PASTORAL FORMATION

PROGRAM MANUAL

2021 Edition
 CFC SINGLES FOR CHRIST
PASTORAL FORMATION

I. PASTORAL FORMATION PROGRAM RATIONALE

The Singles for Christ Pastoral Formation is the ministry’s deliberate and structured effort to
provide its members with the following opportunities:

1. To deepen knowledge and understanding of our Catholic faith’s basic truths

2. To translate Catholic faith’s basic truths into the single person’s lifestyle
3. To utilize the single person’s lifestyle to witness and evangelize society
4. To provide support to the global SFC community so that each chapter will have life
giving and nourishing worship life through empowered and equipped music ministries

II. THE FIVE PRINCIPLES OF THE SFC PASTORAL FORMATION

1. Purposeful – anchored and focused on the SFC Vision and Mission in relation to the
member’s vocation and mission.
2. Relevant – a meaningful source of nourishment for our SFC members.
3. On-going & Continuous – the formation the SFC members get from the ministry is
not the end in itself but constitutes an important part of a single person’s journey in
his/her faith life.
4. Holistic & Integrated – every part is intimately connected with the others and works
4. harmoniously together towards a common objective.
5. Catholic – supports and is aligned with the call and teachings of the Church.
These are achieved through series of Formation Stages designed to cater to the single
person’s pastoral development as a member of SFC.

III. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF PFO COORDINATOR

• Ministry Level

1. Identify, Research and Develop pastoral formation materials that are relevant
and helpful for the growth of members, leaders and couple coordinators.
2. Collaborate with CFC PFO in the process of developing materials and seeking
for its approval.
3. Pilot newly developed formation and training materials.
4. Facilitate feedback gathering and consolidation for regular updating and
revision of the manuals.
5. Creates guidelines for proper conduct and implementation of all pastoral
materials.
6. Monitors & ensures that the music ministry teachings, training tracks and
guidelines are being observed and followed in the area.

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• Local Area Level (Sector /Provincial / National)

1. Oversees the proper conduct of all formation retreats, teachings and trainings.
2. Ensures that all chapters are provided with all the PFO materials
3. Ensures that all leaders have undergone the necessary trainings
4. Promotes the culture of CFC worship in the area.
5. Acts as a “guide” to the Chapter Music Ministries and their Coordinators.

“Guidance” means that CFC praise and worship culture is maintained. Each music
ministry should also be aligned to the directions set by the CFC Music Ministry
Core. New songs flow from this source. There is a tendency for any music
ministry to teach a random song to their members although not officially
recognized by the community. The guideline is to use standard community songs
(in the Glory Song book or officially taught in the International Conferences) for
praise and worship. Other songs may be utilized for reflection or for creative
presentation.

6. Organizes area wide (sector, provincial, national) music ministry

workshop/trainings if necessary or desired.

Note: The ministry recommends that the Local Area PFO Coordinator is a brother
because the PFO Coordinator is the one who leads in the processing of the
speakers, sharers and worship leaders. He is also tasked to guide the worship
leaders.

• Chapter Level

1. Chapter PFO Coordinator

• The SFC Chapter Couple Coordinator (husband) automatically takes on the

role as the chapter PFO coordinator in partnership with the SFC Chapter
Head.
• Ensures that the assemblies, teachings and households are regularly
conducted.
• Monitor and conduct retreats guided by the stages of formation.
• Ensures that all leaders have undergone the necessary trainings.

2. Chapter Music Ministry Coordinator

• Guards the culture of CFC worship, music, and worship leading.

• Ensures that the Chapter has a vibrant Music Ministry.
• Coordinates with the Chapter Leaders and Couple Coordinator regarding
Chapter assemblies, CLPs and other activities in the chapter.

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• Ensures that practices are regular. Practices can be done twice a month
depending on the availability of the team.
• Helps in the spiritual growth of the members through music.
• Coordinates music ministry related activities like workshops and trainings
with the Sector/Provincial/National PFO Coordinator. All activities must be
approved first by the Local Area (Sector/Provincial/National) PFO
Coordinator before any action is done.

