Making Christ Known: From Laguna to Manila and Beyond

Greenhills Christian Fellowship (Ortigas)
Know Christ and Make Him Known

Greenhills Christian Fellowship (GCF), since its expansion in 1990 and through the leadership of the late and former Sr. Pastor Dr. Luis Pantoja, Jr., has established itself as an active team player in God’s worldwide ministry. Through its guiding motto: To Know Christ and Make Him Known, GCF has planted various satellite churches in strategic areas in the country and abroad. By the Lord's direction, the growth of GCF can be traced back not just from its founding Pastor Rev. David and wife Patty Yount, but ultimately from the overall mission and vision of the Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines (CBAP) [4]. 

Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines (CBAP)

CBAP, founded in 1958, had only five member churches through the Fellowship of Baptist Churches in Southern Luzon [1]. Since then, CBAP now has more than around 500 churches all over the Philippines, and still growing [2]. What contributed to the growth of the association was programs like the “center approach.” It was the association’s church planting strategy to start building churches in Metro Manila and not just in the provinces [4]. The association also had the “0-200” program, which aimed at planting two-hundred churches in a ten-year span throughout the Philippines [4]. It was through these programs that brought upon the birth of churches including GCF, currently the biggest church under CBAP [3]. CBAP had always been ministering and planting churches mostly to rural and provincial cities. But through GCF and other Metro Manila churches, the association was able to plant churches in strategic areas in urban Metro Manila  [4]. This became one of the reasons why GCF found its first home in Greenhills, San Juan City [3]. 

Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines

GCF’s Beginnings

GCF was established through the missionary effort and strategic church planting initiative of CBAP’s leadership which included Luis Pantoja Sr., (The father of the late Sr. Pastor) in partnership with Conservative Baptist Foreign Mission Society (CBFMS) members Rev. David and Patty Jo Yount [4] [5].
Pastor Love Tira along with the Younts, during late 70's toward the 80's, saw and experienced first-hand what the Lord was doing through discipleship and small groups, their committed relationship building, their proximity to the suburban community of Greenhills, and the ability of their ministry to adapt and relate with their target audience then, the "influencers" of society. Also, prior to its current location in Ortigas, GCF resided at the Greenhills Sound Production, at the Medecor Building along Ortigas Avenue during the late 70’s. The church, which was growing close to a thousand in members, desired and prayed for relocation within the San Juan-Ortigas Avenue area [6]. But after countless failed inquiries with various lot and building owners along the Ortigas Avenue strip in San Juan, GCF together with CBAP’s leadership was led by the Lord instead to the neighboring, emerging “empty parking lot” in Ortigas Center, Pasig, right across EDSA [6]. The Lord proved faithful to the church by providing GCF finally a lot of their own at a large discount, and at an area now considered as an important business district, home to various local and multi-national corporations, and home to a thriving residential area surrounded by malls and condominiums [3]. 

GCF-Ortigas Main Worship Auditorium
Photo Credit: Pastor Jon Las

GCF Satellite Churches

According to Pastor Love Tira, GCF expanded, as envisioned by CBAP, through the challenge he and Dr. Luis Pantoja had given to selected growth groups toward the building of satellite churches in their respective communities. The church planting strategy entitled “Church transplanting,” enabled growth groups to minister to their communities and make Christ known through satellite church. Pastor Love, under the leadership of Sr. Pastor Dr. Luis Pantoja, Jr., led the charge, planting the initial batch of churches in Alabang, Pampanga and Bulacan during the early 90’s. It was a time of great harvest as GCF began to expand its borders [6]. Throughout the years, From its roots in Laguna to the growth of GCF in Ortigas, down to the major cities of the Philippines, GCF has established satellites in various key cities: Alabang – Muntinlupa (GCF South Metro), Taytay, Rizal (GCF East), Commonwealth, Quezon City (GCF North), Batangas City (GCF Batangas), Pampanga (GCF San Fernando), Cebu City (GCF Cebu), Bicol (GCF Naga), Bulacan (GCF Malolos), Marikina (GCF Marikina Valley), Legaspi (GCF Legaspi), Laguna (GCF Sta. Rosa), North Edsa, Quezon City (GCF Northwest), Makati (GCF Makati), Bicutan-Paranaque (GCF Parañaque), Fairview, Quezon City (GCF Northeast) and Baguio (GCF Baguio). However, the work did not stop there [5].

