Manila, Philippines- The NCM-Asia Pacific “Super 8” meeting convenes in Manila from 13 to 18 June 2026. Field NCM Coordinators, Country Coordinators, and HCD Coordinators gathered with the focus on Holistic Child Development (HCD) across the region.
The name “Super 8” reflects the six regional fields—East Asia, Southeast Asia, Sealands, Philippine-Micronesia, Melanesia, and Australia & New Zealand— along with two districts.
One of the key activities in the meeting is the church visits. The team was divided into 3 groups and assigned to partner churches across Metro Manila. The team was given an opportunity to fellowship with local churches and share the calling to be compassionate churches during the Sunday service. The team gained a glimpse of Filipino culture and history during the cultural immersion. It has been part of the meeting to include a cultural excursion to understand the context, celebrate the beauty of diversity, and reflect on what the Lord has been doing in the host country. The day ended in a Jollibee Welcome Party. As Jollibee is central to Filipino family life, delegates experienced firsthand how families celebrate—an insight vital for localized HCD programs. More than a meal, it embodied the meeting’s goal to “celebrate what God is already doing” by embracing simple joys that nurture a child’s holistic well-being. The welcome dinner was participated not only with the Super 8 team but also with the Philippine-Micronesia Field (PMF) headed by Rev. Arnel Piliin together with the PMF team.
The meeting session was opened by a powerful devotional message from the RD Kafoa Muaror. He emphasizes that effective compassion ministry must originate from a deep, intimate connection with Jesus Christ rather than mere human effort or organizational strategy. He reminded the team that Christian ministry is distinguished by the person of Jesus, aimed at restoring dignity and transforming lives through a “visible witness” of hope. The devotion serves as a reminder that while strategies, budgets, and programs are necessary, they cannot replace the presence of Christ. The desired outcome of their collective work is “transformed lives” and “restored dignity” for the broken, achieved by remaining rooted in the vine.
There are two interactive workshop sessions that promote conversation, where participants can engage in reflection, dialogue, and idea-sharing together. The first workshop was facilitated by Rev. Stephen Gualberto, the Sealands FSC, and an advocate for holistic child development. The sessions focus on “Raising Generations of Hope: The Church’s Calling to Holistic Child Development”. The workshop provided an avenue to dig into the biblical value of children and their role in Kingdom building. The second session provided more on Compassion in Practice: Lessons and Models from the local church, which was facilitated by Rev. Jackson Natividad and Melvin Olicia. Both workshops provided an avenue for creative and innovative ministries to children and for building the very foundation of our Child Theology as we engage with children.
On the second day of the meeting, RD Kafoa shared the region’s VMOST and gave his affirmation and encouragement to the NCM team across the Asia-Pacific. RD Kafoa emphasized that compassionate ministries are part of the VMOST and called on them to collaborate with other ministries to provide support and engagement towards achieving the regional VMOST. Moving forward was discussed following the regional VMOST presentation. Mini-planning for the direction of HCD in the region was facilitated by mapping the child reality map of Asia-Pacific. The team identified the different realities of a child in each context and represented and shared the challenges, issues, opportunities, and hopes in each area. The team was also able to map out “ what is in your hands?”, an asset mapping of the things they identified, such as existing resources and fruitful ministries “in their hands” that can be scaled to help children thrive. The session was wrapped up with action plans for the next few months in each field and in the ministry they are currently involved in.
The meeting extended beyond the boardroom. Delegates visited Shechem Children’s Home, APNTS, and local churches to witness HCD models in action. As the meeting concluded with a communion service and the Gintong Aral fellowship, the Super 8 leaders’ resolve was firm. They left Manila not just with reports, but with a renewed commitment to ensure that the “child in the midst” is never again an afterthought, but the very heart of the church’s mission.
