Gary Visitacion
New Zealand National Director
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"This is what I want."- Gary's Story
Pastor Gary Visitacion is passionate about discipling leaders. He is full of boundless energy, a heart overflowing with gratefulness with a quick sense of humor.
His faith started through sports, when the Philippines national basketball team played a team from the U.S. through a travel mission group. At halftime, when one of the players strummed his guitar and offered an invitation to know God, something clicked inside Pastor Gary’s heart. Before that moment, he equated sports and faith as separate, but a vision sprang to life as he realized just how intertwined they could be.
When he became a pastor, the first thing he did was begin sports ministry. A former athlete, it was an area he already knew well. At the same time, Pastor Gary was also working with the same organization that played a role in his salvation. He’d travel across the country setting up team visits, as God continued to press upon his heart that hope of Christ could be found through sports.
In 2009, Pastor Gary had the opportunity to attend the NCAA Final Four in Detroit. He strolled through conference center full of booths, but it was one specific table that caught his eye: Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
He and the FCA staff person behind the table struck a conversation and Pastor Gary quickly learned how similar it was to his organization. But what piqued his interest was their abundance of resources and discipleship. After further conversation, the FCA staff person, Dan Britton, current Executive Director of International Ministry, invited him to visit the National Support Center in Kansas City, Missouri, to meet the then-FCA International Director, Barry Spofford.
Pastor Gary planned his visit, and when he learned more about the ministry, his excitement grew.
“It was like being at kid at an ice cream shop,” he said. “My eyes were huge and I said, ‘This is what I need!’”
When he walked away with a plethora of resources, Pastor Gary also took away a revived sense of God’s nudging that FCA would play an important part in his life.
Once back in the Philippines, he and Spofford exchanged emails and discussed ministry vision. Then, in 2010, he got the green light to spearhead FCA Philippines.
Two initial presentations were given to introduce FCA to the country, one in Manila and another in Cebu, with 70-80 coaches in attendance. Ministry was quickly growing, and three years into his part-time role, Pastor Gary sensed a shift in calling. After prayer and discussion with his wife, he stepped away from his organization and launched into FCA full-time.
ABOUT FURNITURE
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FRITZ HANSEN(brand)
The story of Fritz Hansen began in 1872 when Fritz Hansen, a cabinetmaker from Nakskov, obtained a trade license in Copenhagen. In 1885, Fritz Hansen started his own furniture production company and two years later he was able to open a workshop in Christianshavn, in the center of Copenhagen.
A list of prestigious orders from the first 50 years of the company's existence shows that Fritz Hansen's reputation was already well established at the beginning of the 20th century. The refinement of the steam-bending beach technique made Fritz Hansen a world leader. Clean lines and lighter, more practical designs became a revolutionary style, a variant of German functionalism.
The collaboration with Arne Jacobsen in the 1950s is also recognized as a key moment in Fritz Hansen's history. The introduction of lamination technology and removable furniture began to make waves in the industry, and the timeless popularity of the Series 7 chair led to further success with the design of two classics, the Egg and the Swan.
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Series 7
The Series 7™ chair is an icon in modern furniture history, designed by Arne Jacobsen in 1955. Its unique shape is timeless and incredibly versatile, displaying character without overpowering the eye. The chair is made from 9 layers of pressure moulded veneer for strength, flexibility and durability despite its slender form. This is the most popular design within Fritz Hansen’s chair collection. The 3107 has slim yet strong steel-tubed legs that complement the shell’s curved profile. Legs extend just beyond the edge of the seat, allowing chairs to be easily arranged in rows or stacked for storage. The base/legs are discreetly mounted to a circular disc beneath the seat further enhancing the clean, minimal aesthetic of Jacobsen’s design.
