Celebrating a Century of God’s Faithfulness
Cagayan de Oro UCCP City Church celebrates the Centennial of its first formal Sunday Worship on Sunday, 18 December 2016 at the original Mission Compound where it was founded in 1916.
From the 18 young volunteers who were baptized in Macabalan on September 1916 to the 64 charter members who joined the then pioneering Cagayan Evangelical Church on 20 January 1917, the church today has grown to a vibrant and diverse community with over 5,600 regular members served by 13 ministers. In addition, it has another 1,100 members in nine outreach churches and Bible Study (BS) centers all over the city.
The year-long celebration of the church started a year ago during the 99th Anniversary (Theme: Embracing Diversity) with Prof. Colbert “Cobbie” Palm tracing the church’s origins in his Homily With These Stones We Will Build (Joshua 4:1-9 & Galatians 3:28). Prof. Palm is the director of the new International Center for Mission Studies in Asia, a cooperative project shared by United Evangelical Mission, UCCP, and Silliman University.
Among the salient activities for the year were a Lecture Series dealing with the Church’s History, Stewardship of the God’s Creation; an ongoing Worship Through Music through the Music Ministry rendered by its various choirs (Praise & Worship Team, Dance Ministry, UCCP Male Chorus, CWA Choir, Children’s Choir, Young Adults Choir, Youth Choir, Family Choir & Chancel Choir); Advent Dawn Worship (every 5AM from Dec. 19-24), and a series of Homilies served by some of the best and brightest pastors of the UCCP: Bishop Reuel Norman O. Mariza, UCCP General Secretary (Worship Service & Rededication of the Expanded Church Building, Choir Room, Parsonage 2, Labis Room, Mezzanine, Upright Grand Piano & Additional Sound System); Rev. Jonathan R. Pagalan (Centennial Midweek Service); Bishop Hilario M. Gomez, Jr. (UCCP Bishop Emeritus); Rev. Jonathan Pia (Balik-Simbayan Preacher).
The celebration will have its high point on Centennial Sunday, 18 December 2016 with the Unveiling of the Centennial Marker and Church Centennial Celebration with Rev. Jose “Joe” A. Malayang, the very same pastor who celebrated Cagayan de Oro UCCP’s Golden Anniversary way back in 1966 as its Senior Minister.
This will be followed by a Centennial Kumbira at the Church grounds, COCS, Guest House Grounds and the Centennial Vesper Service with Rev. Reuben “Bong” D. Cediño, who previously also served the church as its Senior Minister.
Later in the evening, an Outdoor Fellowship and Mini-Concert by the Family Choir will be held in the church grounds.
UCCP Cagayan de Oro City Church by night. (Photo by VIncent Tom Udasco)
Cagayan de Oro UCCP is a fellowship of men and women who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord, Redeemer, God, Savior of the sins of the world. Regardless of race, color and economic status, all those who believe in Jesus Christ are brothers and sisters, because the blood of the Savior has made them sons and daughters of God.
It has strived to translate this vision into programs of the Church clustered around three thrusts – Christian Education and Nurture, Christian Witness and Service, and Evangelism and Church Development.
Along with the more traditional tasks, Cagayan de Oro UCCP has continued to be involved in the stewardship of God’s Creation through the planting of trees in its 7-hectare reforestation project at Macapaya of this city, helping improve the living conditions of the indigenous cultural communities, and serving the urban poor through its medical program and the Good Samaritan program. For the last 20 years, it has maintained a lay person’s training institute at its Center for Christian Education designed to train lay leaders of the Church.
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