Episcopal Commission for the Biblical Apostolate

Beyond the Usual

Pastoral Conferences and Courses:

Conference #1:

Community and Formation  

                                Oct. 3 – 7 in Bukal – Maryhill Taytay

Course Fee: P3,500; P2,500 for early birds - register beforeAugust 15

To follow Jesus is to live in community. Church reality is experiencedin community. The call to community-building therefore is central to beingchurch. However, church leaders seem to be finding it difficult to organizecommunities, especially outside of the parish center.  

How do we help form our parishioners towards community-living? How hasthe Word of God been the ground of our way of forming communities? What kind ofchurch culture hinders community -building? Howdo we leap away from the customary community-building efforts in the church?

This course aimsto:

a.      helpthe participants understand that all the different

aspectsof church life and mission should be based in community and forms a community;

b.      learncommunity-building perspectives and tools from different social sciences;

c.       Deepenour understanding and praxis of the Word of God as fundamental and integratingelement in forming Christian communities.

d.      todiscover different Christian formation (evangelization) approaches that areparticipative, creative and culture-sensitive.

Workshops on: New and different approaches to community-organizing;  new and different tools and approaches  to formation, sustaining community culturalvalues, events and  activities asformative, diff. ways of reflecting on the Word, as well as new bible study andsharing methods

Guest speaker includes Bp. Thomas Manaparambil of India.

COMPREHENSIVE & COLLABORATIVE

MINISTRY FOR THE YOUNG

          Oct. 23 - 28 in Bukal – Maryshore Talisay

Course Fee: P5,800; P4,500 for early birds - register beforeAugust 15

Theprogram aims at providing a basic program on youth ministry to fulltime youthanimators, campus ministers and chaplains. With the Ka-Lakbay as a basic handbook, it hopes to achieve thefollowing:

a.      Create a greater awareness and understanding on the significanceof youth ministry in the Philippines

b.      Provide a common vision and framework on youth ministry toFilipino youth ministers

c.       Equip ministers with basic skills to help them respond to theneeds of young people

d.     Professionalize programs,activities and direction of youth ministry in all settings

Eligible participants are fulltime lay, religiousand priest youth ministers who are at least 21 years old and above.  Bukal ng Tipan Youth Pastoral team will becoordinating the entire program.  Withthe possible tie-up with the Don Bosco Center of Studies, the foundationcourses will be facilitated by Salesian experts on youth ministry and catechetics.  Pastoral skills training will be handled bythe Bukal ng Tipan team.  Resourcepersons will be invited for special sessions and workshops.

As youth ministry is not an exact science, the course willprovide theological basis for the ministry equipping participants withthe foundation in undertaking the task. Looking into thecontext and realities of the local church in the Philippines and the different settingsyoung people are in, the course will take the pastoral situation in context asit tackles the different components and strategies. Each session will beaccompanied by workshops/discussions/group activities and outputs designed todeepen the learning process and stimulate active interaction among the participants and the resource persons. Each participant willdevelop a youth pastoral plan for their setting which willbe evaluated on by the whole body.  A follow through process will also be designed that the participants cancontinually seek support and be able to consult batch mates and the resourceteam on matters concerning their particular ministry concerns and issues.

Conference # 3:

 MINISTRY AND LEADERSHIP  

Nov.14 – 18 in Bukal –Maryhill Taytay

Course Fee: P3,500; P2,500 for early birds - register beforeAugust 15

Ministries are integral to our being church because the church existsto serve. Every baptized is gifted and called to ministry. Leadership is onefundamental ministry in the church because it is the key to growth. Gone arethe days when one-person leadership was the rule. Participative leadershipcreates a participative church. We need leadership that is multiplying and notjust inspiring. 

Is majority of the baptized involved inministry? How can different ministries in the church be more collaborative andintegrated? Are church ministries at present relevant to needs of modern world?Have we missed the turning point towards sustainable, mass-based ministries? Onthe ministry of leadership: how can we have a more motivated and effectiveclergy leadership? What hinders community and participatory leadership? How do we cross the borders of paststructures?

The conferenceaims to:

a.     look at ministry from a wider but alsomore fundamental level;

b.     explore different ministries that can beset-up at the neighborhood level;

c.      redefine the ministry of leadership from amore communitarian perspective;

d.     explore ways of practicing participativeleadership more effectively. 

Ministry Workshops on: social action – including prophetic - ministries,  linking with GOs/POs, local gov’t, familyministries, transferring  ministries fromcenter to neighborhood, from neighborhood to center

Leadership Workshops on: Team/SharedLeadership Skills, restructuring parishes/groups, community planning process,surveying/consultation tools, managing transitions, motivation skills  

TO REGISTER

Please call the following numbers:

658-5064

660-6737

706-7066

Or e-mail us at maryhillcicm@yahoo.com