Celebrating 50 years

The National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) will celebrate its 50th Founders Day on Friday, November 15. The biggest aggrupation of mainline Protestant and non-Roman Catholic churches in the country, the Council  celebrates  its golden jubilee at a time when it “is holding high the tapestry of justice and peace in a broken world.”

The Council was actually founded on Nov. 7, 1963 as an ecumenical fellowship. It was born from an earlier formation called the Philippine Federation of Christian Churches established in 1949. The Council today consists of ten denominations (with a combined individual membership of 10 million) and nine service-oriented organizations in the Philippines, working for more visible unity and common witness and service.

The founding member churches of NCCP are the Convention of Philippine Baptist Churches, Iglesia Evangelica Metodista En Las Islas Filipinas (Philippine Evangelical Methodist Church or IEMELIF); Iglesia  Evangelica Unida de Cristo, Iglesia Filipina Independiente (Philippine Independent Church), Philippine Episcopal Church, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, and the United Methodist  Church. Through the years, the Salvation Army, the Lutheran Church in the Philippines and the Apostolic Catholic Church, joined the fellowship.

Elected at the Council’s general assembly are the officers, this year led by The Most Rev. Ephraim S. Fajutagana, bishop of the Philippine Independent Church as chairperson, and Rev. Rex RB Reyes Jr., general secretary.

On my  question on the significance of churches getting together to form a Council,  NCC staffers told me that “Christian unity is going beyond denominational unity to a broader understanding of unity in the way Jesus understood it – it was a unity that was necessarily characteristic of the unity of God the creator and God the redeemer, ‘so that the world may know that thou has sent me and has loved them even as thou has loved me.’ (John 17:23). Ecumenism is a proclamation of this truth. Ecumenism is about the proclamation of the Good News by all who profess and call themselves Christians.

“A fragmented Body of Christ is a weak witness of the values of His Kingdom. Whereas a united one is a strong counterforce to the evils of this world, such as corruption and neglect of others.”

 Are there differences in doctrines or beliefs among the member churches, and if there are, how are these reconciled?

The member churches of the NCCP come from different faiths and ecclesial traditions, the staff told me.  â€œGenerally speaking the traditions can be classified as catholic tradition (Aglipay Church or IFI, Episcopal Church, Apostolic Catholic Church) and protestant tradition (UCCP, United Methodist, IEMELIF, IUE, Salvation Army). There are stark differences in doctrines. Issues on differences about doctrines are resolved through the NCCP’s Faith and Order Committee. This committee is made up of  represented by all the NCCP member churches.

“The IFI (Iglesia Filipina Independiente) and ECP (Episcopal Church in the Philippines) has concordat relations. This means the priest of one church can preach in the other church. The baptism of one member is accepted in the other. There is no need to be converted or be re-baptised. They also share the same seminaries.

 â€˜The UCCP has strong bicameral relations with IFI, UMC, IUE. The IEMELIF is an associate of the UMC. Cooperation among churches is visible.’’

The Council activities fall within the context of five marks of ecumenical witness: advocacy, partnership, service, ecumenical education and self-sufficiency (also known as APSES).

The Council is known for its struggle for the respect of the dignity of persons, thus it expresses outrage over killings of indigenous persons and disappearances of activist civilians and churchmen. It calls  for the resumption of the Peace Talks, and monitors human rights violations. It has denounced corruption in the government and misuse of public funds. It is for the Reproductive Health Law.

Is it the concern of NCCP to demand reforms in government affairs?

“Yes. NCCP envisions the very word of Jesus Christ in John 10:10, ‘a life in all its fullness’ for all. We are propelled by this vision. It is possible for the new heavens and new earth (Isaiah 65:17) to prosper, where there is no poverty and everyone lives in harmony with each other.

 â€œThat vision cannot be achieved in the context of economic and social inequality and injustice. Sources of inequalities and injustices in our society can be traced to the structural and architectural means of governance.  Justice is what the Lord requires us to do (Micah 6:8). If justice can not be found, it is an imperative for the churches to speak, to cry, to lament with the people especially those at the fringes of society. It demands that the Body of Christ struggle to demand reforms in the government.

Reforms have been instituted within the Council itself. Among these are the participation of youth, women and indigenous peoples aat all levels in the decision-making process of the Council, and the election of the first lay woman as general secretary (first in Asia), followed by the election of the first IP in the person of Dr. Rex Reyes.  

The Council was a force to reckon with during the martial law years. Bishop La Verne D. Mercado, a Methodist as its general secretary,  led NCCP into becoming the mouthpiece of its member-churches in denouncing the abuses of those in power, as part of the  church’s prophetic role in society. At a time when it was most dangerous to do so, NCCP issued public statements on issues such as human dignity, national sovereignty, church-state relations and morality in government, among others and inspired its staff to boldly implement programs that served victims of injustice, including political detainees and their families.

Along with some NCCP staff and guests, Bishop Mercado was detained by martial law authorities in June 1974, and NCCP was accused of “aiding the enemies of the state,” triggering an outrage among churches and ecumenical bodies in and outside the Philippines so that President Marcos himself ordered the bishop’s release.

Bishop Mercado combined diplomacy and statesmanship — skills which saw him through the difficult task of keeping NCCP member-churches together during the turbulent years of martial law.

To celebrate its 50th year, the Council  will hold a  whole-day program on November 15, beginning with a motorcade from the Quezon Memorial Circle to the Cathedral of St. Mary and St. John along E. Rodriguez Sr., Ave., Quezon City. This will be followed by a worship service presided over by the heads of churches and with the Rev. Dr. Mor Coorilos, a distinguished and renowned Asian missiologist and ecumenist from the World Council of Churches giving  the homily. In the evening will be a grand ecumenical reunion of former Council staffs, leaders and partners to be held at the Trinity University of Asia Gymnasiun across St. Luke’s Medical Center.

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Calling again the romantics and the young at heart. On November 12, the world-famous Lettermen will be performing at the Manila Hotel Tent City.  

The Lettermen  are Tony Butala, Donovan Tea and Bobby Poynton. Their repertoire will feature favorite Christmas carols combined with the group’s greatest hits, much loved by Filipinos. Part of the show’s proceeds will go to victims of the Bohol earthquake.

For tickets, call Elizabeth Tagle, 09175088858 or  email [email protected].

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My email:[email protected]