Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Covenant Orientation
Table of Contents
I. The Covenant Orientation Guidelines and Dynamics
a. Goals and objectives
b. Resource persons (Team composition)
c. Materials needed
d. How to conduct a Covenant Orientation
e. Basic schedule of activities
f. Note to the team head
g. Covenant Orientation
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Covenant
Orientation
aims
to
achieve
the
following
goals:
1.
To learn and understand the covenant of a YFC member.
2.
To
renew
and
deepen
commitment
with
Christ.
3.
To develop a sense of identity and responsibility in his/her role as a
believer, a member of the church, family, community and country.
4.
To inspire the young adult as he matures in his Christian life.
5.
To live out the covenant of YFC through the activities.
The following are the list of Resource Persons needed in the team:
1. Team leaders
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One brother as team leader and one sister to be the assistant team
leader. The couple coordinator oversees pastoral content and needs of the
activity.
2. Worship leader/s
3. Music ministry
4. Service team (logistics, registration, food committee, etc.)
5. Speakers and sharers for each talk (See profile of Speakers and
Sharers.)
PROFILE OF SPEAKERS AND SHARERS:
The following may be very helpful to the team leaders as they discern and
choose Gods messengers for each talk/session:
1. It is highly suggested that the speaker for every talk must be at least a
YFC Household Head. We have to consider the exposure of the speaker
to the community. It is believed that as a household head, he/she has
experienced how it is to live his/her covenant with the Lord. (Please take
note that the speaker for Talk 1 shall also give the Worship workshop.)
2. As for the sharer, he/she may be a YFC member (at least 6 months). One
who is enjoying his/her journey with the Lord. Since the participants are
very new to the community, they could very much relate to the sharing as
they could see themselves through it.
3. It is up to the team leaders discretion whether they would choose a
brother or a sister to be the speaker and/or sharer of each talk. As long as
they have prayed and discern for the person who will efficiently convey the
Gods message. However, it is highly recommended that a YFC brother
should give the first talk as it also includes the Worship workshop.
THINGS NEEDED IN THE COVENANT ORIENTATION:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
a. Timer
b. Whistle
Talk 4:
a. Computer or VCD Player
b. LCD Projector
c. GK AVP
How to conduct the YFC Covenant Orientation?
The Covenant of YFC should be given to every member within 2 months after a
Youth Camp. The Covenant Orientation talks can be given either as a two halfday session or as an overnight activity. Like any YFC activity, the teachings
should be given in a light atmosphere. The talks should be made interesting and
its importance stressed (e.g. anecdotes, jokes, stories, personal life
experiences), making it real to the young adult.
The Covenant Orientation Planning should be done by the Chapter Couple
Coordinator in coordination/consultation with the youth leaders in their chapter. It
may be scheduled on the chapter level or as a joint effort of a cluster/sector
depending on the venue and availability of the speakers. The talks must be
delivered by young adult leaders who have already undergone this training track.
After each talk, copies of the teaching outline are distributed, and the assembly
will be divided into discussion groups (or even into their own households if
possible) to further discuss the teaching (Discussion starters are provided in the
talk outline). The household or discussion groups allow members to bring up and
share more personal aspects of the teachings. This system also trains
Household Heads in true Christian leadership as they lead the group.
