Cosmopolitan Church
Coordinates: 14°34′44.6″N 120°59′13.2″E / 14.579056°N 120.987000°E
| Cosmopolitan Church | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | 1368 Taft Avenue Corner Apacible Street, Ermita, Manila |
| Country | Philippines |
| Denomination | Methodist |
| Website |
thecosmopolitanchurch |
| History | |
| Consecrated | 1933 |
| Events |
Japanese occupation of the Philippines (1942-1944) Battle of Manila (1945) |
| Architecture | |
| Functional status | active |
| Heritage designation | Cultural Property of the Philippines |
| Completed | 1936, 1945 (rebuilt) |
| Demolished | 1945 |
| Specifications | |
| Number of floors | 4 |
| Administration | |
| Metropolis | Metro Manila |
| Clergy | |
| Senior pastor(s) |
Rev. Phoebe C. Dakanay (as of 2015)[1] |
 | |
The Cosmopolitan Church is a Protestant church building in Manila, Philippines.
History
The Cosmopolitan Church's establishment traces back to the 1930s when 60 members of the Central Methodist Church at Kalaw Street, Ermita, Manila seceded from the American Methodist Episcopal Church in March 1933. The secession was led by Rev. Cipriano Navarro, Dr. Melquiades Gamboa, and Rev. Samuel Stagg who were instrumental to the creation of the Philippine Methodist Episcopal Church which in turn led to the establishment of the Cosmopolitan Student Church.[2]
The Cosmopolitan Church building was established on 1936. From 1942-1944 the Church building was used as a base of operations by Church members who were also part of the anti-Japanese guerilla resistance forces during the World War II. The Church building was eventually seized by the Japanese on September 1944. The Church building was rebuilt in 1945 after the building was burnt during the Battle of Manila. In 1948 Cosmopolitan Church, of the then Philippine Methodist Church, became part of the United Church of Christ in the Philippines. [3] In 2012, Cosmopolitan Church disaffiliated from the UCCP. The UCCP's National Commission on Discipline and Conflict Resolution (NCDCR) had held Pastor of Cosmopolitan Church pastor Phoebe Dacanay in contempt after she held an election. This event was precipitated by a power struggle between Former Philippine Securities and Exchange Commission(PH SEC) Chairman Perfecto Yasay was accused of occupying and locking the church, after he had been disqualified from running for a church office according to pastor Phoebe Dacanay. Yasay said that the National Commission on Discipline and Conflict Resolution (NCDCR) locked the church building. This was to prevent Dacanay and her group from ransacking the office because they allegedly have plans of breaking away and setting up a separate church. Dacanay claimed these events had developed after Yasay and the wife of the disgraced former PCU President Oscar Suarez's Wife had their nominations were rejected. On May8, 2012, NCDCR ordered the expulsion of Dacanay from the UCCP Roll of Pastors. Historically, this particular church has had problems from all types of authorities as far back before World War II, when they helped to create the Philippine Methodist Church. [4]
Building
The church currently occupies a four-story building called the Rigos Hall. The Rigos Hall was named after by former pastor, Dr. Cirilio A. Rigos in May 15 1996. The naming was an effect of the ratification of a Special Church Council Resolution.[5]
The Mary Boyd Stagg Memorial Sanctuary inside the Rigos Hall is a worship place where worship services by the Church is conducted. In 1999 in the event of the 66th anniversary of the Cosmopolitan Church, eight panels of stained glass were installed at the memorial sanctuary.[6]
Gallery
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Facade, side view
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Historical Marker
References
- ↑ "Church Admin". Cosmopolitan Church. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ↑ "History - Our Beginings". Cosmopolitan Church. Retrieved 30 June 2015.
- ↑ Cosmopolitan Church (Plaque outside building). At the entrance of Cosmopolitan Church in Manila: Philippine National Historical Institute. 2005.
- ↑ "Yasay figures in church row". Retrieved 27 Mar 2016.
- ↑ Rigos Hall (Marker inside building). Lobby of the Cosmopolitan Church in Manila: Cosmopolitan Church. 24 June 1996.
- ↑ Thanksgiving Marker (Marker inside building). Mary Boyd Stagg Memorial Sanctuary, Cosmopolitan Church in Manila: Cosmopolitan Church. 21 March 1996.