GBCS Signs Co-Programming Agreement with Philippines Central Conference Board of Church and Society
Partnership formalizes decades of collaboration and strengthens contextual ministry in the Philippines
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Manila, Philippines — October 17, 2025 — The General Board of Church and Society (GBCS) of The United Methodist Church and the Philippine Central Conference Board of Church and Society (PCC-BCS) have signed a Co-Programming Agreement to strengthen their collaboration on peace, justice, and human rights initiatives across the Philippines.
The partnership builds on longstanding relationships between ministries across the Philippines Central Conference and GBCS. Over the years, pastors and lay church members, deaconesses, youth, and social change leaders across the Philippines have collaborated with GBCS through training, educational seminars, and public witness on issues from climate change to children’s rights and gender justice.
Under the agreement, PCC-BCS will lead local programming across all three episcopal areas in the Philippines and provide contextual updates on social and political conditions to GBCS and the worldwide connection. Meanwhile, GBCS will provide resources to enable local programs and amplify communications from the Philippines through its channels. Both organizations will promote, monitor, and evaluate joint projects and celebrate stories of impact.
The partnership reflects the UMC’s growing emphasis on regionalization—granting central conferences greater autonomy and equal decision-making authority across the global connection to conduct contextually relevant ministry.
Bishop Israel M. Painit, Bishop assigned to the PCC-BCS, said, “In the context of a developing country like the Philippines, these social challenges are not isolated incidents but part of the people’s daily reality.”
“As the United Methodist Church moves toward a regionalized structure, the Philippine Central Conference stands ready to strengthen its commitment to this vital mission,” Bishop Painit said.
“We believe that there is no progress to be made apart from partnerships,” said Bishop Julius C. Trimble, General Secretary of GBCS. “This co-programming partnership will strengthen the work already being done in the Philippines and help teach the wider Church through programs shaped by those doing the work on the ground.”
The Rev. Dr. Liberato (Levi) Bautista, Assistant General Secretary for United Nations and International Affairs of GBCS, described the collaboration as a heartfelt reflection of the Church’s interconnected mission. “This Co-Programming Agreement is a living witness that what is local for one is global for another,” he said. “The partnership allows for the incorporation of the wisdom and lived experience of the Filipino people to inform our shared witness across the connection.”
Pastor Thaad Kolin Samson, Chairperson of PCC-BCS, noted the partnership comes at a critical moment as the Philippines experiences social and political upheaval amid widespread government corruption. “This unprecedented cooperation between GBCS and PCC-BCS will definitely upscale every effort of our Church to help bring about justice and peace in this corner of the world,” he said. “This partnership is a seed of hope and healing.”
The Co-Programming Agreement will be reviewed biannually.
About the General Board of Church and Society (GBCS)
The General Board of Church and Society is the social justice and public witness agency of The United Methodist Church. GBCS equips people of faith to live out the Church’s Social Principles and engage in faithful advocacy for peace, justice, and liberation.
About the Philippines Central Conference Board of Church and Society (PCC-BCS)
The PCC-BCS serves as the coordinating body for social justice ministries within the Philippines Central Conference, addressing peace, human rights, environmental justice, and other pressing social concerns through advocacy, education, and community engagement.