IV. THE THREE-STAGE SFC PASTORAL FORMATION RETREATS (MEMBER’S TRACK) AND THE
EXPECTED FRUITS PER STAGE

1. Stage 1 - Nurturing and Supporting

a. Live out SFC covenant: family, workplace, community, stewardship
b. Introduce SFC culture
c. Begin discernment of vocation

2. Stage 2 - Strengthening and Fortifying

a. Growth in faith life
b. Strengthening relationships
c. Growth in service
d. More deliberate discernment of vocation

3. Stage 3 - Deepening and Empowering

a. Growth in spiritual maturity andservice
b. Strengthening missionary spirit and servant’s heart
c. Empowered Christian men and women living out their calling

Take note that our SFC Pastoral Formation comes in stages and NOT in years (which was the
old model of our pastoral formation). The 3-Stage SFC Formation was officially introduced in
February 2010.

V. LEVELED UP PASTORAL FORMATION

After more than 20 years, we now have a greater emphasis on our pastoral formation. As such,
Pastoral Formation in SFC aspires to level up in the formation, in the preparation and in the
experience.

1. LEVEL UP IN FORMATION
a. Understanding our faith
b. New ways to understand the same basic truths (e.g. Theology of the Body)
c. Deepening our knowledge & understanding
d. Knowledge & understanding translating into lifestyle
e. SFCs to be formed in order to evangelize

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2. LEVEL UP IN PREPARATION
a. Careful & thorough study of manuals & the pastoral content; first “experience” of
the retreat/teaching (the walk-through)
b. Service team discussion & prayerful preparation
c. Careful selection of speakers (guided by the speaker’s profile)
d. Speakers have the perspective of the whole experience, not just their talk

3. LEVEL UP IN EXPERIENCE
a. Head and heart experience (enrich/transform; knowledge/ behavior)
b. Deepen the basics, deepen the experience
c. Retreat format:
• Time for personal encounter with God through prayer
• Time for intimate encounter with brothers &sisters
• Time for learning & pondering on how this will impact our lives
• Use of group activities/reflection/journaling to deepen impact of the
messages

VI. SFC FORMATION WEEKENDS

1. STAGE 1

a. Covenant Orientation Weekend (COW)

The Covenant Orientation Weekend is the first weekend retreat that SFCs will
undergo after graduating from the Christian Life Program. It is to be conducted at
least three months after the participants finish the CLP. This weekend aims to
familiarize SFCs with their covenant as Singles for Christ and lead them to commit
to fulfilling this in their day-to-day lives.

b. Princess Diaries or Women’s Weekend 1 (PD or WW1)

The Women’s Weekend I, dubbed as the “Princess Diaries” Weekend, is an
opportunity for our SFC sisters to experience again “the fire of great love” for the
Beloved. It is a retreat wherein every woman will rediscover her identity in God’s
eyes and be crowned with beauty, love and joy, according to God’s will and plan.
The weekend retreat is not an end in itself, but actually the beginning of a
woman’s deeper, more intimate relationship with the Lord, as she will come to
realize how much the King cherishes her, and how fervently the Bridegroom
pursues her.

c. Knight’s Tale or Men’s Weekend 1 (KT or MW1)

The Knights Tales, SFC Men’s Weekend 1 is the first weekend retreat designed for
the men of CFC Singles for Christ. This weekend has two basic goals:

• Help the men understand the true definition of manhood.

• Challenge the men to live as modern-day knights, ready to offer their lives for
the cause of Christ.

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d. Christian Character Weekend (CCW)

Every day is an opportunity for the Lord to mold our character to become more
and more like Christ. The CCW’s main focus deals with the following essentials
in developing one’s Christian character: our emotions guided by the Holy Spirit,
our will submitted to the Father and our heart attuned to Christ. It is inevitably
each participant’s personal response to Christ’s call that will determine his or
her character as a Christian.

