The Daily NAFAUM Newsletter July 2011

Roll Call

California-Nevada California-Pacific

Canada Cumberland

East Ohio General Board of Discipleship

North Carolina Northern Illinois

North Texas Rocky Mountain

Pacific Northwest Philippines

Virginia By Kathlyn Talapian A Spirit-filled worship that highlighted a message by Bishop Warner Brown officially con-cluded NAFAUM’s first day. Bishop Brown of California Ne-vada Conference challenged the delegates to trust Jesus for He is the bridge that we can always walk on amidst all the hardships of life. Marcia McFee led the crea-tive worship. She served with Exodus Granadosin, the pianist and choir coordinator of the ser-vice. A choir of volunteer dele-gates filled the sanctuary with moving melodies of worship and praise. The youth actively took part in the worship service as

ushers. A journey of faith was initi-ated in the service as everyone walked outside and visited three meaningful stations of their spiritual life. As the delegates wrote the things they would like to let go, they dropped their pa-per in a bowl with water, which instantly dissolved it. Afterward, they visited the second station were Bishop Rudy Juan and Bishop Daniel Arichea Jr. re-minded them of their baptism and the love of God. The last station symbolized the cleansing of our sins. “I was really inspired by the worship tonight. I feel God working in all us,” youth dele-gate Willben Mayugba said.

Welcome! The 13th Biennial Convocation of NAFAUM officially convened yesterday. From Northern California to the Philippines to Chicago, delegates from all over the United States and the Philippines registered in the bi-annual convocation. This year’s NAFAUM is entitled, “Bridging the Waves, Journey to Hope.” The President of NAFAUM, Ruby Bago, officially stated the start of the session. <Joash Mencias>

Bishop Brown Emphasizes Faith to Jesus and His Plans

The Bridge Staff— Kathlyn Talapian (Editor-in-Chief), Joash Mencias (Assistant Editor-in-Chief), Kazelyn Talapian and Celinne Mencias (Contributors), Ptr. David Valera Aquilino Javier Jr. (Resources)

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The Daily NAFAUM Newsletter July 2011

By Joash Mencias

A thumping tribal beat started off the morning yesterday as Marcia McFee led the opening worship. Accompanied by Exodus Granadosin on the piano, the dynamic worship service gave a bright start and welcome to delegates from all over the nation and world. From praise and worship classics to hymns, McFee awakened

the crowd in a dynamic and interactive fashion. McFee’s unique

service came from many years in the worship design business

and a doctorate degree. Marcia McFee will serve as the worship

musical director for the 2012 General Conference in Tampa, FL.

McFee heads Opening Worship

By Joash Mencias

Several key speakers pre-sented the Four Areas of Focus yesterday to inform delegates about the United Methodist an-swer to creating disciples of Jesus Christ to transform the world. Topics included leadership train-ing, church planting, the elimina-tion of poverty, and the Global Health Initiative. Linda Caldwell spoke about

the importance of leadership in

churches. Bener Agtarap pre-

sented the PATH1 movement for

church planting. Bishop Rudy

Juantalked about poverty and

Christians’ role in helping to com-

bat it. David Valera and Ciony

Eduarte spoke about UMCOR

Philippines improving global

health.

Four Areas of Focus DISCUSSED & EXPLAINED

By Kathlyn Talapian With stomachs and hearts full from the delicious lunch filled with fellow-ship, the delegates attended their lec-ture of interest in the afternoon. The choices included a lec-ture forum about pension, which was led by Josie Marti-nez. Rev. Dr. Nam Jin Jun also held an information session on the Asian American Language Ministry, a study that addresses ministry needs among Asian

Americans. The young people gathered in a workshop with Pastor David Valera, wherein they got to know each other and discussed their importance to the society. Lastly, Sandy Jackson led two lectures on lay speaking, which was lasted un-til before dinner.

Nathaniel Mayugba, 18 Student Fresno Christian Fellowship UMC Fresno, CA

How long have you been attending the NAFAUM Convocations? This is my first NAFAUM, and I’m enjoying it very much.

What was your favorite activity yesterday? The youth workshop with Pastor David. I got to know people

and make friends.

5 Things You Didn’t Know About Campbell,

California

By Celinne Mencias

Besides being the home of our host church for NAFAUM, the City of Campbell… -was named after Benjamin Campbell, who bought 160 acres of land in the Santa Clara Valley to cultivate hay and grain. -used to be known for its or-chards & fruit packing companies -had one of the most successful youth baseball teams in the coun-try, winning 14 World Series from 1960-87. -was the original home of eBay and its founder, Pierre Omidyar. -is the birthplace of the fruit cocktail!

