Olive is a Christian Church under the United Church of Christ in the Philippines established on April 1978. A UCCP member family from Zamboanga del Sur migrated to Brgy. Olive, Brgy. magkiangkang), Bayugan City for a better living decided to continue their faith in God that is why UCCP Mt. Olive was born. Before the church building was established, the temporary Sunday worship was held at the hous
e of late Mr. & Mrs. Marcos & Visitacion Handog until the family donated a lot were the church is currently located. The first church building was primarily made of pure wood (inak-ak) through the effort of late Mr. Aquilino Ponce Taoc/Serbanda Enombang Bulaloc and family; Mr & Mrs. Marcos & Visitacion Handog & Mr.&Mrs. Florencio Mangubat Ocay Sr/Diosa Taoc Pagalaran. After the church was established and their Sunday worship continues, they were informed and then recognized by the UCCP Bayugan City that is why a pastor was then sent to preach for the formal worship guide. The church gradually grew as late Mrs. Victoria Pelinio, late Mr.&Mrs. Martin & Magdalena Lapura, Mr. Sajol, Mr. & Mrs. Tarso added as new members. Children were baptized and several couple availed on wedding services. After the death of the founding members like Aquilino & Serbanda, their siblings Nestor, Paulino,Amborosio, Esperedion, Ocay family, Sison Family(new members), Bugal Family(new members) continued to a regular Sunday worship and in 2012, a semi-concrete building then established. Olive can make a Sunday worship even with or without a pastor sent from Agusan District Conference (ADC) through the effort of Mr. Florencio Ocay & late Marcos Handog as a rotational preacher and late Paulino Taoc as the regular Sunday School teacher & a preacher since 1978 until his death on May 5, 2021. After the death of Mr. Paulino Taoc, UCCP Mt. Olive still continue their regular Sunday worship without a pastor or direct supervision from UCCP Bayugan City through the current leaders Diosa Ocay & his sibling Lemuel as Florencio Ocay cannot clearly hear and read a small letter due to aging. Currently, Lemuel Ocay whose work and family live in San Francisco Agusan del Sur strives to go to Mt. Olive weekly to attend the Sunday worship and to ensure that the church that was built by grandparents continues to operate. As of June 26, 2022, Rev. Seler A. Fuertes is assigned by Agusan District Conference as regular pastor for outreach churches of Bayugan City. LIST of PASTORS assigned or visits UCCP Mt. Olive from 1978 to present
Pastor Doria
Pastor Dumanig
Pastor Atwil
Pastor Margarito Ursos
Pastor Jessie Pagalan
Pastor Seler Fuertes (Present)
Pastor Romnick Sanchez
Pastor Vivian Bahian
Preacher Capillanes and wife
Maam Englis
The Statement of Faith of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines
WE BELIEVE
In one God: Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer, who provide order, purpose meaning and fulfillment to all creation;
That Jesus Christ, who has born of Mary, God become human and is Sovereign Lord of life and history;
That in the Holy Spirit, God is present in the world, empowering and guiding believers to understand and live out their faith in Jesus Christ. WE BELIEVE
That person are created in the image of God and destined to live in the community with God, with other persons and with all creation. That, by disobedience, they have become sinful, but, by grace through faith, they redeemed in Jesus Christ. That being entrusted with God’s creation, they are called to participate in the establishment of a just and compassionate social order. WE BELIEVE
That the Church in one body of Christ, the whole community of persons reconciled to God through Jesus Christ and entrusted with God’s ministry. WE BELIEVE
That the Holy Bible is a faithful and inspired witness to God’s self-revelation in Jesus Christ and in history to illumine, guide, correct and edify believers in their faith and witness. WE BELIEVE
God is at work, to make each person a new being in Christ, and the whole world, God’s kingdom in which love, justice and peace prevail. The Kingdom of God is present where faith in Jesus Christ is shared, where healing is given to the sick, where food is given to the hungry, where light is given to the blind, and where liberty is given to the captive and oppressed. WE BELIEVE
The resurrection of Jesus Christ has overcome the power of death and gives assurance of life after death. And we look forward to His coming again in all fullness and glory to make all creation new and to gather all the faithful under God’s Kingdom. AMEN
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The United Church of Christ in the Philippines HISTORY
