FREDERICKSBURG, Va. — Roughly translated, the Filipino proverb “Ang palay ay parisan, habang nagkakalaman ay lalong nagpugpugay,” means: “Imitate the rice stalk; the more grains it bears, the lower it bows.”
The Filipino-American Christian Church in Stafford County, Va., has taken the folk wisdom to heart by broadening its focus and changing its name.
“We have not changed our mission — just added a wider door for all people, from all cultures,” says Gil Diokno, pastor.
Children stand together and sing during a Sunday afternoon service at Fredericksburg International Christian Church, formerly the Filipino-American Christian Church. The recent name change reflects the increasing diversity of the congregation. (PHOTO BY ROBERT A. MARTIN/FREE-LANCE STAR)
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The new name, Fredericksburg International Christian Church, reflects the growing cultural diversity of the congregation, he said. The church celebrated its 10th anniversary on Nov. 6, and members approved the name change.
The membership is predominantly Filipino, plus American spouses and family. But as the church has grown, Diokno, said, “we also became more mixed in culture,” with Hispanics and African-Americans, as well as people from China and Korea.
The congregation meets in the sanctuary of Friendship Baptist Church off Deacon Road in Fredericksburg, Va. FICC is a member of the Fredericksburg Baptist Association and the Baptist General Association of Virginia.
The new name, Diokno said, was chosen “to be welcoming to everybody.” Having the word “international” in the name made it easier for non-Filipinos to connect.
Under the previous name, “Our young people would say they’d like to invite friends to church, but their friends would say, ‘Oh, I can’t go there because I’m Korean, or Chinese.’ It was a hindrance to being inviting.”
FICC has one Sunday service, at 2:30 p.m., along with Sunday school and a Bible study beforehand. In addition, it has a monthly fellowship dinner.
Friendship Baptist Church shares its building with FICC and one other church, so worship activities are spread out during the day.
“During the weekdays, we hold Bible study and small groups in the homes of members,” Diokno said. When he arrived as pastor in 2004, about 35 members met in a small fellowship hall. Nearly 100 now meet in the larger sanctuary.
Diokno, 59, was born in the Philippines. His father was a lawyer turned pastor.
“When I came to know Jesus Christ, I understood his commitment” to change his life in the face of a yearning for God, Diokno said.
He received a degree in engineering in the Philippines, but his heart, like that of his father, was steering him on another path. He chose instead to attend seminary.
After being ordained, he and his wife, Janette, a nurse, moved to California, then Chicago, where they lived for 12 years. Diokno was associate pastor of Hope Christian Church in Skokie, Ill., before joining Fil-Am Christian Church in Fredericksburg in 2004.
Charlie Chilton, a Locust Grove resident and religion columnist for the Free Lance-Star, founded the church, along with locations in Dale City, Va., and Richmond, Va. He attended the 10th anniversary of the church.
“Having watched this congregation grow, I’m pleased to see how they’ve developed and matured, and how they are carrying out the vision,” he said.
Chilton and his wife, Fay, spent time in the Philippines and learned the language. When they returned to the states, they felt moved to minister to a growing population of Filipinos in Virginia.
“The Lord puts an idea in our hearts and helps us to dream a dream, and if we join him, it’s going to turn out,” Chilton said.
Rusty Dennen is a writer for the Free-Lance Star in Fredericksburg, in which this article originally appeared. It is reprinted by persmission.