Various Workshops,

Different Learning

The Daily NAFAUM Newsletter July 2011

the church gates. Bishop Arichea talked about the annual conferences held by Bishop Tangonan simultane-ously to his. Questions and concerns arose among the delegates. Na-thanael Manuel questioned the justice of the ongoing confer-ence and left. Pastor Debbie Dil-lon called for compassion, re-minding everyone that time heals all wounds. The conference ended with a prayer by Bishop Brown.

To read more, visit the Face-book Account of NAFAUM.

By Kathlyn Talapian “The ‘process’ (on taking ac-tion on the case of Bishop Lito Tangonan) is not about finding facts. The whole point is to reach a resolution,” California-Nevada Conference Bishop Brown said. The NAFAUM delegates lis-tened to the bishops present in the convocation with open hearts and open minds yester-day afternoon. The unsched-uled holy conference was initi-ated by the leaders of NAFAUM to “enable people to dialogue with the key players (of the is-sue) present today and listen firsthand to them,” Pastor David Valera explained. Along with Bishop Brown, Bishop Rudy Juan and Bishop

Hearing the Bishops’ Perspectives on the Philippine Church Controversy

Daniel Arichea Jr. consisted the panel. The holy conference began with the reading of the Pastoral Letter written by the NAFAUM President, Ruby Bago. After-ward, DS Adiel dePano pre-sented the guidelines of a holy conversation. It was followed by the statement of the timeline of the Council of Bishop’s action, which was read by Valera. Bishop Brown explained that Bishop Tangonan has ignored all their invitations for a round ta-ble discussion. Thus, there is no resolution yet on the matter. Bishop Juan and Arichea talked about the current situa-tion of their respective Episcopal Areas. Bishop Juan appealed for prayers for Alicia UMC in Isa-bella, whose pastor has locked

Use the hashtag:

#nafaum2011

and tweet your

NAFAUM experiences!

The Daily NAFAUM Newsletter July 2011

By Joash Mencias

We all know Filipinos are talented, and so, delegates shared songs, dances, and other presentations during “NAFAUM’s Got Talent” last night. From Filipino folk songs to poetic stanzas, a variety of presentations entertained delegates. Pastor Katigbak coordinated the event and hosted the festivi-ties. He said that prior to the night, only as little as three groups signed up. But by talent night, nearly a dozen groups performed. “It was really a blessing to have a turn out higher than expecta-tions”, said Pastor Katigbak. Delegates from Chicago, California, Canada, Nevada, and Texas performed various choral arrangements, praise and wor-ship music, dances, and even oratory pieces.

Read more of the recap of last night’s fun on the Facebook Account of NAFAUM.

Filipinos By Heart and By Music

Rev. Adiel DePano Pasadena District Superintendent California-Pacific Annual Conference

What was the most insightful activity of your day? I was really inspired by Bishop Arichea’s bible study. God cares with what’s happening to us.

What was your goal in coming to NAFAUM?

Brenda and I came to here to reconnect with our brothers

and sisters that we don’t see in a regular basis. We’ll take

away the best experiences that NAFAUM has to offer.

The Bridge Staff—Kathlyn Talapian (Editor-in-Chief), Joash Mencias (Asst, Editor-in-Chief), Linette Romualdo (Staff), Justice Ruben T. Reyes and Henry Pablo III (Contributors)

*Full story of the articles will be posted online tonight

By Henry Pablo III

Pinole UMC

We are five-foot eight humans

Chanting in 175 different dialects

Scratching our tongues

with notes of liberation

Echoing through the mountains

and rice terraces

Through the islands

and white sandy beaches

Through the forests

and coral reefs

And especially through our hearts

We are warriors

Check out the whole poem on

Facebook!

Justice Ruben T. Reyes, the sole Filipino member of the Judi-cial Council spoke during the plenary session. His topic was about the Judicial Council, its nature and functions. Nonetheless, he also talked about the church constitution. Justice Reyes also shared his story of being elected in the Judi-cial Council. Furthermore, he discussed in general terms some of the cases that the Judicial Council has reviewed, providing statis-tics to study. <Linette Romualdo>

By Justice Ruben T. Reyes

The JC, I like to think, exists not merely to resolve unavoidable ques-tions or controversies but, more im-portantly, to do justice, to maintain order and to preserve the stability of the Church. In so doing, we also help keep our cherishable fellowship—hallmark of Methodism—solid and intact. In coher-

ence with our convoca-tion theme, JC decisions can strongly bridge the waves that occasionally rock our journey of faith.

What the JC means to me

Justice Keynotes NAFAUM

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