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The membership
of San Fernando Church at the time was small, consisting mostly
of young people and students with little means. The offerings
received during Dedication Day amounted to only P70.00.
The Church
building had two rooms, separated by sliding doors with a
seating capacity of 350. The pulpit was in the lower corner
of the larger room with seats arranged on a sloping floor
to face the pulpit, with the tower entrance in the rear. A
row of ventilation units about four feet wide completed the
sixteen-foot walls on each side. The tower was forty feet
high to the top of the walls. The building was severely shaken
before the walls were cured and cracks appeared, but the steel
reinforcements held firmly and it withstood many subsequent
shakes and severe typhoons. The walls stood even when bombs
burned the furniture and wood in the building. For 35 years,
this structure bore silent witness to the faith of its builders,
and then it was reduced by American bombs to concrete walls
pointing to the sky.”
Rev. A.
B. De Roos, Rev. E. A. Pace, and Doctor E. M. Platt began
evangelistic outreach mission services at the open market
in San Fernando in 1906. An interesting entry describes this
work: “De Roos inaugurated regular meetings in the San
Fernando market by renting a stall and selling Bibles. He
used his phonograph to attract the crowds, and then preached
to them. His aggressive evangelistic meeting aroused opposition
since his brilliant addresses created great interest. Pace
and Mumma had begun preaching previously in other markets
shortly after the arrival of Pace.
De Roos
and Platt came to the San Fernando Mission from different
backgrounds and both are tenacious in addressing to their
former teachings. Neither had been United Brethren before
joining the Mission, although both held the fundamental doctrines
of the Church. De Roos was fervent, enthusiastic, emotional,
oratorical, and dogmatic. Dr. Platt was matter-of-fact, unemotional,
rarely showed his feelings. They found it difficult to work
otgether…”
- The
Rev. Hilarion N. Macagba was the second Pastor to serve
the Congregation. During his assignment beginning in 1910,
the concrete Church Sanctuary, now Widdoes Hall, was finished
at its current location.
- In
1914, Rev. Justo Viloria followed Rev. Marian N. Mumma as
Pastor
- Rev.
Juan A. Abellera began serving as an Evangelist-Translator
and Assistant Pastor to Rev. Mumma in 1915. Among early
converts to Protestants during his ministry were: Rufino
N. Macagba, Gil Sanchez, Enrique Sobrepeña, Marcelino
T. Viduya, Juan Rivera, Sesenio Rivera, Florencio Selga,
Mauro Baradi, and Gerardo Florendo.
- A
most interesting comment about the programs developed during
the ministry of Rev. Mumma and Rev. Abellera are in the
following narrative in Dr. R. N. Macagba Sr.’s biography
detailing his Church activities during his high school years:
During
my second year, I became active in the United Brethren Church.
This was due to the fact that it had a very active Christian
Endeavor and a very large Sunday School class, the Willing
Workers Class, and was composed of high school boys. The members
of the Christian Endeavor Society were also high school students
and the girls who were studying to become deaconesses in the
Bible Training School, and who were boarding in the Otterbein
Dormitory. Every Sunday afternoon, we members of the Christian
Endeavor Society, would divide ourselves into four groups
and go out to the barrios to preach the gospel. I usually
joined the group that went to Poro. I would ride by bicycle
to church at 3:00 o’clock, to join my group and we would
walk to Poro and back to town, after “preaching the
Word.” Then I would ride my bicycle home for supper,
and go back to attend the 7:00 o’clock Christian Endeavor
Society meeting. Each group would make a report. Such a meeting
was led by a student and we would participate in the regular
discussion of topic, which had been assigned two or three
weeks before.
On may
occasions, we were followed by boys sent by the Catholic priest
to argue with us these barrio evangelistic meetings. Arguing
about religion was an activity in which neither side would
admit defeat. So many a time we had hand-to-hand fights.
Our Christian
Endeavor Society was very active and we had many members.
One Sunday of the month was set aside for a literary and musical
program, and another for social. It was during these Christian
Endeavor Society Meetings that we learned how to lead a meeting
and pray in public. Many of the lay leaders of our church
in later years were converted during this “golden age
of our church.”
