It all started in the mid-1970’s when God started dealing with a promising businessman and his family, that dissipated his various businesses and nearly took his life until he surrendered his very life and all he owned to the Lord. After the exhortations by the Rev. Charles Widdowson, a vsiting charismatic Anglican priest from Australia to the Church of the Resurrection in Baguio, and after attending the first World MAP Convention in Baguio City in March 1980, Mr. Moses R. Chungalao had a great burden from the Lord to share the Good News and reach out for souls to people around Baguio City and the Mountain Provinces, and elsewhere in the Cordilleras as the Lord led and opened the way. Thus, then Mr. Moses Chungalao opened bible studies at his Insurance office at 2nd Floor, New Lopez Building (now GP Arcade) in late 1980 and started reaching out to Quirino Hill, Dagsian and Alno, La Trinidad, Benguet, in early 1981. His only assistants and very first outreach team were his two little boys, Moses Harvey and Aaron Harold, ages 12 and 11 at the time, who would help their dad by giving him company and do bits of errands and holding or setting up the small portable amplifiers and speakers. Not long later that same year, Bible Studies and evening fellowships were started at the Municipal Hall of La Trinidad, Benguet, and bible studies were opened wherever invited. The Lord touched the hearts of young people who surrendered their lives with burning desire to serve God and were sent to conduct and maintain the Bible Studies in various places after their classes in the evenings, often walking home hungry and without rides late at night. Thus, started the first volunteer workers amid much persecutions, discouragements, and rejections from family and friends, but they continued to persevere. During summer and semestral breaks, they volunteered to farther places to serve in the field and provinces until they felt they were being called to full time service even without monetary remunerations.
As years passed, more bible studies in more places were opened with increasing invitations being received; and an Outreach Team responded to the neighboring towns and provinces. Persistent signs and wonders and miracles were done by the Lord that drew more and more people, but also stirring up the enemy to put up steep obstacles and hindrances that were overcome by God’s marvelous power through His servants. Other churches were stirred and challenged and awakened.
With the help of the Janet Combs singing team in the first five years of FBCFI, many places throughout the Cordilleras and Northern Luzon were reached jointly with Pastor Moses leading and coordinating. With the help of the Morris Cerullo Ministry, the World Outreach, and the World MAP, our first volunteer church workers and pastors were taught and trained through periodic seminars, besides our own basic Discipleship Training Course.
After the ministry was first birthed in late 1980 in the Insurance Office of Mr. Moses Chungalao where the first Bible Studies were done, at the 2nd Floor of the former New Lopez Building, now GP Arcade, and the fellowship was named FBC (meaning Free Believers in Christ), the first set of crusades with the Janet Combs Team were done from February to March 1982 in La Union, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Kalinga, Mountain Province, Ifugao, and Benguet. After that, the fellowship venue moved to Vallejo Hotel in May 1982 when the insurance office could no longer contain the number of people. It was moved again to the Baguio Lions Club Building on Gov. Pack Road in July 1982 as the crowd was fast increasing.Then the leaders voted to name the fellowship “Life In The Spirit”. The first shaking test came at the end of the year and the work at Lions Club was taken over by a partner servant of the Lord together with the rest of the neophyte leaders in the first quarter of 1983, except the continuing outreach works in the suburbs and La Trinidad. Consequently, Pastor Moses started all over again in the same insurance office right after the second set of crusades with the Janet Combs Team in the second quarter of 1983 and kept the original “Free Believers in Christ”. This time, the work was blessed so fast and grew just as quickly as the first, and was moved to the BSBT Auditorium at Harrison Road, Baguio City. Outreach bible studies continued at Puliwes, Kennon Road; La Trinidad Town Hall; Alno, La Trinidad; Quirino Hill; Dagsian and other suburbs of Baguio City.
The BSBT Auditorium very soon could not contain the fast growing congregation due to many miracle blessings and visibly transformed lives of the people attending the fellowship. The group then moved to the YMCA Conference Hall up to the end of 1983. Simultaneously, outreach works were done continuously to various places far and near, and more Bible studies were opened as the young people volunteered to handle them.
In the first quarter of 1984, the fellowship moved to the Mila del Sol Complex at Burnham Park as the congregation grew more and more. Outreach works continued in various places in the provinces of Benguet, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Kalinga Apayao, La Union, Zambales and Isabela, where Bible Studies and new congregations were started and grew very fast as the people became very receptive to the Word and wondrous works of God through the Holy Spirit.
