SOLOCorner

January 2025

Greetings of Peace!

I pray that you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year’s celebration with your loved ones—moments that, when you look back, bring a smile to your face.

2024 has been a great year for SOLOC. Through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, continuous prayer and discernment, and the dedication of committed servants and members, we accomplished so much. Allow me to share a summary of our 2024 journey.

We began 2024 with mission trips and conferences in the Philippines and Eurasia. I feel truly blessed to have finally met, spent time with, and built relationships with our sisters in Manila, Singapore, Australia (including our New Zealand sisters), and Dubai. These conferences produced servants who are now actively serving in various ministry teams. Our beloved sister, Shey Gesalta, has stepped up as the Regional Leader of Euroasia and a member of SOLOC’s Council. She is doing an excellent service loving, caring for, and leading the sisters closer to God.

Binky Divinagracia now serves as SOLOC’s Formation Team Head. She develops most of our talks and ensures that SOLOC’s spirituality remains aligned with our Vision and Mission. I deeply honor her commitment to God through her service in SOLOC.

Starting in February, we will hold talks on SOLOC’s Pillars of Our Spirituality. These talks are based on the feedback we received from our members and leaders, which helped redefine our Mission, Vision, calling, culture, and way of life—essentially, who we are as SOLOC’s committed members. As mentioned, all OPM talks this year and possibly next year will serve as the monthly AG (Action Group) meeting topics. It is essential, and we highly encourage you all to attend our OPMs and AG meetings. This will help us better understand who we are as SOLOC sisters and, hopefully, deepen our commitment to God through this community He has formed for busy women like us.

We held a very fruitful Ministry Fair, which helped sisters better understand the various ministries and inspired them to join where they felt called to serve.

Our Council Meeting in Arizona was also highly productive. We had the opportunity to pray, take a break, build our team, and discuss essential matters and the calendar of activities for SOLOC.

Another milestone: SOLOC is now officially registered as a Non-Profit Organization! I extend my heartfelt thanks to Bheng Pelobello for her hard work in completing everything needed to make this possible. It wasn’t easy—it took us years—but praise God for helping us fulfill all the requirements.

As a result of this registration, all fundraising activities will now be managed by yours truly under the Fund Development Team. All fundraising must go through SOLOC Fund Dev and be reported to the Finance Team. The Finance Team will also submit monthly reports of members LOVE OFFERING to the Council and respective regions.

Our blank greeting cards (postcard size) are nearly ready, and I’ll share more details soon. Please join us in praying for the success of our other Fund Development projects for this year and next. Funds raised will be allocated to various ministries and initiatives.

Through the generosity of our sister Liza Duclayan, SOLOC now has a website! You can visit us at soloc.net. We aim to update it monthly.

Looking ahead, we have a Conference in September. Invitations have been sent to help our sisters from the Philippines and Euroasia apply for U.S. visas. This will be a significant four-day event, and we hope you won’t miss it! We have so much in store, and our main speaker will be Lou Sitaca. May I humbly ask for your prayers for this event?

I hope I haven’t forgotten anything. All our servants are doing their best to support our members spiritually and personally, as guided by the feedback you’ve provided. Action Groups (AGs) continue to be excellent venues for prayer, sharing, and building relationships among sisters. This is why we prioritize AG meetings and OPMs. Through these gatherings, we grow in love for God and one another, and our service is the fruit of what we learn.

Thank you, sisters. I honor your commitment to God through SOLOC and pray that the Lord will continue to bless each of you with peace, love, and joy in 2025.

God bless and see you in our OPMs and other activities.

Your Servant,

Mylene McKaig

Head Servant

Message from our Head Servant

December 2024

Christmas message

Our theme for our first-ever Christmas party is “A Thrill of Hope,” inspired by our anchor verse, Luke 2:10: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”

This theme is meant to inspire feelings of excitement and anticipation, reminding us that something extraordinary is on its way. It’s akin to the joy of anticipating a long-awaited reunion with a loved one coming home on Christmas Day. We prepare a place for them to stay, ensure the house is clean, and create a festive atmosphere. Families set aside their differences and come together, singing songs like “Give Love on Christmas Day” and cherishing the opportunity to make meaningful memories together.

As we await the birth of our Savior, let us take time to reflect on what is in our hearts. Let us ask the Lord for His grace to help us set aside, or let go of, the heartaches, pains, and divisions we may have with our loved ones. Let us release the grudges we carry. And if you’re struggling to forgive or love yourself, remember this: the Lord has already forgiven and healed you because you are His beloved. We are His beloved. This truth should fill us with joy and excitement because God sent His only Son—our Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the greatest news anyone could ever receive.

We cannot give genuine love unless we first ask the Lord to cleanse our hearts. So, before we prepare for our noche buena or purchase material gifts for our loved ones, let us take advantage of the sacraments available to us. Let us seek reconciliation and ensure that our Savior has a place in our hearts. Let Him own our hearts this Advent and Christmas season—and every day of our lives. This is the greatest gift we could ever offer back to our Savior.

In Him,

Maria (Mylene) McKaig

Head Servant

Message from our Head Servant