(Eagle News) — The significance of the 50th year of the Iglesia Ni Cristo’s foreign mission was highlighted by the dedication of a new house of worship in Ewa Beach in Hawaii in a special worship service that was officiated by the Church’s Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo on July 27, 2018.
“A few hours ago, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, our Executive Minister, led the dedication of a house of worship there in Ewa Beach, Hawaii,” said INC Spokesperson Brother Edwil Zabala.
“And that’s just the first. We’re expecting 21 more house of worship dedications until the end of this year, outside the Philippines, specifically in US and Canada,” he explained.
He said that this year alone, the INC is dedicating a new house of worship every two or three days, the INC spokesperson said.
He said that the dedication to God of the new 810-seater house of worship in Ewa Beach in Oahu, Hawaii was significant as it was in this area that the INC held its first worship service exactly fifty years ago.
On that day, July 27, 1968, then INC Executive Minister, Brother Erano G. Manalo officiated that historic first worship service held in a small plantation house in Ewa Beach.
This started the mission of the Iglesia Ni Cristo in the Far West, Zabala said.
The construction of INC houses and buildings of worship will continue, even as the Church also continues to buy church properties of other religions because of the increasing number of INC members worldwide, he said.
After 50 years, the INC is now spread in 143 countries and territories, and has membership that consists of 133 ethnic groups and nationalities.
Zabala also highlighted how the INC is continuing and intensifying its “Lingap sa Mamamayan” or Aid to Humanity activities to help those in need worldwide.
In the Philippines, the INC recently conducted a large “Lingap Laban sa Kahirapan” or “Aid to Fight Poverty” in Manila where medical and dental services were provided to thousands of Filipinos, and about 180,000 relief packs were also distributed.
This happened on July 15. This was also part of the INC’s activities to celebrate its 104th anniversary since it was first registered in the Philippines on July 27, 1914.
Aside from this, the INC also conducted more Lingap sa Mamamayan activities in the areas affected by the recent floods in the
Philippines, particularly in Bataan, Pampanga and Bulacan.
Earlier, the INC also held massive Aid to Humanity missions in Africa, particularly in Malawi and Kenya.
The INC will also be conducting a large Aid to Humanity activity in Canada soon, Zabala said.
The INC has been conducting not just Aid to Humanity projects worldwide, but also other socio-civic activities, such a INCgiving, in many communities in North America, South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and other parts of the world.
Zabala said that the INC doing this “in keeping with God’s commandment to love our fellowmen, our neighbor, as we love ourselves.”
He stressed that the INC is a Christian religion that “serves the Lord God based on God’s words as taught by the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles and as recorded in the Holy Scriptures.”
When an INC member participates in these Lingap sa Mamamayan projects and other socio-civic activities to help their fellowmen, that sister or brother follows this biblical teaching to love one’s fellowman as one loves himself, the INC spokesperson said.
