september 2007
WIN Youth Gather To Press On
By Paolo Manuel
Over a hundred and thirty young peo-
ple gathered for five days of fun fellowship,
passionate worship and powerful anointing
at the Pinecrest Christian Conference Cen-
ter in Twin Peaks, California on August 9-
13, 2007, for the annual Soul Anchor youth
camp hosted by the Pyros Youth Ministry of
Word International Ministries Los Angeles.
Entitled “Pressing On,” this year’s camp
theme followed the apostle Paul’s advice to
the church in Philippi as outlined in Philip-
pians 3: “Forgetting what is behind and
straining toward what is ahead [to] press
on toward the goal to win the prize.”
This year’s attendance was the largest
so far. Starting out in 2004, the first Soul
Anchor camp only had around thirty attend-
ees. Soul Anchor 2007 displayed tremen-
dous growth as it doubled in attendance
from last year.
In previous years, only WIN churches
from California and Nevada attended the
camp; this summer, churches from outside
these two states also attended the camp.
Three WIN churches from Washington com-
prised of Kent, Auburn, and Tacoma, along
with WIN Houston and WIN Hawaii, joined
the California churches for the first time this
year. This is historic as thirteen of the six-
teen WIN churches in the United States at-
tended. It is clear that Soul Anchor is being
used to unify the youth of the WIN church-
es in America in preparation for a growing
revival and a global harvest.
The youth who attended the camp
were assigned to a cell group to help ca-
ter to their specific needs, with two of the
ten groups composed of college students.
Members of the cell groups were able to
minister to each other through prayer,
studying the Bible, and fellowship under
the leadership of two cell leaders. No one
really knew how to gauge the expectations
of the campers, as almost half of them were
first-timers. But as camp progressed, the
leaders found open hearts that were will-
ing to engage with one another, and most
importantly, with God.
Each session, which was a time of
breaking free of bondages and sins and
issue vi
committing or re-dedicating lives to Christ,
began with dynamic, energy-filled praise
and passionate worship. Even on the very
first night, the youth already let go of their
inhibitions. They were so energized to give
their unreserved praise to their God that
they jumped and danced around without
reluctance. The youth definitely shook the
place up as the second floor of the building
was noticeably moving up and down with
the jumping of a hundred and thirty people.
Every succeeding session saw amazing re-
sponses to altar calls as young people felt
the presence of the Holy Spirit with increas-
ing intensity.
Speakers from outside the WIN net-
work graced the sessions with youth-ori-
ented teachings. Tatsuo Akamine of Global
Revival Mission and Asians Together, Jona-
than Ngai from Transformations Ministry,
Dawn Beard of Jesus Revolution USA, and
Dr. Maurice Sklar (whose children attended
the camp), a world-renowned violinist were
among the anointed speakers at this year’s
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camp. Of course, Pastor Chito Cordero and
Pastor Mark Briones of WIN also shared
powerful words.
Workshops that addressed common
issues that young people face today were
also conducted. Liel and Steve Wills taught
on sexual purity; Alex Cabansagan spoke to
the college students about issues concern-
ing college life; and Priscilla Rhitaporn ad-
dressed the high school crowd on topics like
peer evangelism and temptations in high
school.
Every year, Soul Anchor also has a
night that showcases talents within the
different cell groups represented in camp.
This year, the campers had two tasks chal-
lenging their creativity. Half of the groups
were asked to use the theme of a popular
Hollywood movie to present a Bible story.
For example, one group was assigned to
tweak the plotline of the movie “300” by
bringing in the story of David and Goliath.
This not only forced them to work together
as a group, but to be creative and to display
their thespian talents.
The other five cell groups were as-
signed to rewrite the lyrics to popular secu-
lar songs on the radio and “Christianize”
these lyrics. With a little brainstorming and
a lot of creativity, the campers were able
to not only come up with an even better
version of songs such as “Umbrella” and
“Dontcha,” but they were able to supple-
ment their performance with fun choreog-
raphy.
Another event that deserves to be high-
lighted is the water baptism. On Wednes-
day morning, 20 campers–the highest
number of any camp in the past–decided to
publicly confess their faith in Jesus Christ as
they chose to be baptized in water, which
signifies the death of the old self and the
rebirth and a new life in accordance to the
Holy Spirit. As these campers were getting
baptized, the rest of the campers prayed
over them and sang songs that spoke of
commitment and new life.
