The original inhabitants of the Philippine islands originated in mainland Asia. These were followed by waves of people from Indonesia and later Malayan peoples. In 1380 the Makdum entered the Sulu archipelago. In 1521 explorer Ferdinand Magellan claimed the islands for Spain and later they were named for King Phillip II. The Spanish imposed some unity on the islands and built haciendas and sugar plantations on the main islands, exerting control until 1898. Following the Spanish-American War control was transferred to the United States which bought the islands and the Filipinos declared themselves independent. In 1935 the US recognized their independence anticipating eventual full sovereignty. With the invasion of Japan in 1942 full independence was delayed until 1946. In 1965 Ferdinand Marcos was elected President and together with his wife, Imelda, ruled as dictator until 1986. Since that time the government has continued to improve the country economically and deal with corruption. There are two legislative bodies which govern the Republic, the Senate and House of Representatives.
The history of the Stone-Campbell Movement in the Philippines is long and complex and has had significant and far reaching consequences, especially upon the missionary activities of the American churches in the early part of the twentieth century. Following the Spanish American War and the purchase of the Philippines by the United States from Spain the islands were opened to Protestant missions. Prior to this time the Roman Catholic Church held almost complete hegemony of the Christian faith on the islands. Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Hanna were the first missionaries sent by the Foreign Christian Missionary Society of the American churches, landing in Manila on August 3, 1901. The Hannas were followed in a few weeks by Mr. and Mrs. Hermon P. Williams. Hermon had been a former American chaplain serving in the recent war and was eager to return to the Philippines as a missionary. A chapel was soon rented for preaching services, a Sunday school, mid-week prayer service established and other activities were begun. Initially the work was small especially among American servicemen and civilians for which there was a high turnover. Evangelistic services in a street chapel touched the hearts of several people and seven converts were baptized in Manila Bay. Thereafter the work began to grow and the hearts of the Filipino people began to be more receptive to the simple plea of New Testament Christianity. By 1919 the work had grown to have included almost forty missionaries in four centers: Manila, Vigan, Laoag and Aparri. More than sixty native workers were trained and equipped for service; eighty-three churches were established, sixty of which were housed in their own buildings and regular meetings were held in 116 places. The membership was placed at 6,975 with a membership in the Sunday schools adding about 700 to that number. Three schools were established along with four hospitals and dispensaries. Several printing presses were in operation turning untold pages of Bibles, song books, periodicals, tracts, pamphlets and the like. During the Depression of the 1930s several of these institutions were closed or sold and the majority of the missionaries were forced to return to the U.S. The so called “golden age” of the Filipino churches thus came to a close with the departure of the missionaries.
By the early 1920s there had begun to be conflicting views in the United States regarding the missionary societies and the practice of open membership and comity on the foreign fields. By 1920 the three historic missionary societies (and several other agencies) had merged to become the United Christian Missionary Society. Among the conservative members of the Disciples of Christ there began to be concern that some missionaries and mission churches were allowing nationals to become members of the churches who had not been baptized by immersion. The conservatives felt that this practice was contrary to the historic plea of the Stone-Campbell Movement. One country where the controversy was particularly played out was the Philippines. Leslie and Carrie Wolfe were Society missionaries in the Philippines who decried the open membership practices of the Philippine mission and their exposure of what they saw as inconsistencies in the mission added fuel to an already growing fire in the United States which would eventually see polarization of the Disciples into conservative and liberal camps. By 1968 that polarization would yield a split in the Movement when the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) was voted into existence as a denomination. The Wolfes helped draw many congregations away from support of the United Christian Missionary Society and into a form of support known as Direct Support or Independent missions. In 1926 the Wolfes were separated from the service of the UCMS and returned to the United States. The following year they once again returned to the Philippines and carried out successful mission work for the next two decades supported directly by congregations in the United States. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines they were interned at the camp in Los Banos. Leslie Wolfe died about a month after being rescued from the camp. After some time in America Carrie Wolfe returned once more to the Philippines.
While the Depression and the closing of most of the mission stations
had forced many of the missionaries home a few were able to remain and
carry on the work. Late in the 1930s a new wave of missionaries came
to the Philippines including the return of a few of the veteran workers.
During the Second World War the Japanese invaded the Philippines and
a number of the American missionaries were interned in prisoner of war
camps for the remainder of the war; some did not survive the camps.
Following the war some relief aid became an immediate need for the mission.
