Concrete Cathedral
The clock was ticking. We were running out of time. We were so desperate, so desperate that we called the entire summer mission team plus a few Filipino students to fast and pray. We were so desperate that we committed to fast and pray until God gave us a miracle.Knowing the Girl Scouts of the Philippines (GSP) auditorium was only available for two weeks, we had been searching for an alternate location since day one. I still remember getting the message that our designated building scouts had found a potential meeting place right in the heart of the U-Belt. Victory’s first semi-permanent church facility was in the Tandem Cinema. Well, not exactly in the Tandem, more like under the Tandem. In the basement.
We unofficially christened our Recto basement with its ugly gray concrete floors, concrete walls, and concrete ceiling the Concrete Cathedral. The Concrete Cathedral was our Bethlehem, our manger, our humble church home for two glorious years. Some of the best moments and memories of my ministry life happened in the Concrete Cathedral. Ask anyone who was there and they will tell you, often with tears, how we experienced the presence of God and supernatural miracles in our Concrete Cathedral.
Leaky Basement
The story of Victory begins at the basement of a rundown movie theater along CM Recto Avenue. While it had leaking sewer pipes overhead, it did seat a few hundred students sardine style. Most importantly, it was at the heart of the University Belt, the largest concentration of colleges and universities in the Philippines.Located just 2 kilometers away from the Malacanang Palace, it was the epicenter of anti-Marcos student demonstrations. Hundreds of student demonstrators were herded down into the basement as they fled for cover from the anti-riot police’s tear gas. It was there that they heard a different message for the first time in their lives – the life changing, nation building message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
A leaky basement, thousands of hungry students, political turmoil, and an economic crisis are not the factors one looks for to plant a church. In the hands of God, it proved to be the perfect mix from which to launch a world changing movement.
The World Map
To get to the basement, one had to go down a stairwell. It was against its low ceiling that Pastor Steve Murrell attached a world map by scotch tape.That map became a moment to dream as each student, on his or her way down, paused for a few seconds, laid hands on a nation, and declared by faith that he or she would one day go to that nation as a missionary. From day 1, Victory was a local church with a global vision.
The Tandem Cinema
Victory’s first semi-permanent church facility was in the Tandem Cinema. Well, not exactly in the Tandem, more like under the Tandem. In the basement. We were literally beneath, not above. The covenantal blessing of Deuteronomy 28:13 (NIV 1984) promises, “The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. . . . you will always be on top, never at the bottom.” While every- thing about our new sanctuary felt the opposite of Deuteronomy 28, at least we had a C.M. Recto address, walking distance for over 100,000 Filipino students and a quick jeepney ride for another 100,000!
A U-Belt location, an affordable lease, room to grow, and an immediate contract agreement were our primary prayer requests, and all four were answered.
Nissan Bida
The fire engine red Nissan Bida was the ultimate workhorse of Victory in the 90s. It received its baptism of fire when, brand new, and on its way back from its first mission, the San Fernando, La Union church plant, Mount Pinatubo erupted and blanketed Central Luzon with ash. The Bida quickly spun around and went into action, going back and forth to deliver relief goods and evangelistic materials to victims. It was witness to countless church plants, campus outreaches, weddings, and natural disasters. While it was a utility vehicle, in the capable hands of its steward Dr. Jun Escosar, it reached speeds of up to 160kph in NLEX! The Bida will always stand as an affectionate symbol of Victory’s early years when we believed for, maximized, and stretched every peso in order to change the campus and change the world.