In October 1984, the fellowship moved to the Baguio Lions Club Building, when it was given up by the former group and the Lord gave it to us once more . It was there where the main fellowship was held with the greatest number of people attending, even as services were also being held at the Pastor’s House and Chapel at No. 46 P. Burgos, Baguio City. More and more volunteer workers came in from the believers, and a Charismatic School of Ministry was organized by the World Outreach (Philippines), Inc. in October 1984 to February 1985 as a prerequisite for the ordination of Pastor Moses R. Chungalao. Therefore, on July 12, 1985 World Outreach (Philippines) ordained Pastor Moses into full-time ministry of the Gospel, together with few others into Church Workers. Another school of ministry was done in February 1987 that resulted in the ordination of eleven other pastors in May 1987 for Free Believers In Christ Fellowship, besides others from other fellowships and churches. A third School of Ministry was held by World Outreach again in Baguio City on May 1988 that was well attended by our church leaders and workers from the various provinces for their training.
The Fellowship enjoyed the legal covering of World Outreach Philippines Inc., until it registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission on March 4, 1988 under SEC Reg. No. BE00061 with the official name of Free Believers In Christ Fellowship, Inc., and the founder, Pastor Moses R. Chungalao, as President and Senior Minister. At present, FBCFI has more than 24 existing congregations and outreaches in Baguio and suburbs as follows: Baguio Lions Club Bldg.; New Lucban Church Bldg.; Philex Mine; Alang Torre; Ampucao; Sal-angan; Sa-es; Pacdal; Atok Trail; Km. 3 Asin Road; Km. 4 Asin Road; San Carlos Heights; Mushroom Apugan, and Balenben (in Irisan); Calot, Bayabas, Mangi, Poblacion (in Sablan); Batuan, Tuba; Virac, and Acupan (in Itogon),Bokod; Antamok Tram, Ucab; Gumatdang Atok, Apugan, Santo Tomas.. The FBCFI in La Trinidad has 13 existing congregations and outreaches at Bahingawan Bldg. and Riverside Km. 5; Betag Km 6; Buyagan; Banayakeo; Lubas; Alno; Bahong; Wangal; Bineng; Tawang; Shilan; and Shamolog. Today, there are 263 organized and established churches in over 25 provinces, including 11 cities. Together with their various outreaches, they can number over 500 all over the country. There are 219 full-time church workers, pastors, and self-support volunteer pastoring leaders taking care of the works here in the Philippines, exclusive of those serving abroad overseas.
In 1991, the Lord expanded the work of FBCFI outside the Philippines starting in Hong Kong in February 1991. We now have at least ten (10) outreach congregations spread up to the farthest North Territories near China border, with our main church in Central Hong Kong and a separate Tagalog congregation. Work started also in Macau in March 1991; Singapore in January 1993; Malaysia in January 1995; Taiwan in April 1995; Canada in 1996 where we have now eight (8) Church Congregations in Montreal (Quebec), Toronto, Hamilton, Ottawa, Campbridge (in Ontario) , Vancouver (British Columbia), Edmonton, Calgary (in Alberta); In London, England (United Kingdom) that started in July 1997 we now have sixteen (16) Congregations in Walthaustow, South Kensington, Macclesfield Birmingham, Barkingside, Manchester; Swaffham, Wolverhampton, Felixtowe, Harlesden, Acton, Camden/Kings Cross, Waltham Cross, Rotherham, Tavistack Devon, and Acomb York. FBCFI opened in Israel in October 1998 where we now have four (4) remaining congregations in Tel Aviv, Ashkelon, Jerusalem and Haifa; Portugal in 1998 with three (3) congregations now in Cascais, Lapa in Lisbon and Alcantara. Italy in September 1999 with two congregations now in Rome; and Brescia, and Sweden in 2002; ; Dublin (South Ireland) in November 2004; Cyprus in April 2005 now with four (4) congregations in Nicosia, Paphos, Limasol and Larnaka. We have three (3) churches in China, Huichou City in Guandong , that opened in March 2006 and Shenzhen and Shanghai after that. Two churches, Itaiwon in Seoul and Ansan, South Korea were opened in July 2007, and Ibaraki Ken and Gifu Ken, Japan, were opened in January and February 2008. To date, there are at least fifty seven (57) church congregations of FBCFI outside the Philippines, in Asia, North America, Europe and Middle East, with Hong Kong as the International headquarters. We have standing invitations to Brunei, Northern Beijing, Mongolia and Southern China, where the biggest bulk of souls are located in only one country and continent, Mainland China. By the grace of God, Free Believers In Christ Fellowship, Inc. will continue to share the Good News and press on for more souls and more grounds for the Kingdom of God on earth until Jesus comes again.
