Our Youth Ministry held their annual Youth Camp entitled Bootcamp. The objective of the camp is to train and equip our young people to live for Christ. The military themed camp was packed with talks, games and activities aimed at helping the youth appreciate the importance of living for God. There was hardly a dull moment as the youth worshipped with passion, played with intensity, shared their fears and dreams (and lots of jokes and laughter) with sincerity. In the end, all our campers and volunteers went home with a sense of mission — to live for God. One mission accomplished, a more important one begins….

Word International Ministries Ontario marked it’s tenth anniversary with a celebration of God’s faithfulness. As people entered the assembly hall , they were greeted with pictures from various activities of the church for the past ten years.

Guest speaker Rev. Emerito Paulate, WIN International Director,  exhorted the members to look back at it’s beginnings,  from the coming of the first families to the strengthening of the ministries  as evidence  the goodness and faithfulness of God and to let this be an encouragement to fulfill God’s purpose in the future. The Children, Youth and Music Ministries, all vital ministries of WIN for the past ten years presented special numbers.

The celebration culminated with a video presentation outlining the church’s past, defining it’s present priorities and its future direction. Pastor Jong recognized all the ministry heads and life groups leaders for their dedication and sacrifices in nurturing the church.

In the end the Life Group leaders came out with ten cakes  as everyone celebrated God’s faithfulness.

After months of preparation, from venue scouting to production planning, to endless hours of practice, WIN Ontario’s first ever presentation outside its church walls finally becomes reality

It all started with a dream to bring the concert outside so that more people would be able to watch and be blessed. That desire was confirmed by God  when it was learned that there are certain school auditoriums that can be used for free by non-profit organizations.

With weeks leading up to the presentation, the whole church was busy inviting, organizing, praying and planning. It was not just going to be a music ministry presentation but a WIN Ontario presentation! Even ordinary members heeded the call to help the ministries. The LifeGroups showed great enthusiasm in bringing their friends and loved ones.

The concert prompted people to make a decision for Christ,

inspired those who already believe in Him and brought the church together….

The last week of the preparations became the most difficult.  The set-up was taking longer than expected and technical difficulties hampered the rehearsals. Several last-minute changes had to be made. It is indeed just by the grace of God that everything fell into place and worked so well during the presentation.

The venue was slowly filled as people began to trickle in before the start. More than half of the attendees were guests and first-timers. There were 138 registered guests!

When presentation started, the production staff held their breath, the singers, musicians and actors gave their best, the audience was blessed. They were inspired by the message of the songs and identified with those who shared their testimonies. They laughed as the life pursuits was dramatized and held back their tears as the life of Jesus was shared.

When the altar call came, many raised their hands, some came forward to commit their lives to the Lord.

Save 100% is now 100% success— it brought people to God, inspired those who already believe and brought the whole church together.

Throughout the games, our judges observed to look for the possible nominees for Comic Bowler which was won by Sis. Claire Ababulon. Meanwhile, the Markham Cell Group put their thinking hats on and came up with the creative attire that won the Best Attire award. To coincide with Valentine’s Day, awards called, “For Better or For Worse” were given to couples – Bro. Edgar and Sis. Maricel Mararac and Bro. Ben and Sis. Annette Zantiga, which only proves that couples need to stick together that is, for better or for worse. Kudos to the Zantigas for a well displayed sportsmanship as well as to Jeff Lucriana and Jidelle Abigail Tancio as our WINBowless recipients. The big winners of the day were the unbeatable tandem of Bro. Edgar and Sis. Maricel Mararac who garnered most of the top awards. And of course, not to be forgotten our very young bowlers already exhibited their bowling prowess even at their young age, congratulations to Big Kids champion, Ryan Dizon and Small Kids champion, Ishbel Caringal.

With 16 lanes filled, 11 cell groups aimed for their highest combined scores to take home the coveted Overall Cell Group of the Year Award – which was won by the Mississauga Cell Group.

On behalf of the Bowling committee, our appreciation for your participation. Until the next WIN Bowl. God Bless everyone! (by C. Sta.Rita)

Last Sunday, a simple lunch get-together was held for all our visitors and their friends who attended from Nov to Jan. Everyone enjoyed the Fiesta spirit with the banquet hall decorated in green motiff and Leron Leron Sinta and other Filipino folk songs played live on guitar. The group feasted on pochero, lechon kawali & BBQ chicken served on banana leaves. Some braved the karaoke challenge while others got to know more about each other with biko, buko salad & sago’t gulaman on hand. The impromptu guest introduction turned out to be a pleasant surprise as the guests cheerfully & some tearfully testified of finding a home and a family even from their first visit to WIMO. In the end, we at the Follow Up ministry were even more blessed & encouraged to keep our visitors feel welcome. May each one of us continue to make our church a home and a refuge, a reflection of God’s love to as many people as we can reach out to. Keep inviting your friends and we’ll see you at the next quarterly gathering! To all who are new, we are glad you are here!