NATIONAL OFFICERS CONFERENCE

WHAT WE SOW NOW,
THEY WILL REAP DECADES FROM NOW!
Rev. Gamaliel B. Filio, Evangelista General
Gal 6:7
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. KJV

CONFLUENCE
We consider this National Officers Conference as a Prelude to A UNIFIED ACTION – a CONFLUENCE of the SHEPHERD and his FLOCK. A time when all things, ideas, theologies, ideologies, laws and events must conjunct, juxtapose, fuse, and merge into one single question: WHERE ARE WE GOING?.
We have to settle first where we are going before we even begin to devise ways of FLOWING TOGETHER to get there. This is the very essence of STRATEGIC PLANNING. FLOWING TOGETHER with the POWER OF ONE.
John 14:5
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"
NIV

A VOW TO REACH THE GOAL
First, a Shepherd-Leader should sit down and think. Set a direction. And target a single goal. One that can be remembered. Three, four, or at the most 10 words. For a period of one or two decades. And then plan the infrastructures needed to the accomplish the goal. Then make a vow to God to reach the goal.

KAISA! KAISA! KAISA
PALAGUIN ANG IGLESIA!!

WINNOWING
Once the question of where one is going is settled then it is time to separate the chaff from the grain. All activities should be planned and devised towards reaching the place pinpointed or zeroing in on the status desired. Consequently, all activities that are counterproductive or does not contribute to the attainment of the goal is discarded and left.

Conceptualizing
•It should always be CONCEPT before ACTION. A plan before movement. The WHere should always precede the HOW. Everything proceeds from the concept. All things that follows are how to do activities that proceed from the concept.

Borrowing Activities
•The easiest way is to import an activity. But the hardest part is to trace the concept from which that activity emanated. Foreign concepts do not always fit local needs nor concerns. That is just like fitting a round peg into a round hole.
Conceptualizing and Initiating Activities
· We must learn how to conceptualize and initiate our own activities as did our forefathers.


When the winnowing is over, then one will know how much money is really needed and only necessary funds will be budgeted.

OUR REASON FOR BEING
Why are we here? Why do we exist? The Church must realize the reason for its existence. Where it is coming from and where it is going.

•To develop the ability to forge the unity of the whole church towards expanding the borders of the work of the church. UNIDA IS KAISA!


• Upang linangin ang kakayahang pandayin ang pagkakaisa ng buong iglesia patungo sa pagpapalawak ng hanggahan ng Gawain ng iglesia. ANG UNIDA AY KAISA!

SETTING THE DIRECTION
THE RESPONSIBILITY OF LEADERSHIP IS TO SET DIRECTIONS. It is the rudder that points to where and how fast the church should go. Their task is to make sure that the flock does not lose its SENSE OF DIRECTION. Because it is so easy to get lost in a world that is cluttered with so many ideas, theologies, technologies, media-mind-conditioning, enticing seminars and books and so many charismatic but false prophets that mislead and make man lose sight of God and His Great Commission for the Church and its flock. If the leadership has no sense of WHERE IT IS GOING the flock will just flounder on.
However, this sense should come from within like a geiger counter. From our identity, what and who we are, our heritage from our forefathers who bonded Iglesia Evangelica Unida de Cristo following the Acts of the original Apostolic Church.
We begun as ONE and must continue to act as a church that originated from the first Christian Apostolic Church that was founded by Christ in Caesaria Philippi. We must also value our Presbyterian roots and also be responsive to the changes around us. But we must act together and resist the tendency to flow in different directions. We must value who we are and what we have that enabled a small and financially poor church called Unida to reach more than seven decades of fruitful existence.

WHO ARE WE?
“An EKKLESIA that is One and United in the Worship of One God in Spirit and in Truth.”
From the beginning up to now, and yes, from our forefathers up to us today - WE ARE ONE. In 1932 our church founders (mga tagapangulong tagapaglingkod ng iglesia) wrote an open letter addressed to us and using a term that is so wonderful & poignant & apt: “sa inyong MGA KAPILAS NG AMING KALULUWA.” Wow, the term in English came to be used only in the 1980’s - SOULMATES. Unida members are all soulmates – ONE. Mula nuong una hanggasng ngayon, sila at tayo ay magkapilas ng kaluluwa. May kabuluhan ang ISA.
The essence of being ONE is as old our Church. It is embodied in that letter when they said: Ang kabuuan ng dakilang layon ng Dios sa ating paglalakip-lakip ay ang tayo na mga tingting na nakasabog sa ating kapuluan..... ay mabigkis ng matibay na TALI NG BANAL NA PAG-IISA sa pananampalataya, pag-asa at pag-big na lalong pinakadakila sa lahat. This is our heritage.

THE POWER OF ONE
•ONE WORSHIP
•ONE PRAYER
•ONE BAPTISM
•ONE FAITH
•ONE GOD
•ONE SPIRIT


A UNIQUE AND DISTINCT CHURCH - We are the only church in the world that chooses their leaders the Apostolic Way. God chose the name of our church, IGLESIA EVANGELICA UNIDA DE CRISTO and since the inception of our church, God chose the leaders, the Generales who led our church for the last 73 years. By means of pelotilya or drawing of lots that was laid down in the Acts of the Apostles we avoided church politics. We should be proud of this and this should bind us together.
We are also a church that has a distinctive way of praying every time we break bread together – by singing the following:
Pagpalain Mo po, O aming Dios
Ang mga biyayang mong kaloob
Itulot mo nawa na magdulot
Ng kalakasang ipaglilingkod! Amen.
If it pleases everyone I suggest that we do this before every meal in this Officers Conference.
Unida members know each and greet each other and embrace and beso-beso each other everytime they meet. And during every occasion “hindi matapos-tapos ang kwentuhan at halos ayaw nang maghiwalay.”
And lastly, the Unida Church is indigenous. A Pilipino Church composed of Pilipinos and run by Pilipinos.

