Philippines

Prudencio Lim answered the call to ministry in 1983. A successful grocery store owner, Prudencio sold his business and became the founding pastor of Looking Unto Jesus Church, one church located in Caloocan City, in the Metro Manila area. Pastor Lim has always had a vision from the beginning to be an evangelist and church planter. Over the past years God has honored that vision and Pastor Lim’s faithfulness.

A gifted evangelist, Pastor Lim annually forms an evangelistic team and holds a crusade somewhere on the island of Luzon (the main island). He has a three-fold plan that he never waivers from: hold a crusade, plant a church, and support the pastor until the church becomes self-supporting. That plan has been in place since 1985. As a result, approximately fifteen churches have been planted. Today there are 16 churches and one “preaching point”. Total attendance is around 950 people.

On June 23, 2005 at General Conference, the Looking Unto Jesus Churches merged into the United Brethren In Christ Church. So, officially, they are the Philippine National Conference of the United Brethren In Christ Church. For now, they wish to be known as the “Looking Unto Jesus United Brethren In Christ Church” to help hold their local identity.

The first U.B.-L.U.J. connection took place in the spring of 1999 when an evangelistic team from Franklin U.B. in New Albany/Columbus, Ohio joined Pastor Lim and his team as they held a crusade in Tarlac, Luzon. Pastor Lim has made several trips to the U.S. speaking in U.B. churches as well as attending General Conference. Hong Kong U.B. Conference has been working closely with the L.U.J. churches and will continue to serve as ministry partners as the Philippines National Conference moves into the future.

Overview Facts for The Philippines

• Population: 85.2 million (via UN, 2006)
• Capital: Manila
• Area: 300,000 sq km (115,831 sq miles)
• Major languages: Filipino, English (both official)
• Major religion: Christianity
• Life expectancy: 68 years (men), 72 years (women) (UN)
• Monetary unit: 1 Philippine peso = 100 centavos
• Main exports: Electrical machinery, clothing, food and live animals, chemicals, timber products
• GNI per capita: US $1,300 (World Bank, 2006)

Flag Description

There are two equal horizontal bands of blue (top; representing peace and justice) and red (representing courage). A white equilateral triangle based on the hoist side represents equality. The center of the triangle displays a yellow sun with eight primary rays, each representing one of the first eight provinces that sought independence from Spain. Each corner of the triangle contains a small, yellow, five-pointed star representing the three major geographical divisions of the country: Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. The design of the flag dates to 1897. In wartime the flag is flown upside down with the red band at the top.