ANG HIMNO: THE IEMELIF RETREAT AND MISSION CENTER AT NAUJAN

ORIENTAL MINDORO

A THESIS

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING, ARCHITECTURE AND FINE ARTS

DIVINE WORD COLLEGE OF CALAPAN

Chavez, Jean Mary D.

BS ARCHITECTURE 5-A
 CHAPTER I

The Problem and Its Setting

1.1 Introduction

The world today puts so much pressure and demand on

every person. It isn’t enough to live life. Human is bound

to find their peace and healing phase. When it comes to

dealing with peace and spirituality, the local churches have

huge responsibilities in community.

Churches are primarily places of worship where people

from the community can gather to practice their religion,

seek spiritual direction, and find support for their

religious convictions. At least 80% of the Filipino is

Christian. The church plays vital role to the community.

From the article, Responsibilities in the Local Church:

Biblically Explained by Tai Mcguire (2020), he stated that

the local church is tasked with providing for widows,

orphans, and those in need of physical assistance as well as

serving one another in love and preparing saints for

ministry. The local church also gathers for corporate

worship, studies and reads the Bible, and defends the gospel
and the church from false teachers and deception. It also

provides a community where one can confess faults and

advance spiritually, as well as accountability and

discipleship. The local church also has a responsibility to

present the totality of the God’s words to both Christians

and the rest of the world.

Churches have different tasks to accomplish for the

community depending on their beliefs, writings, missions and

goals but they are common in some aspects. Several churches

also participate in different types of community outreach.

This can involve organizing neighborhood activities,

supporting nearby nonprofits and charities, and giving those

in need food, clothing, and shelter. When it comes to

education, for the purpose of educating the local population

about their religion and ideals, some churches operate

schools, Sunday schools, or educational initiatives. For

social services and building community, some churches

conduct social service initiatives like senior programs, job

placement services, and groups for people in recovery from

addiction. Churches can serve as hubs for neighborhood get-

togethers, encouraging a sense of community and harmony

among locals. They might put on social gatherings, cultural

events, and kid-friendly activities. Lastly, one of the

major roles of church through prayer, meditation, and

religious rituals, is that they can provide a place where

people can seek spiritual healing and peace.

According to Baum, Maxwell K. (2016), Sacred

architecture seeks to benefit its users. This is not to say

that its characteristics are merely moderate: it should also

seek to provide a space that pleases its occupants. The main

function of sacred architecture, other than enclosing or

defining space, is to elevate the state of mind, spirit,

missionary zeal, etc. of its users. It also serves and is

humble, always in some form of dynamic relationship with its

occupants.

Religious architecture often features intricate designs,

symbolism, and sacred art. These elements are not only

aesthetically pleasing but also serve as visual aids to

convey religious teachings and stories. The design should

harmonize with the theological and symbolic values of the

religion.

With the supporting guidelines and information above,

this study aims to propose a retreat and mission center for

IEMELIF church. The Iglesia Evangelica Metodista en las

Islas Filipinas (IEMELIF) is the first indigenous or all-

Filipino church in the Philippines. The intense spirit of

nationalism among these Filipinos led them to leave the

Methodist Episcopal Church and establish a church that they

could call their own, a self-governing, self-sustaining, and

self-propagating church. Hence, in February 28, 1909, under

the leadership of Rev. Nicolas V. Zamora, Methodist

Episcopal Church’s first ordained Filipino pastor, the

Iglesia Evangélica Metodista En Las Islas Filipinas

(IEMELIF) was founded.

With their mission and faith, they are hoping for more

church growth and to the continuous pondering of

spirituality to the community.

1.2 Background of the Study

History of the Church

The Iglesia Evangelica Metodista en las Islas Filipinas

(IEMELIF) is the first indigenous evangelical churches that

was founded back in the 19th Century. After the United

States took over from Spain as the country's sole sovereign

in the early 1900s, Protestant missions were established in

the Philippines. The Methodist Episcopal Church was one of

the organizations with notably sizable missionary endeavors.

As the Methodists' work expanded across the islands,

distinctions between the American missionaries and their

Filipino ministerial counterparts started to appear.

Nationalistic emotions grew to the point where Filipino

ministers voiced a wish for the missionary activity to

continue in the Philippines on its own, under the direction

of Filipino evangelists. They were told they weren't

prepared for this mission by the Americans, who sought to

discourage them. Although these Filipinos had a strong sense

of nationality, they decided to quit the Methodist Episcopal

Church and build a church they could call their own that was

self-governing, self-sustaining, and self-propagating.

IEMELIF was established on February 28, 1909, under the

direction of Rev. Nicolas V. Zamora, the first Filipino to

be consecrated as a minister in the Methodist Episcopal

Church.

