Central United Methodist Church is the first

Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...

church in the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, located along T.M. Kalaw Street,

Ermita Ermita is a district in Manila, Philippines. Located at the central part of the city, the district is a significant center of finance, education, culture, and commerce. Ermita serves as the civic center of the city, bearing the seat of city g ...

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

. Founded on 5 March 1899 during the American Occupation, it was originally named Central Methodist Episcopal Church. The church was originally designed by

Juan Arellano Juan Marcos Arellano y de Guzmán (April 25, 1888 – December 5, 1960), or Juan M. Arellano, was a Filipino architect, best known for Manila's Metropolitan Theater (1935), Legislative Building (1926; now houses the National Museum of F ...

History

The church's history is closely intertwined with that of Knox United Methodist Church mainly because the two churches were the result of Filipino-American ties during the surrender of Manila in 1898. Thereafter, the first

worship service in the Philippines was held on 28 August 1898 and was officiated by Rev. George C. Stull, attended by both American soldiers and Filipino civilians. During the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

, the congregation separated itself from the American component, who transferred its services to the YMCA and was organised in 1899. Its first chapel was completed on December 23, 1901 and was replaced by a structure made of stone in November 1906. In 1932, it was elevated to a cathedral. During the

Liberation of Manila The Battle of Manila ( fil, Labanan sa Maynila; ja, マニラの戦い; es, Batalla de Manila; ) was a major battle of the Philippine campaign of 1944–45, during the Second World War. It was fought by forces from both the United States and ...

in 1945, the Central UMC was severely damaged and rendered unusable by the fighting between the combined Filipino and American troops and the Japanese Imperial forces. Its congregation reunited with Knox UMC until 1949, when Central UMC was rebuilt in its original site along T.M. Kalaw Street. Since then, membership of Central UMC has shifted rapidly from a predominantly American to a mixed Filipino and American demographic.

Location

Central UMC is located in T.M. Kalaw Avenue corner Taft Avenue, Manila, across from

Plaza Olivia Salamanca Plaza Olivia Salamanca ( fil, Liwasang Olivia Salamanca), also known simply as Plaza Salamanca, is a public square in Ermita, Manila, bounded by Taft Avenue to the east, Teodoro M. Kalaw Avenue to the north and General Luna Street to the west. It ...

Famous Congregants

José Abad Santos José Abad Santos y Basco (, ; February 19, 1886 – May 1, 1942) was the fifth chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He briefly served as the acting president of the Commonwealth of the Philippines and acting commander-in-chie ...

, former Chief Justice and acting

President of the Philippines The president of the Philippines ( fil, Pangulo ng Pilipinas, sometimes referred to as ''Presidente ng Pilipinas'') is the head of state, head of government and chief executive of the Philippines. The president leads the executive branch of t ...

, 1942 * Jorge Bocobo, former Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, 1942-44

Gallery

File:WTMP A-trio a11 2.JPG, Left external side File:CUMCManilajf7920 03.JPG, Details of the Main Arch Window File:Manilajf7875 28.JPG, Details of the Portal inside the church File:Manilajf7875 32.JPG, Gothic Arches inside the church File:Manilajf7875 25.JPG, Gothic Portals File:Central United Methodist Church 03.jpg, Historical Marker in English File:Central United Methodist Church 02.jpg, Historical Marker in Filipino

References

* National Historical Institute. Historical Markers: Metropolitan Manila. Manila: National Historical Institute, 1993. * "History of Knox UMC: 1898-2005." Knox United Methodist Church, 2005. https://web.archive.org/web/20080607181801/http://www.knoxumc.com/history.htm (Accessed on September 11, 2007).

External links