NetWork Christian Ministries Federal Way

It's Time to Close Shop...

2010-03-24T22:19:00.000-07:00

NetWork Christian Ministries in Federal Way will hold their final worship service at the Federal Way Community Center on Sunday, March 28. The members of NWCM-FW have corporately decided to focus their efforts on doing ministry in the form of Team Evergreen Washington (an organization whose goal is to alleviate the suffering of those in poverty in partnership with the Gawad Kalinga movement) and WITH (a new community born from the passions of young people). There are links to these organizations on the sidebar.

The people of NWCM-FW would like to thank everyone who broke bread, worshiped, served, gave and in one way or another participated in our community life while we were under the name of NetWork Christian Ministries. From our first worship service at the Comfort Inn, to those Sundays at Mark Twain Elementary, to the past year that we've enjoyed in the facilities of the Community Center, all of us can safely say it was a blessed journey. We've had ups and downs just like any family - but in the end, we chose to stay together even as we redefined the expression of our community. Most of the remaining congregation have joined forces with Word International Ministries, in order to still be grounded in a spiritual community while continuing to work with each other outside the bounds of the church.

May God richly bless you and all of us as we pursue the next phase of your journey with Him.

Mark Your Calendars!

2010-03-12T08:46:00.000-08:00

LET'S BUILD!!

Team Evergreen's Annual Benefit Fund Raiser

Saturday, April 24, 2010

6:00 - 11:30 PM

Seattle Filipino Community Center

5740 Martin Luther King Junior Way South Seattle, WA 98118

Mark your calendars. Team Evergreen Washington in Federal Way, in cooperation with AncopUSA, is holding its annual spring event to bring awareness and raise funds for the building of our first Gawad Kalinga village in the Philippines. It will be a night of good food, fun, auctions and dancing. Our theme is "Let's Build!" because that's what we aim to do!

Dinner will be served with entertainment. Tickets are only $35.00 ($20 for students when a valid Student ID is presented). Spread the word and don't miss it!!! To purchase tickets, please contact us at teamevergreenwa@gmail.com.

Do Something Now

2010-02-27T20:00:00.000-08:00

Once again nature reminds us of its power as an earthquake of magnitude 8.8 hits the coast of Chile. As of this time, the number of victims compared to the disaster in Haiti may seem small - but these are still individuals who have suffered loss and their pain on an individual basis is just as deep as the families who lost loved ones in Pot Au Prince. And the need for help once again presents itself..
Once again, we urge everyone to find it in their hearts to pour out support through prayers and resources. And once again, I am endorsing World Vision as an organization that can do the most with the donations you can give. WV has been in the area for 30 years and is once again, first in line to offer assistance. Check out this news clip: http://www.cnbc.com/id/35619260/site/14081545.
We, the members of NWCM in Federal Way, stand in prayer and solidarity with the people of Chile during this time.

Give Today

2010-01-17T22:25:00.000-08:00

NWCM-FW stands with the people of Haiti during this time of grief. You are all in our prayers as you struggle through this national crisis. Please hang in there. At the same time, we commend our government for stepping up to take the lead in assisting the Haitian people and we urge all Christ followers to put their faith into action immediately. This is yet another opportunity to let our wallets agree with our teaching.
If you're not sure where to send help, NWCM-FW recommends World Vision and World Concern. Both organizations are locally based (one in Federal Way, the other in Shoreline) and work very hard to make sure help is directed where it's needed. They have been on site even before the earthquake struck.

Welcoming the New Year

2010-01-05T22:05:00.000-08:00

Well, there goes another year.
As quick as it came, 2009 went by just as fast. We had our share of challenges that we faced as individuals and as a community. As with any group of people from different walks of life, drama was unavoidable - and we also had our share. We reached some people with the good news of Christ's salvation and those who are already followers of Christ, we encouraged. Nobody's perfect, of course, but hopefully, another year of following our Lord and growing in Him and serving in His Name has made us all better people and better ambassadors of His Name.

Some of our brothers and sisters moved on as they felt called by God to serve in other communities of faith. Others felt their commitment to our local church solidify. There were those whose service to God was elevated to new levels as they took on bigger responsibilities for the community.
2010 is here and along with it comes its own set of challenges and possible heartaches. Through it all, we will continue to strive to become the people that God want us to be - standing side by side with each other and making His Kingdom an even greater reality here on earth as it is in Heaven.