2. STAGE 2

a. Christ Pursuit Weekend (CPW)

The Christ Pursuit Weekend is a pastoral formation weekend, which is the
gateway formation for the SFC Stage 2 Members Tracks.
The Christ Pursuit Weekend is derived from the pastoral talk outlines of the SFC
Regional Conferences of 2009 entitled ‘Christ Pursuit’.
Members who have already attended the conference are strongly encouraged to
go through it again as some revisions and modifications have been done and also
because it will be a good opportunity to refresh oneself on the important
teachings found in this retreat.

b. Intimacy Weekend (IW or MW2/WW2)

The Intimacy Weekend applies the teachings of Saint John Paul II’s Theology of
the Body to the lives of single men and women, who are mostly seeking for or are
in a special relationship. The Theology of the Body (TOB) is a series of 129 talks
given by Saint John Paul II during his Wednesday audiences in the early part of his
pontificate (from 1979 to 1984).
It seeks to answer two basic questions:
• What does it mean to be human?
• How do I live my life in a way that brings true happiness?
Through these teachings, Saint John Paul II clarifies to us what it means to be
made male and female in the image and likeness of God, what God’s plan for sex
is, what makes our body theological, and how our bodies and sexual union point
us to our destiny. The TOB uses marriage as the lens through which we view
God’s plan for humanity.

c. Christian Personal Relationship Weekend (CPRW)

The Christian Personal Relationships Weekend is derived from the pastoral talk
outlines of the Christian Personal Relationships teaching course of the CFC
formation program.
The Christian Personal Relationships Weekend focuses on the intricacies of the
personal relationships that we form in life. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we
are called to love one another. The weekend strengthens this basic SFC culture
that should be embraced by all members of SFC.

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d. Crossroads Weekend 1 (CRW1)

The Crossroads Weekend 1 focuses on the exciting adventure of discovering one’s
vocation in life. This weekend aims to accompany the SFCs in this journey of
discovery and to empower them afterwards into pursuing their vocation.

e. God’s Masterpiece Weekend/Family Weekend (GMW/FW)

As Singles for Christ, and in support of the bigger community Couples for Christ, we
aim to support and defend the family through empowering our singles in bringing
hope, faith, and love of Christ into the family. It is with this reason that the SFC
Family Weekend (God’s Masterpiece) was developed. It is an overnight formation
activity for singles, aiming to help them grow into a deeper appreciation and love
for their own families. It is based on the 2015 SFC RECON God’s Masterpiece.

3. STAGE 3

a. Ablaze Weekend (AW)

The Ablaze Weekend is derived from the pastoral talk outlines of the SFC Regional
Conference of 2008 entitled ‘Ablaze’. It aims to strengthen and fortify its members’
growth in their Christian life.

b. Made for His Glory Weekend/Men’s Weekend Retreat 3 (MHGW/MW3)

The Men’s Weekend 3 is a pastoral formation retreat weekend designed for SFC
brothers only. It aims to deepen spirituality of SFC brothers. It is also to challenge
their character and behavior by undergoing some physical activities.

c. Women of Grace Weekend/Women’s Weekend 3 (WGW/WW3)

The women’s weekend retreats provided in Stages 1 and 2 respectively expound
more about intimacy in relation to God as well as to the opposite gender while
appreciating the gift of womanhood. The Stage 3 aspires to deepen and empower
the women’s missionary spirit and servant’s heart in a way of pursuing the calling
being discerned and affirmed to them by God.

d. Christ Bound Weekend (CBW)

This formation weekend, hoped to enlighten everyone with the realities present in
our world and how discerning God’s will, will lead us to realize His great plan for us.
We start by examining the aspects of the SFCs life that occupy most of our time and
attention. Namely our LIFESTYLE, CAREER and RELATIONSHIPS.

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VII. SFC FORMATIONS: IMPORTANT UPDATES & REMINDERS

1. All of our SFC Stages 1, 2 and 3 Pastoral Formation materials are available and ready for
use and implementation.

2. All of our SFC Formation Weekend Retreats are implemented on a weekend basis. Note
that even the Christ Pursuit Weekend (CPW), which was initially introduced to be just a
1-day retreat, is now recommended to be a weekend retreat.

3. All of our SFC Pastoral Formation Weekends Retreats have a corresponding

Supplementary Household Topics, which are meant to further deepen and support the
understanding of the formation, which our members have just undergone. It is
recommended that we utilize all of them. They are found in the Household Heads
Manual.

