MANILA, Philippines — Under an early morning clear blue sky on April 26, almost half a million people gathered at the open grounds of the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City to witness a very important occasion.
A year ago, in the same summer month of April, Iglesia Ni Cristo Executive Minister Brother Eduardo V. Manalo launched a project called, “Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko” or “My Countrymen, My Brethren.” It was meant to reach and serve more people worldwide, not only by helping out in their material needs, but also by preaching to them the “truth” about salvation as written in the Bible.
In the said project, the usual grand evangelical mission of the INC called GEM or “Pamamahayag” was combined with another regular charitable activity of the Church which is a medical-dental and relief distribution service mission known as “Lingap sa Mamamayan” or “Aid to Humanity.”
Separately, these two major activities – the “Pamamahayag” and the “Lingap sa Mamamayan” — had been done from the very start by the INC which will be celebrating its Centennial this July 27.
But the idea of combining the two INC activities proved propitious, providential even, organizers said. And a year after, this combination even proved exponentially explosive
Because from the initial 10,000 who first heard the “message of salvation” through the first “Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko” on April 13, 2013 in Binondo, Manila, the number of people who heard God’s words through this undertaking had now reached 50 million people worldwide.
And members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, including their guests, who flocked to the SM MOA grounds to attend the special worship service that early Saturday morning heard this news from no less than the INC Executive Minister himself.
The occasion was in commemoration of the first year anniversary of the Church’s “Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko” project Moved by their faith, the INC brethren-delegates who came to the SM MOA grounds, brought their guests, many of whom are now undergoing doctrinal studies with the INC.
These guests, in turn, moved by the same budding faith, also invited more guests, their friends and next of kin, to attend the special gathering to see and hear the INC leader, whom the INC brethren belovedly call “Ka Eduardo.”
The vast open space of the MOA grounds was transformed that Saturday morning of April 26. Several giant white tents were set up with huge LED screens that would enable hundreds of thousands of people to “see and hear” even at a digital close range Bro. Eduardo Manalo’s preaching of the gospel at the main tent where a stage had been set-up to resemble the “tribuna” or rostrum inside an INC chapel. About a hundred or so choir members in white togas sang hymns of praises to God at the makeshift stage in the main tent. Before them, the tribuna or raised “rostrum” was set where Manalo would preach.
Starting midnight, the people came. At around 4 a.m. the hundreds of thousands of seats were filled up, and people started to spill over the huge tents. At 6 a.m. as scheduled, the worship service started with an opening prayer.
At the start of his homily, Manalo said that the success of the INC project was God’s handiwork.
He said 50 million people were able to hear God’s words detailing the divine instruction as written in the Bible on how man can attain salvation in the first year alone of “Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko”.
He thanked the INC members who were moved by the Church’s campaign on intensive propagation, saying they were all a part of the project’s success because they allowed themselves to be “instruments” so that the biblical truth about salvation could reach more people.
Manalo said the day of judgment is drawing near and it was utterly important for people to be at a condition worthy of salvation on that fateful day. And he said this can only happen if they have faithfully followed “God’s instructions” as written in the Bible.
In his preaching, the INC leader read verses directly from the Bible, one after the other, where he raises a question, and that same question is answered directly by reading another biblical verse.
He preached in Filipino, which was readily understood by all who attended the event, on why the Iglesia Ni Cristo was important to serve God and to attain salvation which could only be done by “following God’s rules and not human rules.”
The first verse Manalo read was Matthew 15:9 which was about God’s message where God says He considers as “useless” any manner of worshipping Him if people teach “human rules as though they were My laws.”
The INC leader read more biblical verses in succession, in a preaching style typical of INC sermons by ministers, where there was no opinion expounded by the preacher, but merely a reading of verses from the Bible.
Manalo explained: “Ang layunin natin ay hindi upang makapanakit ng damdamin, kundi ipaalam ang katotohanan kaya nga natin binabasa mula sa Biblia. (Our intention is not to hurt people’s feelings but to let them know the truth, that is why we are only reading from the Bible.)
After an hour, the worship service ended with a fervent prayer that further served as “spiritual nourishment” to the huge crowd that had travelled from different places just to attend the special gathering.
(Photo courtesy of FYM Foundation Inc.)
INC brethren who were interviewed after the worship service said their hearts were overjoyed and their spirits lifted just to see and hear “Ka Eduardo.”
“Napakahalaga po nito sa amin. Iba po ang hatid na biyaya sa amin ng pangangasiwa ng Tagapamahalang Pangkalahatan,” said 78-year old Virginia delos Santos, who was being helped around by her daughter 48-year old Aldea delos Santos. They were at the site as early as midnight and had not slept yet. Their enthusiasm to attend the special gathering was very evident.
Asked what their message was to the INC Executive Minister, with tears in their eyes, both white-haired women simply said: “Mahal na mahal po namin kayo, Ka Eduardo. Lalo po kayong nagpapalakas sa amin. Ang mga mabibigat naming suliranin, hindi namin kinatatakutan dahil sa narinig naming mensahe ninyo.”
They expressed the wish that the Executive Minister would officiate a worship service at their locale.
At around 8 a.m., Manalo himself and members of his family toured a photo exhibit that featured the various activities of “Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko”. The photo exhibit was temporarily housed in a tent complex with an area of 50 meters by 30 meters at the MOA grounds.
The first “Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko” event was held on April 13, 2013 at the heart of Manila, in Binondo, at the historic Pedro Guevarra Elementary School that served the children of Tondo’s slums.
From there, it had gathered momentum and had reached 65 sites around the world, reaching 50 million people in just one year through the combined evangelical mission, relief distribution and medical and dental mission that became characteristic of a “Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko” event, said INC General Auditor minister Glicerio B. Santos, Jr.
That Saturday, 150,000 “goodwill bags” were distributed by the INC through its charitable arm, the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation Inc., which spearheads every “Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko” campaign.
A medical-dental mission was also conducted simultaneous with the goodwill bag distribution. About 150 doctors, 90 nurses and almost 60 dentists gave their free services that day, happy to be a part of the Church’s campaign to reach out and help more people.
Santos said this May alone, the “Kabayan Ko, Kapatid Ko” will be conducted in 11 more sites, including one abroad. These are in Iloilo, Palawan, Pangasinan, Davao, Samar, Bataan, Oriental Mindoro, Bacolod, Nueva Ecija, Calamian. Outside the country, the same activity will also be held in Hong Kong.
He said this 2014, which is considered the INC’s Centennial Year, the Church is intensifying its propagation activities as the INC believes it is racing against time to have the true gospel preached in all parts of the globe before judgment day comes.
The INC is now spread in more than a hundred countries worldwide. It has launched a massive edification and propagation campaign called “Masaganang Pagbubunga” (Abundant Fruit-bearing) where church-members are encouraged to invite non-members of the Church to attend evangelical missions and worship services. Anyone who would want to be a member of the Church would have to undergo and complete a series of doctrinal studies and attend worship services of the INC for six months straight without fail.
Santos also encouraged more people, especially non-members of the INC, to visit any INC locale or participate in any INC gathering – be it a worship service or an evangelical mission — explaining that such church activities are open to all.
(Eagle News Service)
