COW - Talk 1
COW - Talk 1
COW - Talk 1
TALK No. 1: Our Covenant and the Vision & Mission of SFC
Objectives:
• Develop an understanding of what the SFC covenant is, why it is important and how this
applies to their personal life
• Strengthen the SFC members’ desire to deepen their relationship with God through the
Singles For Christ Covenant
• Lead the members to have a sense of ownership of the SFC Vision and Mission and desire to
make it a reality
Speaker’s Profile:
An SFC leader who lives out the SFC covenant in the different aspects of his/her life; someone
passionate about fulfilling the SFC vision and mission
Speaker’s Outline
I. INTRODUCTION
A. What is a covenant?
1. A covenant is a solemn agreement between parties through which they commit
themselves to certain relationships, tasks, obligations or ways of living.
2. In the time of the Old Testament, a covenant was a treaty not between equals,
but between a greater or more powerful person (or group of people, tribe) and a
lesser, less powerful person (or group). It was usually the more powerful person
who initiated the covenant.
3. In the New Testament, Jesus restores the covenant to its original meaning of
being a relationship based on love and forgiveness between God and His people,
rather than merely following countless rules and rituals. He summarizes the 10
commandments into the 2 greatest commandments, love of God and love of
neighbor. These commandments allow us to respond to God in love.
2. Our covenant is not a set of rules that we should follow in order to remain active
members of SFC, or in order to earn God’s love and forgiveness. Rather, as God
intended in His covenant with His people, they are our way of responding to
God’s love for us by striving to grow in our relationship with Him and with one
another, and make Him known by all.
b. We are to live our lives in loving service to God and to one another.
B. What does the SFC covenant ask of me? How have I begun or am I beginning to live
out this covenant since the time I graduated from the CLP? (Refer to the SFC
Covenant at the end of this outline.)
1. In my personal relationship with God – the SFC covenant includes devoting time
for communicating with God through a deeper prayer, scripture, and
sacramental life. It goes to follow that this must reflect in my private and family
life, as I stive to live in righteousness, not living a double life but one consistent
with what the Lord teaches us.
a. Have I scheduled a daily prayer and scripture reading time?
b. Do I pray regularly as scheduled?
Covenant Orientation Weekend v.2011 Page 8
Stage 1 Formation
2. My family and work life – the SFC covenant asks me to bring the Lord and His
message of love wherever I am (family, work, society) and that I use my
resources responsibly and for God’s glory.
a. How have I begun to witness in my family and my workplace?
b. Do I contribute to the unity in our family?
c. Do I do my best in my work?
d. Do I use the resources (financial an otherwise) given to me responsibly?
3. My life as a member of the SFC Community – the covenant unites me with the
rest of the members of SFC in that it allows me to be a faithful and caring
member and at the same time a brother/sister to others.
a. Do I attend the weekly household meetings, monthly chapter prayer
assemblies and other SFC gatherings? This is an important element of my
life in SFC which I must begin to give priority to.
b. Am I punctual in all meetings?
c. Do I intercede for my brothers and sisters in the community?
d. Am I critical about the life and order of the body?
4. My service – the SFC covenant asks that I allow myself to be used by the Lord for
His mission, in whatever way I may be called to serve. This makes me a part in
allowing God to do His work through SFC.
a. Have I invited anyone or told anyone about SFC?
b. Have I been asked to serve, even through simple tasks, in any SFC
activity? Do I accept these assignments with a joyful heart?
c. Am I open to supporting the work of CFC-SFC with my finances? (More on
this in the succeeding talks.)
d. Am I aware of the work of Couples for Christ and its other ministries? Am
I open to supporting them?
5. My growth as a Christian person – the SFC covenant asks that I take seriously my
formation as a Christian through the various avenues for formation that SFC
provides. In this way I will grow in my love for God and for others.
a. Have I attended any teachings, retreats, and conferences of SFC since I
became a member? Am I willing to invest my time and resources on
these formation activities?
b. Do I practice what I learn in all the teachings, retreats, and conferences?
c. Do I seek to be formed? Am I willing to be formed in this ministry?
d. Do I seek to be holy? Do I desire to be holy?
life: in our spiritual life, our family, our workplace, in the SFC community, even
in the way we handle our finances and serve the poor.
C. As members of SFC, we are encouraged to accept the NEW life the Lord is offering us
and to use the SFC Covenant as a tool that will help us take care of this NEW life.
