2012 Volume I

April to June

TRANSIENT
The newsletter of Heroes Church: a Christ-centered community of imperfect people for the city. Issue 2

Important Dates
Apr 5-8 Apr 8 Holy Week Celebration Presentation of the Steering Committee (Heroes Serves) at Breadcoms Easter Service Pastor Zuriel attends IFPs 23rd National Prayer Gathering Eumis Baptism Pastor Zuriel attends AGAP Taguigs Pastors Association Courtesy Call with Mayor Lani Pastor Zuriel shares Gospel to Habitat for Humanitys Young Leaders Movement Philippine Independence Day / Midyear Evaluation & Planning Celebrity Bodie Cruz shares his testimony at midweek service

Apr 10-13 Apr 12 Apr 14 May 9 May 24-25

We are Community-Based
Our church values community. We feel very honored to be able to participate in the journey of families in our church. This is why we are thankful for celebrating the baptism of Baby Eumi last April 12. We thank God for His commitment to her and His faithfulness to her parents Ronald and Ivy Anama. Our church seeks to extend its relevance beyond our worship services though. We believe that the church should be a vital part of the city to which we belong. This is why our church is committed to building relationships with other people and organizations we can partner with to make an impact in the city. Last May 9, we met with our citys beloved Mayor Lani Cayetano and shared our churchs vision and direction. We communicated to her that our church is ready to help our government uplift our citys society. It was a wonderful time, and Mayor Lani also shared with us her vision and direction for our city. She has great leadership and integrity, and we commit to supporting her in prayer.

June 12 June 28

Omnia Mutantur Nihil Interit by Rona Magpoc

The Latin phrase Omnia mutantur nihil interit appears in Ovids Metamorphoses, and could be translated to Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost, which appears in Neil Gaimans The Sandman.

Full article on p. 3

A Personal Invitation for 08.27.12

The journey in making the dream that is Heroes Church a reality hasnt come easy. It has taken time, sweat, and tears. I dare say we exist only because of the support and commitment of the men and women who believed in the vision. Its been a great joy and honor to journey with people whose beauty, wisdom, and hearts are rooted in the Gospel. We know there are more people out there who will join our movement. This year, we believe great things are in store for Heroes Church. On August 27, 2012, 8 am to 5 pm at Chowking Global City, we are launching Heroes Conference. This event seeks to present the Gospel and lead people to be saved by The Hero to be heroes. During that day, we want to share the gifts and talents in our church, and challenge people to respond to the Gospel call for their lives. The theme of the conference is Discover, Nourish, Apply (DNA) Gospel and we would be very happy to have you come. If you want to hear from God, learn about Him, and exercise faith in Him, then we would like to invite you to come and join us at this years conference.

Heroes Churchs vision is to lead people to experience the grace, mercy, power, and love of The Ultimate Hero Jesus Christ, and follow Him in making a difference in society. Our church leads people to be saved by The Hero to be heroes.

Come & be part of Heroes Conference!

Omnia Mutantur, Nihil Interit by Rona Magpoc

The Latin phrase omnia mutantur nihil interit appears in Ovids Metamorphoses, and could be translated to Everything changes, but nothing is truly lost, which appears in Neil Gaimans The Sandman.
We do not need to be told. We know it deep in our gut and experience has taught us well. From the time we had to be weaned as infants, to the death of our childhood pet, to our high school graduation, to our first ever heartbreak, we have been made fully aware that transience defines our way of life. On one hand, it can be a very terrifying prospect indeed, that no matter how tightly we hang on to some state, some thing or some one, they will most certainly elude our grasp. We can never be complacent nor secure for we recognize that change is just bidding its time. This is true of things external to us, the people around us, the world at large but perhaps even more disturbingly, it is also true of ourselves. Our mortality confronts
19

Our humanity remains despite our efforts to cope with it or deny it whether through rigid fitness routines, multivitamins, amulets, surgery or stem cell technology. On the other hand though, the fleeting nature of life need not be altogether scary. The possibility of alteration should lend us hope that we will not and can not stay the way we are. Familiar with our failings and finitude, with dreams and desires that are not necessarily God-honoring, we are rather fortunate that transformation is open for us. The Bible talks about being transformed from glory to glory, which is the Biblical basis of redeeming the concept of transience - where we do not only randomly move from one point to another, but purposefully progress from one stage to another. This leads us to another reality that balances and gives meaning to the ephemeral character of our

existence, that of Gods permanence and immanence. Our transience need not be random or meaningless as it can be a process of transformation guided by an ever-present God. He has declared, promised and assured us that He is with us. The eternal God sent his son, Jesus

