SPRING 09
USA N ational
USA National Youth Council
J
anuary 16, 2009 marked the begin-
ning of the Word International Minis-
tries (WIN) USA National Youth Council.
From January 16-17, representatives from
the west coast WIN churches gathered in
Houston, Texas to plan and strategize for
the youth ministry on the national level.
The National Youth Council, headed by
Pastor Mark Briones, the Associate Pastor
and Youth Pastor of WIN-Los Angeles and
the US National Youth Director of WIN,
includes pastors and youth workers from
the different regions of WIN USA. These
regions include Northern and Southern
California, Texas, and Washington. Pas-
tor Erwin Tanjuaquio, Associate Pastor
and Youth Pastor of Bridgepoint Com-
munity Church (WIN-San Francisco), is
the representative of Northern California,
while Pyros Youth Ministry Head Fedelyn
Rapinan and Youth Leader Sandra Cordero
of WIN-Los Angeles represent Southern
California. Jean Paul “Rocky” Apura, Youth
Pastor of WIN-Houston, is the representa-
tive of the Texas region. Conrado “Booger”
Casallo, the Young Adults Ministry Head of
WIN-Seattle, represents the Washington
region.
The first day of meetings was held in
Stafford, Texas, at the WIN-Houston wor-
ship center. The meetings focused on the
reasons for the establishment of the council
and the role the council would play in the
respective regions. The council serves as
a coordinating center, training center, and
resource center. As a coordinating center,
the council members will organize activi-
ties in each region and choose key people
to lead within the subregions. As a training
center, the council will enable, equip, and
ISSUE XI
First
Converges in Houston
By: Sandra Cordero
empower new leaders. Lastly, the council
serves as a resource center that will dis-
tribute leadership materials in each region.
The content of WIN Youth Manual was also
discussed.
The meetings were followed by a youth
rally held at the WIN-Southwest Houston
church. Young people from WIN-Houston,
WIN-Southwest Houston, WIN-Northwest
Houston, and WIN-Dallas led praise and
worship. The sanctuary overflowed with
young people hungry for the move of God.
They were served with a three-course
meal, with Bro. Booger providing his tes-
timony about how God changed his life as
an appetizer, Pastor Erwin sharing about
setting an example as a youth for dinner,
and Pastor Mark serving dessert with the
altar call. Young people filled the altar, ear-
nestly seeking the Lord to be the center of
their lives.
After the youth rally, the council mem- ministry. Sis. Sandra then explained how
bers traveled to Waller, Texas, where Pastor the youth ministry can utilize media to fur-
Ed Santibañez and his wife, Sis. Rebecca, ther the kingdom. The meeting concluded
graciously opened their farm to be used with the creation of a calendar of youth
for the council’s housing accommodations. programming from 2009 until 2012.
The next morning, the council meetings God has big plans for the youth of this
resumed with visiting pastors and local nation. This council is a vessel that God
Texas youth leaders in attendance. Pas- can use to train the youth groups within
tor Ed shared a devotional to start off the each region to more effectively fulfill the
day. Pastor Mark and Pastor Vino Atienza, Great Commission to seek and save the
senior pastor of WIN-Seattle, discussed lost for Him.
the privilege of God’s calling and the de- Want to get involved? Contact your lo-
velopment of the new generation of lead- cal WIN youth ministry or regional youth
ers within WIN. Later, Pastor Erwin shared council representative. Remember: “Do
about how the youth ministry should part- not let others look down on you because
ner with the parents of the young people. you are young, but set an example for be-
Sis. Fedelyn and Bro. Booger shared about lievers in speech, in life, in love, in faith,
balancing school, ministry, and family. Bro. and in purity” (1 Timothy 4:12). Get in-
Rocky discussed the challenges of youth volved today!
 home sweet home word international ministries, los angeles
By: Bruce Mao

