Church History
Saint Paul Assembly of God church was established in 1997, meeting in the basketball gym of Saint Paul Christian School, also established in 1997.
But the church’s history started several decades before, in 1959, when it’s founder, Jon Pineda, a contract worker from the Philippines, along with four other contract workers and a few American servicemen, formed the First Assembly of God in Yigo, Guam. In 1972 he formed the Tamuning Christian Charismatic Church that met at a World War II quonset hut outside the home of Greg and Irene Calvo, who hosted his Bible study group. It would, through the church’s history, be known as “the quonset hut without a bathroom.”
In 1984 they moved to another quonset hut, this one known among old-timers in the church, as “the quonset hut held together by termites holding hands.” The place was the site of a coffee shop and Friday night youth services; it became known as “Teen Challenge church”. In spite of its humble (very humble) facilities, the Lord blessed the ministry and it continued to grow. After repeatedly breaking down walls to make room for more people, the church finally moved in to their own building in Harmon. In 1997, that new building became officially known as the Saint Paul Assembly of God church. It also opened a K-12th grade school, the Saint Paul Christian School.
Through God's grace, the now deceased Rev. Dr. Jon Pineda, and his wife Eva (also an ordained minister) have helped establish other churches on the island and the region. Rev. Dr. Jon Pineda and his wife Eva were named as Bishops of the Guam Council of the Assemblies of God. Bishop Jon went to be with the Lord in 2021. His son, Rev. Paul Pineda had been leading the church as Senior Pastor for over ten years. In 2022 P Paul turned over the reins of the church to Executive Pastor Rev. Yvonne Inciong, who now holds the title of Senior Pastor.
Bishops Jon and Eva Pineda, founders