Christ to be the flesh and blood manifestation of this with-ness. The Lord also sent us His Holy Spirit in Jesus name to be our advocate. Our God, in His wisdom and grace, also established his church; His called-out, covenant community of faith. We have them as journey-mates in the road of transience towards complete fellowship with Him, the One who is everlasting, unchanging and undying.

us,

affirming

Qoheleths

observation which is put rather crudely: Like animals we breathe and die, and we are no better off than they are. It just doesnt make sense. 20 All living creatures go to the same place. We are made from earth, and we return to the earth. Ecclesiastes 3:19-20 CEV

The 3 Stages of Community by Zuriel Bernardino

It takes time, energy, and resources to build relationships and make them work. Here at Heroes Church, we hold community as one of our most integral values. Those who have been with us long enough know that to be part of a community does not happen overnight. From at IFPs 23 National Prayer Gathering (April 10-13, 2012) In leading Heroes Church, I recognize that we are part of a bigger family the body of Christ. We partner with others in building Gods Kingdom on earth. I attended this years national prayer gathering as a testament that we are committed to unity of unique philosophies of ministry and doctrinal expressions.
rd

In

short,

part

of

belonging

to

community, hurts. In fact, Id like to think that the more we are involved in community, the more we could get hurt. When this happens, people have the tendency to want to exit and leave, and we have respect and love for people who do. But as I said, there are 3 stages to building community, and my prayer is that we all find ourselves in the third level. I call this the stable phase. This is when we, after seeing the best (part of stage 1) and the worst (part of stage 2) of each other, we choose to stay on. We sacrificially take the hit, and lovingly embrace each other to move forward. At this point, we no longer see each other as strangers, nor do we relate to each other as fellow believers, we have transcended and now look at each other as family. And that is at the heart of what Ive set out to provide for people in Heroes a family. And no, this does not happen overnight. In fact, thats why our vision is to be a Christ-centered community of imperfect people for the city. How could imperfect people go from stage 1 to stage 3 of building community? The key is the Gospel. Through the Spirit of Jesus Christ in us, the Perfect One, who lived, died, and rose again for us imperfect ones in order for us to be part of His family, we can do the same for each other, and so build a family.

day 1 of founding Heroes, Ive taught people that there are 3 stages to building community. The first stage is the getting-to-know phase. This is when everyone has his or her best food forward most of the time. People are genuinely nice as there is a natural effort to neither offend nor be a pain. This usually lasts for an average of 3 months since someones first day with the church. The second stage is are the guard-is-slowly-being-letbecoming more down phase. This is when people slowly comfortable and vulnerable with the people around. This is when our quirks come out and we begin to discover new things about our friends and ourselves. If everyone in a community is perfect, then this wont be a problem, but our church vision says that we are a community of imperfect people. This means we recognize that we make mistakes. Whether it be in the past, present, or future, each person in our community has the potential to impact another, in both positive and negative ways.

at Mensa Qualifying Test in Ascott Makati (May 12, 2012) As a Christ-centered community of imperfect people for the city, Heroes Church puts a premium on social relevance. I volunteer for Mensa Philippines, which fosters human intelligence in society, as a testament that we are committed to join others in making the world a better place, whether or not they believe in the same things we do. We want to be responsible and proactive citizens of our nation.

2012 Volume I

April to June

Transient seeks to be relevant

in updating you with our journey as Heroes Church.
We want cutting-edge ideas, articles, and photos that can capture the heart of the restless and the wanting. In a fast-paced world, Transient seeks to hold the line for you by capturing our moments and ideas together.

Come on board! Shoot us an email to:

transient@heroes.org.ph

Heroes Church
A Satellite of Breadcom in Global City

Join our worship services:

Sundays 10:30 am Thursdays 6:30 pm

Visit us online at:

www.heroes.org.ph www.facebook.com/heroeschurch

For questions, comments, and concerns, e-mail Pastor Z at:

zuriel@heroes.org.ph