Beneath Jakarta’s vibrant pulse stands Gereja Abolove. It is more than a building. It is a testament to faith and community. Gereja Abolove’s story starts with humble beginnings. In the early 1980s Sofjan Sutedja led a small fellowship. Samiton Pangellah and Eddy Leo soon joined him. They called themselves Persekutuan Filadelfia.
From this small gathering grew various ministries. These included a library a vocal group and small groups. Missions extended to Tangerang West Java and beyond. Leaders emerged drawing inspiration from other churches. In 1983 Jeff Hammond helped Samiton understand a vision. It was about the unity of Christ’s body. It was about citywide churches and multiple elders.
By 1986 Sofjan Sutedja Samiton Pangellah and Eddy Leo were leaders. Over the next seven years the church grew. It expanded in teaching community leadership and mission work. In 1988 the church began using a building at Speed Plaza. It served as a place of worship. The church was registered with the Department of Religion. It was named Gereja Yesus Kristus Tuhan and Yayasan Pelayanan Bersama Indonesia.
Gereja Yesus Kristus Tuhan has pillars of service. These include discipleship community life and restoring hearts. Activating spiritual gifts five-fold ministry and spiritual warfare are included. Praise and worship are also key. General ministries cover pastoring missions and age-group services. These serve children students staff and families.
In 1990 Samiton Pangellah and his family were sent to Yogyakarta. They helped build Gereja Kristen Kemah Daud. Strong ties formed with GBI Ujung Pandang and GKKD Bogor. This became the foundation for Integrated Global Mission Network IGMN.
From 1994 to 1996 Sofjan Sutedja and his family went to Toraja. They established Gereja Bethel Indonesia there. In 1997 Jeff Hammond joined the church as an elder. The five-fold ministry developed further. It included apostolic prophetic evangelistic pastoral and educational departments. Foundations were formed. These accelerated the movement. They included Metanoia publishing Mainstream School of Arts and Sekolah Tunas Bangsa.
As the millennium approached leaders introduced Abbalove Ministries. The new logo featured Jesus’ hand. Blood dripped onto a crimson heart transforming it snow-white.
Abbalove Ministries focuses on three areas of service. There is local church service movement service and partnership service. Local church service emphasizes growth. It uses cell communities discipleship schools and worship services. The aim is to build local churches after the New Testament model.
Movement service focuses on blessing others. Churches are blessed to be a blessing. There are three movements to bless. They bless families the body of Christ and cities. These movements aim to build families build the church and improve society.
Partnership service aims to accelerate movements. It reaches into business entertainment media music and education. Abbalove Ministries aims to be disciples of Christ. They use communities to spread God’s love. They seek to bring His Kingdom into every part of life.
Today Gereja Abolove stands as a beacon. It shows the power of unity and service. It reminds us that even small beginnings can lead to great things. As you stand here remember the journey. Remember the people who built this community. Let their story inspire you.