Welcome!
Chapel Program / Notes
Chaplain’s Message
Students, teachers and families watched and enjoyed the Upper School Major Production, "SEUSSICAL". The play which started at 5pm ran for three consecutive days last January 26, 27 and 28. It is good to know that preparations and practices began as early as November of 2011. Rehearsals picked up after the Christmas break.
Students and directors worked even harder two weeks after returning from the holiday season. Many noticed the enthusiasm and some were heard saying, didn't we just come from the holidays? The intensity with which they put themselves into the whole thing was nothing short of what was expected.
They threw everything that they could into it as they all had but a few days left before certain call. The pressure of such an intricate and challenging musical took its toll on the cast, crew and directors. They however kept on as they wanted to do something good. The whole production slowly cemented together. At the end, the determination, cooperation, and enthusiasm showed in every part and scene.
Everyone who came to one and to the succeeding performances saw and felt the purity and power with which the whole production was made and produced. The students and teachers loved what they were doing. They really did. Anyone and everyone involved and who came and watched felt it in every note and line. It was amazing! The message was clear: things might not be seen at the start and may even be insignificant to the eyes of many. However, the voice within slowly will prevail and be heard. People gradually will see and realize the value of what's truly important. Indeed, the world and our lives are best understood and meaningfully lived only through love and compassion. As the all important line in the play goes, "a person is a person no matter how small." Yes, go tell yourself and others you love, "how lucky you are!"
Our sincere admiration and gratitude go to each and all, for the hard work, perseverance, generosity, creativity, talent, and love. Thank you for a fantastic performance!
Congratulations!
God loves you!
Take care and God bless.
Fr. Benjamin A. Jance III
Chaplain / Registrar
Day By Day
Press On
February 7, 2012
A story is told of identical twins: one a hope-filled optimist who often said, “Everything is coming up roses,” and the other, a sad and hopeless pessimist who continually expected the worst to happen. The concerned parents of the twins brought them to a psychologist in the hope that he might be able to help them balance the boys’ personalities.
The psychologist suggested that on the twins’ next birthday, the parents put them in separate rooms to open their gifts. “Give the pessimist the best toys you can afford.” The psychologist said, “and give the optimist a box of manure.” The parents did as he had suggested.
When they peeked in on the pessimistic twin, they heard him complaining, “I don’t like the color of this toy. I’ll bet this toy will break! I don’t like to play this game. I know someone who has a bigger toy than this!”
Tiptoeing across the corridor, the parents peeked in and saw their optimistic son gleefully throwing manure up in the air. He was giggling as he said, “You can’t fool me! Where there’s this much manure, there’s gotta be a pony!”
How are you looking at life today? As an accident waiting to happen, or a blessing about to be received?
The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.
- Anonymous
Taken from: Best Inspirational Stories of the Year, compiled by Shawna McMurry
5When he entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, appealing to him 6and saying, ‘Lord, my servant is lying at home paralysed, in terrible distress.’ 7And he said to him, ‘I will come and cure him.’ 8The centurion answered, ‘Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof; but only speak the word, and my servant will be healed. 9For I also am a man under authority, with soldiers under me; and I say to one, ”Go“, and he goes, and to another, “Come”, and he comes, and to my slave, “Do this”, and the slave does it.’ 10When Jesus heard him, he was amazed and said to those who followed him, ‘Truly I tell you, in no one* in Israel have I found such faith. 11I tell you, many will come from east and west and will eat with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, 12while the heirs of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ 13And to the centurion Jesus said, ‘Go; let it be done for you according to your faith.’ And the servant was healed in that hour. (Matthew 8:5-13)
Take care & God bless.
Fr. Benjamin A. Jance III
Chaplain / Registrar
Brent International School Manila
Calendar
Chapel Assembly and Holy Eucharist Schedule
February 2012
Everyone is welcome!
Poems And Prayers
Saint of the Month
Cyril and Methodius, Missionaries to the Slavs
14 February
Cyril and his older brother Methodius were born in Thessalonica, both developing in their youth the ability to speak several languages, including Slavonic, a language not yet written down, at least in an alphabet understood by others. Cyril created the Slavonic alphabet and set about translating the Scriptures and other liturgical texts into the language. They established the church in Moravia, but in so doing entered into the controversy between indigenous and centralized religious practices and worship. Cyril died on this day in the year 869, whilst the brothers were in Rome, there to obtain papal approval for their evangelistic work. Methodius returned to Moravia as archbishop, where he completed the translation of the Bible and continued the missionary work. He died in the year 885. Today they are revered in both Christian East and West and, as such, are seen as patron saints of ecumenism between these two great branches of Christendom.
Collect
Lord of all, who gave to your servants Cyril and Methodius the gift of tongues to proclaim the gospel to the Slavs: make your whole Church one as you are one that all Christians may honour one another, and east and west acknowledge one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and you, the God and Father of all; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.
Taken from: http://www.excitingholiness.org/first-edition/index.cgi?m02/d02.html
Brent Cares/Service Learning
Brent School has, over the years kept a strong Service Learning arm as an important part of its holistic approach to the Brent Educational System. Students, teachers, staff and administrators participate actively in the after school activity by giving of their time and resources in reaching out to those in need. The whole school goes into full support mode when the need arises, especially during the typhoon season. The generous time and preparations that everyone gives to those in need are concrete expressions of the values that Brent stands for.
Brent’s Expected School-wide Learning Results touch on the need for self-development, and sincerely reaching out to our community certainly develops the minds and hearts of those in our school. Our current chapel theme of being responsible in all that we do at school and at work reinforces the service-learning element.
Helping another might be viewed as giving of your time and/or of sharing your talents and resources. It is, and more. They are in fact, a two-way street. The child and person who goes out of his/her way in return gets something that contributes to her/his own wellbeing. There is an inherent and almost a spontaneous 'reward' that comes from helping one another. Jesus speaks of such reality when He said: "for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.... truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:35-36, 40)
Indeed, the joy that one receives in giving far surpasses anything that anyone can ever wish for. "You never know when one kind act, or one word of encouragement, can change a life forever."– Zig Ziglar.
We do what we can, wherever and whenever we can.
Brent Cares.
Brent Organized Mission
Brent Chapel Organized Mission has officially been in existence since March 2010, when it was formally recognized by the Diocese of Central Philippines at the annual Diocesan Convention.
Sunday services have been regularly held at the Brent Chapel since 2001 for Brent faculty and staff, but in 2009 a concerted effort was made to invite people from the local communities in Mamplasan – and the response was overwhelming. Within a few months Sunday attendance grew from an average of 20 to over 150 and it soon became clear that a new worshipping community was being born. Sunday School was organized early on, with over fifty children attending every Sunday. An acolyte corps was set up, a chapter of the ECW (Episcopal Church Women) formed, and by Convention time in March 2010 we were ready to apply for recognition as an Organized Mission – the first step towards parish hood.
Sunday morning worship at the Brent Chapel now gathers over 150 worshippers of all ages and social classes. Expats from Alabang and ‘informal settlers’ from Pitong Gatang worship alongside teachers and families from Brentville in a service that usually includes hymns and readings and a sermon in both Tagalog and English. Plans are afoot to build up community services and expand our work with the local youth – it’s an exciting time and the future is bright. We are looking to involve more students and teachers in our activities and becoming a real part of the local community.
Our main Sunday service is a Sung Eucharist at 10:30 with Sunday School – we are planning to start an earlier service as well sometime in the near future.
This is an Anglican/Episcopal church, so all Christians are welcome.
This page was last modified on Tuesday, February 07, 2012, 10:20:54 PM
