Int'l Development Workers Trained on Discipleship, Governance

"I appreciate learning what a truly Christ-centered organization looks like from the top to the bottom," said a satisfied participant in the recently-concluded third Transformative Economic Empowerment (TEE) training conference, an annual gathering organized by the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) and the CCT Ka-Partner Network (CCT KN). "I learned that discipleship is about relationship and needs to be a core part of organizational culture," said another.

This year's TEE had the theme "Thy Kingdom Come" from the Lord's Prayer and brought together microfinance workers and volunteers from 12 countries. In her welcome message, Ruth Callanta, president and founder of CCT said, "I praise the Lord for the opportunity to share stories, experiences, and lessons CCT and its people have learned over the years of ministering among the poorest of the poor. It is my prayer that our week together will truly equip and encourage everyone so that when we go from here we will shine as exceedingly bright lights in the dark corners of the world where God appointed us to minister." Attendees were from Burundi, Cameroon, India, Korea, Malawi, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, and Zambia.

Participants spent about half of the week-long conference on exposure trips and half attending courses on either discipleship or organizational governance.  The exposure trips, meant to give attendees an understanding and appreciation of the scope of CCT work and what God has done in establishing these ministries, involved visits to a microfinance branch, three community centers, a residential school, a feeding activity, a savings group, and a factory.

The plenary sessions, break out group sessions and panel discussions on discipleship and organizational governance involved the following speakers and facilitators:

• Matthew Rohrs, Hope International director of spiritual integration 
• Todd Engelsen, PEER Servants president 
• Jesse Ratichek, Hope International technical assistance manager 
• Malu Garcia, Hope International savings circle program specialist 
• Larry Roadman, endPoverty.org chairman 
• Tammy Wang, endPoverty.org chief operating officer 
• James Tioco, Sowers of the Word Ministries executive director 
• Elizabeth Venegas, CCT Training and Development Institute executive director 
• Bertram Lim, CCT Inc. board chairman 
• Ronald Chua, CCT Credit Cooperative board chairman 
• Ruth Callanta, CCT Group of Ministries founder and president 
• Joey Bonifacio, Victory Fort Bonifacio pastor 
• Carson Tan, CCT Life and Business Mentoring Program volunteer mentor 

The discipleship course covered the Biblical basis for discipleship, encouraging examples of how CCT has integrated discipleship into its daily activities, and case studies of organizations that have excelled in discipling. The organizational governance course covered governance principles, practices and policies that guided CCT as it evolved from a single entity to a group of ministries, and issues and challenges that confronted CCT and its response to such.

The Ka-partner Network is a consortium of North American-based Christian microfinance organizations that partner with CCT – currently including endPoverty.org, Five Talents, Hope International and PEER Servants.

Other organizations represented in the conference were Christian Empowerment Microfinance (Zambia), Christian Service Society (India), Christian Action for Empowering Church and Community (Uganda), Action for Children (Uganda), Ikussasa Empowerment Trust (South Africa), and Women’s Initiative for Health, Education and Economic Development (Cameroon).

The conference was held on November 10-15, 2014 at the Tagaytay Retreat and Training Center, Cavite, Philippines.

Children cared for at the residential school for girls
in Puypuy, Bay, Laguna welcome TEE participants
with gifts of shell necklaces.

 TEE participants join a friendly football match with young men
 who used to live on the street and who are now cared for
 at the Visions of Hope Christian School in Magdalena, Laguna.  

While observing a once-a-week fellowship meeting of 
microfinance recipients, TEE attendees
 learn an action song led by a
covenant community builder, front-liner in
CCT's microfinance program.  

Brothers and sisters in the Lord -- development workers 
from around the world,
microfinance recipients, and CCT staff. 

Joey Bonifacio, CCT corporate member, discusses discipleship
and the Lego Principle.

Delegates from 12 countries learn a bit of Philippine
history with a visit to a monument honoring
patriot and martyr Jose Rizal.

CCT’s Business Mentoring Program: Also About Caring

Carson Tan, volunteer business mentor, giving a talk at the Transformative
Economic Empowerment training conference.

“Mentees don’t care about what you know until they know that you care.” This is how Carson Tan, volunteer mentor, described the relationship between mentees and mentors in the business mentoring program of the Center for Community Transformation (CCT) Credit Cooperative.

