A Short History
It started with a vision: to start a church that would address to English-speaking professionals in Cebu, Philippines.
It started with a vision: to start a church that would address to English-speaking professionals in Cebu, Philippines.
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ:
We want to take this opportunity to invite you to be a part of our fellowship. We are church that is committed to honoring God and changing lives for the impact of the Kingdom of God. In order to fulfill our vision we believe we are to worship Him in both Spirit and Truth. (John 4:23-24) We are Biblically based with sound doctrine and we believe in the operation of the gifts of the Spirit. Discipleship is a foundational building block of our Church.
Please join us and become a member of our family. We would be greatly blessed if you were to consider worshipping the King of Kings with us.
It started with a vision: to start a church that would address to English-speaking professionals in Cebu, Philippines.
L.J. Wood and his wife, Peggy, served as missionaries with the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. In November 1993, the Lord caused that vision to stir up in Pastor L.J.’s heart and for four years it stayed and grew in both his heart and mind. By God’s providence and timing He led L.J. and Peggy to the city of Cebu to begin this new work, and arrived on April 1997, bringing with them a message of encouragement and hope.
A year and a half later, after establishing themselves and making new friends, the Woods felt that the Lord’s timing for the birthing of the church has come. Like expectant parents L.J. and Peggy were filled with awe and wonder as Church of Our King was birthed on February 7th, 1999 at the Mariott Hotel. With over fifty people in attendance they marveled at what seemed a bright and blessed future.
Under the leadership of Pastor L.J., Church of Out King grew and expanded in its ministry. Through the first few years of its existence the church had faced the usual trials of beginnings and has come through these ups and downs by the grace of God. In January of 2003, realizing that he had successfully accomplished the task that God had set before him of planting a new church, Pastor L.J. and his wife released and entrusted the church to a new leader, Pastor Scott Miller and his wife Cathy.
Scott Miller and his family moved to Cebu in December of 2002, after serving as missionaries in Nairobi, Kenya. Previously Pastor L.J. extended an offer to Scott to become his successor at Church of Our King. After much prayer in seeking the direction of the Lord, Scott and Cathy realized that indeed the Lord had called them into this new role. With the conviction that the Lord was the one that called, these obedient servants stepped out in faith to lead Church of Our King in its next phase of growth.
After serving for two years the Scott’s had to return to the States to raise the level of their support. Scott decided to come back while continuing to raise their support with the purpose of blessing and releasing the church to Pastor Douglas Sharpe leadership in November 2005 as they pursued their call to India.
With the Lord’s help, Pastor Douglas Sharpe was enabled to bring growth as well as some new direction for the church during this transition time. It was during this time we moved out of the hotel which we only had on Sunday’s to our newly renovated facility in a local mall which we have 7 days a week. Since moving to our new location in an uptown mall we have become somewhat of an official gathering place for the body of Christ in the city. It is a joy to be able to be a blessing to the whole church in the city through our venue. We have also recently opened an internet coffee shop adjacent to our church called Bytes and Brew. Net café. This coffee shop is within one jeepney ride of all the major colleges and schools in the city and will serve not only as a kingdom business to help generate funds for ministry but primarily as an outreach arm of the church.
Our purpose statement as a church is: “Reaching and building families for Kingdom impact and training and equipping leaders for Kingdom advance.” Although we have a mandate to impact professionals in the city we are made up of primarily young and older families as well as youth and I saw the need to reach the whole family. I also started an in house training school to help raise up and equip our emerging and present leaders. From the beginning of assuming this responsibility the leaders were aware that we as a family would be going on furlough this year. It was my hope to see someone within the church take-over the leadership as we leave but it seems the team is not at a place where someone has the maturity to step up to the present responsibility of moving the church forward in my absence. We have all been praying as a church staff for God’s will and best plan for the leadership of the church in our one year absence as a family and feel that my contact with the Carter’s and their unique gifting and background as well as God’s present leading in their lives make for a great fit for the church.
I believe Tom can really take the church forward as he connects in a greater way with the leaders who are businessmen and need further discipleship. I also believe that training and teaching our present members as well as continued outreach in the community are all a continued activity and need that he can plug into. As a family I believe they can really connect with our church and be a great blessing in many areas. Our church has recognized influence among the body of Christ in Cebu city and will always be a church that embraces the whole body of Christ and works to be a blessing to all. You must also understand that we are a church with a mission’s vision and are presently supporting 3 girls in China and recognize the destiny of the church in the Philippines is to be a missions sending church.
Tom will blend his unique “Business Connection,” and bring:
1. Solid Reformed Biblical teaching.
2. Much needed Men’s discipleship.
3. Evangelism focus with “Express Your Faith,” Teaching.
4. Business men/golf connection to build relationships and financial support for the KINGDOM.
Maria and Anastasia will play vital roles in the youth ministry, youth evangelism, the praise and worship teams and outreach to the squatter areas.
Cora will work with lay ministries, women’s discipleship and will bring Crown Ministries to the area. Her heart is to touch the Filipinos in the area of finances and the poverty mentality that is so prevalent in the country.
We have one branch work in the neighboring island of Bohol the place where Cora is from and we have a vision for branching out all over that city and the region. Although the Philippines is known as a Christian nation in Asia, the Visayas region where Cebu is central is the least evangelized area of the Philippines because of the very strong Roman Catholic and animistic roots. The percentage of evangelical Christians is the smallest in our region of the country except for the island of Negros.
I believe God is moving in our situation to bring people to us who are called of God for a specific time and purpose to be blessed and to be a blessing. If God used us as a family to help the church move forward in Him I believe He has the right family for the present time to continue the good work He has begun.
"Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:23-24Sound Doctrine
"In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry." II Timothy 4:1-5Make Mature and Equipped followers of Christ
"Even though you have ten thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus I became your father through the gospel." I Corinthians 4:15Faithfulness Walk our Talk
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much." Luke 16:10Truth cannot be compromised in order to maintain comfort
"Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." Ephesians 4:15