Bread of Life Ministries International

Last updated
Bread of Life Ministries International
Bread of Life Central Church's Worship.jpg
Worship in 1998
LocationCrossroad Center, Mother Ignacia cor. Scout Reyes, Quezon City, Philippines
Country Philippines
Denomination Evangelical Christian
Non-denominational
Membership35,000 (2012)
Website http://bolmcrossroad.com
History
Former namesBread of Life Christian Fellowship
Status Megachurch
Founded1982
Founder(s)Rev. Butch Conde
Architecture
Functional statusActive
Style Modern
Groundbreaking August 1993
CompletedNovember 1998
Clergy
Pastor(s)
  • Rev. Butch Conde (Senior Pastor Emeritus)
  • Rev. Noel Tan (Senior Pastor)
  • Ptr. Pipo Conde (Crossroad Center Head Pastor)
Bread of Life Ministries International logo.png

Bread of Life Ministries International (BOLMI; previous name Bread of Life Christian Fellowship; simply known as BOL or Bread) is a Filipino Evangelical megachurch founded by Rev. Caesar "Butch" L. Conde. [1] [2] [3] It was founded in Quezon City in 1982.

Contents

Its stated mission and vision is to "stabilize and expand what it has learned from God in prayer and the Word of God and to pass it on to other people, and also the beginning of revival in the country", which is inspired by Acts 1:8. [4] [5]

History

In the early 1980s, Pastor Butch Conde originally wanted to start a halfway house for prostituted women in Olongapo City, where the U.S. Naval Base Subic Bay was located. In August 1982, Pastor Conde and 11 other people started a new church in Loyola Heights, Quezon City. Maryknoll College (now Miriam College) offered its auditorium to launch the Bread of Life Christian Fellowship and the first service gathering was held on November 14, 1982. Attendance steadily increased. [2]

First BOL logo from 1982 to 2002 Bol-oldlogo.jpg
First BOL logo from 1982 to 2002

Weekly attendance climbed to a thousand, prompting BOL to temporarily move to the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City in January 1984 before moving again in the same month to Celebrity Sports Plaza in Capitol Hills, Quezon City in order to accommodate 1,200 people. Pastor Conde believed that Filipinos needed to break free from colonial mentality and become independent from foreign missionaries and wanted to show that God provides for Filipino churches. [6]

After the People Power Revolution in 1986, Pastor Conde drew inspiration from his Korea Prayer Study Tour and Prayer Mountain experiences in South Korea. BOL then acquired a piece of land in the mountains in Antipolo, Rizal to build the country's and Southeast Asia's first Prayer Mountain facilities in 1988. [ citation needed ] [7]

On April 5, 1987, BOL services moved to Circle Theatre (now Circle Events Place) and divided into four worship gatherings every Sunday. Between 1989 and 1991, it was one of the fastest-growing churches in the country with membership of up to 2,000 people in 1992. BOL then changed its name to Bread of Life Ministries. They planted another central church in Makati, and had been planting church satellites nationwide.

In August 1993, BOL began building its own ministry center in Quezon City. [8] By this time BOL was an indigenous church, built without foreign help, financial assistance, political support, or church partnership. [9] [10]

In 1996, BOL started international outreach to Filipinos and other nationalities by founding BOL USA in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, California. [11] On November 29, 1998, the church dedicated Crossroad77 (now known as Crossroad Center) and weekly attendance averaged up to 2,500 each of the four service gatherings. [9]

In 2001, BOL Makati split into two centers and transferred its worship services from Mondragon building to a larger space. BOL Makati is now located on Glorietta 4 (G4), and Greenbelt Onstage, the latter located at the Project Mosaic, 3F Greenbelt 1, Ayala Center, Makati. [12]

Previous logo of BOL from 2002 to 2012 BreadOfLifeMI.jpg
Previous logo of BOL from 2002 to 2012

In 2002, BOL established the Meridian International Learning Experience, a multilingual Christian school. [13] [14]

On November 25, 2007, BOL marked its 25th anniversary. The theme was the "Global Village 25/25", attended by thousands of members from BOL local and international outreaches. The celebration was held at Ynares Center, Antipolo, Rizal. [15]

Bread of Life 30 Years

In 2012, Pastor Conde announced his retirement as senior pastor, having served as such for the past three decades. On May 20, 2012, the head pastor of BOL Makati and Singapore, Rev. Noel Tan, was installed as the new senior pastor. [16]

In 2012 BOL celebrated its 30th anniversary with the theme "Perlas Ng Silangan: Bread of Life 30th Anniversary". The celebration was held at the SMX Convention Center on November 18, 2012 with approximately 15,000 attendees from different BOL outreaches worldwide. [17] In the same year, BOL Glorietta 4 in Makati was transferred to F1 Hotel in Bonifacio Global City, and eventually transferred its worship gatherings in SM Aura, Taguig. This was later named BOL BGC (known as Mosaic BGC).