The different youth who went to camp,
coming from all walks of life, carried differ-
ent emotional and spiritual baggages. The
unique stories of the individual campers
intertwined with one another as each one
had the same realization: there is a prize to
be attained at the end of the race. Lead-
ers and campers alike realized that God has
made His power available to His children.
This fresh download of strength and passion
from above and the opportunity to break
free from past hurts and spiritual bondage
fueled everyone at the camp to press on.
Two months have passed already, and
the youth are still fired up. They made a
commitment on that mountain to live lives
devoted to God and to
share their powerful
experience with their
friends, family, class-
mate, and churches.
They experienced rev-
elations and a fresh
touch from the Holy
Spirit. The youth will
undoubtedly remem-
ber that the experi-
ence they had did not
stop when they went
down that mountain.
They are still burning
with passion and ex-
citement. Knowing that God has given His out the commitment they made to God;
all to His children, they continue to carry they continue to press on toward the goal.
070707 Answering
The Call
:
For Praying & Fasting
By Rizza Aldaba
The Saturday of July 7, 2007, dawned
as an ordinary Saturday for some, but for
countless Christians around the world, the
date 070707 signifies a unique and pro-
phetic date a hundred years in the making,
and considered to be a millennial date that
will not be repeated throughout this de-
cade or century.
On this day, hundreds of thousands of
Christians assembled in the Titans’ Stadium
in Nashville, Tennessee, to stir up and cry
out for revival in America. Before the as-
sembly took place, renowned revivalist Lou
Engle led the people in a prophetic action
by walking down Church Street, and then
down 40th Street, which leads to a bridge
over a river that crosses unto Titan Stadi-
um.
This prophetic gesture signified the
moving of the church, the 40 years that Pastor Mark preaches on revival for this
have passed since the Jesus Movement generation on 070707.
and the infamous Summer of Love, and the
crossing over of the people towards God’s wards parents.
call. This anticipated event was dubbed Pyros and the WIN LA congregation
as The Call Nashville, and its main purpose also participated as a whole in 40 days of
was to usher in a revival with a new sound fasting and prayer, with members of the
among a new generation that will bring church fasting in a variety of ways from
about a great spiritual harvest. full food fasts to media fasts, all ending on
In response to The Call Nashville, Pas- 070707.
tor Mark led Pyros, with the help of some of It was certainly a day of release, resto-
our brethren from the WIN Artesia church, ration, and revival. It was the perfect mo-
in a worship and prayer gathering to inter- ment to set our hearts right, as well as to
cede for the nation and the current issues prepare for the much-awaited camp, which
that our country and generation have been was only a couple of days away at that
facing, such as abortion, pornography and time.
the controversies in the government. There After forty years, a new generation has
was an opening up of hurts and bitterness risen up from the ashes, ready to take hold
between generations as some parents con- of God’s purpose, for such a time as this. In
fessed their mistakes to the children and Pastor Mark’s words, “we need to act now
the children confessed their hostilities to- or suffer the repercussions”.

the Fireside
I always believe that as Christians, we
need to live our lives so that they please
God, and not to live lives that simply please
the people around us. Our focus must be
on God, not on man. Nothing we can do as
people can please God except the things we
do through faith.
It is one of the paradoxes of Christiani-
ty. Only when we learn that we can’t please
God in our own strength can we then start
to please God. So how do we live to please
God? Is it possible?
Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith, it
is impossible to please God because anyone
who comes to Him must believe He exists
and rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
So with faith and in faith, we can certainly
please Him. What an awesome privilege it
Crosspoint Sparks New Beginnings
By Joanna Cordero
Young people respond to the call for consecration and anointing.
Expectant hearts filled the Pacific Com-
munity Center in Glendale once again as
youth from all over California gathered to
receive a fresh touch from God on Friday,
August 10, for Pyros’ annual Crosspoint
Youth Rally.
While a southern California Crosspoint
rally takes place every year, the results were
anything but traditional. In preparation for
this night, the Pyros leaders had been pray-
ing fasting for weeks.
