Word of Hope Christian Family church, an evangelical church affiliated with the Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God, Inc. headed by PGCAG General Superintendent, Dr. David A. Sobrepeña, is having a month-long celebration of its 26th year this August. The church has been holding the distinction as one of the largest Evangelical churches in the Philippines.
Word of Hope was opened on August 28, 1988 starting off with only 150 people in the old Paramount Theater in EDSA. Through the years, the number of its members kept on climbing up. Three years later,the attendees have hit an average attendance of 8,000 per service which created the need to hold five services every Sunday, and the need to move to its own property across SM City North EDSA in 1993. The expansion was progressive. The building now houses its own education center.
Word of Hope stays committed to the great commission. Its annual goals always include Cell Groups on top of the list. Today, the church has grown to nearly 45,000. They have over 25 satellite churches throughout Metro Manila, which runs 62 services every week, and they also have affiliate churches in Visayas and Mindanao.
“More than 300,000 pastors and lay people have been equipped for leadership throughout the Philippines. The church trains church planters during the rainy season and plants new churches nationwide during “church planting season.” In recent years, Pastor Sobrepeña has helped to teach thousands of new church planters throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa.”
-www.churchleaders.com
Of course, the work doesn’t stop. The Church’s current goal is for every Word of Hope member to be part of 10,000 cell groups by 2015 to strengthen their spiritual growth, develop leadership, and most of all, to evangelize.
Activities were lined up the whole of August. They held their annual presentation of Heaven’s Gates and Hell’s Flames during the first weeks of the month.
The grand anniversary celebration happened on August 31, 2014 with special guests Mikel French of Mikel French Ministries, a mission-centered ministry together with James Huey, composer of the acclaimed “When I Think About the Lord”. As the church’s yearly tradition, members from the over 25 satellite churches came to participate in the event. “It was tough to find seats if you didn’t come really early”, said one attendee. “Every chair was taken!”
For most of them, it is overwhelming to worship together as one. Everyone was just in awe of the mighty work of the Lord to have established such an evidently growing church.