W hen the church declared that it was

entering a season of new begin-
nings, it did so, for the first time ever, in
its new building. After 18 years of moving
around from theatres to children schools
that spanned all over the city of Los An-
geles, WIN-LA can now proudly say that
it has found its home. God has gracious-
ly given us a venue that can generously
accommodate every facet of the church.
From the sanctuary, to the pastors’ of-
fice, to quarters for Sunday School, there
is no shortage of rooms or space. The
new sanctuary is a substantial space with
an elevated stage at the forefront where
the worship team can situate and leave
their instruments and other equipment
for practices and the service, without wor-
rying about setting up and packing them
away every Sunday. It is truly spacious in
that we can comfortably seat around 200
people. Just across the hall lays a lobby-
like area, a pastor’s office, and a children’s
room all suitably located in one area of
the building. There is also a room where
the sound crew can properly operate the
sound system while simultaneously having
their eyes on the stage to cooperate with
>> Pyros Youth praise and worship embrace
the new church stage
the praise and worship team as they lead
worship, and in just the next room over
is the international office that Pastor Chito
occupies. The new building is conveniently
placed in the heart of Los Angeles, on the
corner of Benton Way and 6th St., where
there is never a moment of pause or si-
lence. We are directly in the center of the
hustle and bustle that defines LA and there
is no better location that perfectly suits our
name.
This is a pinnacle moment in WIN-LA’s
history as we now have premises we can
call our own and use 24/7. There are al-
ready plans to hold overnight prayer ses-
sions, training seminars, and various work-
shops over the next several months and
that shall surely be just the beginning of
many events to come. Praise God for giv-
ing us a building that we can use to glorify
Him and bring furtherance to His king-
dom. We look forward to all the memories
that we will create and cherish in our new
home.

PYROS TURNS FIVE AT FRIDAY NIGHT LIVE!

By: Rizza Aldaba
February 27, 2009 marked a night of
beginnings and milestones as Pyros com-
memorated their 5th Year Anniversary
and celebrated its first Friday Night Live
at WIN-Los Angeles’s new church build-
ing. It’s been a long while since Pyros or-
ganized a Friday Night Live, and WIN-LA’s
shift to a new church building has been
timely indeed. There was quite a turn-out
as invited friends, different fellow youth
groups of WIN from the Southland, and
family poured into the sanctuary, coming
to support and witness what the special
event had in store.
After emcees Joanna Cordero and Paolo
Manuel ushered in the event, Pauline
Guiuan led everyone in a time of praise,
followed by a fresh and upbeat hip-hop
dance by the Heart Ministry, WIN-LA’s
newly launched Creative Arts Ministry. The
first and original members of Pyros im-
parted how the youth group has multiplied
and grown spiritually through the years
and how their membership has certainly
changed them for the better. Roland and
Sarah Diaz, Tess Cordero, Deng Francisco
and Sylvia Sajo represented the heart of
the parents, sharing their touching testi-
monies on how their children’s lives were
transformed by God and through their in-
volvement with Pyros. Pastor Chito Cord-
ero imparted a few thoughts about how
the youth of the church plays a pivotal part
in the church.
Heart Ministry presented a powerful skit
depicting various examples of how the en-
emy may steal, kill and destroy us through
our difficult and trying circumstances, but
God ultimately forgives and rescues us,
giving us the power and authority to bind
and break the devil’s schemes. The skit
paved the way to a moment of worship, led
by Rizza Aldaba. Pastor Erwin Tanjuaquio,
the youth and associate pastor of WIN-
Bridgepoint, was the speaker of the night,
sharing on the substance and significance
of God’s Word in our lives. After the ser-
mon, Pastor Mark Briones invited everyone
to come to the altar; many young people
recommitted and even newly dedicated
their lives to Christ.
The night ended with a time of fellow-
ship and friendly conversation as everyone
enjoyed each other’s company.

