The MGCNLCA Christmas Tales of Fish Balls, Lugaw, and Reaching Out
Christmas: a time of gift-giving, social gatherings, and binge-watching sessions of Christmas movies. In the Philippines, the holidays are marked by malls filled with last-minute gift shopping and the familiar tunes of Jose Mari Chan’s timeless medleys. However, in MGC New Life Christmas Academy (MGCNLCA), the season is easily distinguished by the sounds of coins dropping inside alkansya tins and the sight of students scrambling to distribute gifts to their peers. Of course, an MGCNLCA Christmas wouldn't be complete without the rich aroma of fish balls wafting through the hallways and classrooms. Fish balls, lugaw, and other delicacies calling to New Lifers through their stalls serve the common goal of fundraising for the school’s outreach program. However, apart from the different booths, events, and stalls finding their way into the school, not much is known about it. So, what exactly does the outreach team do, and how does it impact the lives of those around us?
The first outreach program started as a student-initiated movement around 1992. At that time, the students decided that rather than exchanging gifts with their classmates, they would instead give gifts to the children living at the railroad tracks near Makati Gospel Church (MGC) Dela Rosa. As the school population grew and the school relocated to Taguig City, the Student Government’s leaders decided to partner with the outreach program and include it in the annual school fair, hoping to share the blessings they received with the less fortunate. By God’s grace, the school’s outreach has now been active for over 30 years. What started out as a simple practice of filling shoe boxes with toys to give to 200 children has evolved into a school-wide movement that reaches out and spreads the gospel to 3,000 families.
MGCNLCA partners with different churches every three years. During this time, the partner churches are not only the recipients of the outreach’s efforts but are also mentored and trained to conduct their own programs. This way, even after the end of the three years, the churches can continue sharing the gospel with their communities. With 2024 marking the end of the three-year partnership between MGCNLCA and its current 29 partner churches, the school will be accepting applications for new partners to work with next year.
The outreach program runs purely on a voluntary basis, reflecting the joint efforts of both students and teachers. The volunteers are divided into in-campus and off-campus groups, holding programs consisting of games, gospel sharing, praise and worship, and other activities for the children to enjoy. Parents and donors also come to support this outreach effort unfailingly every year.
What once started as a small activity has evolved into an annual campus event that everyone can participate in—whether through donations, volunteering, or simply buying a snack from the outreach stalls. In their own ways, all members of the school community can bring a smile to someone’s face and help the gospel reach the homes of many families.
May this year’s outreach theme, “Si Hesus Ang Puso ng Pasko,” remind all that while the celebrations and activities held at Christmas fill us with endless excitement and joy, this season wouldn't mean anything if not for the birth of the One born to save us all—Jesus.