Crossroad Center (Bread of Life Ministry Center)

Construction of the Crossroad Center (formerly Crossroad77) at Mother Ignacia Ave., Quezon City began in August 1993 and was completed in November 1998. It serves as BOL's international headquarters. [9] [10] Crossroad Center has five stories, two basement levels and two parking lots. It houses a 2,500-seat "Convenarium" for Sunday worship services and young adult ministries and a number of halls for other ministries covering different ages and life stages. [18] Groups meet once a week for Bible study, fellowship and ministry work. The 3rd, 4th and 5th stories of the ministry center were also used as a community center which was supported by BOL.

Core values

BOL's statement of faith includes its beliefs that:

BOL's ongoing vision is to build a strong national uniqueness by becoming independent from foreign sources in order to rediscover Filipino Christian indigenous spirituality. BOL emphasizes the independence of the indigenous church and challenges other denominational churches to revive their identity through God's word as well. This belief is founded on the distinction which BOL applied to the uniqueness of the Christian journey by emphasizing the centrality of Christ, the foundation of Scriptures, prayer, and worship, operated by the power of God, the way of service through sacrifice and being people of faith. [24]

Congregations

BOL Crossroad Center, BOL Makati and BOL Cebu serve as the Philippines' central churches. [25] [26] [27]

BOL have established satellite outreaches locally and internationally. There are 11 satellite outreaches with weekly attendance of around 15,000 to 20,000 people within Metro Manila. [28] [29] Provincial congregations have a total of 20 satellite outreaches. Additionally there are 13 international outreaches in Asia, Australia, the Middle East and Europe. [30]

Multimedia and online church

In the 1990s, BOL sermons were broadcast on 702 DZAS-AM radio, but this has since been discontinued. In BOL USA, live streams and video archives of sermons were shown on its website. [31] [32]

Controversy

On October 18, 2004, BOL released a paid advertisement in the Philippine Daily Inquirer entitled “Misplaced Priorities Can Mislead the Nation” as part of the Kingdom Of A Higher World series, written by then-BOL Pastor Bong Saquing. The article featured an eleven-year-old girl, Faye San Juan, who claimed to win in an “Intercontinental Science Quiz Net” in Australia. [33] . After further scrutiny in the media, [34] BOL began an investigation and found the story to be a hoax. [35] BOL and Associate Pastor Jesmael M. Montaña (head of the Kingdom of a Higher World write-ups) issued a public apology to the media and cancelled the column. [36]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metro Manila</span> Metropolitan area and region of the Philippines

Metropolitan Manila, officially the National Capital Region, is the seat of government and one of three defined metropolitan areas in the Philippines. It is composed of 16 highly urbanized cities: the city of Manila, Quezon City, Caloocan, Las Piñas, Makati, Malabon, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, San Juan, Taguig, and Valenzuela, as well as the municipality of Pateros. The region encompasses an area of 619.57 square kilometers (239.22 sq mi) and a population of 13,484,462 as of 2020. It is the second most populous and the most densely populated region of the Philippines. It is also the 9th most populous metropolitan area in Asia and the 5th most populous urban area in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenneth E. Hagin</span> American preacher (1917–2003)

Kenneth Erwin Hagin was an American preacher. He is known for pioneering the Word of Faith movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International Pentecostal Holiness Church</span> Pentecostal denomination

The International Pentecostal Holiness Church (IPHC) or simply Pentecostal Holiness Church (PHC) is an international Holiness-Pentecostal Christian denomination founded in 1911 with the merger of two older denominations. Historically centered in the Southeastern United States, particularly the Carolinas and Georgia, the Pentecostal Holiness Church now has an international presence. In 2000, the church reported a worldwide membership of over one million—over three million including affiliates.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in the Philippines</span> Religious demographics in the Philippines

Christianity is the largest religion in the Philippines. At least 88% of the population is Christian; about 79% belong to the Catholic Church while about 9% belong to Protestantism, Orthodoxy, Restorationist and Independent Catholicism and other denominations such as Iglesia Filipina Independiente, Iglesia ni Cristo, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-day Adventist Church, Apostolic Catholic Church, United Church of Christ in the Philippines, Members Church of God International (MCGI) and Pentecostals. Officially, the Philippines is a secular nation, with the Constitution guaranteeing separation of church and state, and requiring the government to respect all religious beliefs equally.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Bickle (minister)</span> American Evangelical Christian leader