The suggested format/schedule for the Covenant Orientation is as follows:
SCHEDULE
OPTION A: TWO CONSECUTIVE HALF-DAY SESSIONS
1st Meeting
12:30 -1:00
1:00 - 1:30
1:30 - 2:15
2:15 - 2:45
2:45 - 3:00
3:00 - 3:15
3:15 - 4:15
Arrival/ Registration
Orientation/Energizer
Talk 1: Loving, Honoring and Serving God
Worship Workshop
Worship Proper
Group Discussions/ Snacks
Talk 2: Loving, Honoring and Serving Family
4:15 4:30
4:30 4:45
4:45
2nd Meeting
12:30 -1:00
1:00 - 1:30
1:30 - 2:15
Sisters
2:15 - 2:30
2:30 2:45
2:45 - 3:45
3:45 - 4:30
4:30 - 4:45
4:45
Arrival/ Registration
Teaching of Songs/Opening Worship
Talk 3: Loving, Honoring and Serving Our Brothers and
Activity: Affirmation Exercise
Snacks
Amazing Race
Talk 4: Loving, Honoring and Serving Country
Closing Worship
Announcements
OPTION B: OVERNIGHT
1st Day
8:00am 8:30
Arrival/ Registration
8:30 - 9:00
Orientation/Energizer
9:00 - 9:45
Talk 1: Loving, Honoring and Serving God
9:45 10:30
Worship Workshop
10:30 10:45
Worship Proper
10:45 11:00
Group Discussions
11:00 1:30pm
Lunch Break
1:30 - 2:45
Gathering/Teaching of Songs/Ice breaker
2:45 3:45
Talk 2: Loving, Honoring and Serving Family
*Activity before the talk: Family Portrait Tableau
3:45 4:15
Group Discussions/Snacks
4:15 4:30
Ice breaker
4:30 6:30
Sharing with the whole Group/Creative Workshops
6:30 8:00
Dinner Break
8:00 - 8:45
Talk 3: Loving, Honoring and Serving Our Brothers and
Sisters
8:45 9:15
Activity: Affirmation Exercise
9:15 9:30
Closing of the whole day
9:30
Closing Worship
10:00pm
LIGHTS OFF
2nd Day
7:00am 7:45
7:45 8:30
8:30 9:00
9:00 10:30
10:30- 11:15
11:15-11:30
11:30
Breakfast
Gathering/Ice breaker
Amazing Race
Talk 4: Loving, Honoring and Serving Country
Commitment Ceremony
MASS
Praisefest
Introduction
In the fifth talk of our youth camp, Growing in the Holy Spirit, we
heard and learned how we could deepen our relationship with the Lord
What is a COVENANT?
A. It is a solemn agreement between two parties/persons. It
establishes a significant family-like relationship between the parties.
It is not just an ordinary promise - especially since our covenant is a
covenant with God. It involves two important things: commitment
and sacrifice to remain faithful to the covenant.
B. The two types of covenant relationships
1. Covenants between parties equal in power and position.
(Note to the team leader: Please take time to read the following
verses to have a better concept of this point.)
a. Genesis 21:22-32. Abraham and Abimelech
b. 1 Samuel 18:1-4. David and Jonathan
2. Covenants between parties unequal in power and position
a. Conqueror with his new subjects. He provides military
protection while exacting loyalty and tribute to those
he has conquered.
b. God and His people.
C. Parties are bound in a personal way.
(Note to the team leader: Please take time to read the following
verses to have a better concept of this point.)
1. Genesis 15. God with Abraham
2. Genesis 31:44-54. Laban and Jacob
III.
Let us personalize this sentence as if the Lord is speaking to us: For God
so loved me that He gave me His only Son, so that if I believe in Him, I will
not perish but I will have eternal life. (Speaker leads and invites
participants to say this statement with all of their hearts.)
God loves us in spite of our sinful nature. He accepts us for who we are.
B. God forgives my sins.
...for this is My blood of the Covenant, which is poured out to many for
the
forgiveness of sins. (Matt. 26:28)
God is full of mercy. He wants to forgive our sins so we can always be
close to
Him.
C. I am a son/daughter of God.
You yourselves are no longer a slave but a son or a
daughter; and yours is the inheritance by Gods grace. (Galatians
4:7)
We were once slaves of sin, but Jesus freed us. We became sons and
daughters of God the Father and brothers of Jesus. Because of this
special relationship, God assures
II. Our Response.
It is very evident that God loves us so much. There is no other response
but to love Him back. As the scripture says, You shall love the Lord, your
God, with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind. (Matthew
22:37)
A. We are called to love the Lord with all our heart
1. Loving God with the core of our being.
a. Loving God with all our heart means loving the Lord with our whole
being. With all our heart means to accept totally and live out the
ideals and principles of our Lord Jesus Christ even if it means to deny
ourselves.
b. Loving God means that we should always include God in our
decisions, may it be big or small.
c. Loving God means striving to be 100% PURE.
This is by living out a true Christian life that is pleasing to the very
heart of God. Living out a Christian lifestyle is loving God with all our
hearts.
1.
2.
Our souls were created by God, who is also a pure Spirit. There is a
longing for our souls to be united with God, to be one with Him. (Ps. 84: 1-2)
Prayer is a means of communicating with God and being
one with Him. Prayer nourishes our soul and bring it closer to God.
We must be consistent with our prayer time. Aside from
our personal prayer times, here in YFC, we are introduced to praying
with brothers and sisters. We call this worship. Worship is praying and
singing our praises to the Lord.
Decide to pray everyday.
Make prayer a habit - allocate a certain place and time
for prayer. Start with a 15-minute prayer time.
Make your prayer dynamic - sing songs, read scripture,
talk with God, pray the rosary.