OUR WORK
“Bringing the Message of the Saving Grace of the Lord to all creatures in every corner of the world.”
There is ONE Work. To plant and establish churches. And to add to the church daily such as should be saved.
In 1901, an American, Rev . James Rogers, regarded as the first Protestant Evangelist started planting the gospel of the Saving Grace of the Lord in this Roman Catholic Nation. Rev. Tomas Filio picked it up and was followed later by his nephew Rev. Eugenio R. Filio and other Unida Evangelist who started what they called then “Propaganda” for the Evangelical Faith in towns and barrios, in the process establishing churches. In 1957 at Unida’s 25th Anniversary there were 25 strong churches namely Central, Matangtubig, Gagalangin, Sociego, Bagong-Ilog, Baclaran, Caloocan, Tipaz, Novaliches, Imus, Medicion, Caridad, Bacoor, Dasmarinas, General Trias, Anabu, Bacao, Salawag, Malabag, Marulas, Panginay, Sipat, Atlag, Mambog, Carolina.
They are still around and are performing quite well. Now, we are 85 churches and 50 mission points. These are products of the pastors and missionaries that followed one by one, planting churches. The legacy goes on.
OUR HOPE
RUNNING TOWARDS THE FINISH LINE
THE BINDING OF THE ONES INTO ONE DYNAMIC BODY
“The Hope that Jesus will be with them to the end of the ages at the coming of the Kingdom of God.”
We are binded together with this HOPE. And with this in us, we serve God. And there is nothing like a common GOAL that can unite us.

AIMING FOR A FULLY-ARMORED ROYAL PRIESTHOOD

OUR age, times, and world demand of us to establish a church that is fully-equipped to meet the challenges brought about by the Great Commission in a world that is constantly being changed by Information and Communication Technology and the advances in science & modes of transportation that are changing the outlook and values of man. The world is continually being compressed into a GLOBAL VILLAGE. How should the Church respond?
Pastor-Shepherd-Leaders (PSL) must be fully equipped in areas of church administration and concerns not traditionally regarded as part of the work of a CHURCH. This will enable them to respond with confidence to what is happening around them. The future is definitely here already and is not something still to be yet anticipated. The PSLs must guard against finding themselves lacking in personal equipment and the whole church membership must likewise be fully equipped for royal priesthood.
The church and the workers in God’s Vineyard today cannot afford to be ONE DIMENSIONAL. They must strive to be MULTI-DIMENSIONAL.
It is our belief that Strategic Planning is Biblical and it is about time, if not yet late, for the Unida Church to do this. We must now AIM FOR ROYAL PRIESTHOOD IN FULL ARMOR. Royal Priesthood refers first to the Pastors, then the Laity-Professionals, the Organizations, and the whole membership of the Unida Church. But a National Church Development Plan must first be formulated, discussed, debated, approved, submitted to God and implemented.

IT’S TIME TO EQUIP
Ecclesiastes 3:1
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” KJV

FULLY-ARMORED
Eph 6:13-14 “Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” NIV

FOR ROYAL PRIESTHOOD
1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light

WITH THE POWER OF ONE
KAISA defines how ONE can acquire the power of a MULTITUDE! The Kaisa Spirit comes from the prayer of Jesus and this is where its power comes from.
John 17: 11b “Holy Father, protect them by the Power of Your Name – the Name you gave me – so that they may be ONE as we are ONE.”
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be ONE, Father, just as You are in me and I am in you.”

Our Aims for the Term:
•To fully equip ministers for royal priesthood by means of a PASTORS PERSONAL ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM.
Upang sangkapan ang mga manggagawa sa maharlikang pagpapastol sa pamamagitan ng PASTORS PERSONAL ENHANCEMENT PROGRAM.

•To develop the ability to mobilize each and every member to a meaningful ministry in the local and national church.
Upang linangin ang kakayahang hamigin ang bawa’t isang kaanib upang magamit sa makabuluhang ministeryo sa iglesia lokal at nasyonal.

•To develop the ability to plant and establish local churches that are self-sustaining, self-governing, and self-propagating.
Upang linangin ang kakayahang magtanim at magtayo ng mga iglesiang may kakayahang suportahan ang sarili, may kakayahang pangunahan ang sarili, at may kakayahang paramihin ang sarili.

•To develop the ability to establish a Fully-Resourced Unida Church.
Upang linangin ang kakayahang magtatag ng isang iglesiang sapat sa pananalapi.

LAYING DOWN INFRA-STRUCTURES FOR THE FUTURE
Strategic Planning requires laying down structures that will effect the future.
What we decide to do or not to do today are relevant to the youth because they will be the leaders tomorrow.

Our batch of youth leaders of the 60’s had a big part in the laying down of the following infra-structures that affects us right now.

1. The First Constitutional Convention in late l960s.
2. The Unida Centralized Budget
3. The Finance Committee
4. The Unida Ministerial Institute & The Unida Lay Leaders Institute
5. The Resistance Against Liberation Theology
6. The Unida Christian Center

The following are some of the infrastructures we wish to be part in laying down for the future.

1. The Unida Professionals for Ministries in the Church
2. The Unified Development Plan for the Unida Church

3. The Bagong Unida Blog