INDIGENOUS LEADERSHIP

Methodism in the Philippines has been known for the outstanding lay and ministerial leadership it has produced, even in those first difficult years. The early missionaries paid constant tribute to the effectiveness of the first Filipino church workers, without which the work could not have gone forward as it did. As Presiding Elder Stuntz reported in 1905:

In many cases remote barrios which had not been visited for months, owing to illness of the missionary, or to floods of water and bottomless roads, have maintained their Sunday and week-night services wholly by the voluntary services of members of their own organizations, and have grown in numbers and spirituality all the time. In more than one case the missionary has found the organization stronger than when last seen, and with a house of worship planned, constructed and occupied during the time that he was unable to do so much as visit them. In other barrios and pueblos the local force of exhorters and workers have carried the Gospel to their neighbors in all directions, so that the original hive has "swarmed off" more than once, and new colonies established which are in turn becoming centers of holy activity. Not infrequently I have found exhorters and local preachers whose report showed from 12 to 30 sermons each month and as n1any prayer meetings. These sermons were not all preached in one place but it took miles on foot, on horseback, in canoes and in springless carts to take them to their appointments. To the toil and sacrifice of these men we are more deeply indebted than to any other agency apart from that of the ,Spirit Himself, for the establishment and extension of our Church in the Philippines. As in England and America, Methodism is being carried to the people here for the most part by volunteer workers.²⁸

Also of interest is a similar testimony, that of Presiding Elder Marvin Rader, which he made in the Conference Journal of 1908:

…I want to pay my tribute of praise to the loyal and self-sacrificing band of local preachers and exhorters who have gone from barrio to barrio, from town to town, on foot, by banca, by rail, by carromata, by day and night, at no expense to the Mission or the Church, carrying the blessed "Good News" of Christ born to be the Saviour of every man who would come unto God by Him. Many of them have had an earnestness and zeal not always born of knowledge it is true but a ~al that puts us to shame. It would require all my allotted time to tell of their persecutions and sacrifices for the Master. They have sown the seed beside all waters and to them shall be given a share in the harvest.²⁹

Presiding Elder Ernest Lyons of the Northern District made mention in 1908 of the example of an ordinary exhorter of Tarlac, who, in the course of the year preached 232 times, conducted Sunday School eleven times, gave 166 prayers, made six visits to the sick, received 59 members, and was heard by 6,813 during the twelve months – all this with a large family and yet receiving only five pesos a month.³⁰

The training of these zealous workers was accomplished through Bible Institutes, the first of which was held in Manila from August 23 to September 18, 1903. The missionaries sent representative workers from their constituencies to this institute, which was held in a large house rented for the occasion. In attendance were fifty-three men from six different provinces. The curriculum consisted of two courses in Spanish – systematic theology and the Discipline; and one course in Tagalog – Bible lessons in Christian experience. The courses were taught by missionaries. In addition, Zamora gave lectures on the life of Christ and the life of John Wesley while Felipe I. Marquez gave lectures on the life of Martin Luther.³¹

The Bible Institutes developed into a permanent method of leadership training. By 1907, the Conference Journal listed six such training schools with over 400 attending. The schools lasted two to four weeks each, and were held in Vigan, Dagupan, Gerona, San Fernando, San Isidro and Manila. Out of the institutes held in Dagupan and Manila was born the Florence B. Nicholson Seminary, which later became a part of Union Theological Seminary.³²

The work continued to spread rapidly during the first decade of the twentieth century, much more rapidly in fact than could be adequately taken care of. Despite the increasing numbers of missionaries and native workers, they were not enough. Speaking of the rapid growth of the Church, Oscar Huddleston reported from Cagayan in 1908:

In this new field we have opened the work in many places. ...we could have enrolled (members) literally by the thousands if we had teachers for them. Throughout the territory we have but to enter the towns, organize and teach the people.³³

W. H. Teeter, District Superintendent of the Central District, wrote:

...in the past two and one-half years preaching points have trebled, numbers doubled, travelling distances quadrupled and yet still one man is expected to cover these fields. From September 12, 1906, until March 5, 1907, I have been in my own home just 30 nights and fewer days.³⁴

In Bulacan, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Ilocos Sur, Abra, in fact, throughout the territory, significant strides forward by the Mission were reported. And the growth was not just statistical. An abrupt change of life was expected. Self-support was preached. The unfaithful were stricken from the rolls. Thus, the Church, step by step, was being built deeply into the life of the nation.