GCF Connect (Call Center-BPO Ministry) with Pastor BJ Sebastian
Photo Credit: GCF Connect (Facebook)

From Manila to Toronto

GCF also on May 6, 2007 established its very first satellite overseas, GCF Toronto [7]. A year after Toronto, the establishment of GCF Peel followed, followed by GCF Vancouver, GCF Calgary, GCF York and GCF Winnipeg [8]. What began in Ortigas, has now arrived across the Pacific thanks to the Lord's leading and his faithfulness. Dr. Narry Santos, the Sr. Pastor of GCF Toronto, has been spearheading this growth and has been instrumental in embracing the vision that CBAP had ingrained in GCF through the Yount's and through Dr. Luis Pantoja, Jr. 

CBAP and GCF Today

Today, CBAP has set its sight toward “Vision 2025”, as it plans to plant 2025 churches by 2025 with the vision of CBAP churches multiplying churches [3]. CBAP plans to plant churches with the strategy of 1) Establishing churches for missional reproduction, 2) Energizing the body for health and growth, 3) Equipping authentic leaders for health and growth, and 4) Empowering people for community transformation [2]. 

The SHED (Weekly Ortigas Community Outreach)
Photo Credit: Racquel Tira

Thanks to this vision of CBAP, the foundation built by the Younts, the vision of Dr. Pantoja, the heart of Pastor Love Tira, the current leadership of Dr. Larry Pabiona, and the fire of former and current Pastoral Staff, Board of Elders, Deacons, and the many faithful lay-volunteer men and women leaders, GCF expanded and continues to expand by taking to heart the challenge by GCF’s mission of “Making Disciples for Christ Philippines and beyond” and vision of “Lives and Communities Transformed through Christ” through the core values of God’s word and growth groups. Simply put, that is: To know Christ and make Christ known [5].

Kindly answer at least one of the following discussion questions below: 

1. It is often said and observed that large "mega churches" like GCF tend to lose it's sense of community and family atmosphere. Do you agree? How can large churches like GCF address this concern? What are some ways churches like GCF foster a sense of community in the church? 

2. GCF is situated at a strategic location in Ortigas Center in Pasig and have been ministering to the community through various means like the GCF International Christian School, Turning Point (Bi-monthly singles-young adults fellowship), The SHED (weekly community outreach) and Connect (call center small group ministry). But GCF has also been involved in global missions through the One Gospel Conference (Biennial Missions Conference), Kairos (Missions awareness training and equipping), Wetfoot (Short-term missions) and through its support various agencies and missionaries. Shouldn't GCF focus specifically its ministry and its resources for the community in Ortigas? 

3. GCF and its satellite churches maintain a special relationship but are built and established in such a way that each satellite would become independent, thriving church who would also plant churches (like GCF North, GCF South Metro, GCF Toronto etc.) Would you agree that GCF should maintain control and leadership to future church plant and GCF satellites? If not, then how can GCF improve its partnership with its satellite churches ministry-wise at the same time ensure that autonomy and authority is preserved per satellite church? 

Bibliography
[1] Kohl, Manfred. The Churches in the Philippines: A Research Project with Special Emphasis on Theological Education. Mandaluyong City, Philippines: OMF Literature, 2005.

[2] Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines Vision 2025 Blog "http://cbapvision2025.blogspot.com/" (accessed February 5, 2013).

[3] Pantoja, Noel. E-mail message to author. February 7, 2013.

[4] Guillermo, Merlyn L. Protestant Churches & Missions in the Philippines. Quezon City, Philippines: Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches, 1983.

[5] Greenhills Christian Fellowship, "http://gcf.org.ph/pages/about/" (accessed February 4, 2013).

[6] Tira, Unity E. Interviewed by author. Nokia C3 Sound  Recoder Recording. February 4, 2013.

[7] Greenhills Christian Fellowship Toronto, "http://www.gcftoronto.org/" (accessed February, 2013).

[8] Canadian Baptists of Western Canada, 
"http://cbwc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/GOWESTIssue9.pdf" (accessed February 4, 2013).

The Comfortable Church: Breaking the Comfort

The problem remains for the church today: We are just too comfortable. The "problems" we see are but a speck compared to the reality of the world we live in today, a world beyond the confines of our comfortable "problem filled" lives, a world that desperately desires a hope... a world that needs Jesus Christ. 

So the questions is: "What can I do? How do I get out of my comfort zone?"

