* 3rd Annual Combined Church Outing - 2013

On March 29 the 3rd Annual Combined Church Outing was held.  This year 100+ members from The First Reformed Church of Bulacan, the Berean Protestant Reformed Church, and Maranatha Reformed Church in Valenzuela attended.  We are thankful to God for the opportunity to further the unity and communion of saints between these groups.  The outing was held at the Grotto Vista Resort in Bulacan, where there were good ammenities for fellowship, games, swimming and (of course!) eating. 

We opened the day with singing and prayer and a meditation by Rev. Kleyn on Psalm 127:1, "Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it; except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain."  He applied this to our Christian homes as well as to the work of building Reformed churches and a denomination in the Philippines.

Bible reading and meditation

 

Singing some Psalter numbers

 

After the opening devotions there was some time for games, a good way to mix and get to know each other better.

Interesting psychology in this game.  Everyone stands facing each other in a circle.  One person is appointed to start the counting each time with number 1, with others following at random, counting to 15.  If two people say the same number, you have to start over at 1.  Almost impossible to get to 15!

 

Everyone turns their backs into the circle and voila, it works!

Cup stacking game.  Each member of the team had to set the cups up in a pyramid and then take them down again for the next team member to repeat.  First team through all their members wins. 

 

There is a Tagalog children's song called "Bahay Kubo" which is about all the different vegetables in the Philippines.  The teams had to see how quickly they could get the vegetables in the song in the right order.

 

Checking that it's right

Some of the men visiting.

The pool was the best way to beat the heat of the day! 

 

 

 

A game for the kids.  Fill a spoon with water, run to the other cup and pour it in.  Which ever team fills their cup the fastest wins.

Another game for mixed age groups.  Each person had a straw. On the chair in front of them were small squares of paper.  They had to pick up the paper pieces by sucking on the straw and run with them to another chair. The team with the most pieces of paper on the second chair won.

 

Rev. Smit did the closing devotions for the day on the first few verses of Psalm 118 -- being thankful for all God's mercies.

I love Thy saints, who fear Thy name and walk as in Thy sight;

They are the excellent of earth, In them is my delight.

Psalter 27: 2