In the laid-back neighborhood of Manila’s midtown district quietly stands the UCCP-Ellinwood Malate Church (EMC), one of the oldest Protestant churches in the country which celebrates its centennial today. A century ago, parishioners held their first worship service at the dining hall of the Ellinwood Boys’ Dormitory, which turned out to be – literally – an earth-shaking event.
Anna Wright, wife of American Presbyterian pastor George Wright at that time, writes in her memoirs:
“Just as the congregation started to read Psalms 46, a real earthquake occurred as we were reading
‘Therefore we will not fear through…’ Pictures swung, stairways creaked, and a book case leaned forward. There was a general move to go outside but it stopped before it really began, and the students realized the verses they were reading and sat down, and read through quietly, with an earthquake obligato every now and then.”
Far from being mere urban legend, this rather amusing story handed down from one generation to the next has become the rallying point for every worshipper that enters its hallowed portals – that their faith in the Living God cannot be shaken come hell or high water.
“By the grace of God, the church has withstood the destructive Pacific War, the country’s political and economic upheavals, calamities, and vicissitudes of life,” says administrative pastor Rev. Dr. Ruth Panganiban-Billena.
The centennial fete bears the theme “Kindred in Christ: Keep the Covenant Til Kingdom Come” and focuses on the many covenants forged between God and humanity through the ages.
“This celebration is an affirmation of God’s enduring faithfulness throughout the past century and beyond, despite man’s fickle nature,” she explains.
“The Church was named after the Rev. Dr. Francis F. Ellinwood, Senior Secretary of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church of the United States, who was instrumental in the sending of Presbyterian missions to the Philippines,” Billena says.
According to church records, he was also part of a committee of eminent men who urged US President William McKinley to observe religious freedom in the Philippines and implement benevolent policies in governance.
In 1906, the Ellinwood Bible School for Girls and the Ellinwood Boys’ Dormitory were built in his honor despite the fact that he has never set foot in the country.
An American worshipping congregation was also named after him, which later merged with the Malate Congregation composed of Filipinos in the 1920s to form the Ellinwood Malate Church.
Formally organized in 1907, EMC’s roots actually date back to the early 1900s when house churches were established in Manila by pioneer Presbyterian missionary Rev. Dr. James Rodgers after Spain ceded the Philippines to the United States.
Like a rolling stone that gathers no moss, Ellinwood Malate Church has evolved from a house church to a student congregation and later a mixed community, a trademark of its enduring vibrant character.
In 1921, worship services were transferred to the chapel of the Tooker Hall in the present-day PCU Union High School in Malvar St., which became home to the community for more than a decade.
Professionals, businessmen and workers were integrated to the constituency of the church, thus increasing its membership and necessitating the construction of a permanent sanctuary. A church was built and subsequently dedicated on January 8, 1932.
During the liberation of Manila in 1945, the church was miraculously spared from destruction as if shielded by the hands of God himself. As most parts of the city were flattened by the bombings of the Allied Forces, Ellinwood stood tall amidst the rubble of war.
Ellinwood also played a vital role in the union of four Protestant churches in the formation of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines (UCCP) in 1948 by hosting its founding assembly.
In the early-1950s, the congregation decided to build a bigger sanctuary to accommodate its growing membership.
There was an outpouring of desire to be part of the new building effort among parishioners as they donated cash, construction materials and manpower in the typical Filipino “bayanihan” spirit.
Cesar Concio, one of the most eminent Filipino architects, was commissioned to design the church which later became a showcase of architectural artistry.
On Christmas Eve 1956, the new sanctuary was dedicated with great thanksgiving and jubilation, both here and in partner churches in America which supported the building project.
As a fitting tribute to the church’s contribution to the historical development of Philippine society for more than a hundred years, a historical marker will be unveiled today by the National Historical Institute.
The church will also dedicate the Centennial Spire today which will house the historical development of Ellinwood and Protestantism in the country.
EMC continues to expand its ministry, carefully balancing the temporal concerns of the society and the spiritual needs of its flock.
Among the Church’s key programs today are Worship, Membership Growth and Development, Christian Witness and Service, Christian Education and Nurture, and Shepherding.
Billena points out that these general concerns are broken down into more specific programs and activities, encompassing the total life and work of the church and the community.
The church also operates the Ellinwood Weekday Kindergarten which reaches out to a wider community with its well-rounded academic offering and Christian values education.
“As part of our holistic mission, the EMC assists the street dwellers of Malate by providing them with livelihood skills and attending to their needs to help make them productive and God-fearing citizens,” the lady pastor shares.
As part of this unique ministry, it opened the Uytengsu Mission Hall last year in partnership with the Uytengsu Foundation whose patriarch used to be an Ellinwood parishioner. The center houses skills training programs for the homeless, as well as mission- and development-oriented endeavors.
Ellinwood has also given birth to more than 10 “daughter churches” in Metro Manila and neighboring provinces as a result of its evangelization work.
The church also takes part in issues affecting the moral and spiritual fiber of the society to deliver God’s message of shalom or peace based on justice.
It made its voice heard during the Martial Law years, and left spiritual imprint in the framing of the 1973 and 1987 Constitutions through its delegates Jose Calderon and the Rev. Cirilo Rigos, respectively.
During the 1986 Edsa People Power Revolution, most of its members joined the clarion call of the Filipino people for the restoration of democracy and moral regeneration.
As the Church looks to the future, it launched a multi-million peso comprehensive master plan in 2003 which covers infrastructure development of its half-hectare property on Dr. Vasquez St., Malate to support its expanding mission and envisioned growth in membership.
Ellinwood Malate Church has come a long way. From a handful of students in 1907, it has grown today into a fellowship church of all peoples, united and steeped in the tradition of worship to God and service to fellowmen.
After having experienced God’s unfailing love and providence for the past century, the Church is firm in its conviction that neither war, nor disaster, nor any principality can ever shake its firm foundations.