To my dear brothers and sisters in Couples for Christ, grace and peace from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is with great joy that we end this year, the first year of the millennium. It has been an exciting and challenging year, and the Lord has seen us through with His faithfulness and power. This year we pressed forward with our global evangelization, bringing CFC to 13 new countries, and ending the year with 96 countries. We also plunged aggressively into our thrust for the millennium, bringing glad tidings to the poor. We now have 68 Gawad Kalinga areas in the Philippines. We have ministries not just for the materially poor, but for the blind, the deaf, the lepers, the rebels, the displaced minorities. As we have been building the Church of the Home, so too are we now participating strongly in the work of building the Church of the Poor.

I thank you all for your faithfulness to God's call to us. The mighty work God has allowed CFC to do has been accomplished through the faithful assent and much sacrifice of all our members throughout the world. I rejoice in your being my co-workers, fellow servants who desire nothing else but to do God's will and be His instruments in the world today.

Now we look forward to 2002. And the Lord assures us it will be another exciting and challenging year. We will continue to expand our global reach, bringing CFC to a dozen or so new countries while enlarging and strengthening our existing presence in the various countries. We will strive to expand Gawad Kalinga to 200 areas, including for the first time areas outside the Philippines. We will continue to work at integrating the Social Ministries, to provide a strong unified wholistic approach to our work for total human liberation. And we of course will continue to strengthen the Family Ministries.

For all these to happen according to the Lord's pace, let us look to three values which we need to live out strongly, and be able to bring down to our membership.

First, we need to have a greater appreciation of the vision God has given us. This is the work for total human liberation, the work of bringing glad tidings to the poor. Incorporating both the spiritual and social dimensions of the gospel, this is the fullness of the work God has for us. Appreciation of this one vision will be crucial to keeping the worldwide CFC community united, and our unity will be crucial to the Lord's using us according to His plan and keeping His anointing upon us.

Second, we need to have a greater giving of selves to the work. For some, this will entail more time; for others, more resources, especially confronting the challenge of financial stewardship; for all, an attitude that sees CFC as our way of life. This proceeds from a conviction that God has called us personally to be a part of CFC's mission. And out of this conviction comes a heartfelt gratitude, recognizing the great privilege afforded us. We are nothing, but God causes great things to happen in and through us. For parents, we need to see CFC as not just for ourselves, but for the future of our children, and even for the generations after them. For nationals of different countries, we need to see CFC as an instrument for the well-being our fellow citizens, for justice in society, and for peace in our country.

Third, we need to have a greater understanding and living out of the call to social justice and solidarity. It is not enough that we become good persons, not enough that we are renewed Christians, not enough that we are enthusiastic evangelizers; but holiness and discipleship demand that we not only love God but that we love our neighbor as ourselves. This is specially true with regards to the poor. In solidarity with the whole human race, we strive for justice in this world, as we look forward to the perfect reign of God in the next.

My brothers and sisters, you are my dearly beloved brethren. I have confidence in the future as I realize that I work and struggle together with my many co-workers, who have committed their lives to God in CFC. I do not walk alone, since you are all there by my side. The work may be awesome and daunting, but with all of you empowered by God's Spirit, we will be victorious and fruitful.

I take this opportunity to ask your forgiveness for the ways in which I have committed wrong, or failed you in any way, or was remiss in my leadership. Please continue to pray for me. And please continue to extend your support to me, as I strive to be the faithful servant of all.

May we all have a Spirit-filled and Spirit-empowered new year. God bless us all.

Your brother,
Frank

For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. (Phil 1:21)"

Further reading:

Philippine Daily Inquirer article on Couples for Christ, July 1, 2001
Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation
Couples for Christ North America
Couples for Christ Chicago
CFC-Youth for Christ Da Ill State