4. The following are the gateway retreat weekends for each stage:
Stage 1 – Covenant Orientation Weekend (COW)
Stage 2 – Christ Pursuit Weekend (CPW) for we must pursue Christ first before
anything else.
Stage 3 – Ablaze Weekend (AW)

5. The movement of our members across stages (e.g. from Stage 1 going to Stage 2) in
our pastoral formation is very much dependent upon the discernment of our pastoral
leaders. As a guide to our pastoral leaders in their discernment, let us take note of the
expected fruits per stage.

VIII. SFC LEADER’S TRACK

1. Household Head’s Training (HHT)

This training is catered for SFC members who were chosen and discerned to be
potential household heads.

2. Unit Head’s Training (UHT)

The Unit Heads Training (UHT) is a two part training to be given to all incoming Unit
Heads for their formation and training.

3. Chapter Leader’s Training (CLT)

This training is catered for SFC leaders who were discerned and chosen to be Chapter
Leaders.

4. Couple Coordinator’s Training (CCT)

This training is meant for CFC leaders who are discerned and chosen to serve as
Couple Coordinators for the SFC Ministry.

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Note: All of our SFC Leaders Training Tracks except for the CCT training series are now
available and ready for use and implementation. Take note of the following assigned
persons to conduct each training:

HHT – Chapter Couple Coordinators and Chapter Leaders

UHT – Cluster Couple Coordinators
CLT – Sector/Provincial/National Couple Coordinators
CCT – Sector/Provincial/National Couple Coordinators

IX. THE ROLE OF THE NATIONAL / SECTOR/ PROVINCIAL COUPLE COORDINATORS,

SFC REGIONAL COUPLE COORDINATORS

1. Be the PRIMARY MOVERS and ADVOCATES of a sound and rich pastoral formation
program
2. Foster a love for learning
3. Infect others with a passion for formation
4. Guide areas in the conduct of the retreats
5. Train leaders and future service team members
6. Be living examples of the qualities we aim for in our pastoral formation

X. MUSIC MINISTRY OVERVIEW

“Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let
us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
Psalm 95:1---2

Worship and music are part and parcel of our life and mission in CFC Singles for Christ. In
worship we are able to glorify God through the songs that we sing and the music we play.
Worshiping God also provides a venue for us to have a deeper relationship with Him and be
blessed by His presence. And so, it must be our desire to have inspiring and spirit-filled
worship sessions wherein our members can truly worship and experience God.

XI. MUSIC MINISTRY COMPONENTS

1. Formation Track - pastoral talks and trainings for the formation of music ministries
(see Annex)

2. Training Track - skill-based trainings that will help develop music ministries to fully
serve the Lord with excellence (see Annex)

3. Supplementary Materials - consists of music sheets, video tutorials and articles that
aim to help and guide music ministries

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XII. MUSIC MINISTRY PASTORAL GROUPINGS

Individuals serving in the music ministry will follow their respective local area pastoral
structure for their pastoral nourishment. Music ministry coordinators and members need
not to be grouped in the same household.

XIII. CHAPTER MUSIC MINISTRY COORDINATOR: ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

1. Coordinates regularly and attends meetings called for by the

Sector/Provincial/National PFO.
2. Ensures that the Chapter has a vibrant Music Ministry.
3. Coordinates with the Chapter Leaders and Couple Coordinator regarding Chapter
assemblies, CLPs and other activities in the chapter.
4. Ensures that practices are regular. Practices can be done twice a month depending on
the availability of the team.
5. Helps in the spiritual growth of the members through music.

Note:
Initiatives (teachings, workshops or activities) that are not prescribed by the SFC music
ministry program must be coordinated properly and approved first by the Chapter Leader
and the Sector/Provincial/National PFO before they can be conducted.

The Chapter Music Ministry Coordinator may or may not be the musical director (he may
have a musical director under him), but must have spiritual maturity and leadership
potential.

The Musical Director can be someone who is knowledgeable in music and can direct the
He must establish and maintain good relationship with the CFC Chapter Music Ministry
Coordinator

The Music Ministry Members must attend regular practices of the Music Ministry and must
support and follow the directions set by the Chapter Music Ministry Coordinator. They
should also be active members who are attending the households, teachings and assemblies
regularly.

