NAME: Feast Quezon City North Triangle Trinoma
VENUE: Cinema 1, Ayala Malls Trinoma
SCHEDULE: Every Sunday, 9:00-1130A.M.
NUMBER OF ATTENDEES: 143-175
DATE ESTABLISHED: June 5, 2022

The BUILDER
NAME: Marvyn Gaerlan
ADDRESS: Amaia Series Novaliches, QC
EMAIL: [email protected]
BIRTHDAY: December 7 AGE 43

Bro. Marvyn Gaerlan studied at Don Bosco Technical Institute Makati, the University of Santo Tomas, and the University of the Philippines.

Now a lawyer, he is a business and labor law coach, Data Privacy Compliance adviser, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) officer. He was active in a law-based fraternity.

He works at the Sangalang & Gaerlan (SG) Law Firm Online.

He served as an Extraordinary Minister of the Holy Eucharist at Claret Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Quezon City, as well as during daily Masses at Quezon City Hall.

Ministry Journey

Bro. Marvyn’s ministry journey intertwines with building his family life.

Here they are, Bro. Marvyn and his wife Em with their children, from left: Matthew John Elijah; Elisha Gabrielle; David Michael; and Marijah Isaiah.

With Em, Bro. Marvyn previously served with the Couples for Christ Foundation for Family Life (CFC-FFL) chapter at the Claret School, Quezon City, particularly its tutorial program on Answering the Cry of the Poor (AnCoP).

Bro. Marvyn and Sis. Em then felt they needed to grow more in their spiritual life.

He shares: “In 2012, we were looking for a community that can guide us in raising a family and nurturing our spiritual growth as a couple. About a few weeks after our church wedding, we walked in at the Feast Quezon City Bureau of Soils and Waste Management.”

They then underwent LOJ’s trimester Love Someone Today (LST), a disciple training program founded by Bro. Bo Sanchez. They finished the training just in time for them to join and finish the LOJ Jesus Encounter, a program for knowing more about the Lord and deepening faith in Him. This was in 2013 — a day before their first child was born.

Bro. Marvyn stepped up his ministry with more tasks: as facilitator for the Love Someone Today training course; as lector under the Liturgical Ministry; engager for the Warmth Ministry; co-preacher of Bro. Ervine Pangwi, Builder of Feast Trinoma; and setting up the Feast Light Olongapo, pre-Coronavirus Disease (COVID) Pandemic.

From his various ministries, Bro. Marvyn then took just one big step to be the Builder of Feast Quezon City North Triangle Trinoma.

Beginnings

A part of the Feast Quezon City District, The Feast Quezon City North Triangle Trinoma underwent various launching steps:

On June 5, 2022: as a Feast Light (as in a smaller version of the Light of Jesus Family) at St. Michael’s Chapel, Trinoma;

On November 5, 2022: as Feast Quezon City

North Triangle Trinoma at the Cinema 6, Ayala Malls Trinoma.

On January 29, 2025: The Feast Light Quezon City North Triangle Trinoma at St. Michael’s Chapel, Trinoma, was relaunched.

Bro. Marvyn relates: “Most of the work for reopening The Feast at Trinoma after the Pandemic was to take on what was started by our leaders, past and present, in Feast Quezon City. I am privileged to have the best mentors and Light Group (previously called Caring Group) heads, at right, from left:

— Bro. Eng Si, Bro. Arcee Si, Bro. Ervine Pangwi, as well as my previous Light Group head, Bro. Quin Ocampo (right) now our Feast QC North Triangle Connect Pillar (Discipleship head).

“We maintained nurturing our relationship with past and new servants and tried our best to re-launch the present Feast QC North Triangle.

It was through the commitment of the past and present Light Group heads that we were able to re-launch our Feast.”

Challenges

The beginnings were not without struggles.

Bro. Marvyn continues: “As commonly experienced by most newly set up Feasts, finances is always a challenge. We are still doing our best to nurture and grow our existing core members, figuring out what works to respond to the needs of the new set of core members, to sustain our operations, while strengthening the relationships among the old and new members. Since we are still about two years running, there are still a lot of trials and errors both in our weekly Feast operation, as well as in the implementation of programs and plans for the different ministries.

Support Programs

“We have benefited from the full support of our Feast QC District programs,” Bro. Marvyn points out.

Such programs are the Jesus Encounter and Transfer, as well as the Lighten Up Couples

(LUXs) and Singles Love Life Retreat for the initial runs, jointly done with Feast QC Fairview.

“We were also able to sustain our operations for the Awesome Kids Ministry with a temporary play place for the kids,” he adds.

Awesome Kids Youth Walk on All Saints’ Day with kids from Sta. Rita Parish

Hello, 2025!

Feast Quezon City started 2025 not dashing forward. It retreated.

Last January 12, 2025, Feasts under the Feast Quezon City District jointly held their first Leaders’ Retreat to reflect on, seek Divine Will for how 2025 should go.

Bro. Marvyn says Feast Quezon City District commits to focus all events and activities more on Discipleship this year.

He explains: “With emphasis on the Feast QC discipleship priority for this year, our branches will cook up programs that will equip our disciples to go back to basics.”

Basic Communication program for the present generation; formation programs touching on the Holy Eucharist, Intercession, and Servant Leadership, among others, will be lined up.

Blessings

Anatomy of a Hopeful Heart

“THE doctors literally stopped my heart to beat and my lungs became blurred for one hour and 20 minutes…”

During the Tithers’ Banquet, a gathering of members offering financial contribution to Feast QC North Triangle, Bro. Edwin Oliva, one of the Community’s humble servants, shared about his quadruple heart bypass operation.

What’s a quadruple heart bypass?

Google the term and you’ll see this comprehensive info…

Doctors explain that the heart muscle pumps to keep blood flowing throughout the body so you stay alive.

To be able to do this, the heart needs oxygen and other nutrients.

Blood vessels or coronary arteries supply the heart muscle with blood.

Sometimes these blood vessels can be blocked by plaque made up of excessive cholesterol, fat and other substances from the food we eat and from being inactive.

The procedure is called quadruple bypass when quadruple, yes, four blood vessels that feed the heart are blocked. The operation is done to reroute the blood, yes bypass the blockages, for the blood to flow through alternative vessels taken from other parts of the body– the arms or legs– which are called bypass grafts.

The quadruple bypass surgery is an open-heart surgery- The chest is cut open, the heart is stopped to prevent motion during the surgery- The patient is put on a heart-lung bypass machine to allow both the heart and lungs to be still- The machine supplies oxygen to the blood instead of the lungs doing this job. The machine pumps the oxygenated blood through the body as the heart would normally do-
That was v,hat Bro. Edwin struggled through.
By God’ s mercy, he survived the ordeal.

Here’s Bro. Edwin (extreme left) with his Feast QC Light Group who saw him through his ordeal.

At the Feast QC gathering, he shared: “God prepared me for everything. God moves in a way you won’t even notice. Sumisimple din si Lord sa buhay natin. He just simply sneaks around in our lives.

Today, Bro. Edwin serves as Caritas Pillar for Feast QC North Triangle with his loving wife Sis. Mabel. He also serves with the Social Media Team as one of the photographers. He is also leading the recently established

The Feast Light Quezon City North Triangle at the PhilAM Subdivision in Quezon City.

Here’s Bro. Edwin with his family, from left: son, Migs who serves as Youth Ministry Coordinator; daughter Caila; and wife Mabel.

Deeply grateful for his new life,

Bro. Edwin adds: “God plans out everything already, so all we have to do is we just let go and let God.”

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This story was first published in the Feast Family Online News Magazine
Published by THE FEAST (February 23, 2025)