The bible did not complicate things when it recorded how Jesus commanded us to take part in sharing God's blessing of salvation (Matt. 28:18-20). The misconception is that a Christian has to follow one ideal formula in sharing the love of God through Christ. It doesn't have to be that way. We can do it in many different ways. How? In our case today as a comfortable church, breaking the barriers of sharing the love of Christ and breaking the comfort can be done in two ways:

1) PRAYER

Have you been proactive in praying for the concerns of other people? Or have your prayers been focused on only yourself? Do you remember your country men during their time of need, ceased on helping when relief operations have slowed down, or have you been helping out still?

What we can do is simply pray. We should continue to pray for our country men still affected by the recent floods, who have lost loved ones and have lost their homes. Relief operations may have stopped but our prayers continue, our prayers should remain.

We can also pray also for the unreached people groups remaining in the Philippines and in other parts of the world! Get to know them through The Joshua Project, a website dedicated to research about ethnic groups who have yet to know Jesus Christ. Pray for these groups together with church members through the upcoming 1Gospel Conference, a conference encouraging young people aware about the power of prayer in missions!

We do not have to leave our country to be involved in cross cultural missions. We do not need disasters and relief operations to remember the needs of the less fortunate. We bring the love of Christ to other people through the power of our faith in the Lord, and it is proven in earnest, honest prayer.


2) PARTNERSHIP

Like prayer, partnership is not a one-time thing. It is being able to connect to people who need a more definite, clear, and real gospel message. 

Join an NGO, look for an orphanage, school, children's hospital or community and help the needy on a more concerted, intentional and consistent basis. Show love to them not by just simply reading to them the story about Jesus' sermons, but by sitting beside them, talking to them, asking them about their dreams, aspirations, having lunch together with them, interacting with them side by side. You can even support and partner by simply buying a shirt from Liberty Street Clothing and help survivors of human trafficking, child sexual abuse, or extreme poverty.

Pray and Partner for the Armed Forces of the Philippines
(IGSL - PMA Ministry Week, Sept 2012)

So this is how we roll up our sleeves, how we can be less comfortable, be less concerned about ourselves. This is how we can be thankful, how we can be exposed, how we can pray. This is how we can break church norm and obey God's command to "Go and make disciples", how we can share God's blessing of salvation today. 

People need the gospel message personally applied, not impersonally preached. 

The Comfortable Church

My kids in Kaunlaran High School in Navotas (through the partnership of International Graduate School of Leadership-Asia and Breakthrough Community Church-Navotas) wrote the following down when I asked them about their dreams and aspirations: 

"Know Christ"

"Change"

"Be Helpful and responsible"

"Expect more knowledge (Know) about God"

"Help my parents"

"Help my family"

"I want to help others to be God's followers"

These are what these kids hope for, what they desire in life. They desire a life out of poverty, out of daily financial hardship, out of broken down communities, and they desire Christ. They desire God. 

A couple of months back I asked the Lord why he wanted me to serve in this community. God's answer? The kids themselves. He wanted to expose me to his heart... a heart that longs to be connected and reunited to his people from all cultures, nations, from every tongue, every tribe and from every land. 

A recent study shows that most churches today do not share the Gospel. This is what is happening in churches nowadays.

In light of the study, one of the problems today is that as a church, we look inward, instead of outward. We fret about poorly air-conditioned worship auditoriums, frown upon bad sound systems, and complain about the poorly seasoned lunch offered in our monthly ministry meeting. These kids? They have their algebra class during midday, under the shade of the quadrangle stage due to the lack of classrooms. The Track and Field team practices on 40 feet of parking space on worn out training shoes. No grass, no track oval. They miss out on school 1-2 times a week during the rainy season due to constant and regular flooding in the city. That is their reality. 

We are simply just too comfortable. The "problems" we see are but a speck compared to the reality of the world we live in today, a world beyond the confines of our comfortable "problem filled" lives, a world that desperately desires a hope... a world that needs Jesus Christ. 

The bible says:

"Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace"  (Acts 18:9b)

"I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ"  (Romans 1:16)

"(Pray)...that I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak"  (Ephesians 6:18-20)

"Be not thou ashamed of the testimony of our Lord" (2 Timothy 1:8a)

"We were bold...to speak the gospel of God"  (1 Thessalonians 2:2)

God wants us to reach out to all people, and we achieve this by not just simply sitting comfortably, sipping freshly brewed coffee in the posh cafes where we hold weekly bible studies. God wants us to get out of our comfort zones, roll up our sleeves, and to confidently go. 

Are you too comfortable? Be thankful. Be exposed. Pray for divine appointments outside your comfort zone. Share God's blessing of salvation today.