A CYCLICAL, GLOCAL DIASPORA CONGREGATION:
A CASE STUDY OF THE
Sadiri Joy Tira and
Stuart Lightbody
Dr. Joy Tira Sadiri, Founder & Director of Filipino International Network
Introduction
There are two
terms used in this brief story to describe the history and development of First
Filipino Alliance Church (FFAC) in
A “cyclical”
congregation[1]
starts small but over the years becomes larger (not necessarily in numbers but
in ministries). It is like the making of a “snowman.” A snowman
starts out as a fist-size snowball. The small snowball is rolled to gain
more snow and becomes larger in size. As the ball rolls, it picks up more
snow and eventually takes on the shape of a snowman. Christ started his
Church with a few disciples in
FFAC is
providentially designed as a cyclical and glocal
congregation[6]
without them intentionally planning for it. Their ministry started as a
small bible-study group – an outreach post to Filipino university students, then it grew to become a home-base and “nerve-centre” of the
Filipino International Network (FIN) (until 2007). Over the years it has
also become a catalyst in birthing other ministries such as the Praying and
Loving Muslims (
The following article[8] portrays FFAC as a model of a cyclical and glocal congregation. Dr. Stuart Lightbody wrote the unpublished article, “The Ripple Effect” before his retirement as Vice-President for Canadian Ministries for C&MA Canada in 2007.
The Ripple Effect
by Stuart Lightbody
For many
decades,
The Filipinos do not follow the pattern of other immigrant groups. They speak English well, many are professional and well educated and they do not tend to cluster in ethnic ghettos, as do other groups. Additionally, most are practicing Roman Catholics.
In the early 1980’s a small group of Filipino students and graduates of the University of Alberta in Edmonton met for prayer and bible study in a small townhouse in the Mitchener Park at the University’s housing complex for married couples. For the handful of evangelical Filipinos it was enough that they could gather and celebrate the joy of the Lord with each other. There was no thought of birthing a church or extending any kind of ministry beyond the comfort zone of their own fellowship. It was enough for them that there were some fellow believers in the Edmonton Filipino community of more than 2,000.[9]
[Sadiri] Joy Tira was a Filipino
seminary student and interning at
Joy returned
to school at Canadian Theological Seminary but God had planted a seed with
visions of the first-ever Filipino
Over the next
number of years, the fellowship flourished as Sadiri
Joy Tira was recruited to lead them and by 1989 they
were an independent congregation. They purchased their own land, built
their own facility[10]
and renamed themselves
From the
start, missionary and evangelism zeal permeated the church, particularly as
they contemplated the burgeoning Filipino community in
The current
leader of the Conference of Filipino Alliance Ministries (CFAM) in
There are now
[17] churches associated with CFAM with another one in the birthing process and
yet another organized congregation outside the
From its
earliest stages of growth, First Filipino’s goal was to be a sending church,
whether across
The church
was also a major catalyst in the creation of a global movement amongst the
Filipino diaspora around the world. The Filipino International Network
(FIN) is now led by Sadiri Joy Tira
with a set mandate to reach Filipinos for Christ and, through them, reach other
people groups. Originally dubbed Operation Trojan Horse, it was
recognition that the warmth and friendliness of the Filipino people added to
the fact that Filipinos are able to work and live in many so-called closed
countries was an ideal evangelism opportunity – particularly in the
It began in
the mid 90’s with the strategy of mobilizing prayer and fellowship amongst
Filipino Christians in the
Since then FIN has grown to an international, interdenominational movement. It is creative in its efforts to reach the Filipino people. It is equally creative and aggressive in its efforts to use the embedded Filipino populations as “missionaries” in the midst of difficult or hard to reach people and faith groups.
From that
small pebble tossed into an
Conclusion
The preceding article is not just a diachronic and synchronic reporting of FFAC’s journey. Ultimately, FFAC’s story is a portrait of God’s hand at work in the lives of “people on the move” (i.e. migrants) who encountered God, followed Christ and are actively engage in fulfilling the Great Commission in the power of the Holy Spirit. Dr. Lightbody’s article highlights obedience to Christ, visionary leadership, and healthy partnerships among like-minded individuals.
FFAC’s future depends on how the new generation of FFAC responds to God’s call and Christ’s commission, a call and commission that will not change but requires a renewed response in the 21st Century. If FFAC remains healthy and missional with godly, visionary, and catalytic leadership and committed members, their ministry will have an even further-reaching impact in the 21st century.
References
Crowston, Catherine, Ed. Capital
Modern: A Guide to
Tira, Sadiri.
“Global Missions and Local Congregation: A Case Study of the
Van Engen, Charles. “The
Global Church: Locality and Catholicity in Globalizing World” in Craig Ott and Harold A. Netland, eds. Globalizing
Theology: Belief and Practice in an Era of World Christianity.
Websites of Interest
Filipino International Network – http://fin-online.org/cms/
Published, “Diaspora Study” in the October 2009 issue of the online journal www.GlobalMissiology.org
[1] Tira, 2002.
[2] Ibid.
[3]Charles Van Engen, “The Global Church: Locality and Catholicity
in Globalizing World” in Craig Ott and Harold A. Netland, eds. Globalizing Theology: Belief and
Practice in an Era of World Christianity (
[4] Van Engen, 157.
[5] Ibid.
[6] For more information about cyclical and glocal congregations, see Sadiri Joy Tira’s Doctor of Ministry dissertation, “Global Missions and Local Congregation: A Case study of the First Filipino Alliance Church in Edmonton, Alberta (Canada), from Reformed Theological Seminary, 2002. Using historical, documentary and archival research methodologies, Tira analyses the birth and growth of FFAC to showcase global missions and local congregations. (i.e. Glocal congregation’s missions).
[7] The FFAC building
was designed by Howard and Robert Bouey
Architects. It is now one of the architectural landmarks in
[8] Rev. Sadiri Joy Tira, founding pastor of FFAC (1984-2007) wrote the introduction and conclusion to fit Dr. Stuart Lightbody’s article into the theme of this volume.
[9] In 2007, there were
approximately 18,000 Filipinos in
[10] FFAC outgrew their
first property. Their current building was purchased from St. Stephen’s