Michael Leroy Bickle is an American evangelical leader best known for his leadership of the International House of Prayer (IHOPKC). As the leader of IHOPKC, Bickle oversees several ministries and a Bible school. Bickle has written a number of books and served as the pastor of multiple churches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protestantism in the Philippines</span> Overview of the role of Protestantism in the Philippines

Protestant denominations arrived in the Philippines in 1898, after the United States took control of the Philippines from Spain, first with United States Army chaplains and then within months civilian missionaries.

The Charismatic Episcopal Church (CEC), officially the International Communion of the Charismatic Episcopal Church (ICCEC), is a Christian denomination established in 1992. The ICCEC is a part of the Convergence Movement. Within North America, most of the Charismatic Episcopal Church's congregations and missions are located within the Northern, Southeastern, Midwest, and Western United States; it also has a presence in Texas, and in Western Canada.

Without Walls Central Church was a Christian megachurch in Auburndale, Florida outside Lakeland co-founded by Paula and Randy White, in January 2004, when they were still married. It was under the auspices of Without Walls International Church, Tampa, Florida. The Church closed in 2011 and should not be confused with Without Walls Church, a ministry for the homeless also based in Tampa, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Episcopal Church in the Philippines</span>

The Episcopal Church in the Philippines is a province of the Anglican Communion comprising the country of the Philippines. It was established by the Episcopal Church of the United States in 1901 by American missionaries led by Charles Henry Brent, who served as the first resident bishop, when the Philippines was opened to Protestant American missionaries. It became an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion on May 1, 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ramon Arguelles</span> 21st-century Catholic bishop

Ramón Cabrera Argüelles, D.D., S.T.L. is a Filipino cleric who served as Archbishop of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Lipa in the province of Batangas on the island of Luzon, Philippines from 2004 to 2017. Prior to his appointment as archbishop, he was an auxiliary bishop of the same diocese, appointed to that position on November 26, 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Capitol City Baptist Church (West Avenue, Quezon City)</span> Church in Quezon City, Philippines

Capitol City Baptist Church (CCBC) is a Baptist church located at 111 West Avenue, Quezon City, Philippines. It is affiliated with the Conservative Baptist Association of the Philippines.

The Jesus Miracle Crusade International Ministry (JMCIM) is a Christian church in the Philippines. They currently claim 2,000,000 members in the Philippines and other countries. With more than 48 assemblies outside the Philippines, the bulk of their membership is within the country. It has members in the Philippines, the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Australia, Singapore, Japan, China, South Korea, and several parts of Asia. the JMCIM is the largest Oneness Pentecostal organization in the Philippines holding several services weekly at the Amoranto Sports Complex in Quezon City, with Sunday attendance in the tens of thousands at that location alone. Their 40th anniversary in 2015 saw 300,000 people gather at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay.

Day By Day Jesus Ministries (formerly Day By Day Christian Ministries) (also known as DBD) is a non-denominational evangelical Christian mega-church organization headquartered in Makati, Philippines, and its main worship center at the Folk Arts Theatre, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Manila.

Geraldine Javier is a contemporary Filipina Visual Artist whose work is best known for her work which blends of painting with various media, and is "recognized as one of the most celebrated Southeast Asian artists both in the academic world and in the art market."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Word International Ministries</span>

Word International Ministries, also known as Word International (WIN), is a non-denominational Evangelical church based in the Philippines, with established presence in other countries.

Destiny Church is an Evangelical, non-sectarian megachurch that started in Quezon City, Philippines and now has three main services: Destiny North, Destiny Central, and Destiny South (Parañaque). It has been headed by Ps. Carlo and Zhaleen Panlilio since 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ (4th Watch)</span> Christian denomination in the Philippines

The Pentecostal Missionary Church of Christ , also known as PMCC, is a Pentecostal Christian denomination based in the Philippines. It was founded in 1971 by Arsenio T. Ferriol, who is the church's current executive minister, and registered on August 27, 1973. The church claims to be the 'One True Church of Christ', with its beliefs coming from the Bible as the sole basis for all its doctrines and prophecies about the 'Church of Jesus Christ' established by a living modern-day Apostle in the modern era The church has an estimated 800,000 members worldwide and 900 local churches, with Marikina Main Church serving as the largest and headquarters of the denomination.

