Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God


The Philippines General Council of the Assemblies of God is a Pentecostal Christian denomination in Philippines and the national branch of the Assemblies of God. It is affiliated with the World Assemblies of God Fellowship. The headquarters in Metro Manila.

History

The first missionary of the Assemblies of God in the United States of America to work in the Philippines was Benjamin H. Caudle and his wife who arrived in 1926. However, due to his wife's illness, Caudle was forced to return to the U.S. In the 1930s, Filipinos who had graduated from Assemblies of God Bible schools began requesting that the denomination send an appointed missionary to organize the church there. At the time, the Philippines were a U.S. protectorate, and legally, the AG needed a missionary appointed by the U.S. body to be registered as a religious organization. In December 1939, the Assemblies of God USA responded by sending a missionary, Leland E. Johnson, to organize and superintend the Philippines District Council of the Assemblies of God. The first convention was held in March 1940 at Villasis, Pangasinan, and the Council was incorporated in July. Other missionaries would arrive, especially from China as conflict with Japan escalated. In 1941, Bethel Bible Institute was opened in Baguio to train pastors and evangelists.
During World War II, Japanese military forces occupied the Philippines. The Bible institute, like all schools, was closed, and the missionaries were interned. During these years, the district was led entirely by Filipinos. After the war, the missionary presence was revived and Bethel Bible Institute was reopened. Immanuel Bible Institute in Cebu City was founded in 1951, and in 1953, Bethesda Children's Home was founded by Elva Vanderbout, a missionary to the Igorots of the Mountain Province in Northern Luzon. In 1958, it had 12,022 members.