With youth from Glendale, Cerritos,
Los Angeles, WIN Inland Empire, WIN Sili-
con Valley, WIN Orange, Word for the World
South Bay, and Heights Worship Center in
attendance, as well as invited friends, class-
mates and walk-ins, the high-energy event
“And without faith it is impossible to please God...”
is that we can please God, the creator of
Heaven and earth, the Almighty God.
When we are acting in faith, God is
pleased. When we do things from a heart
and an attitude of love, God is pleased, and
when we do things that bring glory and
honor to God, He is pleased. We cannot
operate in the natural realm to please God,
but must move into the supernatural realm
of faith. Faith is not seeing, but still believ-
ing. It is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things unseen.
By faith means a living, active faith, a
faith that knows and follows God, as well
as communes and fellowships with God. It
does not matter what a person does; with-
out faith he cannot please God. It is ut-
terly impossible to please God without faith.
began with a the riveting game of Pik-Pak-
Boom–a Crosspoint favorite–to break the
ice. However, once the fun and games con-
cluded, it was time to truly see the points of
new beginnings God had in store.
During the passionate praise and wor-
ship segment, the youth jumped, danced,
and fervently worshipped as God anointed
the praise team. Hearts were bowed and
humbled as worship leader Pauline Guiuan
challenged the youth to reach out to their
families, friends, and loved ones, reminding
them that the message of salvation is too
important to keep to oneself.
As worship concluded, Pastor Mark in-
troduced the speaker , Pastor Nelson Bartie,
from Victory Outreach in Carson. Before he
issue vi
Hebrews 11:6
Without faith, a person has to plow through
this life all alone and handle all the trials,
temptations, sufferings, accidents, diseas-
es, and death by himself. Without faith, a
person stands all alone in this world, utterly
without God. It is impossible for him to
please God.
J.G. Stripe said that faith is like a
toothbrush; everybody must have one and
everybody must use it.
Let us be men and women who please
God and not people who seek to please
each other. Remember, we can only do this
through faith, as it is impossible to please
God without it.
Blessings,
Pastor Mark
began his message, he called upon his wife
Isabella to give her brief yet powerful testi-
mony, sharing her story of past gang affili-
ation, teen pregnancy, and God’s power to
transform and break free, to speak into the
lives of the youth.
The fiery and passionate speaker re-
turned to the microphone and shared his
similar testimony of gang affiliation and a
rough background. With the Word sealed
into his heart, he began sharing out of 1
Samuel, asserting that after the house of
the priest Eli was cursed due to the wicked-
ness of his sons, the Lord called the young
Samuel to speak His truth to share with all
of Israel.
Pastor Nelson challenged the youth,
calling them out of be the Samuels of this
generation, to be the ones to say “Speak,
Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam-
uel 3:9). He proposed that regardless of
what it takes, we must share the Gospel to
everyone we encounter, making them truly
aware of the afterlife without salvation.
After sharing his compelling sermon,
Pastor Nelson called a powerful altar call,
daring the youth to step up in faith to be
the ones bold enough to share His mes-
sage. Hearts were rescued, rededicated,
and refreshed, and as the night ended, new
journeys began.

Sister Act
A Look Into The Lives of Sandra & Joanna Cordero
As the two daughters of Pastor Chito
Cordero, their names and faces are familiar
to the pastors, youth groups and members
of the different Word International Minis-
tries churches throughout the world. San-
dra and Joanna Cordero can almost be con-
sidered the “First Daughters” of the WIN
network.
But there’s definitely a lot more to
these two than just being pastor’s kids.
Sandra, 19, and Joanna, 18, are known
for being strong youth leaders in the Pyros
youth ministry, carrying a variety of respon-
sibilities, and for being achievers and role
models, excelling academically and in ev-
erything else they are involved in.
Sandra, the older of the two, is a cur-
rent business major in her second year at
University of California, Irvine. She was one
of the very first members of the Pyros youth
ministry, and was the first girl in WIN LA’s
former youth ministry, Young Believers in
Christ (YBIC), when she joined the group in
2000 at the age of 12.
Now one of Pyros’ main leaders, Sandra
is responsible for teaching and coordinating
Bible studies, helping plan the annual sum-
mer camp, singing back-up for the praise
team and discipling younger members.
