Page 14 - eLamdag June 2020

A Gift Called Talamban Mission
Kuya Paul Lerio
Sometime in year 2016, I and Isabel were invited by
our then Chapter Head of Mandaue, Kuya Bing Sarigumba and Ate Annie over a cup of coffee. Kuya Bing shared to us his idea of starting a Mission in Talamban. At that same moment, we were asked if we were willing to serve as coordinator for a planned mission in Talamban. Said meeting turned out to be brief and fruitful for it did not take a minute before we said yes to the service. No fear or worry set in. We put our trust to Kuya Bing and Ate Annie and most of all to our God who takes care of everything.
We knew fully well our incapability and limitations but our faith was stronger than our fears. After all, God has always kept his promise in all the services he entrusted to us in our 14 years with the Brotherhood.
From the words of Kuya Bing back then, Talamban Mission was Mandaue Chapter’s special offering to God . A way to “give back” for He has been so kind and generous to Mandaue Chapter. He blessed Mandaue Chapter with very hardworking, commited and passionate leaders and members. Furthermore, Mandaue Chapter was also identified as one of the chapters with very high tithing percentage.
How it Started
We began by doing research about Talamban, its population and business centers, as required We tried to identify possible Breakfast venues. Result of
the study was forwarded to BCBP National for review and approval . It was a very smooth start and we felt God was putting everything in order.
Talamban Mission started with few servants doing multi-tasking. During Breakfast Meetings, everybody helped in every task that needs to be done from the setting up of tarps, registration, food, music. Some members were meant to just be there, as greeters, and intercessors whose presence was very crucial in every Breakfast to manifest the sense of community . There was no governance team yet, no hierarchy.
The first Breakfast Meeting on June 10, 2017, held at Talamban Leisure Center was supposed to be a very small gathering, for we only anticipated a few people to respond to our invitation. If God will give us 10 first timers, that would be enough to inspire us. But God did not only inspire us, he awed us by giving us 31 First Timers.
Not an easy Journey after all
Talamban Mission, with the approval of the Mother Chapter Governance, decided to hold Breakfast every Saturday to maintain the momentum of the Breakfasters. However, one very pressing problem we encountered was the attendance of the regular members. There were instances when we only had 26 Breakfasters. We lacked 14 heads to meet the requirement of the venue. The problem was raised to the Mother Chapter who immediately acted to resolve the concern. Members of Mandaue Chapter, who live in areas
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