Amid snow, rain and cold weather, the
team of young people from California was
once again met with a warm welcome from
WIN churches in the Evergreen state.
The eight-member youth team, led by
WIN US National Youth Director and WIN-
LA Youth Pastor Mark Briones, traveled to
Washington on March 5 through 9 after
weeks of prayer, fasting and preparation.
They led praise and worship at the Cros-
spoint youth rally on Friday, March 6 and
again on Youth Sunday, March 8, at the
WIN-Tacoma church, which is under the
leadership of Pastor Noel Villarivera, who
also hosted the team along with his wife,
Sis. Dinah.
The praise and worship team – the third
Pyros team to visit Seattle since 2006 -
consisted of young people representing
different WIN churches, including Rizza
Aldaba, Stephanie Bautista, Paulo De Villa
and Joey Llamas from WIN-LA; Jonathan
Dizon from Orange County; Pauline Guiuan
from the Bay Area; and Nathan Estanislao
from San Diego.
The Crosspoint youth rally had a pleas-
antly surprising turnout of over 70 attend-
ees, mostly comprised of members of the
WIN-Tacoma, WIN-Auburn and WIN-Seat-
tle youth groups, as well as their friends
and classmates.
>> Pyros Seattle team visits WIN-Tacoma once
again for refreshed ministering.
the pyros torch
A Warm Welcome from Washington
By: Pauline Guiuan
John Cruz from the Voice of Victory
church in San Francisco as well as Archie
Borja from WIN-Tacoma joined the praise
team as back-up singers, while brothers
Edward and Eric Mariano, both also from
WIN-Tacoma , played the drums and the
guitar, respectively.
The rally was opened with a fun
icebreaker led by Marco Gonzales and
Andriela Gaerlan which involved the crowd
being divided into groups that took turns
coming up with different dance moves,
which was followed by energetic praise
and passionate worship led by Pauline
Guiuan.
P astor Mark rallied the young people to
sharpen their spiritual tools based on
the story of Elisha causing an iron axe
head to float in water in 2 Kings 6:1-7, en-
couraging listeners to allow God to lighten
their burdens and strengthen their walk
with Him.
The youth responded openly, with al-
most the entire crowd coming forward dur-
ing the altar call, which included a time of taking them to Pike Place Market and the
prayer of anointing and protection over the Space Needle. Dinner at the residence of
younger adolescents (those below the age Pastor Elton Smithers, WIN-Tacoma’s new
of 14). The rally culminated in a time of youth pastor, and his wife Paula was an-
jubilant praise music and fellowship over other highlight of the weekend.
a late dinner provided by the WIN-Tacoma Team member Jonn Dizon, who cele-
church. brated his birthday on March 8, was greet-
Youth Sunday went equally well, with ed with a surprise party organized by WIN-
the Pyros praise team (in collaboration Washington youth members at the Gaerlan
with WIN-Tacoma youth) again leading residence on Sunday afternoon.
worship and Pastor Mark delivering the God brought the team safely home to
Word of God. their respective cities even through snow-
The trip was made even more memo- fall on Monday morning, with many mem-
rable by countless moments of fun and fel- ories and testimonies of God’s love and
lowship with the Washington youth. They power shown through the churches they
hosted the visiting team quite warmly, ministered to in Seattle.

T
he excitement builds up as prepa-
rations accelerate and the different
churches and youth groups gear up
camp preview By: Pauline Guiuan

for Soul Anchor 2009: Taking A Stand.
With 17 Word International Ministries
churches from all over the United States
participating, including the new WIN-
Dallas church, and with several non-WIN
churches adding to the roster, this will be
the largest WIN national summer youth
camp ever. About 200 young people are
already expected to attend, with confirma-
tions coming in from the various church-
es.
This will be the last national camp until
2012; beginning next year, the churches
will be holding separate camps in their re-
spective regions.
“They are all excited and are busy raising
funds,” said Pastor Mark Briones, WIN Na-
tional Youth Director. He is currently work-
ing with the WIN National Youth Council,
the Pyros leadership team and the various
youth leaders from the different churches
to plan and organize what promises to be
the best camp yet.
For the first time, WIN International
Director, Rev. Emerito “Babes” Paulate, is
scheduled to speak on the last night of
camp, rounding off a full week of powerful
speakers.
Meanwhile, each youth group has also
been busy raising funds to send their
members to camp. Christmas caroling, Val-
entine’s Day events, food sales and sport-
ing events are just some of the creative
fund-raising activities the young people
have been putting together this year to
meet the $210 per person camp fee.
Everyone is encouraged to fill out their
forms, invite their friends and classmates
and save up for the camp fee, and more
importantly, to simply get excited and to
prepare their hearts and minds for a phe-
nomenal move of God this summer as we
all get together at the Oak Glen Confer-
ence Center in Yucaipa, California on July
6-10.