D. The Lord is asking us to decide to make the SFC Covenant our “personal” covenant
agreement with HIM.
E. The SFC Covenant reminds and guides us in our journey towards the fulfillment of
the SFC Vision and Mission. At the end of the day, we are to live our lives with the
pursuit of the SFC Vision as the ultimate goal and with the SFC Mission as our
means.
The SFC vision was re-stated and unveiled to the general membership in the 16th
SFC International Conference in 2008 in Cebu City, Philippines. It is important
that as SFCs we understand this vision and that we desire to make it happen in
our personal lives and in the lives of others. The following describes the
meaning of each word and phrase in the re-stated SFC vision.
1. EVERY
a. The call to Christ is not exclusive only to certain groups (e.g. not only to
Christians, Catholics, or members of renewal groups).
c. The desire to include all people must be rooted in a genuine desire for
everyone to experience Christ and in the belief that everyone deserves to
experience Christ.
i. We have to believe that Christ can transform anyone and
everyone (e.g., Saul converted to become St. Paul the Evangelist)
ii. We have to believe that it is not too late for anyone to come to
Christ (e.g. the thief in Calvary)
d. We believe that the world can be united in Christ. We are united under
one God.
i. Before we think about the world, we know that Christ can bring
reconciliation and unite our families, other communities, broken
friendships and relationships.
ii. We must adopt the spirit of humility that Christ loves all people
equally and that no one is favored more than another or is
unworthy of being included in God’s Kingdom. If this is the spirit,
we can sincerely picture being united under Christ.
2. SINGLE.
a. Our ministry’s primary focus in on the single person by helping him/her
experience Christ, but we believe that everyone around us should be
experiencing Christ through us.
c. Single: Each and every person we interact with, touch, and can influence
i. Our experience of Christ leads us to be Christ experiences to
everyone we are around (i.e,,it is wrong for us to claim to be
experiencing Christ when others around us do not experience
Christ through us)
5. EXPERIENCING CHRIST.
a. We are part of an active and ongoing experience of Christ that leads to
transformation, service, and the pursuit of holiness.
b. Experience vs. Experiencing: God wants us to be experiencing Him
through Jesus Christ
i. “Experience” is a one-time occurrence.
ii. “Experiencing” is a continuous experience.
iii. This is what God wants for us--a relationship that is an ongoing
experience of His love.
c. Experiencing God’s love through Jesus Christ leads us to transformation
i. Our lives are a happy response to God’s immense love for us
• The reason behind our actions (going to household, serving in
Ancop and the Social Ministries, loving others even if it is
difficult and inconvenient, etc.) is love for God.
ii. We are compelled to share and proclaim God to others through
both word and witness
• It is not merely giving talks or quoting Scripture but a life that
reflects God working in us
• It is living out our faith
The SFC mission is taken from the mission of Couples for Christ. This is the
expression of the Mission in the SFC Ministry.
We are FOR Christ and we live like the Apostles as His disciples in the present day
(empowered and led by the Holy Spirit to passionately and unceasingly proclaim
Christ to all nations, establishing a brotherhood of love and sharing, and serving the
poor, the captives, the blind, and oppressed). The totality of our lives is a reflection
of Christ.
V. CONCLUSION
What is the Lord telling us?
• The SFC Covenant is a reminder of our commitment to the Lord in our loving
relationship with Him. Our faithfulness to this covenant will prepare and enable
us to pursue our ultimate goal, which is to live out the SFC Vision in our lives with
the SFC Mission as the means to achieve this.
Reflection Questions
1. Am I ready to commit to having a loving relationship with the Lord through SFC?
2. What specific action steps will I take to deepen my relationship with the Lord?
3. What does the SFC vision mean to me?
4. What is the SFC vision requiring of me?
5. How can I begin to live out the SFC vision in my own life?
II. I will work towards the evangelization and transformation of my work place, my family
and my community.
Put good order in my work situation.
Be a witness of the love and power of the Lord Jesus in my work and in my family.
Be a good steward of all resources entrusted to me.
Be a good citizen of my country, obeying its laws and protecting its environment.
III. I will be a committed and active member of the CFC Singles for Christ.
Attend my small group meetings regularly and support the good order of the
meetings.
Faithfully participate in all the activities of the group.
Relate in love, loyalty to and respect for all my brothers and sisters in the Lord.
Interceded daily for the group and its mission.
May the Lord Jesus Christ help me to be faithful in living out this commitment every day for His
greater honor and glory and for the good of my brothers and sisters.
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