The message of the gospel was taken to the people in every way possible. As with the early Methodists in England and later in America, there were street preaching, outdoor meetings and house-to-house visitation. There were even some Sunday parades held, which appealed to the Filipinos' love of pageantry. One worker reported:

We have specialized in Roman Catholic fiestas. Whenever we hear of one of these gala days in some town of our province, we pack up our acetylene light, our baby organ and a goodly quantity of scripture portions and start out for it. If possible we get a place on the plaza, and there set up Shop. We preach, pray, sing and sell scriptures as the crowds come and go. It is hard to estimate the results of work like this, but we feel sure that it has not been done in vain.³⁵

Mention should be made of at least a few of those indigenous leaders who provided the growing edge of Methodism in Luzon. The first two preachers Nicolas Zamora and Felipe Marquez, have already been mentioned, Marquez, incidentally, was the first Filipino pastor to be retired. After 29 years of service, he was paid tribute upon retiring at the Conference of 1926.³⁶ Among the leaders in and around Manila were Cirilo Kasiguran Candido Magno, Servillano Castro, Nicolas Fajardo and Luis Ocampo. In Pangasinan there were Teodoro Basconcillo and Eduardo Benitez. In the Cagayan Valley were Isidro Panlasigui, Tomas Altamero and Filomeno Galang. Lorenzo Tamayo was active in Nueva Ecija; Pedro Cruz and Felix Cruz in Bulacan; Juan Macaspac in Pampanga and Tarlac; Engracio Cruz in Zambales; and Severino Cordero and Benito Tovera in the Ilocos Provinces.³⁷ In Rizal and Bataan was Simeon Blas, a former cockpit owner, who became an evangelist at a great sacrifice of income.³⁸ Of remarkable service from Pampanga was Arcadio de Ocera, evangelist and district superintendent for many years, an outstanding leader and loyal churchman.

In 1912, E. L. Housley reported evidence of the continued growth in Pampanga: “Last Friday evening we were in the revival service in Dukit, Mabalacat, where Brother Isidro Panlilio and the deaconess, Inocencia Baron, are in charge. We had a gracious service, and at the close, baptized thirty-eight into the Church. Saturday evening at TaIba, Bacolor, where a revival is also on, in charge of Brother Agaton de Castro and deaconess Placida Franco, assisted by Brother Isaac Manganti and his wife, we received twenty-five new members into the Church. Among them was the leading man of the town, who, after his decision, made a speech before the people as to his purpose and belief. At the close a concerted l1equest was made for ten days more of services. That was to have been the last night, but the Lord did not seem to indicate that it should close, so it is going on now. Sunday evening we were with Brother Arcadio de Ocera at San Vicente, Mexico, where in a Spirit-filled meeting 68 adults and four children were baptized and the Lord's Supper administered to the large congregation: Fifty adults were baptized in the same congregation the Sunday before in this same revival.³⁹

By 1909 the Conference Journal shows that there were now three districts:

The Manila District – consistingof Manila, Rizal, Bulacan, Bataan and Zambales
The Central District – consisting of Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, and Tarlac
The Northern District – Cagayan, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Eastern Pangasinan, and Western Pangasinan

As early as 1904 it was reported:

Within the short space of a quadrennium He has given us to see a larger total of visible results than have been attained in the hard field of Africa after 70 years of toils; a larger total also than has rewarded the toil of our brethren in South America after 68 years of service…⁴⁰

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