The Manifesto Movement

CEBU, Philippines - His task was to give an inspirational talk to about 40 young people and unravel with them the mystery behind the captivating thing called love.

“How can I be a Christian for just three weeks and get invited to give a sermon to young people? It might have been a bit bizarre but I knew I just had to do it. And I’m going to do it for God,” Pastor Ru dela Torre recalled that day he introduced the Manifesto Movement.

And so goes the story behind his first-ever preaching stint. He entitled his talk, “What’s love got to do with it?” which was based on just two verses: John 3:16 and Matthew 6:33. Talk about plummeting into the deep, huh? His talk ran for 45 minutes. Nobody fell asleep nor violently protested about anything he said. And God must have really been there because nobody left, or maybe on second thought, nobody just dared.

Then came the moment of truth. It was now time for the last of his 41-slide Powerpoint presentation. The ultimate test if he really made sense. A la American Idol elimination night suspense, hearts were pounding hard as he eagerly anticipated the answer to the one-million-dollar question: “Will they or will they not?”

The challenge was simple. Will they sign a contract committing to the following: “I will not enter into a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship for one full year as a sign of sacrifice, love, and commitment to our Lord Jesus Christ”?

The contract was laid out on a table, in front. Signing it was not compulsory. Suddenly, somebody played a song with the lines that say, “Lord I will bow to you, I will lay down my idols, thrones I have made, all that has taken my heart...”

Somebody handed Pastor Ru a pen and whispered to his ear, “Hey, c’mon. You be the first to sign.”

Uh-oh! Thoughts took a triple somersault in his head, such as: Who said anything about the speaker signing? Isn’t there a thing as “executive-sermonic privileges or preacher’s-exception-to-the-rule rule”? He hasn’t lived a “single” week, both literally and figuratively speaking, in the past 12 years of his life. He has always had a girlfriend and now he has to sign a contract that will make him agree to a “No girlfriend for a year” stipulation? Give him a break!

The Great Pause

Pastor Ru cited: We know the saying, “Big things come from small packages.” In my case, the biggest question came out of the shortest of intervals. It was in the “great pause.”

If “Who Wants To Be a Millionaire” has a hot seat, that one-square-foot vinyl tile he stood on at that moment became more like a charcoal grill. The huge air-conditioning units began to wheeze. The audience hissed. Will he or will he not sign? This one was a cliffhanger. The crowd was at the edge of their seats.

The drama unfolded as heaven and earth, and probably even the world under, watched closely for the ensuing episode. The pressure cooker was already boiling. Time was running out. There had got to be a decision.

In the midst of the internal scuffle, one Voice stood out, Pastor Ru narrated. It silenced all the others. Without any shadow of a doubt, it was the voice of God. “The challenge might have been if I can forego a romantic relationship, but the question from God really was something more serious,” he added.

“Ru, do you truly love Me?”

He remembered well his immediate reply: “Yes, Lord...”

Then he said to himself, “I’ll do anything for God.”

Taking the plunge

Taking a deep breath, with cold sweat building up on his forehead, Ru held on to the pen and signed the contract. He indicated the date, and then signed over his printed name. He stood in front of the witnesses as he kissed his dream, of being placed in the Guinness book of world records as the man with the most number of ex-girlfriends in a lifetime, goodbye.

There was no turning back. He was determined to put God first in his life, and decided to remove all distractions. He wanted to make Him the center of his life and so he had to use every ounce of his energy and every moment in life getting to know Him more and more.

To his surprise, right after he signed, the young people from the audience started rising from their seats and, one by one, they signed the contract as the song kept playing.

What is the Manifesto Movement?

The Manifesto Movement aims to inspire young persons like you to enter into a covenant with God. It asks the question: Can you abstain from having a BF/GF relationship for one full year to focus on God?

It was on February 14, 2004 when the Manifesto Movement was born. Forty young people abstained from entering into exclusive relationships and used their time and energy in seeking God and serving Him by leading and ministering to the youth. From then on, the movement grew to reach many more young people.

In 2007, the Manifesto Movement qualified for the Philippine National Youth Commission’s TAYO (Ten Accomplished Youth Organizations) Awards and then recognized as a national finalist. It also received commendation from the National Youth Commission. As of today, the Manifesto Movement has reached approximately 30,000 young people and gathered 25,000 signatures.

More than just a contract

Its main purpose is to help you discover the value of having the right priorities in life, upholding purity, and rendering service to God and other young people.

Since you will not be in an exclusive relationship within the one-year period, the temptation to engage in premarital sex will be lessened, if not eliminated. This will help decrease the number of unwanted pregnancies, teenage marriages/parenthood, and abortions.

Moreover, by concentrating on God and other priorities such as family and studies, you can avoid having emotional problems caused by ill-advised and wrong-timed BF/GF relationships. You don’t have to fall into depression because of this and turn to vices such as alcohol and drugs.

You can make one potent decision that can change your life forever. The Manifesto Movement can help open the door for one great achievement as it reveals to you who you are in God’s eyes.

Need to know more about the Manifesto Movement? Want to invite the MM team? Call or text 0915-2875846.