We believe...
• In one God, eternally existing in three persons - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, alone to be worshipped and served;
• In the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who was born of a virgin and lived a sinless life, died a substitutionary death on the cross for us and in our stead, was buried, rose bodily from the dead and ascended to the right hand of the Father, from where He will return to earth to judge the living and the dead;
• In God the Holy Spirit, sent by God the Father and God the Son to work among mankind in our time bringing conviction of sin, and that He indwells all believers enabling them to live a godly life, to obey God’s Word, and to witness to the world of the saving grace of God;
• That the Bible, as originally given, is the inspired, and entirely trustworthy Word of God to man. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter and is therefore the complete and final authority in all matters of faith and conduct. The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ;
• That all mankind has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and therefore deserves the punishment of a just God, and that because of the exceeding sinfulness of human nature, regeneration by the Holy Spirit is essential for salvation;
• That everyone who turns to Christ in repentance and faith is justified freely from his sins by the grace of God, and has eternal life;
• In the one holy universal church which is the Body of Christ to which all true believers belong; and
• That in the end, the bodies of all people will be raised from the dead, the believers to life everlasting and the unbelievers to eternal damnation.
ABOUT US
Grace Filipino Church (aka GFC) ...
In the mid-1980s GFC started as a small home Bible study group in Woodbridge, Virginia. Pastor Chilton conducted home Bible studies at the Paredes home. Many Filipinos and their families joined these Bible study meetings, many were exposed to the gospel. But few really ended up becoming members of Grace Baptist Church. These home Bible study meetings continued on and off because some of the contacts either relocated or became busy or disinterested.
In 1990 the group started meeting formally as a Sunday school class for Filipinos at GBC, with a handful of members. The attendance and membership fluctuated from 3 to sometimes a dozen. Home Bible study meetings and fellowship were also conducted periodically in order to reach out to more Filipinos. Unfortunately for about a year these gatherings for bible studies, fellowships and Sunday school had to stop because members were so few and not growing anymore.
In 1995 the Tagalog Sunday school class resumed meeting again due to a more sustained interest and participation by the members. The average attendance at this point was 10 and went up to 20 when everybody was present.
On October 2,1999, the group with 15 members present, was challenged to start a church for the Filipino community. That same day after discussions and deliberations, it was unanimously decided to start a Filipino church in the area. Twenty adults and six children were commissioned and dedicated to this new ministry by Grace Baptist Church on December 5,1999. GBC gave its blessings to the birthing of Grace Filipino Church and also approved the appointment of Pastor Charlie Chilton as the interim pastor of GFC.
On January 2, 2000 the first worship service started with 52 in attendance which was held at the sanctuary of Grace Baptist Church at 12:00 noon. There were 27 persons who signed the covenant of membership that first Sunday. GBC continues to allows us to use its building and facilities, and has been very supportive to us since the beginning.
Today the Lord continues to add to our number! We are a covenant-making church with 65 members. Our Sunday worship attendance averages about 70, and sometimes the attendance goes up to 85. We have nine Sunday school groups and five Home Bible Study groups meeting in different homes during the week.
Althought we are mostly Filipinos and Americans, we warmly welcome all to join us. We hope that the Lord will make our church fruitful and use us to reach many more Filipinos, their families, and friends so that they too might experience the love and saving power of Jesus Christ.
Pastor Armando De La Merced ...
Born on October 16, 1960 in Sorsogon, Philippines, Pastor Arman is married to Leila Rovira and blessed with three children: Mercy Grace, Joanna Grace and Kevin John. He is a graduate of Mechanical Engineering and Advanced Military Science. He also finished a Bachelor of Divinity degree at Southern Baptist School of Theology, Philippines.
In August 1980 his spiritual journey began when he turned over his life to Christ, whom He received as his Lord and Savior. Since then, he has dedicated his life to serve Him in various ministries: Campus Ministry, Deacon and Church Planter of Pasay Baptist Church, and as pastor of God's Grace Baptist Church and Kawit Baptist Church respectively, both in Cavite.
In 1996, the Lord led him to become the Missions Director of the Luzon Convention of Southern Baptist Churches. He later got involved in Church Planting Movements and Maximizing Church Health ministries for Southern Baptists and for the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches.
In May 2004, his family moved to San Diego, California, to help take care of his wife's mother who had a severe stroke. While he was figuring out why the Lord pulled him out of a challenging ministry in the Philippines, he tried to remain faithful, available, and usable for God. In June 2008, he met Pastor Charlie Chilton at a Pastors’ Meeting in San Diego. By God's providence, that meeting led to a call to serve as Pastor of a loving community of believers--the Grace Filipino Church in Virginia.
On February 22 of 2009 he accepted that call and was installed as pastor of Grace Filipino Church. His commitment to GFC is to raise an army of devoted Christ's Followers, who have passion for God and compassion for the lost. Focusing on that will result in an ongoing multiplication of disciples, leaders, groups, ministries and churches. His greatest contribution to GFC would be to authentically live what he desires to be developed in other people’s lives. His leadership is driven by a desire to glorify and honor God and to advance His Kingdom to the world.
Grace Filipino Church
... as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15
