Agape Baptist Church (ABC) seeks to respond to Jesus’ commandments and fulfill His “Great Commission” by doing His will in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are a 32-Year-old Filipino-International church located in Washington DC. We are affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Convention of Maryland/Delaware, and the Montgomery Baptist Association. We are a community of approximately 60 believers worshiping Christ our Lord, proclaiming the gospel of salvation to all people, ministering to persons in need and growing in Christ’s likeness. Most of our leading members actively serve ABC and are involved in our ministries supporting ABC and the DC, MD and VA communities. We are presently searching for a new Pastor to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, teach the biblical revelation, engage in pastoral care ministries, provide guidance in all areas of ABC functions, activities, ministries, and programs and provide leadership to bring our community into a deeper more meaningful relationship with Jesus Christ.
ABC had a humble beginning. She was called then, Filipino Christian Fellowship. Eva had a vision about starting a Bible study among Filipinos worshiping at Wisconsin Avenue Baptist Church. She shared her burden with Bro. Jun Diongzon, a deacon of the Church. Together with six ladies, namely: Carol, Betty, Delia, Andressa, Eva and Emilia, they meet with Rev. Cecil Mahendranath who was the interim pastor at that time and discussed the possibility of starting a fellowship among internationals. It was on January 21, 1991 that the group met once a month on a Sunday afternoon for fellowship, singing, prayer, sharing of testimonies and worship.
As the Lord placed in their hearts the burden and vision of reaching Filipinos and internationals with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, some Filipino Christians heard about the on-going activity and joined the group.
But the Lord who is the Giver of life and the source of all blessings had other plans for their leader, Bro. Jun Diongzon. He went “home” to be with the Lord in July 1991. Although the group felt a deep sense of loss, they continued to fellowship with each other knowing that God will never leave them. The Lord in His time called Rev. James C. Martinez to continue the ministry Bro. Jun started.
Pastor James C. Martinez has been the pastor of Agape Baptist Church since 1991. Pastor James was ordained in 1981 at Clark Field Baptist Church in Angeles City, Pampanga, Philippines. Clark Field BC is where Pastor James came to know the Lord as Savior & Lord in 1974 and where he also met his wife, Virgie. Pastor James, Virgie, their two daughters, Javee & Verily, migrated to the USA in 1988. In 1998, the family welcomed an addition to their family, a son, Marc Ian.
The group faithfully ministered to each other and reached out to lost souls through Bible study, tract distribution, visitation and fulfilling the “Great Commission” of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord knows the hearts and desires of His children. He knows who are faithful, available and willing to learn of His ways and to be used by Him. God made them instruments to bring others to His fold.
The Fellowship continued to grow. Many became members of WABC and became involved in the different ministries of the Church. As spiritual need grew, it became evident for the group to meet every Sunday. They saw God’s work in their midst and realized that discipleship of members for future leadership was eminent for greater task.
In February 1992, the Filipino Christian Fellowship celebrated its first anniversary with the theme “Press on Toward the Mark.” Indeed, the theme became the goal to which the group was striving for. The second anniversary was on January 16, 1993. The theme was “We Are More Than Conquerors” (Romans 9:37).
1993 WABC acknowledged the group as a mission congregation of the Church. The name of the group was changed to Filipino International Baptist Mission with a goal to become the first Filipino-International church in Washington, D.C. On January 3, 1998, FIBM was constituted as Church and changed its name to Agape Baptist Church. The theme for the constituting service was “No Greater Love” (John 15:13).
Pastor James Martinez announced his retirement from full-time ministry on September 10, 2017, with his last day of pulpit ministry on December 31, 2017. Pastor James, along with Sis. Virgie, served Agape for 26 years and we are blessed that they have been faithful to the call. Pastor James continues to stay in the Washington, DC area and is still a part of the Agape community.
At a time of hiatus in 2020 and an unclear future brought on by the pandemic, Agape’s Pastor Search Committee received an email from a friend. Pastor Justin Gipitulan was a speaker in the early 2000 at Agape’s Annual Family Retreat. God was at work in placing Pastor Justin in touch with the committee after months and months of prayer, researching, and reflection. We praise God that we only experienced four months of assembling online. On July 2020, we resumed in-person worship while following CDC guidelines. A Three-year long search produced God’s answered prayers to His church. On March 13, 2021, Agape held its first Pastor installation of Justin Gipitulan with his wife Juvy by his side.
After two years and eight months, Pastor Justin tendered his resignation as Senior Pastor with his last pulpit ministry on October 29, 2023. Although we find ourselves in uncertain circumstances again, the Lord remains true, faithful, and good in the lives of His people. We praise the Lord for 9 baptisms that have occurred during this time. The Gipitulans continue to reside in the Metro area.
Agape continues its ministry at the same location God called them to. Being in Washington, DC is a unique challenge to the congregation due to the transient nature of the city. Most Filipino members of Agape are OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) and return to the Philippines to retire. We continue on to share the Gospel and Jesus to those who enter our doors.
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