Early church policies were modeled after those of the

Methodist Episcopal Church, including her Discipline and

rites. This Discipline's requirement that the General

Superintendent be granted sole authority to lead the church

is one of its standout features. However, IEMELIF changed

its Discipline in 1948. A cooperative group called the

Consistory of Elders was given the power to run the church.

From that point forward, this discipline was used with

occasional, slight adjustments. The General Conference

authorized a new discipline in 2004 that made significant

structural modifications to the church's organizational

structure while keeping the Consistory of Elders as the

decision-making body and the General Superintendent in

charge of day-to-day operations. Bishop Noel M. Abiog is the

current General Superintendent and lead the church on its

missions and programs.

The IEMELIF Church’s Beliefs and Doctrine

According to the IEMELIF’s statement of beliefs, the

church's doctrine bases itself on the Bible. The Evangelical

Methodist Church in the Philippines (IEMELIF) fully affirms,

is devoted to, and authentically communicates the following

teachings: teachings of One God, The Holy Trinity, the

Sufferings, Agony and Death of Christ, Of the Resurrection

of Christ, and the Holy Scriptures. They also believe of the

original sin based on the Bible, the idea of repentance, the

insufficiency of human to save himself, the nature of human,

the ultimate destination of human, eternal life, the

importance of church, sacraments, marriage of ministers,

rights and ceremonies, love of country, Christian’s oath,

ownership of property, and encourages faithful and

intelligent stewardship of the same.

Over the years, IEMELIF has grown from its Pastors,

Deaconess, and members. Over 45,000 members are baptized

nationally as of 2023 according to their annual compendium.

Chart 1 interprets the gradual increase in population of the

religion per year from 2016 to 2023.

Population of IEMELIF Church (2016-2023)

46000

44000

42000

40000

38000

36000

34000
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023

The population of the members of IEMELIF here in

Mindoro is approximately 3,600. The Mindoro has 12

congregational churches and 6 missionary churches, and some

of those can be located near the proposed site of this

project. The location of the congregational churches is at

Calapan City, Brgy. Bucayao, Brgy. Lalud, Brgy. Managpi,

Pambisan, Bagsok, Cawayan Bongabon, Leuteboro Naujan, Bagto

Naujan, Managpi Bagong Silang, and Subaan Socorro. Overall,

over 540 workers are part of the IEMELIF church and 34

workers are assigned in Mindoro based on the church’s 2023

compendium.

The IEMELIF church is continuing to grow, especially in

its ministry and mission. Annually, they have different

Christian activities to vitalize and share their beliefs and

Christian traditions. The Church does not confine itself to

purely internal matters. It also conducts public crusades

and rallies, as well as house-to-house Bible studies. It

also involves itself in civic and community affairs and

extends help to victims of natural calamities like typhoons,

earthquakes, and fires. It is also active in helping promote

matters of public interest such as the movements against

drug use and against air and water pollution. Helping

promote public awareness of civic duties like voting is

among its concerns.

 The researcher gathered information by interviewing

some of the pastors and district superintendents of the

church here in Mindoro. According to them, the IEMELIF

church is very dedicated to its ministries and mission. They

wanted to revitalize the spirituality of the members of the

church and the people involved with them by enriching the

culture and traditions of the church. With the information

gathered, the basic problems are below:

 Planning and development of Pastor’s Village for pastors

that have been assigned in Mindoro for over 3 years (30

Pastors) based on their IRR in a sustainable way

 The lack of a place for different church activities is

one of the challenges that the church has. The Oriental

Mindoro District targets to host some of the major

activities of the church like the annual church

anniversary, National Assemblies, and National Youth

Camps.

 They are also pursuing a spiritual landmark as a

symbolization of one of the earliest Filipino churches in

the country. They hope for a church to be constructed on

the development of one of their missionary programs at

Brgy. Tigkan.
 Pastors and workers are mostly dependent on the worker’s

shares for each of them, so lack of income generator is

also one of the challenges for the workers.

Some of the mission of the IEMELIF church is to work

together in the Spirit and to transform the ministry. The

IEMELIF church needs a facility that could cater to

activities for its mission and for the enrichment of the

church's advocacy and history.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Throughout the years, the IEMELIF church has been true

to its mission as a church. Everyone involved in a church is

working hard to vitalize the spirituality and ministry of

the church. Every year, the population of the members grows.

With this, different activities and future programs are

expecting a much more complex place that would cater to

different activities of the church. Oriental Mindoro

District, aims to host the following potential programs of

different ministry’s that the church has.

1.2.1 Christian Education and Workers Conferences

 District and General Conferences

The conference spans three days on average. To

report on all the significant parts of the church

throughout the entire year, the church holds yearly

general conferences. All employees are required to attend

and participate in receiving information about the church

reports. The conference usually held during February or

second month of the year.

