I just want to share with you our sharing in the last CFC Mission Core Group Online Gathering for the month of September. This is our journey as leaders in CFC Couples For Christ.
Francis: Good evening, brothers and sisters! May the peace and love of our Lord be with you all! I am Bro. Francis Chua and my loving wife, Sis. Mavic Chua. We are one of the unit leaders in CFC London A Chapter.
We are here before you tonight to share a journey — one that has spanned over two decades in Couples For Christ. It is a story not of merits or titles, but of a profound lesson that God has etched into our hearts: true leadership is about serving with love and humility. We've learned to silence the voice that seeks recognition and, instead, focus on the one thing that truly matters: deepening our relationship with God and with all of you, our brethren.
Our journey began in 1996 when I completed the Christian Life Program (CLP) for Singles For Christ (SFC) in Batangas City. My future wife, however, became an SFC member two years later in Barcelona in 1998. After graduating from college, I moved to Spain in 1999. It was there, serving in the church choir, that our paths finally crossed.
Mavic: As we became more active in SFC, our roles in the community brought us closer. I was the unit head of SFC that time, and he was one of my household leaders. Our time together led to intimate conversations, and soon, our friendship blossomed into a beautiful romance.
In 2001, we were married and began our service as a couple in Couples For Christ. We started as members, but God had bigger plans. Just one year later, we were called to lead as CFC household leaders.
While serving as household leaders, we were given the opportunity to serve in our youngest ministry, Kids For Christ (KFC), as couple coordinators for five years. We cherished the memories we shared with the kids and the younger generations. We led a team to the European Kids Village (EKV) held in Rome, Italy; Marseilles, France; and Frankfurt, Germany. We also attended several European conferences and leaders' training.
Working with our senior and junior kids required a lot of patience and humility. We learned that to deal effectively with parents and guardians, one must set aside their ego.
Francis: In 2006, we were discerned to be the Chapter Leaders in our area. At that time, CFC in Barcelona was just one area, so I was the Area Head. It was a challenging role. As Chapter Leaders, we were also the mission and support coordinators, handling the finances, the tithes and other administrative tasks for CFC Barcelona. We managed everything well until a storm hit our community in 2007.
That was when CFC was divided into two groups: CFC GLOBAL (our present CFC) and CFC FFL (now MFC, Missionaries For Christ). We had to make a difficult decision: align ourselves with only one group.
During our General Assembly, where we had to make a decision, the governance team recommended that the assembly choose CFC GLOBAL based on a prior vote. The body then voted to decide which group to align with. Out of more than 70 attendees, only four members voted against the recommendation, making it a majority decision to choose CFC GLOBAL. Everything seemed to go well until the closing prayer, when the four members voiced their decision not to join us. They said they had to align themselves with the other group.
It was very hard for me to accept this. My aim was to maintain the unity of the group, and I felt it was my failure that CFC Barcelona was divided. I was heartbroken and cried a lot. However, this experience was a clear reminder that our ways are not always God's ways and that He has other plans. It humbled me to realize that even when we are in a leadership position, the Lord is always in control and will decide what is best for His people. With humility, we were able to accept the reality that we would be two separate groups journeying toward holiness.
Mavic: After our term as Chapter Leaders, we were called to a new mission: serving as the SFC Coordinators for three years. As members of the governance team, our most challenging and humbling task was opening a new area in Girona, a province in Catalunya. We also became the Area Coordinator of Girona, traveling there twice a month to look after our new brethren.
Just one year later, we celebrated a monumental victory for God's kingdom. We convinced three couples — all of whom were Protestants (Seventh Day Adventist) — to take their sacred marriage vows in a "kasalang bayan," or community wedding sponsored by Couples For Christ Barcelona. This wasn't just an achievement; it was a testament to the power of our shared faith.
An accomplishment like this could have easily led us to seek praise and acknowledgment, but it taught us a more profound lesson: our purpose is not to chase glory for ourselves but to serve others for the glory of God alone.
Francis: In 2016, I made the difficult decision to leave Barcelona for London, seeking what many call "greener pastures." But leaving wasn't just about a new job; it was about leaving behind my service and the community of CFC that I had poured my life into.
The timing made it even harder. The top leadership was in the process of restructuring the national governance of Spain, and I knew I was a strong candidate to become the Country Head. The temptation to stay and to lead was powerful.
Yet, once again, God called me to a deeper level of humility. He asked me to let go of everything I had established and to return to the very beginning. To go back to basics. I had to surrender my plans and the position I could have had. This was a test of faith, a moment where I had to choose God's path over my own.
While I was in London, my wife continued to serve as the coordinator for the Handmaids of the Lord in Barcelona. In 2018, she and our children made the brave move to join me. The transition was a difficult one for all of us, but we eventually settled into our new life and began a new adventure together in London.
Mavic: As a couple in London, we began as members in a new CFC household. After years of juggling countless responsibilities in Spain, this period felt like a "honeymoon" in service — a chance to simply focus on our household and our own spiritual growth.
But our “honeymoon” was short-lived. Just one year later, we were called to become Household Leaders, and a year after that, we took on the roles of Unit Leaders for the London A Chapter. As if that weren't enough, I also now serve as the Chapter Head of the Handmaids of the Lord.
Truly, God has been so good to us. Through every twist and turn of our journey in the CFC community, He has drilled one powerful lesson into our hearts: leadership is about being a servant. This isn't just a role; it's a calling to serve, not to be served. It's a humbling act that strips away the need for recognition and replaces it with a burning desire to know God's will above our own.
Francis: If we were to step back or turn away from the community, someone else would take our place because this is not our work; it is the Lord's work. God’s work will continue, and CFC will continue, regardless of whether we are in or out. Long after we are gone — from this generation to generations yet to come! CFC will continue! God is great, all the time!
May God be praised!
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