Capitol
Church was organized through the sponsorship of the Evangelical
United Brethren Church in the United States (EUB) on December
23, 1904. The original Church structure was constructed and
dedicated shortly after its founding.
The establishment
of this vital and dynamic congregation followed the earlier
founding and dedication of the first Protestant Church in
the Northern Luzon region, established in Caba, La Union.
The historical record of the San Fernando Church is as follows:
- The
Women’s Missionary Association of the Evangelical
United Brethren Church approved in 1900 that the Philippines
will be the new mission field.
- The
first Evangelical Missionaries to arrive in Northern Luzon
on December 21, 1901 were Rev. Edwin S. Eby and Rev. Sanford
B. Kurtz.
- Second
Missionaries added in September 27, 1901 were Rev. &
Mrs. L. O. Burtner. Rev. Burtner was the First Superintendent
of the Missionary work in the Philippines. His plan was
to start the work in Manila and work out to the North Provinces.
Rev. Eby and Rev. Kurtz, however, did not agree in regard
to this option. The mission Board left the decision up to
them.
- Mrs.
B. F. Witt, corresponding Secretary of the Women’s
Missionary Association, to the Philippines , was sent to
the Philippines on November 8, 1902 to see the actual situation.
She agreed that the work will start in Manila but younger
missionaries should do the work.
- The
Rev. & Mrs. Howard W. Widdoes of Lecompton, Kansas were
appointed Missionaries to China or the Philippines but later,
it was decided that they should go to the Philippines.
Rev. &
Mrs. Widdoes arrived in Manila October 17, 1903 and they agreed
to work in the provinces. They left Manila February 18 and
arrived in San Fernando the following day February 19, 1904.
Almost immediately upon arrival the work started. He reported
that the ministry opened up of its own accord. Even before
they could get settled some of the leading men of San Fernando
began asking questions about their plans. Most of these were
young men who wanted to know what the Protestants teach. Men
from neighboring towns also came to secure mission tracts
and to buy Bibles.
Rev. Widdoes
also writes about his various experiences in seeking housing
in San Fernando in these terms: “The house that I rented
seemed quite satisfactory during the dry season, but proved
quite poor in the rainy season of 1904 which began in earnest
June 3rd or 4th. No sunshine for a month, rain, rain, rain.
San Fernando streets and buildings were flooded. Shoes set
under the bed at night were covered with mold in the morning.
The thatched roof leaked in many places. The lack of toilet
facilities and other conveniences became acute during the
flooded wet season. I was more than ever convinced that San
Fernando offered the best center in the United Brethren territory
for Mission headquarters. I began searching early for a good
location for a mission residence. The provisional engineer,
an American, had purchased a well-drained lot at the corner
of the plaza or public square in the center of the city. I
bought this for $250, then requested, a modest appropriation
to provide such a residence. This was approved, and construction
began at the worst possible time, the height of the rainy
season, August, 1904."
One day
in March 1904 He was invited to visit Caba, La Union by Mr.
Matias Runes, whom he met at the San Fernando Post Office.
The date was set.
On April
3, 1904 eighteen courageous men signed their names to organize
the Caba Church.
It the
province. An interesting insight into Rev. Widdoes dedication
to service in the Philippines is quoted on page 16 of his
diary in these words.
“… After the conclusion was very significant for
it marked the first break with the Roman Catholic Church in
La Union province. Many of these eighteen (18) new members
were leaders in Caba and throughout of the war, while our
forces remained in the Philippines, I become an Anti-Retentionist
and agreed with the Boston Anti-Imperialists, feeling that
the United States should not impose its rule on unwilling
people. The question was often debated in the literary societies
and in groups of interested young college students. All this
had aroused and intensified my interest in the Filipino people.”
In another
passage, he writes: “San Fernando is a beautiful little
city, with a fine, natural harbor, and a great spring of good
water coming out at the foot of a mountain, which supplies
the town with its drinking water.
