The Church in the Philippines

During the Spanish-American War in 1898, two men from Utah who were members of a U.S. artillery battery, and who were also set apart as missionaries before they left the United States, preached while stationed in the Philippines. Missionary work ceased in the Philippines at the beginning of World War II.

In April 1961, President Gordon B. Hinckley (then Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles) rededicated the Philippines for missionary work. By 1969, the Church had spread to eight major islands and had the highest number of baptisms of any area in the Church. The Manila Missionary Training Center (above) was established in 1983.

Here are a few facts about the Church today in the Philippines:

Membership	641,284
Missions	16
Temples	2
Wards & Branches	1,100

Photograph courtesy of the Missionary Department