CCFers flocked to the Araneta Coliseum last August 30 to celebrate 25 years of God’s faithfulness with two worship services at 10AM and 3PM.
Gary Valenciano at CCF 25th Anniversary
Kuh Ledesma at CCF 25th Anniversary
CCF Senior Pastor Peter Tan-Chi delivered an important message as he stressed the urgency and significance of sharing the gospel to the whole world. Based on CCF’s mission found in Matthew 28:18-20, he said that there are 97 million people in the Philippines that need to hear the gospel, and that the mission of sharing Jesus Christ to them is just beginning. “There may be at least 20,000 people here in Araneta but that’s nothing compared to what’s out there. People need Jesus in their lives.”
In the parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15:11-32, Pastor Tan-Chi said that the heart of the gospel is that Jesus Christ spent time with sinners. He added that according to famous author CS Lewis, pain, such as the one experienced by the younger son in the story, serves as the megaphone of God. “Many of you have heard the gospel but if you don’t listen to God, your heart will become callous. Either you are drawn closer to God or you run away,” he said.
His message ended when he asked the crowd to stand up and to make that commitment to God – of making Christ-committed followers who will make committed followers of Christ.
Brothers in Christ Ronald Talagtag and Ivan Tan also shared their testimonies of how God transformed their lives. Talagtag, who was once a womanizer and bore eight children to eight different women, experienced God’s grace when he attended a marital counsel seminar and then, several retreats thereafter to improve his marriage and his relationship with his wife. Tan, on the other hand, used to lean on money and power for security until he realized God’s grace during an escape in the US, and there, he accepted Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.
Well-renowned singers and personalities Kuh Ledesma and Gary Valenciano also shared their time and talent to the worship services, with “Above All” and “Take Me Out of the Dark” being sung respectively.
As early as 7:30AM and 12:30PM on both services, people were already lining up to get inside Araneta Coliseum. The program started with a video shown onscreen on how CCF started, and a welcome message by Pastor Joby Soriano.
An estimate of more than 32,000 people attended, including members from different satellite churches such as CCF Pampanga, CCF Marilao and CCF Malolos.
Article written by Excel Dyquiangco
Photos taken by Enrico De Leon and Boyet Francisco
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