Speaking before an international group of development workers, Tan explained that mentoring in the Philippine context goes beyond plain business coaching, but involves mentoring on a personal level as well.  He spoke from experience, having been a business mentor for the past four years.

Tan, CEO and president of a water systems company, gave the talk during the Transformative Economic Empowerment (TEE), an annual training conference hosted by the CCT Training and Development Institute.

CCT’s mentoring program began in 2008 under a partnership with Sharpening Stone Australia. It has a ministry goal of mentoring and building CCT microfinance recipients who are engaged in business and helping them grow into strong Christian business people making an impact in their communities.  

According to Tan, the original approach was tweaked to adapt to Filipino culture because one-on-one sessions also involve listening to family or personal concerns of the mentee, and ministering to him or her through counselling and prayer. Mentees are microfinance recipients (referred to as community partners in CCT circles) with existing loans of P50,000 or more engaged in business other than a sari-sari store.

Mentors on the other hand are volunteers who have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a strong servant leadership attitude, more than five years of involvement in a business, and willingness to care for his or her mentee. 

The program starts off with all potential mentees attending a classroom-style series of lectures on topics that include basic business mindset and paradigm, basic business accounting and bookkeeping, marketing one’s products, and managing funds and family. 

The lectures are followed by group mentoring, which, Tan says, filters out those not committed to the program.  One-on-one mentoring – at least two hours each month – then takes place and can be held over a span of two years. Phases of the sessions cover helping the mentee understand himself as a business person, helping him understand his business and challenging him to grow it, helping him develop his dream in relation to his business, his family and his faith, and leading him and his family to Christ.   

Some 39 mentors occupying senior management roles in a wide range of businesses and industries are currently involved in the program  -- and more volunteers are being sought.

The TEE conference is hosted by the CCT Training and Development Institute in cooperation with ministry partners endPoverty.org, Hope International, and Peer Servants. This year the conference brought together development workers from Burundi, Cameroon, India, Korea, Malawi, Singapore, South Africa, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Zambia.

Lydia Awardee Shares Story

 Analyn Estrella shares her story before an
international group of development workers.  

"It is an honor to meet you in person,"
says Todd Engelsen, president of PEER
Servants, the Lydia Award organizer.

Analyn Estrella,  recipient of the 2014 Lydia award, recently shared a brief account of her business success with participants of the Transformative Economic Empowerment (TEE) training conference. She said, “CCT not only helped me rebuild my business after it floundered, but it also introduced me to the Lord Jesus Christ who is my business partner today.”Analyn has received microfinance loans from the Center for Community Transformation (CCT)  Credit Cooperative since 2007, is an alumna of its business mentoring program and is the hands-on owner of a bakery and pizza commissary.  

The Lydia award program is organized by PEER Servants and is named after Lydia, the entrepreneur mentioned in Acts 16:14 who used the proceeds of her business to expand the kingdom of God. Winners are microfinance recipients  who show business growth, have good payment records, are innovative and creative, have a strong impact on church and community, have potential for further business growth, and have overcome major problems in growing their business.

Analyn was chosen from a pool of 20 nominees received from partner organizations of PEER Servants in 10 countries.  She received a cash prize of $2,000 dollars with which to enhance her business.   

TEE is an annual gathering of development workers hosted by the CCT Training and Development Institute in cooperation with ministry partners endPoverty.org, Hope International, and Peer Servants.  This year’s participants are from Burundi, Cameroon, India, Korea, Malawi, Singapore, South Africa, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Zambia.

Analyn Estrella receives a cash prize of $2,000 as Lydia awardee for 2014. 
Also in photo (left to right)  are Carson Tan,  Analyn’s mentor
 in CCT’s life and business mentoring program; 
Rolando Estrella, Analyn’s husband;  Ron Chua, CCT Credit Co-op chairperson;
  Richard Diez, CCT Credit Co-op Growth  Enterprise Loan program officer;

 Jovy Empleo, CCT Credit Co-op regional peer servant; Jezryl Abante, 
CCT Credit Co-op team servant, and Todd Engelsen.  

Analyn and her family flanked by Carson Tan (extreme left) and Michael
Salili, CCT Credit Cooperative peer servant (extreme right). 

For Analyn’s full story, please click on this link:
 http://cctgeneralnews.blogspot.com/2014/08/ccts-analyn-estrella-is-2014-lydia.html