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3. We should be eager to bring other souls to the Lord by our desire to serve
actively in YFC activities, Youth Camps or church activities.
C. We are called to love the Lord with all our mind
1.
We should learn about Him and study His teachings to gain wisdom. We
can achieve this by reading and reflecting on Scripture and/or other Christian
books.
We are blessed to have in our community a scripture companion (scripture
journal), In His Steps, that could be very helpful. We are encouraged to write
our reflections on the readings of the day for us to develop a deeper
relationship with God and understanding of His love.
3. We must learn how to witness to other people how the Lord is working in our
lives.
III. There will be times when our love for God will be tested.
A. When we experience sufferings, trials and doubts.
In all things, we should realize that loving God is not
based on feelings but on solid commitment.
We should believe and be faithful to Him no matter what
happens in our lives, because amidst all our challenges, we should
remember that the Lord is faithful.
B. When we sin
-
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- Realizing this, the evil one is working very hard to destroy the family
so that Gods plan in the world wont happen.
1. People say it is outmoded or outdated. Some think that the concept of
family no longer exists at this time, as an individual busies him/herself
with his/her chosen career and would just be content in engaging to
casual relationships.
2. The world has distorted the meaning of being a family and had made
the roles of its members unclear. Ex. Gay Marriages, Pets as Children,
Abusive parents, Under the Saya,
3. Some say that family is a barrier to progress (e.g. issue on abortion
having too many children hinders economic growth)
4. Threats to marriages increases divorce, separation, same sex
marriage
We need to see the spiritual side to this, and take our part in this battle by
offering our very families to the plan of God. This can happen when we play
the role God has given us for our families.
III. Our Covenant with our Family
A. Relating With Our Parents
1. Honor and Respect (Ex 20:12) - only commandment with a promise
attached to it.
We respect our parents primarily because they are our parents.
(Sir.3: 1-15) They chose to participate in Gods work of creation, this in
itself should be enough reason for us to honor them. When we honor
them we honor God as well. We respect and honor our parents inspite
of their faults, mistakes, and problems.
a. Show them their importance to us (e.g. stand up to
greet them, pleasing our parents.)
b. Attitude of gratitude: Express our appreciation.
c. Speak well of them / Avoid speaking negatively
about our parents.
2. Obedience (Eph 6:1)
a. Accept direction / listen to advice: Our parents
are Gods stewards on earth.
b. Accept correction (Prov.13:1 A wise son pays attention when
his father corrects him, but an arrogant person never admits
he is wrong)
c. Serve our parents (joyfully doing our household
chores, doing well in our studies.)
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Parish, etc.)
III. Conclusion
How can we refer to God as Father if we do not have a good relationship with
our parents? Having a good relationship with our family defines our relationship
with our God.
There is an attack on the family. As YFC members, we need to take a stand
to protect and build the family become witnesses and a hope to other families
and take our part in our vision of Families in the Holy Spirit renewing the face of
the earth.
Memory Verse:
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
(Josh.24: 15)
Discussion Starters:
1.How can I grow in my relationship with my parents?
2.How can I grow in my relationship with my brothers and sisters?
C. Love
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IV.
Our love for God and the YFC Family should extend and be
expressed in our schools.
We do this by being:
A. Witnesses
1. Being responsible students
Being the best we can be for the Lord.
Striving to live a Christian lifestyle. In YFC we have 100%
Pure Lifestyle.
2. Being good examples to our classmates (by not cheating, respecting
school authorities and property, participating in nation building
activities).
B. Evangelistic
1. Inviting our classmates to youth camps
Sharing our faith/service in YFC to our classmates
2. Helping establish/sustain YFC in your school
C. Loving our neighborsclassmates, teachers, janitors, etc.
1.By respecting them
2.By listening to our teachers
3.By helping our janitors and other school personnel
V. Conclusion
If we love God, then it follows that we should love one another (1 Jn 4:20). As
Gods family, each of us is called to love, honor and serve one another,
building up Gods community as a witness to all.
(Note to the team leader: In lieu of the discussion group, the activity below could
be used.)
Activity: Affirmation Exercise (To be given after the talk)
Dynamics:
1.After the talk, the speaker shall instruct the group to divide themselves into
households. The Affirmation Exercise shall be introduced.
2.They will be asked to form two lines [line 1 and line 2] facing each other.
3.At the sound of the whistle, each line makes a step line 1 to the right, line 2
steps to the left.
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4.Facing partners, each will have a minute to honor and share an area of
accountability to the person in front of him.
