A Conference Like No Other

After a victorious Going Global Singles Conference in Cebu last May 2006 came IMAGINE, the 7th Annual Excellence Conference held last October 6-8, 2006 in Manila. Attended by thousands of delegates from all over the Philippines and abroad (Malaysia, Hongkong, Japan, Korea, & USA), multitudes of people were really blessed and inspired with this biggest Catholic teaching conference of its kind in Asia! Join me as I recount those memorable experiences I had during the three-day conference.

Day 1 - Friday, October 6. A power-packed, awe-inspiring Opening Ceremony had brought the audience in total bewilderment. As in everybody was just so stunned gazing those splendid views of the new Heaven and new Earth, I couldn't help but exclaimed "Nasa langit ba ako?". (This would take quite a paragraph ‘coz I’ll be taking you with your imagination this time, hehe!). The entire hall was dimmed, the four big screens around were switched on (like that we saw in movie theaters), showcasing those scenic heavenly captures (it was more like seeing four movies simultaneously, so you just have to turn your head 180 degrees every now and then to take a full view of the different sceneries, hehe!). Then came the melodious music accompaniment from a solo performer playing his violin on stage who was like flying as the (magical) chair gently rose him up on air, complimented with those sparkling bubbles filling up the entire surroundings. At the signal of the emission of that thick smoke from the floor came a heavenly voice singing from nowhere. As we all turned our heads back, following the spotlight’s direction, we found ourselves spellbound seeing a debonair (portrayed by GenRever Choy Miranda) all dressed in a prince-like suite, chanting with that operatic voice, making his way towards the center stage through that seemingly floating platform. Along came the flock of angels and other heavenly creatures hopping in, bouncing and dancing gaily on the four aisles of the hall as they headed their way through the theatrical stage. Then the lights were turned on, and everybody was set all for the praise and worship! It was like a heavenly concert. Wow! Isn’t that amazing?

As what our EC06 Conference Director Didi Marañon said, “The way to benefit most from this conference is to become a child again. Rekindle your sense of wonder. Be playful even. Leave at the doormat all your preconceived notions and be open for anything. Let yourself laugh easily, worship with gusto and learn to live in the moment...” It was such a message of relief for us who have become “boxed” people – boxed in by our own limitations and perceptions. Whoaw! How nice it is to be free up for a while from the “real world” and just experience the empowering presence of God.

More than the usual conference, EC06 was a time for merriment and relaxation. While it was a venue for receiving dynamic teachings and practical lessons, it was also a venue for enjoyment and recreation. Held at The Oasis (Aurora Boulevard), a premiere events venue located in the neighborhood of the Elim Global Headquarters, the EC06 Party Night was totally an evening of fun and excitement. Everybody was able to unwind and share the company of hundreds of other delegates from across the country and the world with a sampling of casual entertainment, live music, dance, and of course, food!

If you feel like moving to the groove, head over to the dance area. If karaoke is your thing, they’ve got some of that, too. Or if relaxing in the company of friends over refreshments is your fancy, you can go ahead grab a table, and better yet, share it with some other international delegates!

Raffle prizes like a Nokia N-Series phone, gift certificates and iPods were up for grabs too! Lots of games had entitled those lucky players to win cool prizes. Malaysian delegates won most of the raffles and the games as they had represented the largest number of delegation. If I’m not mistaken, there were about 96 Malaysian delegates all in all. Whew! Quite a number! 15 ra gani mi delegates from CDO, hehehe!

Day 2 – Saturday, October 7. The plenary talks were indeed powerful and vital. They helped stretch, not just our imagination, but also our way of life. The various simultaneous sessions that covered leadership, discipleship and worship had brought us into another level of Christian maturity. One of the simultaneous sessions we had attended was the Elim Singles Conference where we were exhorted to take part in the Live Give Project.

A world-class entertainment at EC06. The evening of October 7 was a concert night, with the staging of “I Can Only Imagine”, a contemporary Christian concert featuring Christian artist and Elim Singles National Director PY Nakar. Such a fresh repertoire of songs which had taken us on a flight of imagination and wonder. Award-winning songwriter and hip-hop dance choreographer Jungee Marcelo was the special guest for that night. Providing the accompaniment and orchestration was the Elim Music Ministry singers and band who were joined by a 12-piece string ensemble. Parang Elim version ng Phil Harmonic Orchestra! Perfect!

Day 3 – Sunday, October 8. We started the day with a Eucharistic Celebration, followed by the 3rd plenary which was presented in a Game Show-like manner. Hosted by Bro. Moses Catan, with Kiddo Cosio voicing over the invisible “Joe”, wow! It was one of the perfect tandem I’ve ever seen on stage. The Game Show was dubbed “How Many of You” which entitled the winners to be “beneficiary of Christian witness”. And for every set of questions in each category, the Elim Trio up on stage would then chant the game tag line “How maaany of yooouu?!” with such a perfect voice blending accompanied with that seamless hand and body gestures. Parang “Laban o Bawi” the Christian version, hehe! It was a totally awesome and amusing game show which brought fun and laughter to the audience.

Talk about one of the events I’m looking forward in a Conference, it’s the Book Signing session where we can check the newly launched inspirational books and all other Christian books at the bookstore and have the chance to meet the authors themselves and have their personalized message and signature etched on our very own purchased books. I bought this inspirational book “Shine Through Suffering” by Didi Marañon and Lory Lina, and whew! It was such a great pleasure having these great Christian authors signing a personalized message on my newly purchased book.

The last plenary by Bro. Willly Nakar was succeeded by the Anointing Prayer and the Praise Rally. What a powerful grand finale! During the Anointing Prayer, I can feel the enigmatic presence of God dwelling upon me. While others received the gift of tongues, gift of tears, gift of laughter, and the gift of singing, I got none of the above. I received a different gift which I could never explain. As Bro. Willy professed the anointing prayer and raised his hands towards the audience, I felt an extreme coldness I was like freezing – my hands and knees were trembling. The last time I’ve ever had that tremendous chill was when I was at the peak of the 10,000-feet Mt. Kitanglad (savoring the zero degrees temperature) four years ago! On the contrary, one of our brothers shared that he felt the opposite during the anointing prayer. He was like being rinsed with hot water all over his body, he was sweating all over due to the extreme hotness he felt. Mysterious as it was, with faith, we believed that it was one great manifestation that the Holy Spirit has dwelt upon us and spoke to us on that very moment.

On the Praise Rally, everybody was singing and dancing to the rhythm of those powerful Christian songs. Just imagine those thousands of people grooving, jumping, and chanting together… and the conference hall was a bit shaking hehe! There was this amusing portion with my co-delegate Kara. Everytime the gathering calls for a praise rally and community singing, we would remove our sandals and we go on dancing and chanting with bare foot! And one thing more.. me and my co-CDO delegates always loved to stay on the fire zone! As in pinaka front jud! That’s the spirit! When you have to listen to the Word of God and receive His blessings, it’s always nice to be on the fire zone!

Still burning up with enthusiasm after the three-day conference, I found myself joining the queue of those early registrants for the next conference. Yep, I already have registered for the 8th Excellence Conference on October 5-7, 2007. Aside from getting the 50% discount on the registration fee, I just grabbed the opportunity to share my “early” blessings to the community and gave back what belongs to the Lord. So to my fellow Elimites out there, I’ll see you all in Manila for the 8th Annual Excellence Conference: RECEIVE!

See more photos at http://pepperonni.multiply.com/photos/album/35