Twenty-Five Years in the Making: Bago-Bantay Ward Breaks Ground on Its Meetinghouse

There are moments in the life of a congregation that feel like the answer to every prayer spoken in between. For the members of the Bago-Bantay Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, May 9, 2026 was exactly that kind of morning.

Nearly 100 people gathered at 14 Abra Street, Barangay Ramon Magsaysay, Quezon City, for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Bago-Bantay Meetinghouse. Ward members, full-time missionaries, returned missionaries who once served in the area, pioneer members, and former bishops stood together on a 2,500-square-meter property that the Church purchased in 2001. For 25 years, that land had been held in faith. On Saturday, the first shovels finally turned the earth. 

A Quarter Century of Faithful Waiting

The Bago-Bantay Ward has worshipped without a building of its own for as long as most of its members can remember. For years, members traveled to the Malakas Meetinghouse and later to the Tandang Sora Meetinghouse to attend Sunday services. The distance was a quiet, steady sacrifice made week after week, year after year, by people who loved their ward and their Savior too much to stop showing up.

The property on Abra Street was originally purchased in 2001 during the tenure of Bishop Irvin Valle Quito, the first bishop of the ward. It was an act of vision and faith. What followed was the long, patient work of building a congregation worthy of the building that would one day rise on that ground.

Four bishops served the ward in the years between that purchase and this groundbreaking. Bishop Emerson Abraham served the ward in 2000. Bishop Vladimiro Ciero De Leon served twice, first beginning in 2004 and again in 2013. Bishop Gerobelee Angoluan served beginning in 2008. Bishop Alexandro Sedano served beginning in 2017. Brothers Angoluan and Sedano were both present on May 9.

The ceremony was presided over by President Robin Evangelista, First Counselor in the Philippines Quezon City Stake presidency. Warm weather settled over the morning, but it did not dampen the occasion. By every account, the mood was one of deep gratitude, barely contained excitement, and the particular kind of joy that belongs only to things that have been waited for a long time.

"We Will Be Building New Testimonies"

Brother Geo Padilla, second counselor in the Bago-Bantay Ward bishopric, spoke first about what the morning meant. His words carried more weight than a description of construction timelines.

"We will be witnessing not only the groundbreaking for our new meetinghouse," he said. "We will be building new testimonies. This is another foundation strengthened by our testimonies and covenants to share the gospel. With our new meetinghouse, we can welcome more people to learn the Lord's teachings. We will also continue building a community that extends charity and Christlike love."

It is a framing that gets at something essential about what meetinghouses are for. They are not simply gathering places. They are, in the language of the scriptures Bishop George Helaman Tobias quoted later in the ceremony, places of defense and refuge.

"The construction of the Bago-Bantay Meetinghouse fulfills the purpose of providing a defense and a refuge, not only for us but also for the community," Bishop Tobias said. "As the Church continues dotting the earth with temples, meetinghouses are also being established to strengthen faith and gather God's children."

The Saints Who Built This Ward

Bishop Tobias used the occasion to honor the leaders who came before him. His words were careful and specific, the kind that come from someone who knows exactly whose shoulders he is standing on.

"One of the characteristics of the Bago-Bantay Ward Saints is their willingness to serve," he said. "Their meekness, humility, and willingness to serve in quiet dignity are qualities that I know are very pleasing unto the Lord."

Speaking directly to former bishops Angoluan and Sedano, who were seated among the congregation, Bishop Tobias continued: "They laid the foundation of the Bago-Bantay Ward. They taught and mentored the members and faithfully continued the work that has now been passed on to the next generation of leaders and members."

Brother Alex Sedano, who served as bishop from 2017 to 2023, received those words with evident feeling. He told those gathered that the meetinghouse represents something beyond a building project.

"The building is also a representation that the faith and membership of the members are growing," Brother Sedano said. "It also reflects the success of the leaders who have faithfully served the ward through the years."

He added a point that has been central to the ward's growth from its earliest years. "Missionary work helped make this meetinghouse possible," he said. "It is the lifeblood of the Church. The Church will not progress if we do not support the missionaries and the work of sharing the gospel."

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A Returned Missionary Comes Home

Among those who made the trip to Abra Street on Saturday was Kevin Rosario, a returned missionary who served in the Bago-Bantay Ward in 2022. He did not have to be there. He chose to be.

"Sobrang masaya ako nung malaman ko na magkakaroon na ng meetinghouse ang ward," Rosario said. "Umattend ako kasi gusto ko makita at ma-witness yung groundbreaking. Ngayon na na-witness ko siya, sobrang saya ko kasi looking back as a missionary, parang ito yung isa sa mga goal namin kasama yung mga leaders ng simbahan."

("I was so happy when I found out the ward was finally going to have a meetinghouse. I came because I wanted to see and witness the groundbreaking. Now that I've witnessed it, I'm so happy because looking back as a missionary, this was one of the goals we had together with the leaders of the Church.")

His presence on Saturday was a small but meaningful illustration of what this ward has built over 25 years. People come back. They return not out of obligation but because something in them was shaped here, and they want to be present when the next chapter begins.

More Than a Building

President Evangelista closed the ceremony with a reminder that the most important construction happening in Bago-Bantay is not the kind that follows a floor plan.

"When the chapel is built here, it will become an opportunity for the community to see the Church more clearly," he said. "But more important than building the chapel is building our testimonies and strengthening our faith throughout this process."

He reminded members that every shovel of earth turned during the ceremony symbolized a commitment to establish a place where individuals and families can feel the love of the Savior and the influence of the Holy Ghost.

The  Bago-Bantay Meetinghouse is anticipated for completion by the first quarter of 2027. The construction spans 2,500 square meters on a property held by the Church since 2001, located at 14 Abra Street, Barangay Ramon Magsaysay, Quezon City.