Church dedicates 69 new houses of worship

in a year only 52 weeks, 69 - mahigit pa per week, it only shows
ang gawain ng iglesia sa tulong ng Diyos

 

  

THERE’S NO STOPPING the Lord’s work.
Despite the country’s reeling economy and tougher times lurking ahead for most of the world, the Iglesia ni Cristo presses on with its multifaceted endeavors with even more fervor and blessings of success in the year that was.

The year 2005 saw the birth of 16 new local congregations (roughly equivalent to Catholic parishes) and 24 extensions and group worship services with the baptism of several thousands of people of different races and cultures in the various ecclesiastical districts all over the world. Alongside this steady growth of membership is the rise of new ministers who would help the Church Administration in carrying on with the Lord’s work of propagation – 70 new ministers were ordained on May 5 this year, anteceded by the graduation of 331 ministerial students from the College of Evangelical Ministry on April 8.

The triumphs of the Church in these fields are even more indubitably expressed by the rise of resplendent houses of worship that serve as veritable landmarks in practically all places where the Church has set foot and established a local congregation.

Last year, the Church constructed and dedicated to God a total of 69 new houses of worship, of which one of the biggest is that of the local congregation of Syquia in Metro Manila South. It was dedicated to God in a special worship service at which the Deputy Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, officiated on December 2. One of the oldest local congregations of the Chuch, Syquia is happy to have its new house of prayer, which can seat 800 worshipers.

The following ecclesiastical districts also dedicated new houses of worship: Abra (Lagangilang, July 27); Albay (Bacacay, October 15); Aurora (Maria Aurora, May 27);

Bataan (Camacho, March 26; Sabang, June 24); Batangas (Puting Bato,September 24; Nasugbu, October 8); Bukidnon (Lantapan, March 22); Bulacan (Libtong, November 25);

Cagayan West (Namuac, July 9); Camarines Souteast (Nabua, March 26); Camarines Soutwest (Upper Sta. Cruz, April 9); Capiz(Dulangan, October 14); Cavite (Binakayan, May 14); Cebu North (Tuburan, May 27); Cotabato South (Malapatan, April 15).

Davao del Norte (Pantukan, April 8); Davao del Sur (New Argao, September 9); Davao West (Ecoland, May 15).
Ilocos Norte (Bulangon, February 26); Ilocos Sur (Ambucao, September 24); Iloilo North (San Rafael, February 8); Iloilo South (Mansaya, July 22); Isabela South (Salinungan East, October 15; Laoag, December 23); Isabela West (Lanting, August 6);

Laguna(Sto. Tomas, June 17); Leyte East (Alang Alang, October 14); La Union (Inabaan, November 26).

Maguindanao (Parang, August 20); Marinduque (Caganhao, March 26); Metro Manila North (Tangos, June 25); Mindoro Occidental (Toong, July 9); Mindoro Oriental (Roxas, May 27); Misamis Occidental (Maular, May 31); Misamis Oriental (Tagoloan, May 27);

Negros del Norte (Old Escalante, September 17); Negros Occidental (Valladolid, March 26); Negros Oriental (Valencia, September 30); Nueva Ecija East (Macapsing, October 29); Nueva Ecija North (Talugtog, February 5; Ilog Baliwag, November 26); Nueva Ecija South (Isla, February 12; Aduas, June 25).

Pampanga (Sta. Barbara, Lubao, Novemer 5; Cutud, November 12); Pangasinan East (Sison, June 24); Pangasinan West (Agno, October 29).

Quezon East (Tagkawayan, September 10; Camohaguin, December 16); Quezon North (Tignoan, December 9); Quezon South (Tinuk-an, August 26); Quezon West (Dolores, November 19); Quirino (Gabriela, May 28).

Sorsogon (Juban, March 19); Surigao Central (Aras-asan, December 6); Surigao del Norte (Del Rosario, July 15); Surigao del Sur (Barobo, April 8);

Tarlac (Mapaco, July 20; Dapdap Bamban, December 16); Zambales North (Pagatpat, July 9); Zambales South (Panan, June 18); and Zamboanga Central (Siay, March 18).

The local congregation of South San Diego in the ecclesiastical district of Southern California likewise dedicated to God its new house of worship on November 19, 2005. The local congregations of Phoenix in Arizona (February 26), Virginia Beach (April 12) in Virginia and St. Petersburg (September 10) in Florida, as well as Urdaneta in Pangasinan, Philippines (December 10) underwent a complete makeover of their houses of worship.

Also in 2005, the Church completed two housing projects for its ministers, evangelical workers, and Central Office volunteer workers on F. Manalo, San Juan, Metro Mania (in May) and in New Era, Quezon City (in November), respectively.