References

  1. Westerlund, David. (December 1996) Questioning the Secular State: The Worldwide Resurgence of Religion in Politics. New Work: St. Martin's Press (p 1331)
  2. 1 2 Anderson, Allan and Tang, Edmond. (2005) Asian and Pentecostal: the charismatic face of Christianity in Asia.] London: Regnum Books (p 392 to 395)
  3. - Bread of Life Contact Information Archived June 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Bread of Life Ministries International". Archived from the original on 2011-09-11. Retrieved 2011-05-27.
  5. https://www.facebook.com/BOLM77/photos/a.559801754075885.1073741834.487113031344758/1537565746299476/?type=3&theater Bread of Life 35th Anniversary - The Ancient-Future Way [ user-generated source ]
  6. Anderson, Allan and Tang, Edmond. (2005) Asian and Pentecostal: the charismatic face of Christianity in Asia.] London: Regnum Books (p 393 to 394)
  7. "Antipolo 'prayer mountain' is an ideal place for a spiritual retreat | loQal - Travel and Outdoors | Philippines". Archived from the original on 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2011-07-25.
  8. http://solutionsgeneral.com/PDF/buildings.pdf%5B%5D
  9. 1 2 3 Anderson, Allan and Tang, Edmond. (2005) Asian and Pentecostal: the charismatic face of Christianity in Asia.] London: Regnum Books (p 391 to 392)
  10. 1 2 Anderson, Allan. (2004) An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity. London: Cambridge University Press(p 131)
  11. "Home | Bread of Life USA at Pinnacle Village". Archived from the original on 2013-04-23. Retrieved 2013-01-17.
  12. "Welcome to projectmosaic.info". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-09-16. Bread of Life Makati
  13. "Meridian | History of the Meridian". Archived from the original on 2010-01-04. Retrieved 2010-09-23. History of The Meridian
  14. "Meridian | Vision Mission". Archived from the original on 2011-08-30. Retrieved 2011-11-09.
  15. "Welcome to projectmosaic.info". Archived from the original on 2009-10-10. Retrieved 2012-01-09. Bread of Life Project Mosaic: At Such a Time as This
  16. "Our Board of Directors - Mosaic Ministries Singapore Ltd". Archived from the original on 2014-02-04. Retrieved 2012-05-30.
  17. http://www.breadoflifeministriesinternational.org/ Perlas Ng Silangan: Bread of Life 30th Anniversary
  18. Chelsea Bernasconi of More than Medals Manila won on the World at Asian Junior Championship, April 17, 2008
  19. "Bread of Life Ministries International". Archived from the original on 2012-03-28. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  20. "Bread of Life Ministries International". Archived from the original on 2010-02-06. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  21. "Bread of Life Ministries International". Archived from the original on 2010-01-23. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  22. "Bread of Life Ministries International". Archived from the original on 2010-06-19. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  23. "Bread of Life Ministries International". Archived from the original on 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  24. Anderson, Allan and Tang, Edmond. (2005) Asian and Pentecostal: the charismatic face of Christianity in Asia.] London: Regnum Books (p 394 to 395)
  25. "Bread of Life Ministries International". Archived from the original on 2011-03-17. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  26. "Bread of Life Ministries International". Archived from the original on 2011-03-17. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  27. "Bread of Life Ministries International". Archived from the original on 2011-03-17. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  28. - Bread of Life Headquarters Attendance Archived September 20, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  29. "Bread of Life Ministries International". Archived from the original on 2011-09-11. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  30. "Bread of Life Ministries International". Archived from the original on 2011-03-17. Retrieved 2011-09-14.
  31. "Home | Bread of Life USA at Pinnacle Village". Archived from the original on 2011-01-28. Retrieved 2011-07-08. BOL USA Webcast
  32. "Home | Bread of Life USA at Pinnacle Village". Archived from the original on 2011-10-06. Retrieved 2011-07-08.
  33. Cabaero, Nini B. "- E-mail hoax of the year Archived August 5, 2009, at the Wayback Machine ", SunStar, Cebu November 14, 2004.
  34. Pascual, Federico. "Post Script: Why use Faye to score political points vs gov't?" The Philippine Star, Manila, November 7, 2004
  35. Sison, Jose. "A Law Each Day", The Philippine Star, Manila, November 5, 2004
  36. Pascual, Federico. "Post Script", It's official and final: - Faye told us a Fairy Tale Archived April 22, 2009, at the Wayback Machine ." The Philippine Star, Manila, November 14, 2004