THE VISION

The mission of planting churches in the Metropolitan Washington Area to reach out to the Filipino-Americans and the multicultural communities started with a vision from God. In Spring of 1995 Dr. Daniel Peterson, Executive Minister of the Baptist General Conference – Mideast District (BGC-MBC) and Rev. Carlos San Luis, National Coordinator of the Filipino International Fellowship of Christian Churches in North America (FIFCINA) surveyed the area for possible ministry. Sensing the need to reach out to more than fifty five thousand Filipino-Americans with the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, they prayed for God to open the door for a church planting and to send a missionary that would spearhead the ministry.

 CONCEPTION

Hearing this vision and dreams for the Washington area, God started to move in the hearts of people, churches and different individuals starting from the Pittsburgh area to pray, commit to support financially and to partner with the effort of starting a church. An invitation was sent to Rev. Noel Pantoja and family who was then serving as Pastor and Missions Director of Jesus Our Life Foundation in Makati Philippines. After months of intense prayer and preparation, with a clear sense of direction from God, the Pantojas relocated from Makati, Philippines to the United States. Arrived in the US in January 28, 1996, the Pantojas traveled to Vancouver and Surrey, British Columbia, Canada; Orlando, Tampa, Miami and Kissimee Florida for an exposure trip of Filipino church plants and orientation.

BEGINNINGS

In March 1996, right after the winter blizzard, Noel, Jeni, Mark and Lyka Pantoja moved in the Washington area without knowing a single person in the area. Leaving all their family belongings in the Philippines, packed four boxes of clothes, they trusted the Lord to provide for all their needs and lead the way of church planting. In no time at all, God provided them with a house, car, clothes, furniture, household and office fixtures.

Later they realized that years before they arrived in the area, God was already at work preparing a great and mighty movement of saving people. While still adjusting with the culture, the place and the climate, God started to open the doors for the ministry through phone calls, visitations, referrals, attendance to parties, prayer at funerals, Fil-Am social and cultural meetings, rallies, etc. Pastor Noel was able to make contact with hundreds of people in just a period of two months.

The first Home Bible study was held in March 1996, in Bowie, MD  with several families and individuals. The Lord provided a place for the Pantojas and the ministry center. More people got in contact and homes were opened and Bible studies organized in Fort Washington, Forestville, Suitland, Waldorf, Sterling, Arlington, and Falls Church.

 NEW CHURCH BIRTHED

On May 5, 1996, Pastor Noel gathered all the attendees of home Bible studies for a vision casting fellowship. He shared the vision of starting a new church and challenged each one to pray and commit to support the  work. All 43 people that were gathered at the Pantojas residence in Camp Springs, Maryland signed a  covenant to support the new church start.

The group called themselves the Filipino International Christian  Fellowship. They decided to hold services starting the following Sunday and collected the seed-money offering for the new church the same day. The next Sunday and three more succeeding weeks, they held their worship service at the Pantojas garage. They moved to a basement of a nursing home in Camp Springs after that, for more space. In August 1996, the group moved to Fort Washington Christian Church and rented the facility until March 1999.
 

The first water baptism was held in August 10, 1996 with 11 candidates at the Solomons Island.

After five months, in September 1996 the church was formally launched through the first Public Worship Service, with 175 in attendance. In March 1997, the church was recognized by the BGC-Mideast district as a church and was approved by the BGC National assembly as a full fledged church.

Later, the name of the church was changed to The Church of Light, to open the reach of the church not only to Filipino-Americans but also to the multicultural community. The Lord opened more new doors for outreach and more families joined the church. Fredy Balbuena and family arrived in the area as Church planting apprentice and served the church until March 1999.

GROWTH AND MULTIPLICATION

In December 20, 1996 after speaking in a Christmas Dance Party of the Fil-Am Association of Anne Arundel County, the Lord opened another to start the outreach in Annapolis and Baltimore. A new Bible study was started in March 1997. More families joined the Bible study group and attendance grew from four to fifty one. The group named themselves as Fil-Am Christian Fellowship.

On November 2nd, 1997, the Fil-Am Christian Fellowship was launched as a new church at a Public Worship Service in Anne Arundel Community College. The group met at the college until March 1999. The group later on adopted the name Hope to you Community Church, as the group expanded its vision to reach out to the multicultural communities of Annapolis and Baltimore areas.

.

On July 5th, 1998, 25 people followed the Lord in Mass water baptism, which was held at Sandy Point State Park on the Chesapeake Bay near Annapolis.

REACHING GREATER HEIGHTS

From July 1998 – February 1999, the Lord continued to cause growth in the church, intensifying its passion to reach out for more people and more areas. Evangelism and Discipleship classes were held for members. Training retreats and equipping programs were held for new believers. In the process, the Lord was preparing the two congregations for a great shift in ministry to reach greater heights. That is, to form a cell-based church from the two congregations, that would have one big Sunday Worship celebration in a central location and reach out to the tri-metro areas of Washington-Annapolis and Baltimore.

The Goal was set to establish multiple Community Groups in the tri-metro areas to form one strong, healthy and reproducing church. The two congregations, under the leadership of Reverend Pantoja moved and joined together to accomplish this vision for the glory of God. The result was tremendous. There were initially eleven community and or small groups (kids, youth, ladies, seniors,) meeting in different places 

The name Hope to you Community was adopted for the combined congregation, which was registered as a Religious corporation in the State of Maryland, and recognized as an affiliate church with the Baptist General Conference – Mid East District.

IN CRISIS

The successes of the Church have been marred by multiple problems. As the Church grew the enemy sent his agents (pride, gossip, jealousy, arrogance, indecisiveness, envy and a general unwillingness to serve to name but a few) among the congregation to sow discontent. Hope to You Community Church has suffered many failures of and crisis’s over the years. As a result there have been several mass exoduses of people over the years, stunting Church growth and effectiveness.

CHANGES COMING

In 2005, Reverend Pantoja felt a calling to a new ministry in the Philippines and departed Hope to You Community Church. The Elders of the Church have struggled for more than two years, keeping the ever increasing onslaught of the enemy at bay.

In November of 2007, the remaining congregation, without a single negative vote, agreed to the calling of Reverend Leo Genotoa to become the new senior pastor of Hope to You Community Church.