The Couples for Christ Foundation for Family and Life (CFC FFL) is a Philippine-based Catholic charismatic lay community that emphasizes evangelization and family life renewal. It was founded in 2007 by former leaders and members of Couples for Christ (CFC), another Catholic organization. It is recognized in various archdioceses and dioceses around the Philippines and has a number of international affiliations.

History

CFC FFL originally started as a restoration movement within CFC; this was led by the Easter Group. The movement began on April 8, 2007, following the dissemination of then CFC Director Francisco Padilla's paper "CFC and GK 3: At the Crossroads on our Journey of Hope and Joy, which argued that, among other things, CFC's identity and presence in Gawad Kalinga (GK) is being suppressed.

On June 22, 2007 the CFC Elders Assembly was held to elect the members of the CFC International Council and the Board of Elders. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) recommended that the elections be postponed in favor of further dialog with the Easter Group. The Elders Assembly declined the recommendation, and proceeded with the election. The Easter group argued that by declining the recommendation of the CBCP, CFC has disobeyed the Roman Catholic Church. This event and continuing disagreements regarding Gawad Kalinga galvanized the Easter Group to separate, and form the Foundation for Family and Life.

The group was established on August 1, 2007 when Bishop Gabriel Reyes, the bishop of Antipolo, officially recognized it as a private association of the faithful in his diocese. FFL's break-away from CFC was officially declared after their leaders met with Philippine bishops on August 28, 2007.

The CFC FFL incorporation papers, filed to the Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on August 2, 2007 under the name "Couples for Christ Foundation for Family and Life", was placed on hold pending the resolution of a complaint filed by the Couples for Christ organization on the use of the same name. However, on June 5, 2008 the SEC approved a petition of the group to revive and use the corporate name originally established in 1984, "Couples for Christ Foundation, Inc". This ruling is also challenged by Couples for Christ and remains a current legal dispute.

Organization

According to CFC FFL statutes, members of FFL are organized into cell groups called a Household. A group of Households form a larger grouping, and such larger groupings form an even larger grouping, forming a pyramidal structure up the line. At the top of the structure is a group of leaders, often referred to as a council, who guide the formation and activities of the group within its jurisdiction.

CFC FFL has age-specific ministries, such as Kids for Family and Life (for children), Youth for Family and Life (for teenagers), Singles for Family and Life (for unmarried adults below the age of 40), Handmaids for Family and Life (for women above 40 whose husbands are unavailable), and Servants for Family and Life (for men above 40 whose wives are unavailable).

Notes

External links

• Foundation for Family and Life
• The CFC Situation: A Chronology of Events