Canned Food Drive Finishes Well

2009-12-18T12:45:00.000-08:00

For the past 3 weekends, BASIC has been leading the charge to collect canned foods and dry goods from the Federal Way/Auburn neighborhoods for the Food Bank. The last collection run was done in the freezing cold last Saturday, December 12.
During this season of want, we realize that there are still many who are in need. As we did last year, our youth group, assisted by several adult volunteers took to the streets of our immediate neighborhoods and collected literally vans full of donations from the community. It turns out people do want to give, they just don't know how. As the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, we at NWCM promote the idea that the church should be a channel for givers to connect with needs - and that's what the food drive did.

It is such a blessing to be a part of an activity that truly makes a difference in the lives of others and we hope that we can accomplish even more in the Name of our Savior in the coming year. Thanks to our youth group for their leadership in this area and thanks to Fred Meyer, Safeway and Trader Joe's for supplying us with the grocery bags for this effort. Thanks to everyone who took time and effort to distribute notifications and collect the bags. Most of all, thanks to those who gave.

BASIC Throws a Big Christmas Party

2009-12-18T12:35:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday, December 15, the B.A.S.I.C. Youth Group threw their annual community Christmas Party at the Mark Twain Elementary School gym. By all accounts, everyone had a awesome time! In their own words, the organizers wanted something "simple" - but the party was anything but. Sure, the food wasn't complicated nor was the whole program too sophisticated - but the end result was fun and laughter, enjoyment and an appreciation for each other - isn't that was Christmas was all about anyway?

They started out with a sumptuous spaghetti and chicken meal (kudos to Sis. Eileen for making the spaghetti sauce - tasted great!), followed by creativity-practice; i.e. gingerbread housemaking using graham crackers marshmallows and other sweets. This one, the kids (of all ages) enjoyed. The teens were no match for the building skills of the under 12's. Adults joined in on the next part of the program - good old Bingo, but instead of letters and numbers, they used Christmas character pictures. They ended with a performance by the BASIC dance/drill team - an awesome performance that they had been preparing for the past 3 months. On top of all that, they managed to sprinkle the whole activity with messages of love, sharing and hope.
It only goes to show that you don't need anything fancy to enjoy the season - some good food, good friends, and just enjoying each other's company - that's what the season is all about.
Congratulations, BASIC. And warm wishes for the holidays from all of us!

Come and Join our Spa/Makeover Day at UGM

2009-12-04T18:23:00.000-08:00

NWCM's next Spa/Makeover Day at the Union Gospel Mission Women's Shelter is coming up. Come and join us. If you're a hairstylist, or you can do makeup or nails, or you just like to cheer people up, make it a date! It'll be on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 from 12 noon - 4 pm at their wonderful NEW home, Hope Place - 3802 South Othello. For more information, please talk to Sis. Elaine Ko.

Joe completes the Seattle Marathon for a Cause

2009-12-04T18:17:00.000-08:00

Our very own Joe Velasquez completed the Seattle Marathon last Sunday, November 29 in a little over 5 hours (and then some change). In spite of some cramping and almost 5 miles of difficulty (that caused him to lose some significant time), he actually did better than the first time he ran it several years ago. Truly the years have not gotten ahead of him.
Joe trained and ran the marathon to raise funds for the Team Evergreen Village (our community's sponsored GK Village) and to benefit the victims of the Typhoon Ondoy disaster in the Philippines (see blogs below). He specifically targeted the shortage of school supplies of children whose educational institutions have all been washed out by the floods.
Way to go, Joe! It's nice to know people can get all sorts of creative for a good cause.

NWCM Christmas Party and Bazaar coming up...

2009-11-21T09:33:00.000-08:00

On Sunday, December 6, NWCM-Federal Way will have its annual Christmas Party and hold a mini-bazaar at the Federal Way Community Center in order to raise funds for the GK Team Evergreen Movement while celebrating the Season. You're all invited to come and share the day with us while contributing to a good cause. The festivities will start at 10 AM for our worship service all the way through lunch and beyond.
The holidays are especially difficult on a lot of people all over the world as shopping and commercialism become the norm. NWCM seeks to change how we celebrate the season by focusing on helping others even while we make purchases for our own gift giving.

Kudos to BASIC for a Fun-filled Harvest Festival!

2009-10-28T22:37:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our BASIC Community, we had an awesome time at Mark Twain Elementary School on Tuesday, the 27th - yes, it was a bit early for Halloween - but we weren't celebrating that anyway. BASIC focused on "the Harvest" and shined a light on the importance of mitigating the effects of bad agricultural practices on harvest bounties in the third world and its subsequent effects on the poverty rate. Thanks to everyone who put a lot of hard work into it. And thanks to everyone for supporting the activity as BASIC partnered with Stand Against Poverty to raise awareness of this issue.

