Celebrating 38 Years of Couples for Christ Australia in NSW: A milestone that honoured the past and encourage the future.

Bong Ampon
13 hours ago
3 min read

Thirty-eight years is a meaningful milestone for any community. For Couples for Christ Australia in New South Wales, it reflects decades of prayer, service, household meetings, formation, family life, and mission across the country.

Anniversaries like this invite people to pause. They give members a chance to remember the couples and families who helped build the community, the faithful leaders and members who served with patience, and the many small acts of faith that kept the mission alive year after year. 5000 in 5 years is not just a number but a shared responsibility reminding us that growth is not the task of a few, but the joyful mission of all.

The celebration captured that sense of gratitude in a very natural way. It was not only about looking back at what had been achieved. It was also about recognising the people who continue to carry the work forward.

There was gratitude for:

Couples who have remained faithful through different seasons of life
Families who continue to make space for prayer and service
Leaders and members who guide with humility and patience
Young people and children who bring fresh energy

The success of the festive celebration came from this shared understanding. Everyone had a part to play. Members of the South Cluster helped with the planning. Members of each cluster led the fun activities starting from Gate 1 “Ready for take-off” up to Gate 8 “Run the race” of our Handmaids of the Lord members so you can claim your raffle ticket from the Baggage Claim! I also have to say that the Inflight Meals are delicious!

That is often how faith communities grow stronger. Not through one large effort alone, but through many willing hands.

South Cluster brought joy to the festive anniversary theme

The South Cluster members gave the anniversary a lively and welcoming character. The activities were not treated as filler between formal parts of the programme. They became a genuine expression of community life.

A joyful theme works best when people feel invited, not pressured. That spirit was clear in the way the celebration encouraged participation from different ages and groups. Couples, families, elders, youth, and children all had space to enjoy the day.

The themes and activities also showed care in planning. A successful community event needs rhythm. It needs moments of prayer, moments of movement like the Zumba dancing for all ages, moments of laughter in games like the Karaoke group sing-along in Gate 6 and many more prepared by every member of the community.

Under the guidance of our Cluster Head Bro. Mario and Sis. Emily Lizada, the celebration carried an organised but relaxed feel for everyone. The activities had direction, yet they left room for warmth and spontaneity. A community event should not feel like a task to finish. It should feel like a shared experience to enjoy.

The anniversary became a reminder that joy is not separate from mission. Joy helps sustain mission. When families laugh together, serve together, and celebrate together, they build the kind of trust that strengthens future service.

Here is one of the messages from one of our members, Bro. Abet Selorio:

Congratulations to the CFCA 38th Anniversary organisers. The airport scenario, passport, entrance gates, uniformed airline crew, in-flight demonstration and all were a creative and refreshing approach to present the Anniversary themes of Faith, Journey Departures and Destinations.

The activities in the entrance gate booths created a festive atmosphere reminiscent of the college fetes or fairs during my university days sans the Ferris wheel and rides. There was a live band, a Zumba session, prizes for stamped passports, and delicious in-flight meal. What else could a passenger ask for a $35 plane fare?!

The Anniversary Day should appeal to all the CFCA ministries, young and old alike, except maybe for the truly ancient members like Ka Primo and me. Given more time and targeted marketing campaign, the event would have drawn more audience than Alex Eala to compensate the organisers for their herculean efforts.

Considering that members of the organising committees have full-time work, children to look after, and a limited logistics budget, the CFCA 38th Anniversary celebration was a resounding success. Once again, congratulations and thanks to the CFCA 38th Anniversary organisers.

Here are some of the photos taken by our Bro. Nonie Cabrera: