Praying for The Rains and The Rains Came! FOCIM Celebrates 35th Anniversary

August 29 was a joyous day as FOCIM celebrated 35 years of God’s faithfulness. It was a double celebration as the church is about to complete the Six-Story Sanctuary and about to be finished amidst the pandemic. Throughout the years, FOCIM has been guided by the prophetic words “relocate, build, and expand” which led us to this critical point of building our Sanctuary and expanding the kingdom of God beyond the four walls of FOCIM. For the said crucial task, we need the anointing of Elijah to deliver on God’s mandate upon FOCIM. Hence, our theme for the 35th Anniversary is “Where are the Elijahs of God?” as it was Elijah who persistently prayed for the rains during the time when Israel had been in a long drought. There were no signs of rain, but Elijah held on to faith and believed.

The 35th Anniversary celebration was held virtually via the online worship service streaming. The FOCIM Worship Team started the celebration by declaring the anointing of Elijah upon the church through the joyful song “Days of Elijah”. This was followed by the solemn worship song “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”, which reminded us of God’s faithfulness to FOCIM for 35 years. FOCIM Senior Pastor Rev. Diwa C. Guinigundo delivered the anniversary’s special message. In his message, Bro.Diwa shared that FOCIM’s 35 years of journey comprised of reading, knowing, performing, listening, declaring and seeing the Word of God. It took time to know God but we are now seeing and experiencing miracles, signs and wonders. Through the message, we are reminded to become Elijahs of God and to “Cast your bread upon the waters for you will find it after many days (Ecclesiastes 11:1)”. Just like Elijah, God will multiply our blessings and rebuke the devourer. As Elijahs of God, we represent the prophets and are empowered to give life. In addition, our spirit turns our hearts to our children and theirs to us. This is now the time to become Elijahs of God as our nation needs the rains of healing, recovery, favor and blessings in this time of trouble, confusion, and suffering caused by the pandemic.

After the message, the Ministry team recognized and gave awards to members and friends of FOCIM who brought honor and glory to God through their exemplary testimonies of their ministries, achievements, and contributions to the vision and mission of the Church. This year, the Ministry team has chosen to honor the following members and friends of FOCIM:

1.) Bro. Aaron Luke V. Serafica – for his inspiring talent and energy in putting together our worship service, taken

separately, but presented as one seamless whole and put out on-line for the greater glory of our faithful God. His

contributions have allowed FOCIM to transcend borders and reach other souls despite the lockdown.

2.) Arch. Rolando A. Pinangat – for after being touched by the Lord, and having the burden to use his ma ny years of

experience and skills as an architect, offered his talent and service to FOCIM at no cost.

3.) Dr. Milton D. Amayun – for serving as a great epitome of excellence in his marketplace ministry and singular

commitment and consistency in his walk with God.

4.) Bro. Angelito V. Dionisio – for selflessly giving his time and heart to preach the Gospel, and teach our construction

workers how to pray, and receive their salvation while ensuring the structural integrity of the FOCIM Sanctuary.

5.) Arch. Robert Lee L. Guerrero – with a bold spirit and an unwavering faith, for initiating the blueprint of the FOCIM

Sanctuary and organizing the FOCIM Project Management Team to oversee its actual construction in the time of pandemic.

The second part program of FOCIM’s 35th Anniversary celebration was done via a virtual fellowship of all members and friends through the “Zoom” application. Bro. Daniel and Sis. Kat Guinigundo hosted the second part of the Anniversary program. To be able to relive and share the miracles and blessings received by FOCIM members throughout the past year, several “Praise Report” AVPs were played. The said “Praise Reports” testimonies included church members experiencing God’s favor through achieving milestones such as graduation, promotion in work, and successful start-up of online business. Another batch of praise report testimony showed God’s power through the miracle of healing and restoration among church members. In order to show and remind the audience as to how the Lord has been faithful to FOCIM for 35 years, an AVP made and updated by the FOCIM Creative team was presented. The wonderful and inspiring AVP showed the roots and history of FOCIM – from its founding and establishment as Gospel Faith Christian Church in 1986, the “Touching Heaven Changing Earth” events, transfer to different venues including the PBJ Building, up to the present time wherein the construction of the new Sanctuary in 36 Mayon Street in Mandaluyong is taking place. The said AVP also included photos of the ground-breaking, construction, and even the community pantry organized and held at the new Sanctuary’s site. The FOCIM history AVP ended with photos of the proposed Worship Hall and final look of the New Sanctuary to further excite the people of God.

The highlight of the Anniversary celebration was the live streaming of the anointing of the New Sanctuary. Bro. Angel Dionisio, FOCIM Storehouse Ministry head, went to the site and anointed the Lord’s building with oil while the whole congregation (led by FOCIM Senior Pastor Bro. Diwa Guinigundo) prayed and dedicated the temple to the Lord. Bro. Angel started in the lobby, and then proceeded to the second and third floors. The Worship Hall, which covers the 4th to the 6th floors, took more time for prayer and anointing as this is considered the most important area wherein future worship services will be held. With the anointing, the Sanctuary is indeed ready to house the Elijahs of God.

After the live streaming of the new sanctuary’s anointing, the member virtually present had an enjoyable time engaging in an online game prepared by young FOCIM leaders Bro. Dan Bello Jr. and Sis. Cielo Elipse. The fun game was done via the “Kahoot” online app and it challenged the participants with very interesting trivial questions ranging from Church anniversary facts, Bible passages, worship songs, church events, and even FOCIM’s official publication “The Menorah”.

The Anniversary celebration ended with another exciting event – the Raffle of cash prizes. FOCIM couples and young professionals who were blessed by the Lord contributed to the success of the raffle, wherein the total amount of cash prizes reached an astounding 65,000 pesos. To ensure that more members will be blessed and that the Project Sanctuary will also benefit, FOCIM’s leadership decided to have the following split:

Two winners to get Php 10,000 each

Five winners to get Php 5,000 each

Ten winners to get Php 1,000 each

Excess of Php 10,000 goes to the building fund for the Project Sanctuary

Indeed, 35 years of God’s faithfulness is worth celebrating. FOCIM anticipates more celebrations as we are about to complete our Six-Story Sanctuary during an unprecedented time. FOCIM’s 35th Anniversary celebration was a joyous occasion that definitely lifted our spirits in this time of uncertainty caused by the on-going pandemic. But more than that, our 35th Anniversary celebration should be a powerful reminder that we should strive to become this generation’s Elijahs of God. We need the anointing of Elijah to carry out the prophetic words “relocate, build, and expand” and to deliver on God’s mandate upon FOCIM. We now look forward to the celebration of FOCIM’s 36th Anniversary in the company of each other, standing ecstatic and victorious as we worship the Lord in our new sanctuary.