American Filipino Christian Church
13932 SE Stark St. Portland, OR 97233

    The American Filipino Baptist Church in Portland was welcomed into the Columbia Baptist Conference at the 1988 C.B.C. annual meeting along with two other churches in the Lower Columbia.
    The American Filipino Church began because of the vision of Carlos San Luis to plant 20 Filipino Conference Baptist churches by the year 2000.  Pastor Luis personally planted two Filipino churches in Vancouver, B.C. and one in Seattle before he planted the new church in Portland.  He has also been a catalyst in the beginning of several other Filipino churches. 
    Carlos and Linda and their daughters, Carlinda, Melodee and Helen moved to Portland April 1, 1987.  They had only one contact in the city, Lolita Moe, whom they had met during Expo 1986 in Vancouver, B.C.  When the San Luis family moved to Portland, Lolita opened her home for Bible studies, received Christ and was baptized along with a friend.  Lolita's friends were a responsive mission field.  In July a team of 30 Filipinos from Vancouver, B.C., came with their pastor Luis Pantoja to help in the Portland ministry.  There were 30 professions of faith from the 150 visits the team made.  About 70 attended the closing rally.
    A kick-off service for the new congregation was held August 30 at Temple Baptist Church with John Hoeldtke as the speaker.  Attendance was 80 including interested Conference Baptists.  When the new Filipino church held its own first regular service there were 20 present, but within six months the attendance grew to 50 average and a high of 70.
    The church was organized October 25, 1987, with 23 charter members.  The recognition council met January  16.  John A. Anderson was chairman.  Public recognition celebration followed on February 7, with John Hoeldtke as the speaker.  Temple Baptist Church provided space in its facilities for the Filipino church ^a for a period of three years.  Around this time the Filipino church found some property in SE Portland and on November 27, 1988, the Filipino congregation had a ground breaking ceremony with Pastor Steve Roy of Temple.  They are a delightful congregation that express their Love not with Words, but with Actions and Truth.  When they purchased the property for the church, it had an extra property lot with it.  After some time, they sold the extra lot and paid off the remainder of the mortgage.  The church at this time is debt free. ^a 
    The San Luis family moved to Hayward in California's Bay area in October 1988.  They immediately began work on planting two Filipino churches.  Sunday services began in both new churches in January 1989, in the greater Oakland community.
    Agapito Bernardo, his wife Linda and daughters Alyn and Beulah arrived October 13, 1988, from the Philippines to be pastor of the Portland congregation.
    Scripture from their bulletin:  "If you abide in my word, then you are truly my disciples; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free."  John 8: 31-32^a

    This account, with the exception of a few sentences ^(a) was taken from John Bergeson's book "Fourth Quarter."