Cell leaders' training

• Main Author: Lituañas, Cyril Ryan A.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2008
• Subjects: Church work with students—Catholic Church; Spiritual formation—Catholic Church; Leadership; Religion
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/faculty_research/7888
• Institution: De La Salle University

Cell as the basic unit of the Student Catholic Action is encouraged to organize in becoming teams, form and transform themselves into faith communities. This is the life of the movement where every member has the opportunity to express freely and aloud because it is only a small group composing 7-12 members. The concept of a cell sprang from the movements' definition that is an organized group of students, striving to become a community of Disciples of Jesus Christ by being evangelized and evangelizing. The goal of organizing cells is for the students to become a community of Disciples of Jesus Christ, and then as they become aware of their presence as a community, they automatically respond to the needs of the milieu. Further, cell groupings help the students become sensitive critical and creative thinker in responding to the needs of the realitres they are facing. It can help them, moreover to be more aware and realize that Christian community is built, present and active. Thus, the heart of the cell is Jesus Christ who is the inspiration in building communities through His words and actions. In a cell, barrier is torn down between faith and life. Members in the cell learn to live and integrate the teachings of the Church and life. One of the primary functions of a Cell is for formation of the members. It is believed that through faith and Gospel Sharing, the members are catered to be formed and transformed. Preparatory Cell Meeting (PCM) which basically a catechetical by nature helps the members understand their basic faith. Another function of a Cell is to influence and Christianize the student environment by examining the actions and behavior based on the Gospel values. Contact method and inquiry system are the methods to be employed where members in the Cell evangelize their fellow students. "Like on Like" principle is applied as the basic principle used in cell system. As animators, we train the students and members become formators and evangelizers to their fellow students. The concept of the Cell System was inspired by the nature of the youth and students. Youth as they are share the same passion to belong and form groups called "barkada". "Barkadas usually go together and do some activities that are interesting for all of them. Cell System wishes to start from that experience of becoming an organized group, and then later realize the value of being one in their needs and for others. Cell system is supported by Gospel Values which is the core value of the method. Cell Leader heads the Cell. A leader's role is crucial especially in animating his/her group. Hence, the need for better and equipped Cell Leaders is crucial in attaining the goal of transforming lives of the students to become Christian and pro-active servant leaders in the Church. This has been a long practice of the movement since the founder started in 1930s but a lot of leaders fail to practice this at present times. Jose Concepcion, an alumna of SCA said, "It has been our experience that the failure of the Cell System in certain schools lies not in the system itself but in the lack of knowledge of the system and the training of the Cell Leaders". Therefore, this training is a great help for Cell Leaders, Animators and SCAns to guide them carry their will and in attaining the vision and mission of the movement.