 The IEMELIF Vacation Bible School (VBS) and VBS Training

It was a whole day affair attended by the delegates

from the different IEMELIF districts in the Philippines.

This training teaches workers about program and

activities that children and youth can enjoy and

participate.
 Vacation Bible School is a week of bible studying and

is part of the church advocacy to teach children and

youth the word of God during school breaks or vacation.

 CE High Impact Training

This is for mission team and for the workers to know the

importance of continuous spreading of the word of God and

the church mission. They usually held this Training during

the month of June.

 The Church Anniversary

IEMELIF celebrates its anniversary alongside workers

and church members. The event is usually held in the month

of April. They additionally undertake annual worker

deployments for their churches across the country and even

abroad. With a large number of workers and members attending

this activity, larger venues such as convention centers are

usually the target venue.

 National Workers’ Retreat

This retreat should be attended by church employees from

various districts in the Philippines, as well as a delegate

from the mission abroad. The team building exercises and

sports events held reinforced the church workers' principles

of cooperation and togetherness. They were able to connect

with one another by participating in various activities,

communicating, and creating trust with one another. This

retreat usually happens during month of June or July.

 Deaconess Assembly
 Every year, they are conducting assembly for deaconess

around the Philippines and even from the representatives

abroad. The Deaconess Assembly happened in January 2022.

An average of 100 deaconess and female workers attended

with the program.

1.2.2 Worship, Music and Culture

One of the vital ministries that the church has is

ministry in worship though music. They represent their

passion and raise the mission and beliefs of every Christian

through music. They mostly showcase music on every program

and even initiate trainings and workshops specially for

those who really want to develop their music skills. They do

concerts quarterly and showcase their faith through music.

 The Worship, Music, and Culture Department of the

IEMELIF Church was established in 1933 and was originally

named as Cantos Sagrados (Department of Sacred Music). This

ministry seeks to support and improve church music in order

to provide exciting worship that honors God and serves the

needs of the worshippers. The Pagsamba, Musika at Kultura

(PMK) assists church leaders by preparing programs for

worship and liturgy, special events, musical renditions, and

other needs that should be provided for the Church as a

whole. Guides for sanctuary decorations, sound and lighting,

and visual aids are also part of the assistance provided by

the PMK.

 National Zamora Day

 The National Zamora Day is the annual celebration of

remembering the importance of Nicholas Y Zamora, the founder

of the first all-Filipino churches around the Philippines.

This happens during the month of September.

 National/District Youth Camps and Leadership Trainings

Under lay ministry, the Pambansang Kapisanan ng

Kabataang IEMELIF (PKKI) initiates annual leadership and

retreat programs. This type of event is attended by between

500 and 700 youths. This is primarily to renew the church's

faith and mission for not only the youth members, but also

for the youth in the church's surrounding community. This

kind of program usually happens during summer vacation.

 District Sports Festivals

 One of the advocacies of the church is the health and

wellness of every member. They are opening a sports festival

for the workers and members of the church. This promotes

health and wellness, good communications, and teamwork.

Aside from these activities, the church is actively

involved in certain national and district programs that

benefit not only its members but also the surrounding

community. Harvest Festivals, which every church celebrates

to give thanks for bountiful harvests, National/District

Christmas Fellowship, Family Day, IEMELIF Disciples Journey,

and others are among them.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

This proposed study aims to:

1. To be able to provide the IEMELIF Church a place of

gatherings, a place where workers can achieve their needs,

and to help the church for the enrichment of the culture and

traditions.
2. For IEMELIF district six- Mindoro a place where the

oldest churches of IEMELIF can be found, finally hosts

national activities of the church such as youth camps,

general assemblies, festivals, etc.

3. To examine and research practices and architectural

principles for building different related spaces that will

help the users to meet their needs such as having a sacred

place, a place for workers of the church and ministry, and

open spaces.

4. To be able to develop a comprehensive design that is

suitable for the context of the study and sustainable for

its future needs and function.

5. To evaluate the impact of designing this type of

building on the personal growth of a person, especially the

users of the proposed study.

1.4 Significance of the Problem

The role of having a place mainly for spiritual and

healing is not only pertinent but essential. The purpose of

the proposed IEMELIF retreat and mission center is to give

people a spiritual and healing space for renewal and

reflection. It will be going to be a place for reconnecting

its users to God and having a sense of inner peace.

The researcher seeks light on this matter, offering

valuable proposals and knowledge through the use of some

architectural principles and theories. They strive to

research and seek more to give what the user is expecting to

see as an outcome. The significance of the project is

important to every user and people involved in it. The

preceding information is about the people and the

significance of the proposed project to them.

