When Ed Lapiz came back to Manila after years in Saudi Arabia, Day by Day Jesus Ministries was already multiplying. The challenge? Finding a place big enough — and safe enough — to gather.
Instead of building a traditional church right away, Lapiz looked for unconventional spaces.
“I was going to all these nightclubs in Timog and all these agogo clubs because I wanted a place,” he told Financial Adviser PH. “To rent for a Sunday morning. Because it’s Sunday morning. And why not? The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it. Why should I not use it?”
From theaters to malls
Soon, the ministry moved to even larger venues.
“We pioneered in renting Greenbelt Cinema,” Lapiz recalled. “You know, the Greenbelt Cinemas were huge, cavernous — 1,000 each theater, three services.”
The setup worked. People came in droves, and the mall operators noticed. “You don’t have to buy a property, you just rent the cinema,” he said. “And that’s the best places with parking.”
The gatherings brought not just worshippers but also business to the malls. “You bring a lot of crowds who stay forever, eat, and shop,” he explained. “Wherever you go, you have to be a blessing.”
The Makati Cinema Square experiment
Day by Day didn’t stop there. After Greenbelt and Shangri-La, they found a long-term home in Makati Cinema Square.
“We rented two cinemas 24/7,” Lapiz said. “We had to renovate it. And then three services. We called it Worship City.”
It was a pioneering move at the time. Few churches thought of leasing commercial spaces as permanent worship sites, but for Lapiz it was both practical and strategic.
Innovation as a mindset
Lapiz’s bold choices were not about chasing novelty, but about using what was available. His philosophy: use creativity to maximize resources, even if it means breaking convention.
“The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it,” he repeated. “Why should I not use it?”
That mindset allowed Day by Day to grow faster than traditional church plants, meeting people where they were — in malls, theaters, and even nightclubs.
Lessons for entrepreneurs and leaders
For business owners and managers, Lapiz’s approach offers a clear lesson: don’t wait for perfect conditions, use what you have.
Leverage existing infrastructure – Instead of waiting to build a church, Lapiz rented cinemas with built-in seating, sound systems, and parking.
“You don’t have to buy a property, you just rent the cinema.”
Turn challenges into opportunities – Renting nightclubs and theaters turned unconventional spaces into centers of worship.
“Why not? The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.”
Create value for partners – His services brought customers to malls, making Day by Day a welcome tenant.
“You bring a lot of crowds who stay forever, eat, and shop. Wherever you go, you have to be a blessing.”
Breaking convention, building growth
By reimagining what a church space could be, Lapiz turned rented theaters into thriving centers of worship. What others saw as unusual, he saw as opportunity.
From nightclubs in Timog to Greenbelt Cinemas to Makati Cinema Square, his boldness and creativity set a new model for growth.
As he put it simply: “Why should I not use it?”