In May 1948, the United Evangelical Church, the Philippine Methodist Church, the Evangelical Church of the Philippines, some congregations of the Iglesia Evangelica Unida de Cristo, the Convention of the Churches of Christ (Disciples of Christ) of Northern Luzon, the Iglesia Evangelica Nacional and some congregations of the Iglesia Evangelica Metodista En Las Islas Filipinas (IEMELIF) joined together to form the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. Enrique Sobrepena of the United Evangelical Church served both as Bishop for Luzon and as Presiding Bishop. This was the real culmination of the efforts of the Evangelical Union established by missionaries on April 26, 1901 to seek the evangelization of the Philippines through a common effort. In spite of the refusal of the United Methodist, Baptist and other independent evangelical churches, the UCCP was known to be the most visible sign of interdenominational and church unity in the Philippines.[10]
In 1962, the conservative Tagalog Convention of the Churches of Christ (Disciples of Christ) decided to join the union of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. It was proclaimed in an appropriate ceremonies at the General Assembly held in Cebu City. In 1998, Nelinda Primavera-Briones was the first woman elected as bishop of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. Faith and practice
The United Church of Christ in the Philippines is trinitarian and believes in the deity, humanity, and atonement of Jesus. It believes that the Bible, in both the Old and New Testaments, is the inspired Word of God and that salvation is by grace through faith, repentance and following after Christ. The United Church of Christ in the Philippines view the Christian life as one of personal faith and of serious dedication to living according to the highest Christian precepts. Each person is thus to be born again, converted into a new life, and gathered into the church community. For them, the church is essentially the result of conversion and of grace, a gathered community of committed believers. It is not the mother of Christian experience or the source (rather than the effect) of grace, as in the Roman Catholic tradition. The church is, therefore, holy only because the faith and life of its people are holy. The UCCP traces its roots in the Protestant Reformation, when Martin Luther, John Calvin and others led the movement to reform the Christianity. This is often expressed in the "Five Solas"—God's grace alone as the only way to be reconciled to God, faith alone as the only means of receiving God's grace, Christ alone as the ground of God's saving grace, Scripture alone as the only infallible authority for belief, and God's glory alone as the ultimate purpose for the lives of men and women. The following distinguish the UCCP from other communions:
Their concern for freedom of speech and conscience and for freedom from interference by any civil or ecclesiastical authorityThe primacy they give to Scripture in matters of faith, doctrine, and moralsThe authority they give to the congregation in church affairsTheir concern for establishing social justice in political, social and economic life andTheir active involvement and commitment to interdenominational activity as a protest against denominational exclusiveness.[11]SacramentsEdit
The church believes that there are two sacraments only: baptism and The Lord's Supper. The church takes a neutral position on the observance of feet washing, taking into consideration the various traditions brought in by the uniting churches. The 1948: Article III Historic Faith and Message states, " We do preserve all the heritage of faith brought into the union by each of the constituent churches and hereby declare as our common faith and message: 'Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, our Lord and Saviour.'[12]"
Baptism
The UCCP defines baptism as a sacrament of initiation into the church.[13] They believe that baptism is not a means of salvation but a first step of obedience for the new believer. The church permits both believer's baptism and infant baptism. Infant baptism is administered only to infant children of church members as a sign of God's covenant of mercy. In recent times, infant baptism has given way to infant Pághahandóg (Filipino, “dedication“) ceremonies, thus reserving baptism for the time when the child can make a conscious decision to follow Christ. The church also recognises and accepts baptisms held in other Christian churches.[13]
Disciples understood that baptism is a confessional expression of faith and repentance, rather than a "work" that earns salvation. Thus, they insisted that believer's baptism is necessary part of conversion and necessary for its validity. Local churches in the Tagalog and Ilocano regions established by their missionaries practice only baptism by immersion for adult initiates. Lord's Supper
The Church believes in the symbolic presence[14] of Jesus in the Lord's Supper (Filipino: Santa Cena, Banál na Hapunan, both meaning “Holy Supper”). They believe that it was given by Jesus Christ[15] to his church as a way of remembering and proclaiming the sacrifice He made on the cross. It is a sacrament that contains an element of remembering and proclaiming Christ's death while at the same time looking forward to the time when they will enjoy communion with Christ in heaven.[15] It involves solemn and serious self-examination. This includes confession of sin and repentance. Communion for them should not be received in a flippant or careless manner.It is the joyful feast of the Lord, hence, it is a celebration. Each UCCP congregation is required to celebrate the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper once a month. In most local churches, communion is served in the first Sunday of the month. The observance of the Rite of the Last Supper of our Lord with His disciples is done every Maundy Thursday.[15] Since the Disciples of Christ custom is to have the Lord's Supper central to every worship service, the sacrament is administered every Lord's Day. Contemporary issuesEdit