“I am most proud of the familial at-
mosphere we have,” she says when asked
about Pyros and how it has grown through
the years. “We are all kindred spirits. We
connect on every level imaginable. The
Lord has blessed us with great vision, cha-
risma, and all sorts of talents.”
Outside of the youth group, Sandra
has also performed very well in various
organizations, both in high school and col-
lege. She was president of the Associated
Student Body in her senior year, cheer co-
captain, Filipino club president, and Hoover
leadership representative to the Glendale
Unified School District, among others. She
is formerly part of a UC Irvine hip-hop dance
team called Common Ground.
Joanna, who looks up to her older
sister as a “great accountability partner,
friend, and not only a biological, but also a
spiritual sister,” is also one of the key play-
ers in Pyros leadership. She leads worship,
teaches Bible studies, writes and edits for
the Pyros Torch, helps coordinate summer
camps, and conducts discipleship sessions.
Pyros Youth Pastor
Mark Briones
By Pauline Guiuan
She is poised to leave home and begin
her studies at University of California, Santa
Barbara in September, pursuing a degree in
Communications, as she hopes to work in
the advertising field someday. “Although
I’m dreading saying goodbye to my beloved
family, I’m excited to see why God is lead-
ing me to Santa Barbara,” she says.
A fresh graduate of Hoover High School
in Glendale, Joanna followed in her sister’s
footsteps, also becoming ASB president,
leadership council representative and cheer
co-captain, in addition to being a writer and
copy editor for her school’s newspaper, and
the lead actress in the musical “Once On
This Island.”
Sandra is very proud of her sister. “I
am proud of the young woman Joanna has
become,” she says. “She has a good head
on her shoulders, and she’s a fighter.”
The closeness between the two is
strongly evident. As daughters of one of
the main leaders of Word International Min-
istries, they have together dealt with both
the advantages and the challenges of being
labeled “pastor’s kids.”
“As a pastor’s daughter, I’ve had the
pleasure of being able to go around church-
es and travel all around the world,” says
Joanna. “Being a pastor’s kid is essentially
being born into a ministry God has called
you into even before you were old enough
to realize it and claim it for yourself.”
“Throughout our lives, we have been
able to minister internationally and had the
opportunity to meet all sorts of amazing
people,” Sandra adds.
On mission trips with Pyros, the sisters
are accustomed to talking to people whose
lives their parents’ ministries have touched.
However, according to the two, grow-
ing up as pastor’s kids “is not as easy as it
seems to be.”
“There is constant pressure on us to
do well at everything,” says Sandra. “Our
parents, especially our dad, travel a lot.
Other parents use us as a standard their
children should emulate. Precautions are
taken when we are around. People know
about us before we even meet them. We
are always being watched. It’s almost like
being famous, but with unwanted fame.”
She is also quick to add that the good
outweighs the bad. “We have been blessed
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that our parents have served God faithfully
through the years.”
Joanna says that her position has
strengthened her spiritually. “It has helped
my walk with God, mostly in the area of
leadership, as I have been accustomed to
accountability and being in the church’s
public eye for almost my entire life.”
As the Cordero sisters begin lives in-
dependent of their family and church, they
both begin to fully realize God’s calling upon
their lives.
“Leaving home and church has forced
me out of my comfort zone,” says Sandra,
who still goes home most weekends to visit
her family and attend church. “It is often
said that college is about finding yourself,
but I believe it is more about sorting out
who you are. The most important thing to
remember when in college is who you are in
the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Joanna says the she’s leaving her fu-
ture “as open as possible, trusting that
God’s plans for me are greater than any
plan I could dream up for myself.”
She is excited for the transition in the
youth group as younger members step up
and take her place, as well as those of oth-
ers who have recently left for college, in
leadership. “It will be beautiful to see how
God has and will turn a bunch of regular
kids into a spiritual force to be reckoned
with.”
Both sisters express how proud they
are of the youth group and how it has
helped them grow into the leaders they
are today. “I would like each member to
embrace the calling God has placed upon
their lives and diligently pursue fulfillment
of their destinies,” says Sandra. “God de-
sires for our generation to be the light in the
darkness.”
Contact
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