29 October 2013 - The Philippine Embassy in Berne and the Philippine Consulate General in Geneva once again reached out to the various Filipino organizations in Switzerland by attending the yearly Halloween fund raising drive of the Hiligaynon Group Switzerland in Berne onOctober 26 and the 22nd anniversary of the Geneva-based Come to Jesus Fellowship International (CTJFI), the first Filipino and first Asian church in Switzerland, in Geneva on October 27.

The CTJFI event, which bannered the theme, “Victorious Journey with God,” was attended by more than 200 members, families and friends of the congregation. CTJFI was originally established to provide a family for newly-arrived Filipinos in Switzerland, especially in Geneva, and old-timers alike, who have no family to turn to in their adopted country.

Philippine Ambassador to Switzerland Leslie Baja, in his message, congratulated the CTJFI for reaching another milestone in their ministry and outreach work in Switzerland and the Philippines. He praised the congregation for actively involving second generation Swiss-Filipinos, not only in their ministry, but especially in their outreach activities in the Philippines, providing a platform for these youth to connect with their motherland and at the same time, exposing them to the realities of life for the underprivileged in the Philippines. In July 2013, CTJFI sent a youth mission to northern Luzon to help in the distribution of donations to calamity victims and the less privileged sector of society.

The Hiligaynon event aimed to raise money for the victims of the earthquake that recently struck Bohol and Cebu. In the past, the group held similar fund-raising events to support various charity projects in the Philippines. Ambassador Baja thanked the Hiligaynon Group for being the first organization to contribute to the Typhoon Pablo fund-raising drive in 2012.  END