IEMELIF Church- this study mainly aims for the church to

help their members and workers to have a place not just for

spiritual and healing but also for holistic wellness and

mental stability of every user. This is a great opportunity

to improve and preserve the stability of the church and its

rich culture. Aside from these, this proposed project can

also help the church generate income for their future

advocacy as a church for people.

Family- The concept of retreat centers is to cater different

segments of society. It serves as a sanctuary and catalyst

for personal and communal needs. A retreat center intended

to serve families gives the chance to spend quality moments

together, a way out of the distractions of screens and work

attachment. It becomes a place where families can reunite,

fortify relationships, and bring lasting recollection.

Couple- The retreat center provides an intimate setting

where couples can escape the pressure of daily life and

focus on each other. Couples’ retreats can provide tools for

communication, and closeness, and regenerate the fire in

their connection.

Youth- In this modern world, young people face different

challenges and distractions with themselves. A youth-

friendly retreat center can provide a safe and nurturing

environment where personal growth, leadership development,

and self-exploration are encouraged. It becomes a space

where young people can explore their identities, values ,

and ambitions.

Community- The proposed project will help the community stay

well-connected to each other. It provides a stand for

community events, workshops, and gatherings that promote

social unity and a sense of closeness. It can also promote

the interest of those around the retreat center. In

addition, the community can also generate income on the

spot, which will help the community evolve. This can also
create employment opportunities, attract tourism, and

contribute to the cultural enrichment of the place.

1.5 Assumption

The research study will rely on the assumptions that

the proposed IEMELIF Retreat and Ministry Center will create

spaces that can mainly help its users achieve a spiritual

and harmonious experience with regard to the architectural

design approach that is used in the study.

1.6 Conceptual Framework

Figure 1. The Conceptual Framework

The study aims to mainly focus on the proper

development of the project with respect to architectural

processes and interventions. The researcher demonstrates the

research pattern through the use of input-process-output

theory. The input contains architectural intervention that

could help throughout the process of developing the retreat

and mission center. The process level indicates all the

necessary solutions to meet the demand of concepts in input

and to generate the output which is the IEMELIF Retreat and

Mission Center.

1.7 Theoretical Framework

The bottom level of Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which

is sometimes depicted as a pyramid, relates to physiological

needs such food, water, sleep, and warmth. Safety,

love/belonging, personal esteem and the most accentuated,

the self- actualization make up the next level. According to

Couture et al. (2007), the psychological process aiming at

optimizing the utilization of a person's resources and

talents has also been referred to as self-actualization.

Each person's experience with this approach will be unique.

To be feasible, the proposed ideas require a foundation and

rules. People looking for spirituality and tranquility can

stay at retreat centers.

The researcher is able to determine the project's

fundamental planning in line with the preferences of the

project's individual users. The primary and secondary users

of the project, as well as the significant participants,

such as the missionaries sent out by the church, local

government officials, regional leaders, and the

neighborhood, should first be identified by the researcher.

In order to apply architectural interventions to the

project, the researcher should prepare and carry out

surveys, interviews, site visits, observations, and

research. Last but not least, the researcher must compile

and evaluate all the data in order to produce the retreat

and mission center and to fulfill the study's objectives.

1.8 Scope and Limitation

The development of an IEMELIF retreat and mission

center in Brgy Tigkan, Naujan Oriental Mindoro is the main

goal of the project proposal. This plan is not limited to

those who can use the facilities; it also intends to create

a peaceful and therapeutic environment for churchgoers and

staff as well as the surrounding community.

The construction and operation of the project's

buildings or facilities is the study's primary area of

interest.
 The research and data gathered solely covers

information and issues related to the IEMELIF church's

activities, beliefs, advocacy, and yearly reports.

1.9 Definition of Terms

Congregational Church- it is a Protestant Christian

denomination and a form of church administration. It is

characterized by an accentuation on the autonomy of each

local church.

Deaconess- a woman chosen to assist in the church ministry

particularly assisting pastors

District- the division of the church around the whole

country

District Superintendent- the one who is in charge of

governing the churches under a district

Missionary Church- generally, it refers to a church or

Christian sect that emphasizes missionary work, which

involves spreading the Christian faith, often in areas or

among people who have never previously come into contact

with Christianity.
Pastor- is responsible for the management of a church or

Christian congregation.

Religious Architecture- also known as sacred architecture.

It is a practice concerned with the design and construction

of places of worship or sacred or intentional spaces, such

as churches, mosques, stupas, synagogues, and temples.

Retreat Center- a use that provides for the operation of

spiritual, cultural or educational indoor or outdoor

programs for single-day or in-residence guest use, and may

include sleeping accommodation for in-residence guests in a

single building or cabins; shared kitchen and eating area in

a main building

Spiritual-

Abbreviation

IEMELIF- Iglesia Evangelica Metodista en las Islas Filipinas

PKKI- Pambansang kapisanan ng Kabataan ng IEMELIF