Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, Executive Minister of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ), officiated at the dedication service to the Lord God of three newly constructed and one newly renovated houses of worship in the Philippines on June 12, 2021.

The special worship service, highlighted by the preaching of the Executive Minister and the ministers-led prayer for the dedication, took place at the Church’s Central Temple and livestreamed to the new houses of worship being dedicated as well as to those of local congregations celebrating their milestone anniversaries in June.

Dedicated to God were the new houses of worship of the local congregations of Maysan, Sagayen, and Manook, ecclesiastical districts of CAMANAVA, Davao del Norte, and Sorsogon, respectively, and the refurbished house of worship of San Jose Local Congregation, Antique Ecclesiastical District.

In his preaching of God’s words, the Executive Minister encouraged the congregants to persevere in safeguarding their membership in the true Church come what may in their lives, to be worthy of receiving salvation on Judgment Day. He advised them to always draw near and pray to God, especially inside the house of prayer, to ask for His favors.

Maysan

A former area of the Local Congregation of Bagbaguin, the Maysan Local Congregation was established on March 31, 2021 to shepherd the increasing number of brethren in this part of Valenzuela City, Metro Manila.

“From all of us in our district, we are thankful, first, to our Father in Heaven and to our Executive Minister for this momentous occasion because despite the pandemic, the Church continuous to triumph and this is evident not only to the brethren but also to all people how the Church’s victory do not falter,” Brother Senen Capuno, CAMANAVA District supervising minister, said. “There is no pandemic that can hinder the fulfillment of God’s promises to the Church ... we will use this new house of worship to continue our worship and services to our Lord God.”

The new house of worship that can sit 500 worshipers at a time is situated at No. 47 Maysan Road, Valenzuela City.

“I am joyful and thankful to our Lord God for giving us a beautiful house of worship,” Elena Nolasco, deaconess from Maysan Congregation, expressed.

Sagayen

The Local Congregation of Sagayen, formerly an Extension of the Local Congregation of Pamacaun, was approved by the Church Administration to become a full-pledged local congregation on January 23, 1983.

“I am out of words in expressing how grateful I am to our Lord God and to Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, for the dedication of our new house of worship,” Manuel Tenaja Sr., head deacon of the congregation, said.

The construction of the house of worship started in March 2020 and was completed after more than 12 months of work.

“In the house of worship, we receive the words of God through the teaching of the Church Administration. This is the Lord God’s guidance, especially in this time of pandemic,” Brother James Silva, district supervising minister, explained. “Church Of Christ members further need God’s guidance being received in the house of worship.”

Manook

The Local Congregation of Manook was approved by the Church Administration to be established from Gubat Congregation in December 2015. Its first place of worship service was formerly a Children’s Worship Service (CWS) sanctuary of the Gubat Congregation situated along Padrique St., Barangay Manook, Sorsogon. Since it could no longer accommodate the growing number of the brethren, the Church Administration built the 110-seater new house of worship for the local congregation.

San Jose

The Local Congregation of San Jose was established on November 30, 1964. Because of the fast growing number of brethren, the Church built for them a 250-seater house of worship along Bantayan St., Barangay 2, San Jose, which was dedicated to God in December 1975. It underwent general repair in 2003, bringing its seating capacity to 525. In 2019, the Church Administration approved that the house of worship be refurbished again, with improvements such as an LED video wall.

With the addition of these four houses of worship, the Church Of Christ has, from March 2020 up to this writing, dedicated to the Lord God 114 houses of worship amid the pandemic. — With reports from INC News Section