FELLOWSHIPS WITHIN THE CHURCH

Among the significant developments of recent years has been the growth of the various fellowships witl1in the Church, such as the Methodist Men, the Woman's Society of Christian Service, the Methodist Youth Fellowship and the Methodist Young Adult Fellowship. The strength of the Church is in many ways dependent upon such groups, for here is where more intensive fellowship and Christian commitment can be lived out in a smaller, more natural group than it can in the more inclusive total congregation. As one example of this development, let us look at the Methodist Young Adult Fellowship, founded in 1954. This fellowship is helping the young adults see the meaning of the Christian faith for their vocational and family relationships. It is providing the young adults with practical expressions of the Christian faith, such as in various work camp projects that have been sponsored by the Church. In 1955, for example, the young adults sponsored a work camp in a newly established community in Nueva Vizcaya. There they built a church in the center of the barrio, by cutting the trees needed, sawing the logs and doing the actual construction themselves. At another MY AF camp, they built the Conference Hall for the Conference Site at Taytay, Rizal, and in still another, they began the work on the church and parsonage in Davao City. The MYF and the SCM have also participated in many work camps, here and abroad; these have been concrete expressions of practical Christianity and effective discipleship. These camps have been especially important in lifting up the dignity of all useful work, a central Protestant conviction since the time of the Reformation.

We should not forget the ladies of the church either! The Woman's Society of Christian Service, as one would expect, is the backbone of many a local church. Through their regular meetings and projects, they deepen the spiritual life of the churches; they actively promote mission work; and they help in the training of the laity for Christian witness on the job, in the home, and at the church. They provide scholarships for students at Harris Memorial College and they enter with great zest into the overall work of the church.

The ministers' wives have also had a key role to play in providing leadership and inspiration that complements the work of their husbands. Of special mention in this regard have been the untiring efforts of Mrs. Jose Valencia, a woman of rare dedication and spiritual power. She has been a key figure in uniting the ministers' wives for fellowship and training. Since 1953, there have been Ministers' Wives Institutes held annually throughout the extent of The Methodist Church. Through these institutes and the Minister's Wives Association, that has grown out of them, fellowship has been fostered, closer relationships to the church and community have been developed, and increasingly effective Christian witness has been encouraged. Projects have been undertaken to help needy pastors and their families. Educational aid to ministers' children has been provided. The wives are taught how to beautify their parsonages and grounds. Sanitation is emphasized and poultry, pigs and vegetable projects are begun in an effort to improve the over-all living standards of the pastors.

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