Ung i den världsvida kyrkan: 10 år senare

Klein Fausto Emperado is a member of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente and currently serves as a staff member for the Christian Conference of Asia. He serves as a church musician and liturgy writer for the churches and the ecumenical movement. Klein is a Mass Communications graduate from Silliman University and has earned some units in liturgy and church music at the Silliman University Divinity School (SUDS). Formerly, he worked as special project staff for the SUDS centennial celebration. He has been writing and leading liturgies for the Iglesia Filipina Independiente, the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform, the Ecumenical Bishops Forum, and the Christian Conference of Asia.

From March to June 2014, Klein was part of the Young in the Worldwide Church Programme and was assigned to the Diocese of Stockholm and the Diocese of Linköping.

Doorway of Service to the Global Ecumenical Movement

(A Blog to Celebrate the 10th Year Since the Exchange Involvement)

Ten years ago, the Iglesia Filipina Independiente sent a young person, myself, to the Church of Sweden for an immersion program. The journey had a significant impact on my life.

That year’s Youth Exchange Programme theme was ”Church as a Platform of Societal Transformation,” and the sharing of experiences among fellow young people from the Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, and Brazil offered insights to the youth of the Church of Sweden during talks, encounters, study sessions, and informal conversations, whether inside the church or while immersed in the community.

While writing the blog, I was compelled to reflect on how the exchange program has transformed my life as a community and church leader. Shortly after I read the letter I wrote to myself after the exchange program concluded in Sweden, I was overcome with nostalgia. I realized that I am not the same person I was when I arrived in Sweden ten years ago. I came home with a more open mind and heart, as well as a renewed sense of purpose in serving God and the people.

Developing Young Lives as a Means for Societal Transformation

I had high aspirations for how the exchange would morph into life-changing events when I returned home from the program. I aspired to be an agent of social transformation. However, mentors’ words reminded me to start small and act in a practical and feasible manner. So I needed to look deeper inside myself to figure out what I actually wanted to do.

What I was truly enthusiastic about was the ministry to children. And how could I make a difference in their lives? I wanted to have an impact on the lives of the young children in my community. Many of them attended the Vacation Church School, and before flying to Sweden, I had already organised to serve as the parish’s regular choir for the liturgical services.

Ten years ago, I challenged myself, ”How can I become a platform for change?” What if I focused on developing the potential of children in my community? How would this benefit the church’s mission and the wider community?

While working as a communications staff at Silliman University, I continued to volunteer as a church musician at my church, Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Diocese of Negros Oriental. My home parish in Tayasan, Negros Oriental (Parish of St. Anthony of Padua), was 90 kilometers from my workplace in Dumaguete City. Travelling from Dumaguete City to my hometown every weekend was exhausting, but I was determined to keep up the routine. All of the work was done with the goal of preparing for the church’s future and developing the potential of young people in church music and youth leadership.

Ten years after the choir was founded, the Holy Trinity Voices has become a thriving singing group in the parish, serving the diocese during important liturgical services. What is more amazing is that the members, who are mostly children of fisherfolks, have earned their college degrees. They are now working in different fields of expertise, such as education, government service, and the business sector. The community has valued their abilities and skills, not only as church musicians but also as leaders in the church and society.

Following the exchange program, I have come to see myself as someone who is capable of passing on the church’s work. Mentorship and human resource development were at the top of my list of priorities for the long-term sustainability of church ministry. Aside from leadership, the prayerful act of mentoring servanthood plays an important role in the development of our churches’ children and youth. The singing group has been independent since May 2022, when I secured a position as a staff member with the Christian Conference of Asia. However, the mentorship and guidance task continues even while I am away. Nonetheless, I have been adding to their repertoires and assisting them on crucial ministry group decisions.

People occasionally ask me what the secret of mentorship is. Aside from God’s grace and guidance in accomplishing the tasks, the enthusiasm to build a safe and family environment in the choir had a significant impact on the lives of children, who are now young adults capable of managing their own affairs. They have matured not only spiritually but also holistically as a result of the different experiences they have had while serving in ministry at such a young age. Many people would notice how the youthful spirits could move and act freely while in the choir.

Mentoring leaders, not only in the church but within the community, has kept me grounded. It made me realize how my simple desire to contribute to the betterment of the community had become a reality because of God’s blessing and guidance. Such a God-given mission has inspired me to continue with the ministry. My life as a young person, enriched by the exchange program experience, has served to motivate young people to better themselves and lift their lives out of poverty. Their determination to complete their studies, despite the hardships, has inspired me, and their stories will live on in my heart.

In retrospect, the two batches (2016 and 2018) of youth exchange program participants from Sweden assigned to my home parish were inspired by their dedication to the church, despite their financial situation. They were inspired by their narratives of hope and perseverance. (For two separate years (2016 and 2018), I was tasked by the IFI National Office to serve as supervisor of the local youth exchange program for the Swedish participants.)

