Not too many people know I was once into ministry work. Meaning, I worked for our church full time and got paid for it. My boss was a pastor; my colleagues were all church workers and leaders both from local and international offices. Our headquarters is Victory Leadership Institute (now known as Every Nation Leadership Institute). It is the central office of our church called Victory Christian Fellowship.

I did not apply for a position there. But here’s what happened.

The year was 2003. One morning while I was driving, I heard a voice telling me “full time ministry work.” Seriously, I heard a voice. It wasn’t anything thunderous or earthshaking. In fact, it was almost like a whisper, in a calm and gentle tone. I figured well, maybe it was just one of those thoughts from my cluttered mind. But I started to pray, and I said to God “well, if this is from you, do something about it. You pave the way because I cannot imagine myself doing church work.”

Two weeks after hearing “the voice”, I got a call from Victory Leadership Institute. A job was waiting for me. How could this be? I did not apply for work there!

That voice…how can I still doubt that it was God? It was too much of a coincidence.

————————————————-

My boss was (and still is) the National Director for School of Arts and Media. I did a lot of administrative work plus we had a ballet school which I had to oversee as well. Our ministry was for church members who are into arts and media –visual artists, media people, photographers, actors and actresses, singers, dancers, production people and a lot more. Every time we had an event I had to coordinate with these volunteers. We used to be called tinC which means ‘talents in Christ’.

I had a wonderful time doing my job. It was such a joy working with volunteers, plus the fact I was learning a lot of new things. School of Arts and Media opened a whole new world for me. It was a humbling experience to work with big names who willingly share their talent and time generously yet, for free. But beyond their status and popularity, it’s their heart to reach out to other talents who are searching and looking for meaning in life. They patiently find time to share the gospel using their own resources. They boldly introduce God to them without shame.

—————————————————-

Doing full time ministry work is not a career. You don’t make money here. Whenever I tell people about this experience right away they say “really?!” in varying tones. It’s alright. How they react to it doesn’t affect me.

It is the toughest job in my entire life upto this day. Why? Because here your goal is not to please the standards of the world, but the standards of a ‘diving being.’ Perhaps a lot of people won’t get what I mean. The bible says, “to whom much is given, much is required.”

It was a privilege to work for our church. It is a calling, and not the usual job you can apply for. I feel honored. It doesn’t mean I am holier than thou. Why was I handpicked? It’s simply divine intervention.

I am a wedding singer. I have been a wedding singer long before Adam Sandler’s movie came out. Although I hardly have time these days to indulge in this hobby, I still manage to squeeze in one or two in a year.

I started doing this semi-professionally in 1996. But the very first wedding I sang in from start to finish was when I was a freshman in the UP College of Music in 1987. One of my teachers recruited me and 3 other girls in my batch to sing at his friend’s wedding. We were a female quartet — two sopranos and two altos. I was lower alto. We sang at The Archbishop’s Palace in Mandaluyong. Our teacher trained us for about three weeks. I remember singing “What Matters Most,” “Take and Receive,” “Come Saturday Morning,” and “Anima Christi” in four voices. It was awesome! Only because I’ve never sung in a quartet before.

Fast forward to 1996. My friend, Edith, who is also our church organist, and I started playing at weddings in our parish. We’d have gigs almost every week because we tied up with the Parish office and they’d set us up as an option in the church service. We didn’t charge much. It was just pocket money for us. We considered ourselves lucky if the newlyweds would invite us to the reception. But more often than not, we’d just sing at the service.  

Even if we were partners in the biz, there were times Edith wouldn’t be available so I had to sing with whoever the client hired to play the music. No practice needed. I’d just show up at the church with a list of songs requested by the couple, tell the instrumentalists what key I’ll be singing the songs, and off we go. It was practically a jam session and it was a blast. I’ve had the privilege of singing with some of the most popular music groups in the wedding industry — most of whom were also from UP and were part of either the Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra or the Manila Symphonic Orchestra. 

But there were times I had to do double duty — as a wedding singer and as a wedding reception host. It’s fun but it can also get crazy. Not only do I sing in church, but I sing and host the reception. As wedding hostess, sometimes it was my job to think of what will happen during the reception. That part is easy. The challenge is how to make the program interesting. That’s when my wit and humor have to shine. I daresay I’ve done a pretty good job with the hosting part. I guess it’s because I talk with an American accent and that impresses a lot of people. Nyahahaha!

When do I get to eat you ask? After everyuthing’s done! Yup! You heard me right. Usually at the end of the party. Well, not totally at the end. I and whoever else is performing with me get to enjoy the food when the program’s over. By then, we’d get special treatment from the servers. If it’s a buffet, they’d serve us the food. We didn’t have to get it ourselves. Plus, we get to bring home food as an extra special treat!

I’ve sung in a lot of churches in Manila, namely: The Manila Cathedral, San Agustin Church, Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Santuario de San Jose in Greenhills, The Archbishop’s Palace, Shrine of Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life (also known as the church beside Mall of Asia), Paco Park church, St. James in Ayala Alabang, St. Jerome in Alabnag Town Center, Mt. Carmel in New Manila, Pasig Cathedral, the Nature Church in Las Pinas, Christ the King in Greenmeadows, Church of the Risen Lord in UP Diliman, and other lesser known churches. I’ve also sung in Tagaytay, Bulacan (thanks to Clara of the Mafia!), Dagupan, Baguio, and Batangas. The farthest I’ve sung would be my cousin’s wedding in Los Angeles. That was one of the coolest since my cousin’s cousin brought his string quartet with him. So it was a truly a family affair. And FYI, my cousin’s cousin, Carlo, is part of the White House Orchestra.

I love being a wedding singer. I love making people cry….with happy tears. Someone asked me who I wanted to sing at my wedding - if and when that happens. I told her I’ll record my songs and have it played during the church service and at the reception. Nyahahaha!

Neysa singing \”Ikaw\” at the Nature Church