Several new missionaries were recruited for the field, including Norwood
and Wilma Tye who gave many devoted years of service teaching, preaching,
evangelizing and cooperating in interdenominational projects. By 1954
it was reported that there were 136 congregations, more than a third
of which were entirely self-supporting. The population of these congregations
was numbered at just under 10,000 making it the second largest national
church of any of the mission fields supported by the Disciples of Christ.
In the last half of the twentieth century the UCMS and later the Christian
Church (Disciples of Christ) Division of Overseas Ministries continued
to do extensive work on the islands. One major effort of the CC(DC)
has been to engage in ecumenical activity and support united activities.
In 1943 the Evangelical Church of the Philippines was formed when the
United Evangelical Church, the Disciples, the Philippine Methodist Church
and some other independent churches were brought together. In 1948 these
and others merged to become the United Church of Christ in the Philippines.
Currently the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) supports five individuals
in connection with their work regarding the Philippines and provides
financial support for the National Council of Churches in the Philippines
and the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. Four educational
centers are also financially supported or have Disciples personnel,
including Northern Christian College.
Following Leslie and Carrie Wolfe’s difficulty with the missionary society they became independent missionaries supported by congregations and individuals separate from the missionary societies. Many of these congregations had withdrawn their financial support from the missionary society and directed their support to the Wolfes and other independent missions. In addition, virtually all of the churches of the Tagalog district remained loyal to the Wolfes and their mission. Eventually the worked carried out by Leslie and Carrie Wolfe became one of the largest independent mission works of the Christian Churches. Their heritage of independent mission work is still strongly felt throughout the Philippines today as the activities of the missions of the Christian Churches and Churches of Christ in America are very strong and have produced many indigenous leaders and countless workers. Approximately two dozen families are currently serving in the Philippines with support of the American churches. The three major areas of work are Manila (central), Mindanao (south) and Aparri (north). Some of the missionaries and ministries are listed below under "B. Congregational information".
A number of these missions and their personnel are involved with teaching and training Filipino nationals to carry the Gospel to their own people. There are at least eight colleges and schools providing education to Filipino nationals. In 2001, at the 92nd national convention in Manila the churches celebrated their 100th anniversary with 7,000 delegates present. Dr. Diego Romulo, former minister of the 3,000 member Cruzada church in Manila, was chair of the committee charged with publishing the Centennial Book of the Philippines. At that time there was a reported 1,214 churches with an estimated membership of 200-300,000. In 2004 the Churches of Christ in the Philippines will gather for their 94th national convention.
The American a cappella Churches of Christ have also built a significant
presence in the Philippines beginning in about 1928. In that year George
S. Benson began holding evangelistic meetings and baptizing converts.
From these converts he was able to establish local congregations. Soon
afterwards H.G. Cassell and Orville T. Rodman arrived to aid in the
efforts. During the Second World War a number of soldiers who were stationed
in the Philippines or passed through during the battle for the Pacific
became aware of the Christian opportunities in the Philippine islands.
Several returned after the war as missionaries themselves or were influential
in sending missionaries. Mac Lynn’s Churches
of Christ Around the World says that some of the most exciting
missionary activity currently taking place in the Philippines is work
being done by World Bible School and World English Institute. Nearly
forty missionaries are listed in Lynn’s book together with dozens
of American sponsoring churches. The churches of Christ also support
eight colleges and Christian schools. The Broadway and Orman Church
of Christ at 611 Broadway, Pueblo, Colorado 81004 certifies visas for
missionaries to the Philippines. Two ministries supported by the a cappella
churches include the Filipino Bible Matching Fund (Cedar Hill Church
of Christ, Fort Worth, Texas) and Philippine Shipping Mission (Yucaipa
Church of Christ, Yucaipa, California).
The History of
the Foreign Christian Missionary Society, Archibald McLean, Fleming
Revell, 1919.
They Went to the Philippines, Biographical Sketches
of Missionaries of the Disciples of Christ, United Christian Missionary
Society, Indianapolis, Indiana, no date.
Christianity in the Philippines, A Report on
the only Christian Nation in the Orient, Dwight E. Stevenson, The
College of the Bible, Lexington, Kentucky, 1956.
Journeying with the United Church of Christ in
the Philippines: A History, Norwood B. Tye, United Church of Christ
in the Philippines, Quezon City, 1994.
