Student Congress 2025 gathered 116 student leaders, alumni, and church partners from 20 campuses and four churches across Iloilo, Bacolod City, Capiz, and Aklan. Organized by Cru Western Visayas SLM, the three–day training held from October 31 to November 2 at Goducate Training Center in San Miguel, Iloilo featured three levels of training, devotional messages, and a team–building activity. These were designed to equip students to share the Gospel, conduct follow–up discipleship, and understand their role in a spiritual movement. With the theme verse 2 Timothy 3:16–17, it highlighted  being  lìg–on—strong and resilient internally. The encouragement of Hoshea Jonathan “Jhong” Felix, an affiliate faculty member at the International Graduate School of Leadership (IGSL), was to allow God and His Word to transform and purify us from within, and to unify our service in the ministry and our relationship with Him.

As I joined the Congress, I felt both blessed and challenged. I was assigned to help coordinate one batch of Basic Training because many newly involved students registered. Seeing new faces, especially from campuses once considered “hard soil,” reminded me of God’s faithfulness. As an alumna, watching these emerging  leaders take active roles in both the event and campus planning, renewed my hope that the movement is truly multiplying.

What moved me the most was hearing worship in Filipino, English, Korean, Swahili, and Sinhala. We were also encouraged by the testimonies of foreign missionaries:Christeen, from Sri Lanka, who surrendered her dream of becoming a doctor to follow God’s call to full–time missions, and Lawi from Tanzania, a former Muslim, who encountered  Christ and now serves with Cru to make disciples of all nations. Moments like these beautifully reflect  God's global mission– different tongues, one God, one mission.

Stories of confession, vulnerability, and transformed perspectives emerged throughout  the sessions– powerful reminders that God truly spoke, moved, and purified hearts during Congress. One second–year student even expressed his desire to become an intern missionary after graduation. But the impact of Student Congress became even more evident  after we returned home. Just days later , typhoon Tino hit, causing power outages and class suspensions  yet the delegates continued to live out what they had learned. Students from STI West Negros University stayed in a mall during power outages and shared the Gospel with people in the restaurant where they ate. The shared experiences during Congress also strengthened  the bond among participants from the same area—Bacolod, and even after the typhoon, they continued to meet and encourage one another.

Within the week, students from Aklan immediately began putting into practice  the principles they had learned. Ailyn shared the Gospel with her boardmate, while Zyvie reached out to her cousin, and both are now part of a  follow–up group. Trisha from UI also shared the Four Spiritual Laws booklet with four students, and Glydyl from WVSU shared it with her classmate and plans to reach out to her family and relatives back home. Universities like CPU, ISAT, and CAPSU held  huddles to plan their follow–through strategies, committing to intentional discipleship and devotion to Scripture. Mary Joy Madragon of LIV Ministries, one of the partners, shared how she was inspired  by the students’ resilience and learned practical ways to start a spiritual movement.

Many testified to renewed hope, deeper surrender, and a fresh desire to be used by God in their respective areas. The Great Commission is not merely  a ministry task but a daily calling. Student Congress 2025 was more than an event– it was a spiritual buffet. We returned home strengthened, steadfast, and sent – ready to make Christ known in every corner of our campuses and spheres of influence.

Writer:

Paulette Torrico
Alumna, Cru CPU