Getting the Good News across

TO PROCLAIM THE good news of salvation to as many people as possible has always been the overarching mission of the Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ). Whether by way of face-to-face encounters or through the mass media, we carry out this task with a sense of urgency, aware as we are that there is not much time left before this world comes to its fiery end.

We know that the day appointed by God to bring the world to judgment is fast approaching, and we must do the best we can to share the truth about salvation to those who do not know it yet. There is, indeed, an immediate need to disseminate the biblical truth that although man has been alienated from God because of sin, and as a consequence, the whole world is held accountable to Him on the day of Judgment, the good news is that God sent His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to save sinners (Col. 1:21; Rom. 3:19; Jn. 3:16). And to fulfill this redemptive function, Christ “created in himself one new man” – consisting of Himself as the head, and of the Church that He founded as the body – so that He can save the sinner without violating God’s decree that “each is to die for his own sin” (Eph. 2:15; Mt. 16:18; Dt. 24:16). Thus, the salvific death of Christ is meant to benefit the members of His Body, the Church, a fact that underscores the importance and necessity of Church membership as a part of God’s master plan of salvation. This is not to say that it is the Church that will save man, rather, it is the Church – the true Church – that will be saved by Christ, Who is the only Savior appointed by God.

It is of paramount importance that the truth about salvation be made known to all who want to be saved, including those who think that they already know it but, on closer scrutiny, actually do not. For instance, there are those who think that faith alone in Christ is sufficient for them to attain salvation, and it is not necessary for them to become members of any church or even the true Church or Church of Christ and to do any works at all. Such a notion is so fundamentally wrong and yet is so widely held and circulated.

Because of the urgency and magnitude of the task, our evangelistic outreach employs the mass media to put across the pristine teachings of the Bible to a large number of people simultaneously.

Hence, aside from this magazine that you are reading, and its international edition, the God’s Message, the Iglesia ni Cristo also publishes pamphlets that also dwell on the beliefs of this church for the perusal of those who are seeking the truth. Today, 63 radio stations, 218 cable TV and 64 relay television stations all over the country broadcast the Church’s religious programs on a daily or weekly basis. Also, 554 cable TV stations relay the Church’s daily religious programs which are aired over NET 25, a UHF television station. We telecast our four religious programs: The Message,Ang Iglesia Ni Cristo, Pasugo: Ang Tinig Ng Iglesia Ni Cristo, and Ang Tamang Daan. Among our radio programs are: Iglesia Ni Cristo, Ang Tamang Daan, Ang Pinagpapalang Sambahayan, Ito Ang Payo, What The Bible Says, Landas ng Buhay, This Is The Answer, Salita ng Diyos Ang Tanging Lunas, Ang Pagbubunyag, Biblia Ang Sasagot, Biblia Ang Lunas, and Ibalita Ang Pagliligtas. Aside from the radio programs in English and Filipino, there are also religious programs broadcast in major Philippine languages, such as Kini Ang Kamatuoran, Dalan Sa Kinabuhi, Pagsusi sa Kamatuoran (Cebuano); Mantepet Kayo (Pangasinense); and Agsaludsud Kayo (Ilocano).

Periodically, district wide (covering a province or a state) massive evangelistic campaigns, dubbed grand evangelical missions, are conducted in public squares or in sports complexes big enough to accommodate huge crowds. Everyday, in thousands of locale churches of the Iglesia ni Cristo all over the world, ministers and workers are preaching the gospel to smaller groups of truth seekers. They are assisted by Church officers and members who relentlessly perform missionary works by inviting their friends, relatives, and acquaintances to those places where studies on biblical doctrines are being conducted by evangelical workers of the Iglesia ni Cristo. All members, from the newest converts to the older ones, are expected to do their part in evangelism, after all most of us have been called by God out of spiritual death into spiritual life through the efforts of those who have persistently and resolutely shared the good news of salvation.

They draw inspiration from the fact that the members of the first-century Church were themselves instrumental in the spread of Christianity. As Apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians:

“And you too, my faithful partner, I want you to help these women; for they have worked hard with me to spread the gospel, together with Clement and all my other fellow workers, whose names are in God’s book of the living.” (Philip. 4:3, Today’s English Version)

And to the Thessalonians, he said:

“For not only did the message about the Lord go out from you throughout Macedonia and Achaia, but the news about your faith in God has gone everywhere.” (I Thess. 1:8, Ibid.)

As it was in the past, so it is in the present. In today’s Church of Christ, the entire membership, following the Church Administration’s lead, is mobilized for evangelism. And it is truly heartening that our enthusiastic response and enormous efforts, coupled with God’s continuing guidance, yield bountiful harvest. The message about the Lord’s salvation is going out into the world and people are joining the Church in droves! Praise be unto God!