Personal Papers of Norwood and Wilma Tye,
Disciples of Christ Historical Society, Nashville, Tennessee.
The Disciples of Christ in the Philippines, L. Shelton Woods, Discipliana,
Spring 1998, Disciples of Christ Historical Society, Nashville, TN.
History of the Philippine Mission, Mark
Maxey, Go Ye Books, San Clemente, CA., 1973.
The First Fifty Years, A History of the Direct-Support
Missionary Movement, David Filbeck, College Press Publishing Company,
Joplin, MO., 1989.
In Search of Christian Unity, A History of the
Restoration Movement, Henry E. Webb, Standard Publishing, Cincinnati,
OH., 1990. Reprinted Abilene Christian University Press, 2003.
Kingdom Ambassadors, Ross and Cheryl Wissman at International Christian
College of Manila
P.O. Box 320 Loudonville, OH 44842
Telephone: (419) 994-4347
Email: wissman@missionaries.com
Pacific Rim Ministries, Darryl and Carol Krause
P.O. Box 151
Kalibo, Aklan 500 Philippines
Email: carolkrause@missionaries.com
Email: darrylkrause@missionries.com
Philippine Christian Mission
Philippine College of Ministry
P.O. Box 1965
2600 Baguio City, Philippines
Email: pcm.edu@come.to
Website: http://come.to/pcm.edu
Philippine Mission Churches of Christ, work in the Cagayan Valley was
begun in 1917 by national worker Faustino Peneyra. The Selby family began
PMCC in 1947.
P.O. Box 49
Aparri, Cagayan, Philippines 3515
Philippines Support Team, the Jeff and Julie Metcalf family, and includes
Christian Aviation and Radio Ministry
P.O. 417
Plainfield, IN 46168
Email: jsmfrompcc@aol.com
Website: http://www.carm-intl.org
Pioneers for Christ Philippine Mission, Nemesio and Terry Carbonilla
B.Q.C. P.O. Box 573
Tagbilaran City 6300
Bohol, Philippines
Telephone: 011 63 38 411 4823
The Waray-Waray Project
414 N.W. Highland Drive
Bartlesville, OK 74003
Christ Terraces Mission, Jerry Felipe
P.O. Box 246 Manila
Philippines 1099
Telephone: 0918 8122317
Educating Philippine Indigenous Churches, Conley and Sandy Stephenson
2313 Chesapeake Ave.
Chesapeake, VA 23324
Telephone: (804)545-6741
Open Door Mission, Tito and Sandy Pel
Makati Central Post Office, P.O. Box 4105
Makati, Metro Manila 1283 Philippines
Gospel Fires Mission, Roger Celis (White Fields Evangelism)
Email: rcelis@gslink.com
God’s Word to Every Home Foundation, International
C/O: Jack and Nancy Blanchett
First Christian Church
P.O. Box 1416
Dodge City, KS 67801
White Fields Evangelism
Email: whitefields@joplin.com
Website: http://www.white-fields.org
C.
Educational Institutions
Christian Churches and Churches of Christ
Aparri Bible Seminary
Philippine College of Ministry
Philippine Bible Seminary
Manila Bible Seminary
International Christian College of Manila
Bible College of Leyte
Cebu Bible Seminary
Negros College of Evangelism
The Bachelor Degree in Christian Ministry
Mindanao Christian Foundation College
A cappella Churches of Christ
Bethany Bible Institute
Cebu Bible College
Central Bible Institute
Manila School of Evangelism
Maranatha Bible College
Philippine Bible College
Talamban Christian School
Zamboanga Bible College
United Church of Christ in the Philippines
Northern Christian College
Southern Christian College
D.
Social Service Ministries
E.
Magazines/Periodicals
Christian Churches and Churches of Christ
Image
P.O. Box 83-AC
Cubao, 1109 Quezon City, Philippines
Telephone/Fax: (632) 920-66-99
Email: media-dispatch@hotmail.com
A cappella Churches of Christ
Philippine Christian Chronicle
P.O. Box 413
Cebu City 6000, Philippines
Telephone: (032) 341-1423
Fax: 0917-256-0694
Email: philcc@mozcom.com
Email: Pchronicle@yahoo.com
Website: http://www.philippinechurchesofchrist.org/pcc/index.htm
John Reese, WBS course writer and assistant director in the USA, meets with Philippines WBS volunteers. The Baguio team has been enrolling over 1000 students a month with an aim of 2000 students per month in 2004.