Such leaders
of our church were Bishop Enrique Sobrepeña, Dr. Marcelino
T. Viduya of Bethany Hospital, Provincial Governor Juan Rivera,
Mr. Sesenio Rivera of the Social Welfare, General Florencio
Selga of the Philippine Constabulary, Ambassador Mauro Baradi,
Prof. Gerardo Florendo, of the College of Law of the University
of the Philippines, and many others. All were former members
of the Christian Endeavor Society and the “Willing Workers
Class.”
- The
fruit of Rev. Abellera’s efforts encouraged the Otterbein
Guild Chapter and the Filipino Missionary Society to send
a worker to Suyoc to provide clothing for mountain tribal
people. Opposition by the Roman Catholic Church further
fostered rapid growth in the Missionary enterprise through
the 1920’s. As an example, local workers Rev. Abellera
accompanied by Rev. Felino Florendo engaged in mass evangelism
gatherings. In the six months after the Annual Conference
of 1929, 66 new members were received by the San Fernando
Church.
- Rev.
Calixto Sanidad served as Pastor from 1933 to 1935 and,
as part of his ministry, also taught at the Bible Training
School, soon to become the Bible Training College. Dr. Viduya,
who was Director at Bethany Hospital, also provided his
considerable skills in teaching as well as enhancing the
School’s growth into what would eventually become
Union Christian College (UCC). It is also important to note
that during this period, the San Fernando Church members
responded to the needs of both Bethany Hospital, and BTC,
which were originally established as outreach mission endeavors
of the Church.
Also during
Rev. Sanidad’s tenure, a two year campaign resulted
in the renovation of the Church. There was consequently a
rededication of the church on the 30th Anniversary of its
founding in 1934.
- Rev.
Onofre G. Fonceca was assigned to the San Fernando Church
in 1935 and by 1938 had departmentalized the Sunday School.
The following persons served as Volunteer Staff.
- Maria F. Tadiar as Adult Superintendent
- Julio Y. Antonio in the Young People’s Department
- Ms. Filomena Flores head of the Children’s Department
- Rosendo Ganaden was General Superintendent
Also at this time the daily Kindergarten Program, which
would eventually become the Capitol Church Nursery Kindergarten
School, had 30 pupils.
- During
the Japanese occupation, worship continued. However, as
the result of the war of liberation in 1945, the chapel
area was so badly damaged that the members moved to the
Evangel Press Building on what is now Governor Ortega Street.
- In
1949, the Evangelical United Brethren Church, through the
support of the Rev. C. Witmer, reported that a gift of P12,000
would be provided to the San Fernando Church for their reconstruction
efforts. Dr. Macagba chaired the Building Campaign Committee
and began fund raising. Through additional local contributions
and other funds solicited from major donors in the United
States, the present Church Plant facilities was realized
under the construction supervision of Catalino Calica and
Adriano Flores as Church Architects for rehabilitation.
- During
the 1950’s and 1960’s, Rev. Rizalino C. Subido
and Rev. Amor V. Oribello served the church twice.
- Both
Dr. Rufino N. Macagba, Sr. and Dra. Crispina Macagba note
how Capitol Church members began the process of building
a new Church in 1951:
Just after the war, Rev. C.C. Witmer, a former missionary
to the Philippines who was on forlough when the Pacific
War started, was sent by the United Brethren Church to assess
the damages of the mission properties. The mission hospital,
the Otterbein Hall and our church were badly damaged. He
had our church repaired using black iron for its roof and
canvass for its windows. He met with our Church Council
and told us that if we were to build a new church he would
give us P12,000.00 but if we were to repair our Church he
would give us P6,000. We decided to build a new church and
the Church Council voted me as the Chairman of the Building
Committee and Crispina, the Chairman of the Fund raising
Committee. By May of 1950, we had only P20,000.00 including
the P12,000 given us by the mission.’
“In
1951, we were still living in downtown San Fernando, when
one day, looking out the window of our house towards the Capitol
Church, I noticed how ugly the black roof and canvass windows
of the church were. I told Papa, “Are we not ashamed
for having such a nice home while the Lord’s house which
was badly damaged from the war is not yet renovated? I surely
feel bad about it: “We must do something.”
Soon the
Church Council met and discussed the building of a new church.
I was made chairman of the fund-raising campaign committee
while Papa was made chairman of the building committee. They
proposed a P50,000 building. We started campaigning right
away but all we could raise was P8,000 from church members
and a promise of P12,000 from the Evangelical United Brethren
Mission Board. So I suggested to Papa, “Why don’t
we go to the U.S. to campaign for funds?”
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