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The Golden Years of GGCC

As active Evangelist with the Golden Gate Church of Christ (GGCC) in San Francisco, California and columnist with the weekly Philippine News Today, I would like to share to our readers my article “The Golden Years of GGCC”. The Golden Gate congregation is celebrating 86th Anniversary until December 31, 2023. The article is included  in the updated church website, as follows:

“The Golden Gate Church of Christ (GGCC) started in the mid 30s initially renting places of worship with alternating preachers serving as ministers/evangelists.

Eventually, the Golden Gate congregation was able to buy a lot located at the corner of 8th Avenue and Cabrillo Street in the Richmond District of San Francisco, California, and subsequently built a church building now located at 701-8th Avenue (near the Golden Gate Park) in San Francisco, California USA. Today, GGCC, which started on August 27, 1937, is celebrating 86th Anniversary.

 GGCC was able to select and install elders and deacons in the early 50s, which marked the golden years of the congregation. Historic documents, discovered by the late brother Herman Trinidad, Jr., revealed that GGCC supported mission works in Mexico, Philippines, Germany and other countries in Europe.

The historic documents also revealed special connection between the Christians in San Francisco, California and the Christians in the Philippines. Minutes of the Meeting of Elders at the Golden Gate Church of Christ in San Francisco, California, dated October 5, 1952, paragraph 9, read: “There was considered a matter of contribution to the Philippine and Mexican work.”

Minutes of the Meeting of Elders and Deacons in San Francisco, California , dated October 23, 1952, paragraph 6, also read:  “Communication dated September 4, 1952, from  Ralph F. Brashears  was reviewed . For the past several years, Brother Brasheas has been doing  missionary work in the Philippines.”

“His letter stated that they are in urgent need of a church building in Baguio City, Philippines. Although our funds are very low, and urgently needed for our work at Golden Gate, nevertheless, it was concluded that the Philippine work was most deserving and that we should make special effort to assist them.”

Ralph Brashears , the late missionary to the Philippines (together with his wife Bernice Brashears), started the Philippine mission work and the Philippine Bible College in Tayug, Pangasinan in the early 50s.

Due to the very hot climate in the lowlands, the Brashears couple moved to Baguio City, Philippines. They subsequently built the church building for the Baguio City Church of Christ and the Philippine Bible College now located in Rimando Road, Baguio City, Philippines, through the financial help of the Golden Gate Church of Christ in San Francisco, together with other sister congregations in California and other states.

Many preachers and evangelists from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao, Philippines were graduates of the Associate of Theology and Bachelor of Theology at the old Philippine Bible College in Rimando Road, Baguio City, Philippines Many of these graduates are now serving as ministers, evangelists, elders and deacons in various congregations in the Philippines, Canada, U.S. A., , Hong Kong, Singapore and other countries . Some of the graduates are also serving now as presidents, directors  and faculty members of colleges, universities and bible schools in United States, Canada, Philippines and nearby East Asian countries.(Source: Historic Philippine Mission, SF-RP CONNECTION, NEIGHBORHOOD JOURNAL, Front Page story, January-February, 2004)

My beloved wife Virginia Jimenez Madlaing, and I (together with our then young daughters Darlene Vi and Wynema Joy) placed our membership with the Golden Gate congregation in 1976. The late Bro. Bonner was the minister/preacher at that time. He was succeeded by the late Bro. Morgan Taylor. Other ministers/preachers who served at the Golden Gate congregation include Atty. Paul Love, now serving as Professor at Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas;  Bro. Eli Quesada, who served for about 10 years; Bro. Silbano Garcia, and  Bro. James Quitoriano, the present and longest-serving minister of the Golden Gate congregation.

The Golden Gate congregation was able to select and install four elders on August 29, 2004, 6:00pm, at the GGCC Auditorium, 701-8th Avenue, San Francisco, California. The late Evangelist Paul Methvin, Founder & Director of  Tahoe Family Encampment (formerly Yosemite Family Encampment) installed the following elders: DARRYL C. DARDEN, retired U.S. Army officer who served as former elder at the Weisbaden Church of Christ in Weisbaden, Germany and  Hampton Church of Christ in Hampton, Virginia, USA;  ODELLE B. LEE, retired U. S. diplomat who also served as former elder at the Williamsburg Church of Christ in Williamsburg, Virginia and Fairfax Church of Christ in Fairfax, Virginia, USA; KAAN Y, CHIN, businessman and retired fire safety inspector and educator with the City and Country of San Francisdo, California USA; and yours truly (Art Gabot Madlaing), book author, columnist, accredited and commissioned Notary Public and licensed Real Estate Broker (DRE #00635976) in California since 1981.  Unfortunately, the three elders (Darryl Darden, Odelle Lee and Kaan Chin) moved so the eldership was dissolved.