FAMILIES IN THE HOLY SPIRIT RENEWING THE FACE OF THE EARTH
“Moved by the Holy Spirit, one with the Catholic Church, blessed to witness to Christ’s love and service, Couples for Christ is a united global community of family evangelizers that sets the world on fire with the fullness of God’s transforming love.”
Driven by its Vision, Couples for Christ has grown into a Global Family composed of CFC as the Head and the Family Ministries its children. CFC as the parents nurture and form the Family Ministries and ensure a future full of hope where the fullness of life in Christ will be enjoyed by God’s people through its global work of evangelization.
Started in Manila, CFC began in 1981 and since then, has established the community throughout the Philippines and globally. By end of 2011, there are over 100 countries with active CFC and Family Ministries’ membership. The CFC global governance is based in the CFC Global Mission Home Office in Quezon City Philippines. CFC is registered with the Securities Exchange Commission as Couples for Christ Global Mission Foundation Inc.
The recognition of CFC as a national association of the lay faithful with juridical personality was granted by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in 1996.
In the year 2000, Couples for Christ was granted Vatican recognition ad experimentum as a private lay association of Pontifical right. In 2005 the Vatican gave its definitive and permanent recognition of CFC as a private international association of the faithful and approved its statutes. The recognition of an association constitutes a declaration of the ecclesiastical authority stating that the association is really in the Church, that everything in it is in agreement with the nature of the Church. Our oneness with the Catholic Church is expressed in the CFC Vision statement.
The governance of the CFC global community has evolved over its 30 years of existence. In response to the need of its expanding territories, the CFC International Council (IC) has reviewed the overall governance of the organization and adopted a structure that best delivers the mission and vision of the Couples for Christ community.
BUILDING THE CHURCH OF THE HOME, BUILDING THE CHURCH OF THE POOR
“We are Couples for Christ. We are committed to live in God’s righteousness and holiness, evangelizing people through a life of love and service; we shall work for the renewal of families that will serve God and build generations of Christian leaders; and, we shall pursue Total Christian Liberation through social justice, respect for life, and work with the poor.”
CFC first used “Families in the Holy Spirit Renewing the Face of the Earth” as its vision statement in 1991, on its 10th year anniversary. By 1993, the Family Ministries were started. The Social Ministries and the work with the poor began to be established in 1995 and it signaled the direction of CFC to work towards Total Christian Liberation. In 1996, during its 15th anniversary, CFC declared its mission to “Build the Church of the Home and the Church of the Poor. This was also CFC’s response to the twin-call of the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II): To help rebuild the Church of the Home and Build the Church of the Poor.
The fullness of mission in CFC was further experienced in 2010 when the International Council was led to the theme “Fullness of Life in Christ.” As 2012 begins the first year of the next 30 years of community life, CFC strengthens the fullness of the mission that God has called CFC to do.
The elements of the CFC fullness of mission are the following:
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