(A letter of Alex & Mel Ebarvia,DSL of BLD Vancouver Cluster addressed to the DCS of BLD Vancouver, Seattle, Edmonton, Calgary)
Peace to all!
Many years ago, when we were still having our ME reunions, Tessie Ledesma, a well-known advocate of the Centering Prayer and head of the Love our Priests Movement in the Philippines spoke to us and said “you know, it is good that you are Charismatics
but do remember that the Charismatics is just one of the rivers, that flows towards to a bigger body of water, to the ocean which is the larger church.”
I also remember the time in 1994, when all BLD members were asked to a retreat to study the Community Culture and Norms. Stephen Clark’s book on “Patterns of Christian Living” was a required reading material. Years followed the Covenant of Communion and the Excellence in Worship came out which was beautifully crafted by the Head Servant, Sonny de los Reyes and possibly some of his advisors through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Another retreat came and the community was discussing what BLD should be. Different models were proposed and two of them came out and which had drawn the community to really think of what truly is BLD.
• Fortress – the model that approximates the community back then in Manila, popular to many members as BLD was the place where each one of us grow, learn and develop their experiential relationship with the Lord such that people were drawn very close to each other, thus the image of being perceived as a social club.
• Salt of the Earth & Light for the World – the model being proposed to be the direction for a new community model whose objective was “”live as the Lord had lived” which met stiff resistance due to its great difficulties and big difference from what is being experienced.
Our 1st Spiritual Director, Fr. Pascual Adorable was instrumental in guiding and building the community to be the place where one is borne by the Spirit to be an instrument of grace to those whom the Lord is calling to BLD. Matthew 10:8, “the gift you received, give as a gift”. Most charismatic communities back then were never directly under a priest but directly under a charismatic lay leader or couple. But each BLD district was always under the direction a priest or at the very least give spiritual guidance as Spiritual Adviser.
Even prior to the death of Fr. Ado and after guiding the community for 13 years, there was no conclusive decision to be one or the other of the two models. But there was a trend to shift slowly towards the latter. In 1997, the Institutes: Breaking the Yoke of Poverty – Jun & Baby Delarmente, Institute for Parish Community Dev. – Jun & Rita Eala and National Prayer Movement Phils – Eliong & Leah Sison were created to address the need or the direction. They did the initial groundwork for BLD’s initial entry to the larger church.
Most Rev. Angel Lagdameo, then the Bishop of Dumaguete and President of CBCP through a selection process conducted by the Bishops of the Philippines became our Spiritual Director and guided us towards more involvement & active participation in the larger church and to our respective parishes or dioceses. His Grace guided the community towards the next 12 years, completing the 1st 25 years of BLD.
Looking back today, BLD has now evolved by the grace of God combining the two models:
1st, BLD is a FORTRESS where disciples of Jesus are borne of the spirit to become our co-workers, where one seeks God’s call for them, the anointing for the call and rest after fulfilling the call.
• BLD continuously builds districts in far-away areas in other vineyards of the Lord to be the Formation & Nurturing HUB for those being called to serve.
2nd, BLD is one of those being called to be the “SALT of the Earth & LIGHT of the WORLD”, to bring God’s word to those being called to come into contact with us in the institutions, parishes and dioceses. Those who have discerned that the Lord called them for a different purpose or to a different vineyard after their encounters and LSS became a new source of workers for their respective parishes.
• BLD covenanted or committed disciples who are no longer with the community or were given a new calling by the Lord to become leaders in their parishes truly became the new source leaders of for their parishes.
BLD members had become primarily disciples of Jesus:
• Tasked to serve their own parishes
• Tasked to serve many parishes with other BLD members as their co-workers and their witnesses to the service they were called for
This year, 2 years going towards the 2nd 25 years of BLD, we are blessed to receive the CLOSING REMARKS OF THE RECENT SYNOD OF BISHOPS indicating something new, a new direction or a guide. While BLD Districts are required to have a COMMON Structure, Formation, Worship, Bible Theme & Promises, which unites us together, your district is also different from one another.
As your district prepares to plan ahead for your term of office as District Stewards and members of the District Leaders Conference, I exhort you to:
1. Read & reflect on the Closing Remarks of the Recent Synod, http://whispersintheloggia.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-church-is-called-to-something-new.html for they are parameters or directions of our service as a Christian. See how the message leads to the challenges and possible changes we all face in all aspects of our lives to include our service as BLD members.
2. Use the New BLD Vision & Mission(http://www.bldworld.org) and our charisms to serve as one of the fruitful branches in the Lord’s vineyards to where BLD is generally called. This was formulated in 2011 by the global District Leadership of BLD (All DCS & DSL/SDC of all districts, the ECSL, DSD in attendance and with His Grace Abp. Angel Lagdameo, currently the Archbishop of Jaro, guiding the entire assembly of leaders).
3. Each district is blessed to have a District Spiritual Director who is fully knowledgeable and in touch with local Archbishop’s plans. Be aware of your respective archdiocesan plans and activities to where the Lord had planted your district. Share the gift that you received and see where your districts charisms can be of use to the archdiocese or parish.
4. Assess your own district’s resources (manpower, time, talent & treasures), for they are the Lord’s provisions for you.
5. See & Wait on the Lord for His will for your district.
Doing all five and those that you believe are necessary will allow you to know the Lord’s specific will for your district. These will transform your respective district to be unique and special, responding to His chosen Will and His specific plan!
We all can’t be in all things but we can ensure that we are in areas where it matters, our general & specific calling for then, we are one with our Lord, with the larger church, with the local church and with the BLD global community. The Lord had raised your district that we may share in His mighty plan for each one of us and to where He had planted us!
God bless all of us!
Your co-workers in Christ,
Alex & Mel Ebarvia
DSL for the Vancouver, Seattle, Edmonton & Calgary
(A Reprint-November 5, 2012)