Typhoon Relief

2009-09-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

By now you have probably seen and heard many of the pictures, videos, news clips and broadcasts from the Philippines regarding the devastation brought on by typhoon "Ondoy" (International code word "Ketsana") in the National Capital region (Metro Manila). Above all the struggles that our brothers and sisters face on a daily basis because of economic hardship, natural calamities like this storm and the accompanying floods in Metro Manila and its outskirts can surely push one towards desperation.

But we have hope.

Immediately after the floods stopped rising and even while thousands of homeless Filipinos cleaned up mud-soaked streets - ordinary heroes sprang into action. The military and government agencies did their job, but thousands upon thousands of ordinary citizens also stepped in to immediately start restoring the city and helping their fellow citizens. The web was also filled with information on how those of us who were not there physically can beceome part of the work of rebuilding.

We have partner organizations that we can count on to do a good job of collecting, organizing and distributing goods, funds, even prayers to the countless victims. Here are my recommendations:

The Philippine National Red Cross is at the forefront of this battle. Click on the link to get information on how you can help.

The Gawad Kalinga organization is always there when disaster strikes. In this situation, however, in spite of being victims of the calamity, GK Villagers have opened up all villages to assist in providing temporary shelter and logistical support for those who have lost everything. Several GK Villages were also hard hit by the floods - specifically those in the Marikina area. GK is taking donations online at the GK1World site as part of their "Walang Iwanan" (Leave No One Behind) campaign - the fund is specifically set up for typhoon Ondoy relief.

AncopUSA is Gawad Kalinga's organization in the U.S. and they are already set up to take in international transactions. Become a part of GK's 1MB vision (1 Million "Bayanis" or Heroes).

World Vision is an organization that we've always trusted, specially when it comes to getting relief for children. They also have sprang into action, seeking $2M to immediately start relief efforts even as Ondoy makes its way to Vietnam. They will be there, too, assisting victims in that country.

Our very own Youth Group, WITH, is organizing their efforts towards this cause. Get more information from their website on how you can help.

You may also send checks written out to NetWork Christian Ministries' Typhoon Relief to our mailing address at:

27620 26th Ave S

Federal Way, Wa 98003

Regardless of which organization you go through to send help, I would ask that you please give generously. The comfort and security we enjoy in this part of the world in spite of the occassional natural disasters we experience is nothing compared to the calamities experienced by those in the third world. Make a sacrifice this week - give up a few cups of lattes, skip that nice dress you were planning to buy, eat at home this week instead of going to a fancy restaurant...do something to make your giving count both for the victims and for yourself.

God bless you all and keep our countrymen in your prayers.

NetWork Celebrates 15 Years of God's Work in the Puget Sound

2009-09-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

NetWork Christian Ministries - its core people today - were not always known by that name. The ministry started out as an outreach of Word for the World, then got renamed Word International Ministries, then later on became NWCM, with a branch springing off into the Assemblies of God. Several people representing several churches whose lives have been touched by God's goodness came together last Sunday, September 27 at the Mountlake Terrace facility to celebrate the Lord's faithfulness in all of our lives.

The event focused on God's faithfulness to his churches regardless of what denomination they belonged to today. It emphasized unity and friendship - community - in spite of going off on our own ways, we all remain committed to the cause of the gospel.

A Night at the Movies

2009-08-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

NWCM-FW successfully sponsored a showing of the movie Paraiso-Tatlong Kuwento ng Pag-asa (see entry below) on August 21 at the Blue Mouse Theater in Tacoma. Several people came and watched the movie after a delicious Filipino themed dinner. The movie served its purpose in raising awareness among the moviegoers and became the catalyst for people to pledge to become a part of the Team Evergreen GKommunity (100 people pledging to support the building of the village with 1% of the costs). There were even a few walk-ins - people who just walked in from the street and were willing to be a part of the evening - dinner and a movie for a good cause at $30 was hard to beat.

Hopefully, more and more people will come to the conviction that we are so blessed in this country and that making a commitment to help the poor in the Philippines is not such a burden. Thanks to everyone who helped out.

Summer Camp 2009

2009-08-19T19:53:00.000-07:00

Summer, 2009. The NWCM Family picked a great time to go camping in Eastern Washington – the hottest week of the year! Yep – from July 31st thru August 2nd, families from NWCM-FW camped out at Maryhill State Park on the gorgeous Columbia River Gorge (pardon the pun) just across the river from Oregon. It was a memorable camp – different from previous ones in that they also held their annual Youth Camp at the same time.

