From Home Gatherings to a Growing Stake: Antipolo Celebrates Nearly Four Decades of Faith

What began in the 1980s as small gatherings in homes and borrowed spaces has grown into a thriving stake with thousands of members, multiple congregations, and a legacy of faith that now spans generations. On a recent Saturday, that story was honored, examined, and passed forward.

The Antipolo Philippines Stake Relief Society hosted a stakewide history fair centered on preserving and celebrating the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Philippines, with particular emphasis on the Antipolo Philippines Stake. Members, leaders, and pioneers gathered in a unified effort to reflect on the Church's beginnings in the area and to understand their place in its continuing story.

A Stake Rooted in the 1980s

The history of the Church in Antipolo traces back to the early 1980s, when missionaries and the first local members met quietly in homes and small gatherings. Those modest beginnings gave way to steady growth that culminated in the organization of the Antipolo Philippines Stake in 1997, with Arnulfo Roda serving as its first stake president.

As membership continued to increase, the stake expanded and eventually contributed to the creation of additional stakes, including the Marikina East Philippines Stake. Today, the Antipolo Philippines Stake is composed of six wards: Antipolo 1st Ward, Antipolo 2nd Ward, Masagana 1st Ward, Masagana 2nd Ward, San Isidro 1st Ward, and San Isidro 2nd Ward.

Voices From the Early Years

The program was conducted under the direction of the stake presidency, led by President Gregorio Villalon, with President Michael Jacob serving as first counselor and President Stephen Raflores as second counselor. The stake Relief Society presidency, led by President Anita Baluyot with Sister Morena Baylon as first counselor, Sister Ana Marie Somoray as second counselor, and Sister Justine Rose Angolluan as secretary, organized the event.

President Michael Jacob opened the program with remarks on the importance of remembering the Church's beginnings and recognizing the Lord's hand in its growth. A recorded message from Arnulfo Roda, the stake's founding president, offered personal reflections on the faith of the members who built the stake in its earliest years.

Patriarch Alfredo Ardon, a former stake president, spoke on the continuity of faith across generations and the responsibility of current members to build on the foundation that those before them established.

An Interactive Fair, a Living Timeline

The centerpiece of the activity was an interactive history fair featuring displays of early missionary materials, photographs, and personal records. Members participated in activities that invited them to map their own Church history and contribute entries to a stake timeline documenting key milestones and individual faith journeys.

A time capsule initiative gave members the opportunity to write messages and record personal experiences to be preserved for future generations, a deliberate act of passing the story forward.

Toward the close of the program, stake pioneers Sister Dory Tarrobago and Sister Esther Besana shared testimonies recounting their experiences during the earliest years of the Church in Antipolo. Sister Miriam Estravila, a newer member, also bore testimony, her words reflecting the continued growth of the Church and the reach of faith into new lives and new families.

Building on What Was Given

President Gregorio Villalon closed the activity by encouraging members to remember the sacrifices of the early Saints and to continue strengthening the Church in their own areas and families.

The history fair underscored both the distance the Antipolo Philippines Stake has traveled since those first home gatherings and the shared sense of identity and purpose that continues to bind its members together. Nearly four decades after the Church took its first roots in Antipolo, the story, its members made clear, is still being written.