5.The game master claps his hand to signal the reversal of roles, it is the others
turn now to honor and share for a minute.
6.At the sound of the whistle, both lines must move one step line 1 to the right
and line 2 to the left.
7.Repeat until everyone gets to honor and share an area of accountability.
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2. Being aware and actively taking part in the affairs of our country. Be
vigilant in what is happening in our country.
If we are of voting age - we should exercise this right at
every opportunity.
Condemn corruption in government and society without
condemning the government and society itself. We could always
be part of the solution and not add to the problem of society, by
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1. In CFC, Gawad Kalinga (GK) is a way of serving with the poor. Gawad
Kalinga upholds the values of stewardship, the path of peace, love, sacrifice,
humility and hard work. GK believes and lives out the following:
- Simplicity of lifestyle. (Less for self, more for others, enough for all)
- Sharing my resources to help the poor help themselves.
- At least 4 hours in a month to serve in a GK site (Build, CYD, SOCMIN,
etc.)
2. Sharing my love for the poor with my family, friends and areas of
influence.
3. Our love for all those that God loves, namely our country should give
us a greater desire to evangelize. (Mt. 28:18-20)
III. Conclusion
Mt. 22: 15 - 22.
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God has placed us where we are, according to His purposes, so that we can
use their circumstances that surround us to be witnesses for Him.
As we do this, we also become witnesses to the nations, by giving to our
country the love, honor and respect it deserves, as responsible citizens, and
giving to God our whole lives as true children of God.
When we honor our country, we must honor the poor, when we honor the poor
we honored our purpose. Helping the poor people is helping this country to the
first world.
It is written in the bible that Faith without action is dead. As we believe in
God we must also do His will. It is not enough that we pray. What a better way to
live a Christ-like life but to be Jesus to other people. Share our lives to them.
Share our time, talent and treasure to them. We must allow our faith to be
expressed in the way we live our lives.
Memory Verse:
You are the light of the world ... let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Mt.
5:14,16)
Discussion Starters:
1. What things am I doing that is showing dishonor/disrespect for the country
that God has placed me in? How can I correct these?
2. What concrete decision can I make that will help me love, honor and serve
my country better?
At this point, the participants are now ready to receive their covenant
cards. This would now be the commitment ceremony that would make the
participants feel that the covenant of a YFC member is something that
should be taken seriously.
The team could prepare an AVP that would show concrete ways of
living out the covenant. The music that could be used for the AVP as a
reflection song could be SONG OF A SERVANT or I SURRENDER. The
covenant cards could now be distributed.
By this time, the participants have a clearer picture of what their
covenant with God is. (The reflection song could still be played during this
time.) The team leader could advice the participants to sign their
cards and ask them to stand just like during the youth camp when the
participants accepted God in their lives once again. The team leader reads
aloud the main points of the covenant, leading to the PRAISEFEST.
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II.
Lord
3. We must learn how to witness to others about the Lords work in our
lives.
III.
Discussion Starters:
1. How is your relationship with God after the youth camp?
2. What more can I do to express my love for God with all my heart, soul and
mind?
Memory Verse:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul and
with all your mind. (Mt. 22:37)
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C. Loyalty
D. Love (Mt. 22:39)
E. Service
III. Obstacles that hinder us from growing in our relationships with
brothers/sisters
A. Fear of rejection
B. Pride
C. Cliquishness
IV. Our love for God and YFC should extend and be expressed in our schools
A. Being witness
B. Being evangelistic
C. Loving our neighbor our classmates
Memory Verse:
How good and pleasant it is when brothers live in unity.
(Ps. 133:1)
Loving, Honoring and Serving Country
Participants Handout
I. Introduction - Gods Purpose (Jer. 1:5)
II. Loving, Honoring and Serving Our Country
A. Showing our country honor and respect.
1. Avoid treating our country like one big trashcan/toilet.
2. Take pride in our heritage.
3. Take a positive attitude about our country.
B. Serving our country - being model citizens. ( Rom 13:1-8)
1. Obeying the laws of the land.
2. Being aware and actively taking part in the affairs of our
country.
C. Loving our country means loving the poor.
1.Love the Poor as God loves them.
2.Serve the Poor through GK
3.The desire to evangelize. (Mt. 28:18-20)
Mt. 22:39
Memory Verse:
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You are the light of the world ... let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. (Mt.
5:14,16)
Discussion Starters:
1. What things am I doing that shows dishonor or disrespect to the country that
God has placed me in? How can I correct these?
2. What concrete decision can I make that will help me love, honor and serve
my country better?
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