UCCP COSMOPOLITAN CHURCH
OUR HISTORY
Our Beginnings
Our church was established by our founders, a group of more than 60 members from the Central Methodist Church (located in Kalaw Street, Ermita, Manila) in a courageous stand for Christian morals and a dramatic bid for independence from the American Methodist Church in March 1933. The secession from the American Methodist Episcopal Church which was led by Rev. Cipriano Navarro, Dr. Melquiades Gamboa, and Rev. Samuel Stagg resulted in the creation of the Philippine Methodist Episcopal Church and eventually gave birth to Cosmopolitan Student Church.
Included in our historical records as founders are: Andres and Rosario Adolfo, Rosabella Aguila, Serafin and Marta Aquino, Severino Araos, Andres and Crispina Arcilla, Francisco Aseoche, Tiburcio and Luz Baja, Juan Balonkita, Luz and Pedro Banez, Gladys Black, Clara Carino, Flora Carino, Alejo and Josefa Celi, Bertha Charles, Juan and Ma. Regina Collas, Macario and Paz Reyes-Cuerpocruz, Tito and Rosario Dans, Hawthorne Darby, Ruth Darby, Purisima Dumaual, Espirita Florendo, Consuelo Fonacier, Felix and Simeona Franco, Melquiades and Tina Gamboa, Ruth Gomez, Jacobo and Francisca Guerrero, Emilio and Natividad Javier, Angel Martinez, Florentino and Maria Martinez, Ulpiano and Maria Millare, Cipriano and Porfiria Navarro, Leonardo and Leodegaria Padilla, Benefico and Socorro Paraiso, Elvira Quebral, Eusebio and Juliana Quebral, Narciso and Angela Ramos, Dominador and Iluminada Ramos, Prof. and Mrs. Regala, Francisco Ruiz, Leopoldo Ruiz, Samuel and Mary Boyd Stagg, Luz Tabije, Dolores Valdez, Francisco and Maria Ventura, Belen Villanueva, Helen Wilk, Teodoro Yangco.
During World War II, our church displayed love for God and country by its active participation and support of those who fought for our freedom and independence from Japanese occupation.
In 1948, Cosmopolitan Church was among the charter members of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines, an organic union of the United Evangelical Church in the Philippines (a 1929 union of Presbyterian, Congregational and United Brethren churches with the small United Church of Manila), the Philippine Methodist Church and the Evangelical Church in the Philippines (a 1944 union of various Evangelical churches) bound together by faith in “Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, Savior and Lord.”
Over the years of ministry in the Name of Jesus Christ, it has grown to six worship services weekly at this principal location and seven outreach worshipping congregations and one daughter church.
The Church is governed by a Church Council and five Boards (Elders, Christian Education, Deacons, Evangelism and Missions, and Trustees) made up of elected members. The mission of the church is carried out by the members who serve as volunteers in several ministries and organizations of the church.
Then and now, “JESUS CHRIST IS LORD OVER COSMOPOLITAN CHURCH!”