The Church believes that every man or woman should be accepted and treated with dignity, grace, and holy love, whatever their s*xual orientation (biological s*x of person attracted to). In 2014, the denomination voted to adopt a policy that "means that LGBTs should not be discriminated but should be unconditionally accepted...[and] Bishop Marigza confirms the openness to ordain openly gay and le***an church workers."[16] In 2016, the Iloilo Ekklesia congregation in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, held the Church’s first LGBT-themed worship service.[17]
The Church has also allowed the ordination of women with full rights of clergy based on biblical principle:[Gal. 3:28] "There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus." The UCCP, along with some other evangelical Churches, holds that when the historical contexts involved are understood, a coherent Biblical argument can be made in favor of women's ordination. Worship services
UCCP local churches typically have worship services three times a week: Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening. Each local congregation has a great deal of freedom in the style and ordering of worship, and therefore services vary among different churches. The order may be very traditional and highly liturgical, or it may be very simple and informal. Music plays a large role in most UCCP worship services, and ranges from chant to traditional Protestant hymns, to classical sacred music, to more modern music, depending on the preference of the local church. Scripture is read and usually preached upon, and an offering is usually collected. Services are often focused toward a time of prayer and commitment at the end of the sermon. Over the last ten years, an increasing number of UCCP churches have utilized contemporary worship services as their worship style. This may involve the use of a projector to display song, drums and electronic piano, clapping of hands, tambourine dance and raising of hands. More traditional UCCP churches use hymnals and may have a song leader or music director who directs congregational singing from the pulpit. Mission, evangelism, and social concern
The United Church of Christ in the Philippines has, historically, been a leading Protestant denomination in mission work. A vital part of the world mission emphasis of the denomination is building and maintaining relationships with Evangelical, Protestant and other churches around the world. Connection between evangelism and social concern was maintained by the UCCP. In 1952, the UCCP established the UCCP National Federation of Credit Unions to aid farmers. They also issued a Resolution Condemning Gambling and Liquor. Sobrepena approved, a relationship between the UCCP and the Orient Crusades (OC) International - Philippine Crusades. OC entered the Philippines agreeing to work in cooperation with UCCP leaders, to prepare converts for membership in the UCCP, and to avoid controversial doctrinal issues. They focused on mass evangelism and witness to students, and used film showings such as King of Kings to make contacts. Interested seekers availed of Bible correspondence courses. Sobrepena held mass evangelistic campaigns—notably in Laoag in November 1955, with the OC cooperation. In 1973 to 1986, local churches allowed American missionaries from the Youth With A Mission to reorganize Sunday Schools and set up Sunday school programs.[18] This international, interdenominational Christian missionary organization also promoted Christian movies in secular theaters throughout the archipelago. Many Filipinos from this time are in full-time Christian service today or are productive Christians. In addition, a number of indigenous churches were established among squatter communities in Metro Manila, in Baguio and villages in the Cordilleras.[19] Then the Philippine Campus Crusade for Christ, also an international interdenominational movement came in and started the evangelistic movement in the church that started the increase in church attendance and membership.[18]
Some local churches, joined international fellowship such as the Covenant Global Church.[20] Other churches involved themselves into the Evangelism Explosion, a ministry that trains people how to share their faith in Christ. The United Church of Christ in the Philippines in Baguio City is an active member of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches (PCEC) [4]. PCEC is the largest network of denominations, churches, mission groups and para-church organizations in the Philippines being involve in evangelism and defending the fundamental evangelical Christian faith.
