The North Western Visayas Disctrict Council picked an interesting theme for its 26th annual convention: RAISE THE BAR. The FARM team welcomed the theme well and accordingly worked hard in preparing the entire FARM building as the venue for the convention. The convention was held last Oct. 31 to Nov. 2011 with ECS then Presbyter Rev. Pat Martinez as covention mnagaer.
Below is the message of FARM Senior Pastor Rev. Rey Calusay to the NWVDC body:
Dear Fellow Ministers of NWVDC,
The prospect of better things, more things, and new things excites me. The theme of our 26th District Convention `Raise the Bar sparked this excitement.
To `RAISE THE BAR’ means to set a higher standard for other people to follow. This is a very popular concept even in the secular world. In sports, an Olympic athlete can plan to raise the bar by setting a new world record for his sport division. In education, a new professor entering a university is said to have raised the bar because of his superior teaching skills.
After many years of pastoring a church, or years of existence of our churches in our respective communities, we all can fall into the rut of what is good enough, mediocrity, the routine, the ordinary, the `at least’. Worst of all, into immovable 
traditions.
Our church services can become boringly predictable or pitiful cases of `hit and miss’. Our church services start at a time different from what we announce. People are already in but the musicians are still struggling to set up their instruments. Meanwhile, whoever is in charge says `hello’ to the equally struggling microphones. Singing starts and lyrics of the song are projected on the screen as the pastor and all with clear eyes cringe at words wrongly spelled. Then the mc announces an event that he himself has no full knowledge of and has to be coached by people from the audience. After a `many times heard’ exhortation on giving, two people stand on stage to give a special number. One of them speaks, `There is supposed to be three of us, but our dear sister so and so is sick today, so there is only two of us. Bear with us because we haven’t had much time to practice this.’ They sing `Give of Your Best to the Master’.
When church attendance is low, when people seem passive and unexcited, we blame it to the devil and start prayer meetings to rebuke his demons. We spare the real culprits – ourselves. We have not prayed enough to put fire on the altar, we have not invested enough time to plan, and we always serve regular meals for our people. Feasts are only for church anniversaries during which we actually ask a guest speaker to prepare the special spiritual menu of our people.
I tried to put this `Raise the Bar’ challenge with a humor. I hope I have caused you to smile – smile at our own mistakes. Deep in our hearts, we all cry `we can do better than that!’ We can raise the bar in the way we do church and church ministries.
A popular BSM line says: `The good is the enemy of the best’!An old poem gives the same sentiment: Good, better best, Never let it rest, until your good is better and your better, best.
Someone said, `Mediocrity is excellence in the mind of the mediocre’.
The Church is God’s dream project. Jesus said, `I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it’. (Matthew 16:18) To make this dream come true, He gave His best – His only begotten Son. It’s the most excellent prize God can pay, the most excellent investment He can give. He could not do any better. BUT WE, we have so much to do to make things better. WE CAN RAISE THE BAR! Aim for excellence… 2 Cor. 13:11)
Laboring with you,
REV. REY A. CALUSAY
General Superintendent Philippines General Council Of The Assemblies Of God