San Fernando
is built in a little valley, surrounded by beautiful mountains,
which make it a lovely place in which to live, besides, and
most important, it is a very healthful place. It is located
only thirty minutes from the greatest health resort in the
Islands, which is easily accessible. No missionary work has
been done here. San Fernando is the capital of Union Province,
and an important center. There is a United States military
post two miles from the City. And then, in a letter written
to the Mission Board: “Since coming to San Fernando,
our work has just opened up of its own accord. Before we could
get settled, some of the leading men began to ask questions
as to what we intend to do. I told them simply what, and how
we expect to work. Since then we have been besieged with visitors
– all men, most of them young, who want to know what
we teach, and ask questions about the Bible. Men have come
from neighboring towns to secure tracts and buy bibles.
I expect
to have a native assistant soon and can then push things more
rapidly. It was the right time for our coming to San Fernando.
San Fernando, being the capital of Union Province, has the
high school of the province. This gives us a great opportunity
for work in Bible Classes, as these students all know English.”
In Dr.
Rufino N. Macagba, Sr.’s autobiography describing the
Historical Background, a parallel insight regarding the early
conditions of La Union and San Fernando is highlighted: “….
La Union province was formed by the union of the northern
portion of Pangasinan and the southern portion of Ilocos Sur.
Very far from Manila, San Fernando, its capital, could only
be reached by taking a train to Dagupan, the end of the railroad,
and a sailboat to San Fernando. Another resource was to board
one of the Tabacalera ships that called on the port of San
Fernando, to load tobacco leaves that had been cured and baled
at one of the big warehouses of Tabacalera, in Carlatan, the
barrio where I was born.
At that
time, not a single bridge spanned the many rivers of La Union.
The only means of transportation was by bullcarts with solid,
wooden wheels lubricated by soap and water. To cross the rivers,
one had to resort to bamboo rafts of which there were two
types: a big one usually made of two or three layers of bamboo,
which could load as many as four bullcarts at a time, and
a smaller one made of eight or ten bamboo’s which transported
people…”
May God
guide you, and open the way for more workers to enter this
promising field. I think God has a work for our Church here,
and that He sent us here for a purpose. I prefer to make this
place headquarters, because it is healthy, here is a daily
telegraph service, regular steamship service, a good harbor
at hand, and it is the capital of the Province.
And in
still another section, Rev. Widdoes writes about Filipino
women in these fascinating words: “The women of the
Philippines, even in prehistoric days, enjoyed more freedom
than any other of her oriental sisters. She covered the pocket
book, and managed the family income and carried on most of
the business conducted by Filipinos. She was much more conservative
than the men, and seemed more religious, more attached to
the elaborate ceremonies of the old Church. In the old animistic
religious ceremonies, the priestess had a prominent and often
the most prominent place. In short, women were the stabilizing
element in Filipino society. The missionaries were convinced
that they must have Filipino women workers to win the women
if they wished the new Church to attain complete victory.”
- The
Widdoes worked for over 40 years in Pangasinan and La Union.
They established Bible Classes that would eventually lead
to the creation of the San Fernando Church. The seven charter
members of the new Parish were: Ambrosio Flores, Nemesio
Flores, Fernando Hidalgo, Domingo Martes, Ponciano Marquez,
Camilo Osias, and Eleno Ignacio.
- At
that time, the ground floor of the Mission House was dedicated
as the chapel, constructed on the lot where the present
building Banco de Oro is located on what is now Governor
Ortega Street. On September 5, 1910 a Bible Training School
for girls was established in facilities which had been moved
from the Mission House site to a new location adjacent to
where the new UCC Classroom building now stands.
- Also
in 1910 another lot was purchased down the hill from the
Bible Institute and the construction of the Church proceeded
as outlined in this informative section.
“While
we were on furlough, Rev. E. A. Pace, and Rev. Sanford B.
Kurtz had called an
architect to draw plans for a chapel along the lines of a
drawing by Pace, which combined Philippine and American types
of architecture. These plans included specifications and due
to earthquakes and typhoons, it was decided to use these trusses
of steel to support the roof over the central part of the
building. The front wall provided for the arched windows,
to the right of a forty-foot tower to be erected at the left
front cover. The side dimensions were to be 34’ x 60’”
“…
Five years after the initiation of the project, the Chapel
was dedicated on December 11, 1910. This was the first building
that was truly a Church to the missionaries and Filipino brethren,
and it cost the modest sum of $4,250. The missionaries hoped
this building would become a model for future chapels and
churches. |
