In 1992, God called a handful of people to start a Bible study and fellowship in the Hamilton/Burlington area. With the help of elders from First Filipino Baptist Church in Toronto, this home Bible study flourished into a group of believers with a vision to start a church. After several months of prayer, Bible studies and vision casting meetings, the first worship service was held on February 1993 and Hamilton Filipino Baptist Church (HFBC) was born.
In 1994, Pastor Andy Sarmiento became our first Pastor. In 1998, Pastor Rudy Yap was called to the church and has been serving as our Pastor today.
In 2003, HFBC was registered as a charity under the Canadian government.
In 2006, HFBC was accepted to become a member of the Fellowship of Evangelical Baptist Churches of Canada (FEBCC) and remains a member today.
The ministries of HFBC have developed and grown to reach out to newcomers in Hamilton and we have welcomed members from various parts of the world. Recognizing that the congregation now consists of mixed ethnic backgrounds, the church changed its name to Hamilton International Baptist Church in 2008.
God led us to step outside our borders and into the remote areas of the Philippines to help indigenous churches. In 2019, the church launched a mission project called Bless Philippines where we developed a mission partnership in Bataan, Zambales, Nueva Ecija , Sipalay and Cagayan de Oro.
The most exciting and rewarding aspect of our history has been the heart for missions and the spiritual growth that occurred in the lives of HIBC members and the people connected with us. We are grateful to God for his hand in our history and we look to the future with hope that He will continue the good work He has started in us.