minister’s specific role and function.

Bishop Ef Tendero, the national director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC), shared three important points to help us understand the reason for recognizing bishops in our ministry.

1. To acknowledge the solemnity of a bishop’s role
2. To build a strong ministry
3. To challenge church leaders toward greater accountability

With the ordination of Bishops Manny and Juray, and with the induction of our pastors, the leadership team of Victory is all the more strengthened. We look forward to what God has in store for us as a spiritual family.

VMA is the voluntary association of all the vocational ministers of Victory including the pastors, campus missionaries, and cross-cultural missionaries. For more information on VMA, visit vma.victory.org.ph.

Over 16,000 people gathered at the Araneta Coliseum for Victory's much awaited twenty-fifth anniversary celebration.  It was a celebration of the past, present, and future—a remembering of God's faithfulness throughout the years.

A series of production numbers depicted how God has moved in the lives of so many people. Song and dance numbers served as testimonies of how people were touched by God’s love. The rendition of both new and familiar songs inspired everyone to live with a sense of purpose—to continue to honor God and make disciples.

Barbie Almalbis Honasan sings about
living with purpose

From an overview of what God is doing today, the program went on to look back at how it all started. By looking into the lives of five young people back in 1984, a short film entitled 180s recounted the history of our ministry. Twenty-five years ago, God led a team of missionaries to bring His message of love to the desperate, lonely, and angry students of Manila’s University Belt. This outreach paved the way for hundreds to encounter God. Today, more than two decades later, God-given dreams are fulfilled and thousands of lives are touched. As the film concluded, the thousands who filled the Araneta Coliseum stood up to worship God for His faithfulness.

Even as many were in tears and worshipping God for the things He has done over the years, the event would not end without a vision of what God had in store for the future. Pastors Steve Murrell and Rice Broocks who were both part of the original outreach team in 1984, collaborated on an encouraging message to impart a greater vision. Pointing to the basics, Pastor Rice Broocks talked about the foundations of what God has called us to do—lift Jesus higher, worship Him, help others know that He loves them, and love one another.

Pastor Steve challenges everyone
to leave the safety of the church
and disciple the nation

Our mission for the past twenty-five years has been about honoring God and making disciples, but Pastor Steve’s message helped everyone see it from a new perspective. “We know what it looks like to disciple an individual—we see a new life and a new direction. We know what it looks like to disciple a family—relationships restored, peace, and harmony. But I believe that in the next few years, we’re going to see what it's like to disciple a nation.” People were inspired to be used as instruments of God’s love to others and the two-hour event ended with people praising God and declaring His greatness.

You can still enjoy Victory@25. More photos and high definition videos of some key highlights will be uploaded for you to watch. Keep visiting victoryat25.com.

Over 16,000 people gathered
at the Araneta Coliseum for Victory@25

Hours after Victory@25, people were still on a high. Professionals, families, and barkadas extended the celebration as they filled coffeeshops surrounding the Araneta Coliseum. Our back-to-back celebrations assembled more than 16,000 delegates from all over the country. It was like one big family reunion, gathering everyone from the youngest members to those who were there since day one.

We saw and learned a lot of new things—from in-house jokes to amazing talents to encouraging stories about changed lives. As we revisited the past, celebrated the present, and envisioned the future, only one thing was repeatedly emphasized and instilled in the hearts of those who were there—God is faithful. Throughout the years, many lives have been transformed by God's love. And His love has spread even to the generations that followed. Today, we are even more excited about what God will do in the next twenty-five years!

The party isn't over yet. Whether or not you were with us during the event, you're all a part of this celebration. Watch out for more photos and video snippets from the afternoon and evening programs at victoryat25.com.

These are all Victory members lined up
at the SM Megamall TicketNet booth

Want to know how it happened? Click here to find out.

Over 400 teachers gathered at the
Every Nation Building for the Educators' Assembly

It takes a lot of skill, diligence, and heart to be a teacher. The role that teachers play in the lives of young people is crucial. Congressman Ruffy Biazon, addressing over 400 teachers at the Educators' Assembly last May 6, put it this way: “You, educators, are the builders of the nation’s future.” Explaining why, he said, “The classroom is where we will shape the mind and character of the next generation.” Beyond knowledge and skill, what the nation needs is a generation of leaders with integrity and character. Thus, beyond the lectures, tests, and assignments, what we need are teachers who reach into the hearts of young people.

Pastor Nixon Ng talks about making an impact
in the lives of studentsPastor Nixon Ng, formerly a professor at De La Salle University, encouraged the teachers with a message entitled, “iTeach.” In the midst of changing times that introduce new methods and tools for teaching, the role of the teacher remains unchanged. Here are his three points on how to make a significant impact in the lives of students:

1. iReach – Reach beyond competence to character.

2. iTouch – Touch not just the head but the heart.

3. iEach – What you can’t do for everyone, you can do for someone.

Teachers spend so much time and energy to make lesson plans, amplify their voices class after class, check assignments and test papers, and sometimes go out of their way to help students. It seems like a 24/7 job. Yet many are unthanked. Last week’s Educators’ Assembly aimed to appreciate, give tribute to, and inspire these teachers. Aside from the encouraging messages, food, and simple gift, teachers were also presented with a video of students who were touched by their service and devotion. Check out the video below!

School of Church Planting
  Church leaders in this program are equipped with the necessary leadership and ministry skills to plant a church. Here, they learn basic principles and processes of church planting, as well as practical skills such as strategic planning and team building. They are also given opportunities to receive training, mentoring, and impartation from our pastors with church planting experiences. Last year, two batches with a total of nineteen students were equipped through our School of Church Planting.

School of Local Church Ministry                The goal of the School of Local Church Ministry is to raise ministers who can serve effectively in the different ministries of a growing church. This includes associate pastors, pastoral and administrative staff, and leaders of specialized ministries. Some subjects in their curriculum include the theology of ministry, crucial issues in ministry, basic church administration and management, and other topics to help them become more effective in their ministries. The School of Local Church Ministry started its first run last August 5. The fifteen students of our first batch graduated last October 6.  

School of World Missions
The School of World Missions is where we train future missionaries who are capable of adapting to and engaging any given culture to effectively evangelize, disciple, plant churches and raise up local leaders. Formerly a ten-month program, the school has revised its curriculum. Students now undergo a five-month program, which includes topics that talk about culture, strategy, and an overview of the missionary life. The first batch, which included students from different parts of the globe, went through the new curriculum from October last year to March of this year. We believe that these twenty cross-cultural workers will be a blessing to nations in Asia, Africa, and North America as they go to their respective mission fields.

ENLI is committed to raising a new generation of leaders. We look forward to this school year as we see more people getting trained and equipped for the purpose that God has for their lives. For those of you who have a heart for the ministry, you may talk to your small group leader or local church ministers for more information.