The Beginning
The First Filipino American United Methodist
Church of Houston was born when just a
handful of families, whom God called, held
their first service at the home of Tony and
Betty Gonzales on November 5, 1980. Others
among them were the Bermudezes, Guerreros, and
the Sarmientos.
Reverend George Rubio, a pastor of the United
Church of Christ in the Philippines, led the
service. The worship service led to many more
Sunday services until the group decided to have
Pastor Rubio as their interim minister. The
growing fellowship did not have any links with
any denomination in the area, but decided to
identify themselves as the United Church of
Greater Houston.
As membership continued to grow, the majority
of the adherents wanted to identify themselves
with the United Methodist tradition. The
process of becoming a United Methodist church
was initialized and became a reality on
December 27, 1981.
Searching for a Leader
Dr. Leo Tipay, Jr. was appointed supply pastor
in 1982. He commuted from Dallas to Houston
every weekend. More families joined the group
and it was arranged for their worship service
to use the facility of St. Matthew's United
Methodist Church in the Houston North District.
Eventually, the First Filipino American United
Methodist Church was chartered on August 31,
1984.
The members wanted to have a full-time minister
rather than only a weekend pastor in order to
sustain and further strengthen the growth of
the church. Dr. Tipay was asked to become a
full-time pastor, but he could not give up his
job as a counselor in Dallas. The search for a
full-time pastor was channeled through the
office of Bishop Oliphint, to the point of
requesting the two Methodist Bishops in the
Philippines to send a Filipino minister for
this growing congregation. No answer came from
the Philippines.
Reggie Dancel, Jr., at this time the charge lay
leader in 1985, contacted Ding Cajiuat, then a
pastor in Dallas, to consider the pastorate in
Houston. Pastor Cajiuat graciously turned down
the offer, having already committed himself to
ministry in Dallas. Now the call was evident
for Reggie Dancel. He decided to withdraw from
his occupation of approximately 15 years, as a
child protective specialist in Harris County,
to attend seminary at Perkins School of
Theology at Southern Methodist University in
Dallas. Ultimately, Reggie received his Master
of Divinity degree as a full-time student, and
was appointed the awaited full-time pastor of
our church.
Finding a Home
At this point, a comprehensive feasibility
study was instituted to support relocation of
the church to the southwest area of Houston,
where the majority of Filipino Americans
resided. Upon reviewing this solid plan, Bishop
Oliphint approved the request to relocate the
church to the Houston Southwest District. On
May 19, 1989, the congregation rented the
Quillian Memorial Center as a temporary place
of worship. At this new site, attendance
quadrupled from about 50 to more than 200
attendees on Sunday.
Wanting to have their own facility, the
congregation purchased just under 3 acres of
land in 1990 with the help of the Houston Board
of Missions. In the same year, the church
created a Building Committee which initiated an
intensive fundraising campaign.
The goal was to raise $500,000 for a
multipurpose facility to be used as a sanctuary
on Sundays and a community center for the
remainder of the week. Members sacrificed and
pledged their time, money and effort.
Breaking Ground
On March 28, 1992, ground was broken, and
construction began on June 12, 1992. The new
multipurpose facility was completed on December
9, 1992, and was dedicated on February 27, 1993
with Bishop Woodrow Hearn officiating. The
building measures more than 10,000 square feet
with a seating capacity of more than 800. This
community center is also the first building
established by Filipinos in Houston's history.
The FFAUMC facility has become a gathering
place for Filipinos and other ethnic groups in
Houston. Here, many events, such as girl scouts
activities, wedding anniversaries, receptions,
induction balls, health fairs, and parties,
have been held by our own and outside groups
alike. The YWCA of Houston uses the facility
daily from Monday through Friday, providing
different activities for seniors. FFAUMC is now
a significant presence in the community.