XIV. MUSIC MINISTRY FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1. Who can be a Chapter Music Ministry Program Coordinator?

The Chapter Music Ministry Program Coordinator should at least be a unit head or a
former unit head, or an SFC leader who is in transition (overly mature, single parent, or
engaged to be married). Preferably a brother is to be assigned to lead the program. He
is not also required to have a partner sister.

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2. Where can the official list of CFC songs be found?
All official songs of the community are listed in the CFC Glory Songbook. In addition, all
approved new songs are the ones taught at official CFC community/ministry wide
activities (CFC Leaders Conference, anniversary, RECONs, Liveloud concerts, etc)
3. How often should workshops be conducted?
Once a year will be enough. If there is a need to conduct two (2) or more workshops in
a year, it should be properly planned and coordinated so as not to interfere with other
regular activities.

4. Why is there no cluster music ministry coordinator?

Our focus as a ministry is the empowerment of the chapters. Assigning a cluster
music ministry coordinator over them will limit their direct engagement with the area
music ministry program coordinator.

XV. WORKSHOP MODULES AND FORMATION TRACKS

1. Music Ministry Workshop: the heart, spirit and skill of God’s musician to enhance
worship
The “Music Ministry Workshop” is the basic of all trainings and teachings of the Music
Ministry. It focuses on defining what a Music Ministry is; the basic principles and
attitudes of God’s musicians; and how to organize the music ministry. There is also
portion on skills development, but the emphasis is the “heart and spirit” of one who
serves God through music. It is important that this workshop be given first, before the
others are implemented.

2. Music Ministry Service in a Christian Life Program

The “Music Ministry Service in a Christian Life Program” manual directs the music
ministries on the proper conduct and preparation of their service during a CLP. It aims
to orient them on the proper way of presenting themselves and the ideal manner of
teaching the songs to the participants. It also proposes a list of suggested songs per
session.

3. The Music Camp

The “Music Camp” is a Team Building activity for all the Music Ministry members in a
particular area. Service in the music ministry is prone to disagreements among its
members due to possible creative differences, preference in music, and requirement for
discipline and commitment. There is a need to establish a deep bond of friendship,
brotherhood, and faith so that the ministry will stand strong even through difficulties
and relationship challenges. Being a team or T.E.A.M (Totally Empowered Ablaze
Musicians) is essential to the growth and strengthening of the Music Ministry in the
area.

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4. Music Ministry Conference

The “Music Ministry Conference” stresses on the excellence of the Music Ministry. It
also reinforces that the Music ministry is a “praise and worship” ministry – that its
excellence is rooted in the purpose to serve God with the best of what they can give. It
has various skills workshops for every music ministry member. The Liturgical Music
workshop is one of its featured activities, which orients the music ministries of the
appropriate way of serving and choosing songs for the Holy Mass. Worship Leading
workshop is also offered especially to Chapter leaders and others interested. This
module is done in a conference type of setting due its plenary sessions and many
simultaneous workshops.

5. Music Ministry Conference II (Level Up)

The “Music Ministry Conference II or Level Up” is a sequel of the Music Ministry
Conference. It focuses on pursuing excellence in playing music for the purpose of
serving and glorifying the Lord. This module consists of two plenary sessions and
simultaneous workshops.

6. Live to Worship
The “Live to Worship” module aims to inspire and encourage music ministry members
to answer the call of “new evangelization”. Thus, making worship their lifestyle and use
music to attract people toward Christ.

Note: Modules are to be conducted according to sequence starting from the Music
Ministry Workshop.

7. Music Ministry Assembly/Teaching topics

Music ministry program coordinators or Chapter music ministry coordinators can
conduct assemblies or teachings to supplement the prescribed workshops and
formation tracks. Such assemblies can be done bimonthly (every two months) or upon
the discretion of the program coordinators.

• Crescendo: Increasing with Purpose

• Play it forward
• Rock star to God’s star
• Tune in: Accepting loving corrections
• Harmony with Others
• My highest pitch: God

For any inquiries and feedback, please email us at sfcpfo@couplesforchristglobal.org

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