soul anchor 2009 T A K I N G A S T A N D

thefireside
fireside
The past 3 months have been trying
times for most of us. There’s the economic
slump, foreclosures, employees being laid
off from work, and the mandatory furlough
days for certain companies. Everyone is
watching and waiting for the US govern-
ment’s bail out plan and how it will affect
us all. Friends, we need to remember that
God is sovereign and still in control! He
is working in the background to make us
trust Him even more.
Despite all this, the core team for the US
National Youth Council had their very first
meeting in Houston, TX in January ’09.
Representatives from Los Angeles, Seattle
and San Francisco were able to pay their
way for this historic meeting to plan the
hannah llamas
Youth leader Hannah Llamas has the
unique title of officially being WIN-LA’s
first baby. With WIN-LA just celebrating
its 18th year anniversary, Hannah, at 20
years old, has seen the church grow since
the beginning. “People in the church have
seen how much I’ve grown [and] it’s a
blessing because it’s people you’re going
to know forever,” Hannah said. Since most
of Hannah’s relatives are in the Philippines,
she considers WIN LA her first family in the
United States.
Though Hannah grew up in church,
she believes she has received the deepest
feeding through discipleship, led by Sandra
Cordero. Gradually through discipleship,
Hannah began realizing that God was pre-
paring her for “a greater purpose and call-
ing in life.” According to Sandra, having
Hannah in discipleship is a true blessing.
“What I appreciate about Hannah is that
she’s really open and she really speaks
from her heart,” Sandra said. “It’s amazing
to see the transformation that happened in
her life. She’s a really good example to the
younger kids.”
A regular week for Hannah consists of
balancing school, ministry, competitive
water polo and swim, and work. A youth
leader, children’s church teacher, and dis-
ciple, Hannah is also very active in church.
In addition, Hannah works 18-20 hours
a week at It’s A Grind Coffee shop as a
shift leader to help provide for her fam-
ily. She plays collegiate water polo and
competitively swims for Cerritos College,
where she practices 15 hours a week plus
tournaments and meets. She also attends
Pyros Youth Pastor
Mark Briones
Layout & Design Editor
Verna Abante
And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches
in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil.4:19
programs and activities for the next 3 years
for our young people. I went to Hawaii
in February to visit our church there and
challenge them once again to join us for
the summer camp. WIN Hawaii responded
and is stepping out in faith to send 10-12
of their young people… Praise God!! We
also praise God for enabling us to send a
youth team to visit our Washington area
churches in March to also promote the US
National Youth Camp this summer.
We have heard prophecies time and
time again reminding us that we are on
God’s economy, not of this world’s. He is
our Creator and Almighty God and there is
no recession in His kingdom!! We need to
press on and continue to trust in Him. He
a young woman honoring God
Cerritos College majoring in Child Develop-
ment with hopes of someday owning and
operating her own preschool. “If I wasn’t
at school, I was at practice. If I wasn’t at
practice, I was at work. If I wasn’t at work,
I was at church or discipleship,” she said.
To say that Hannah is busy and hardwork-
ing is an understatement.
Hannah began serving in the children’s
church since she was 13 years old. “I’ve al-
ways had a love for the kids and how they
function. Especially now, kids are exposed
to so many things they shouldn’t be ex-
{
God has really given me pas-
sion for the water since I was
small.
posed to,” Hannah said. She is passionate
about maintaining the purity of children in
a world that tries to rob them from it every
day. She believes that if children are root-
ed in the foundation of Christian morals,
they will continue walking with God when
they grow up.
Not only is Hannah a good steward of
her time, she is also a good steward of her
talents. “God has really given me passion
for the water since I was small,” Hannah
said. She began swimming and playing wa-
ter polo competitively in middle school. At
Gahr High School, she worked intensely to
develop her talent in the sports, where she
was Varsity captain junior and senior year.
Hannah continued her success in college,
where her team was recently awarded the
State Championship for water polo.
She believes that sports have helped
Editor-in-Chief
Rizza Aldaba
contact
pyros424@yahoo.com
has bailed us out already 2000 years ago
when He died on the cross for us and given
each one of us life and life abundantly!
It’s spring time again and we should
look forward to a new season, what the
Lord has in store for us, and how He will
turn things around for His children. Let’s
be expectant and prayerful. “For with God
all things are possible” Mark 10:27
Blessings,
Pastor Mark Briones
her grow as a
person, teach-
By: Joanna Cordero
ing her time
management,
leadership,
teamwork,
and discipline.
While Hannah
continues to
be successful,
she gives the
glory to God.
She believes
that the rea-
son why she
succeeds is
because she
puts God first. “It’s not my strength alone,
but it is God,” she said. “If I did it alone, I
wouldn’t have made it.”
Burdened to help her family financially,
Hannah was willing to sacrifice water polo,
but trusted that God would provide. God
honored Hannah’s heart and enabled her
to work and go to school while still playing
sports. “Through water polo, God gave me
victory,” she said.
Every day, Hannah continues to trust
God for strength and the provision for her
family. “For how hectic my life is, God still
provides,” Hannah said. “Everything I have
is a blessing. It’s not anything I deserve.”
With a humble heart and dedicated work
ethic, Hannah gives glory to God with ev-
erything she does and trusts Him through
every circumstance. “People see me [and
sense that] there is something else in me.
I know that it’s God’s love. I pray that peo-
ple see that instead of just Hannah.”
web
www.pyros.rocks.it.