In spite of the heat (temperatures rose to around 115F during the peak of the sunlight), teens and families turned out to set up tents, cook meals outdoors, sit around and do nothing, sweat a quarter of their body weight, enjoy the Columbia River water and just enjoy each other’s company. Nothing beats Filipino camping food – especially when you’re in the outdoors and there are no restrictions to the aromas you can waft in the air (we just love that “danggit” in the morning).

B.A.S.I.C., our youth group, spent the weekend learning more about the issues of poverty, human trafficking and the environmental crisis through lectures, games, discussion and presentations. That last night at the bonfire, as the teens presented skits was a comedy night with a purpose.

There were also opportunities to learn about the history of the Gorge itself from the nearby

Columbia Gorge Discovery Center in Wasco County, Oregon (http://www.gorgediscovery.org/).

Field trips to scenic areas provided ample opportunities for photographs even as some of the adults enjoyed a time of wine tasting (this area of Washington state produces some of the region’s best wines). The pictures you see here are just samples – nowadays, everything happens on social networking sites like facebook and youtube – and that’s where you’ll see most of the photos and videos we took.

All in all, in spite of the heat, NWCM placed another memorable community vacation weekend in the books. We hope you’ll join us next year for our annual summer adventure – who knows what we’ll be doing next...

Paraiso - the Movie

2009-07-31T18:23:00.000-07:00

Would you like to play a small part in raising awareness of the poverty situation in the Philippines? Not only that, but would you want to be a part of the solution?

The movie "Paraiso - Tatlong Kuwento ng Pag-Asa (Paradise - Three Stories of Hope)" will be shown at the Blue Mouse Theater in Tacoma on Friday, August 21, 2009 at 6:30 PM. NWCM-FW is sponsoring the event to benefit the Team Evergreen Washington Village that we are building through the Gawad Kalinga Organization. Tickets are at $30 which includes the movie, a Filipino cuisine dinner and a small donation to cover the costs.

Paraiso is a movie which depicts 3 stories based on real life events surrounding people affected by the Gawad Kalinga movement. Produced, directed and starred with some of the Philippines' premier film professionals, the movie has been shown in different parts of the world to raise awareness of the positive things that GK is doing around the world - and to hopefully inspire others to join the cause. If you would like more information please don't hesitate to contact us.

Here's a video of the trailer:

Team Evergreen Launches Its GK Campaign

2009-04-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, April 25, NetWork Christian Ministries successfully launched its series of events to benefit the Gawad Kalinga Movement (see http:\\www.gawadkalinga.org) with their Spring Fiesta Benefit and Dance. The local church has partnered with the GK movement in their vision of eradicating poverty in the Philippines one community at a time. Even as light dinner was served and dancing commenced, those who participated also raised money through a silent auction and a live dessert auction (where cakes that normally retail for $25 drew as much as $100 - $150). Who says dancers can't shell out for a good cause?

The event also included a time of testimony from Sis. Georginette Cleofe, a GK advocate, and a call from Pastor Dondi to give to the cause. All the work for the event was done by volunteers from NWCM and all the items auctioned off were donated so all the proceeds went towards the Team Evergreen Washington Village fund...

"The Spring Fiesta for GK is only the beginning," dreams Pastor Dondi. "In the future, we hope to be involved in other causes and partner with organizations whose goal is to alleviate suffering in this world - both local and international. We believe that is what God has called our particular local church to do. That's what the members of our community have dedicated their lives to."

If you would like more information or would like to make a donation to support our dream of building the Team Evergreen Village, please email us at nwcm.fw@comcast.net.

Spring Fiesta Video Review

Resurrection Sunday

2009-04-12T12:33:00.000-07:00

2000 years ago, the enemy thought that he had won a great and mighty victory by putting to death the One who would dare challenge the way the world works. He thought that by nailing this innocent teacher to the cross, he would silence Him. He thought that he was stronger than the ultimate force of good and love. But the enemy was in for a rude awakening. Three days later, the man who hung on the cross to take our sins upon Him and prove how much He was willing to give up for each and every one of us - the man who was by His very nature divine yet was willing to shed that right in order that He might connect us with the Living God - the man they call Immanuel, which meant "God with us" - defeated death and rose from the grave.

[[Message from the pastor... Excerpt from the NetNews on April 12, 2009]]

Human Trafficking

2009-01-11T11:53:00.000-08:00

The scourge of human trafficking is real and must be dealt with today! At NWCM-FW, we aim to raise awareness of the issue and do whatever we can in our own small way to curb some of the consumer appetite that fuels this social evil. Our youth group has come up with a short video that raises some of these issues as it relates to the trafficking of children used in forced labor in countries that export cocoa beans.

Do your part to learn more about the issue and how to stop it.