The Swedish participants enjoyed their time in my home parish, which has a dynamic youth presence. Hearing and singing Swedish songs translated into Filipino and Cebuano warmed their hearts. They were in wonder as the choir sung Swedish hymns with near-perfect pronunciation. On a personal level, the hymns I learned in Sweden were gems that I kept close to my heart.

Entry to the Ecumenical Movement

The youth exchange programme organised by the Church of Sweden for its partner churches has opened up an avenue for young people to get involved in the ecumenical movement, either local, national, regional, or global. The seminars and immersion in the community instilled the value of ecumenical openness.

During the sessions in Sweden, one has been exposed to the variations in faith expressions and traditions among various churches. It also came to light that Christianity varied based on the cultural setting in which it was planted. The discussions provided an opportunity to become more accepting and open regarding various religious contexts and expressions.

If music was my way to nurture children and young people, it also became my instrument for serving several churches. For many years, I directed choirs at my church, IFI, and the Roman Catholic Church. Later, I was privileged to serve IFI’s ecumenical partner church, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP). I studied liturgy and music as part of the Master of Divinity degree at Silliman University Divinity School (UCCP’s seminary), where I learned about the intricacies of ecumenical liturgy and church music that is more indigenous, contextual, and culturally rooted. It may be unusual for a church musician to serve three different churches. The ministry of being an ecumenical church musician strengthens one’s faith while also inspiring the entire faith community. This familiarity with the churches in Dumaguete City opened the door for me to work with them not just in church music but also as the coordinator of the local ecumenical movement.

Despite my reluctance to take on leadership roles, I was not spared the task of leading the local ecumenical youth movement, which paved the way for stronger collaboration amongst church leaders. Such a leadership position provided the opportunity to organise ecumenical youth camps, remembrance liturgies, and lectures. The Swedish youth who were assigned to my home parish were able to attend the ecumenical camps.

On the other hand, my interest in developing ecumenical liturgies led to affiliation with a variety of organisations. It is an excellent opportunity to share gifts with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines, the Philippine Ecumenical Peace Platform, and the Ecumenical Bishops Forum through writing and enacting liturgies that reflect people’s lives and the struggles they face in the face of injustice, oppression, and turmoil. The task of creating ecumenical liturgies has encouraged me to further the reign of God by expressing God’s word via creative prayers, rituals, hymns, and songs.

One of my most important works in songwriting is the theme song for the NCCP’s 60th anniversary, which was launched in November 2023. This is one of the works that has inspired me to write more anthems, songs, and hymns that reflect our faith in God, who liberates and guides us toward peace, justice, and abundant life for all.

NCCP 60th Anniversary Theme Song

https://www.facebook.com/NCCPhils/videos/7623966050950991

Involvement with the Global Ecumenical Movement

My journalistic writing has provided me with an opportunity to serve the worldwide church. Working with the Christian Conference of Asia beginning in May 2022, as well as the World Council of Churches during its 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe, Germany, has opened doors to becoming an ecumenical journalist. Not only did I write news releases, but I was also able to write blogs, similar to those I wrote in Sweden ten years ago, as I observed in the work of the global ecumenical movement.

Sustained Relationship with Church Hosts and Foster Families

One special moment during the WCC Assembly was not only participating in the organisation’s activities but also meeting Bishop Eva Brunne, former bishop of Stockholm Diocese. I was assigned to her diocese during the exchange, and we have kept in contact since then. That big, tight hug with her represented my long-standing connection with the Church of Sweden.

My foster parents, Josefina Bautista (Sankt Mikaels Forsamling, Stockholm Diocese) and Kerstin and Ragnar Asplund (Vasterviks Forsamling, Linkoping Diocese), who treated me as their own even after the exchange, were a huge blessing. Keeping in touch with the priests, deacons, and church workers in my parish assignments throughout the exchange program offers me a sense of continuity.

It is difficult to describe what has happened ten years after the exchange program in Sweden. Only one thing is certain: The encounter shifted my viewpoint and way of living for the better. The memories are still fresh, and the sense of comfort shouldn’t be considered a mere memory but an inspiration for improving the condition of my country and the world in general.

The church and the ecumenical movement have served as platforms for advocating and pursuing noble causes. Being involved in ecumenical work, whatever the capacity, brings me back to the day I was sent to Sweden. Those spring months in Sweden not only showed me blossoming trees and flowers, as well as the feel of snow and rain in a cold nation, but they also opened doors and provided opportunities for me to grow as an individual and as God’s servant. Those spring months prepared me to bloom not for myself but for God’s mission and work on earth in my simple ways, using God’s given abilities.

Until now, I couldn’t measure how much the exchange had changed my life. How it has enriched me as a young person to live with the greater purpose of shaping lives and bringing people together through music. And how God has inspired me to continue the work of co-creating an inclusive and liberating church and community through prayers, rituals, hymns, and songs.

As I conclude my writing, I can’t help but be grateful for the exchange program and the years I’ve spent working in the ecumenical ministry. Such a ministry is unique and fulfilling, having begun as a dream and aspiration to better the lives of children in the community.