Balikatan Ministry- commitment ceremony!

contributed by Andrina Tan

It was indeed a very joyous occasions for all the ICPE missionaries who had been journeying with the Balikatan members. On 23 January 2009, 34 Balikatan members expressed their public commitment to deepen their walk of faith with Christ through prayer and living out the gospel values in their daily life. As a community, they also committed to deepen in relationships and support for one another- truly expressing their call to be Balikatan – shoulder to shoulder in Filipino.
Many of the members expressed their joy and excitement in taking this step. Issac Melmida, a member since 2009, shared his feelings of excitement as taking this commitment means he is even more ready to serve in Balikatan and to be a good Christian.

Fourteen of the Balikatan members have also been selected to serve as leaders in the group. They are currently under-going leadership training which would equip them with skills to lead cell-groups and Bible reflections. The leadership training emphasizes servant leadership, taking Christ as role-model. The training reinforced the concept of a leader as one who not only tells others what to do but leads by example and lives out Christian values so that other members can model after them.
Balikatan started out as a weekly meeting for adults in Montalban. From the humble beginnings of a handful of members, it has now expanded to a group of about 40 committed members with some taking up leadership roles. The commitment to spiritual growth of our members as well as their eagerness to invite their friends to join our meetings has enabled this group to grow steadily in numbers and has also become a place where friendships are built and where faith stories are shared.