It was May 2, 2017. Butterflies filled my stomach as I was formally introduced as the next National Team Leader (NTL) of the Philippine Campus Crusade for Christ. It was a privilege for Ellen and me to be called to such an overwhelming task, and I was nervous. “Lord, what do You want me to say?”

The words God impressed upon my heart were: Strengthen the We.

Within our movement, we recognized a tendency to work in silos - each ministry focused on its own goals, leaving little room for strategic partnerships and collaboration. We clearly needed to strengthen relationships and cooperation among ourselves.

I also realized that in our divided nation, there was a great need for love and unity in the church of Jesus. This recognition led me to pray for God to use Cru as a catalyst for love, unity, collaboration, and synergy.

This prayer led to my involvement with the Youth Ministers’ Executive Network (YMEN). It was a joy to connect with like-minded leaders from Inter Varsity Christian Fellowship, Navigators, PSALM, Youth With A Mission, Elevate, Every Community for Christ, Wired Gathering, and Torchbearers.

The vision for collaboration and synergy in the church was the impetus for Cru to launch the Prayer Breakfast in September 2018. This quarterly gathering of pastors and leaders from various churches and organizations had simple goals: to build trust and foster relationships, pray together for our nation, the church, and one another, and explore opportunities for collaboration. These enriching times of fellowship, vision casting, and prayer continued until the global disruption caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

During the pandemic, I accepted the responsibility of leading YMEN, which was renamed the Campus Ministry Network (CMN). In a time of isolation, we provided an online gathering place for youth ministers to connect, encourage, inspire, and pray for one another and for our shared vision of reaching every student on every campus.

Seven years after the call to Strengthen the We, Cru has recently been organizing Missional Huddles for our disciples, alums, and partners. We aim to cast a vision for building relational, prayerful, and missional communities that will join together in reaching their city with the gospel. The National Leadership Team (NLT) collaborated with our local teams in the cities of Cebu, Naga, Davao, Zamboanga, Quezon, Cagayan De Oro, Iloilo, Cotabato, and Baguio to host Missional Huddles that challenged our stakeholders to build missional communities that will saturate their city with the good news of salvation by faith in Christ.

This year, Cru is celebrating its 60th year of ministry in the Philippines! After six decades of seeking to help fulfill the Great Commission, we have arrived at a few important realizations: First, no church or organization can fulfill the Great Commission by itself. Second, a small vision will not require collaboration. Third, collaboration is essential if we obediently embrace Jesus’ command to disciple all nations. Fourth, synergy is critical for the church to finish the task of discipling all nations.

Our vision for love, unity, collaboration, and synergy in the church reflects the desire of our Master. Listen to our Lord’s earnest prayer to the Father:

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” John 17:20-23 NIV Jesus made it clear that our oneness as His followers would lead the world to believe that the Father had sent Him. A question that needs to be asked is: How united are we as followers of Jesus? 

Roger Sutton asserts that “Unity is core to our faith and practice, and without it we are forever weakened and inauthentic. Without it, we bring our faith in God into disrepute and embarrassment.”

Jesus commanded his disciples to love one another and prayed that they would be one. The Saviour taught that it is our love for one another that would distinguish us as His true disciples. 

As a follower of Christ, how does your presence increase the level of love and unity around you? What can you do to enhance collaboration and increase synergy in His body?

If you strongly desire for the nations to believe in Jesus and become His disciples, then be a catalyst for love and unity in the church that Jesus died for.

Are you willing?

 

*With gratitude, we honor Efi and Ellen Fermin for wholeheartedly serving as Cru National Director from 2017
to 2025.