Families of Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) members from the 38 local congregations and eight extensions in the Ecclesiastical District of Pampanga North, Philippines, united in sharing various goods and offering free services to their fellowmen on March 23, 2024, remaining in their unity with the Church-wide INC Giving project while exhibiting love, concern, and kindness to others.

“As we’re aware that among the problems many of our fellowmen face is not having enough food to eat, our family chose to give care packages containing food items to families in our neighborhood who are in need,” said Art Regala, Buklod president and finance officer in the Local Congregation of Model Community Resettlement. “We are happy for we have seen that the small things we do for our fellowmen, indeed, meant a lot to them. This inspires us to continue showing kindness to more people,” he added.

Meanwhile, the family of Rusty Guevarra, Buklod president, and his wife Rosy, deaconess and finance officer, from the Local Congregation of New Era, opted offering free dental services: “Our youngest daughter, Renzy Rose, who is a dentist, offered free tooth restoration and extraction. Through this, we were able to help many people not only to be relieved with their dental problems but also regain self-confidence.”

“Instead of going to the mall or anywhere else to celebrate, our family prepared food packs with bottles of water which we gave to our neighbors,” said Jerlon de Guzman, leadership aide from the Local Congregation of F. Manalo AC, whose birthday coincided with the said activity.

“We wanted to help those who are truly in need, so we went to tricycle and jeepney drivers who continue to work despite their old age, construction workers, and street sweepers, among others,” said Hector Aguilar, a head deacon from the Local Congregation of Mabalacat, who did not mind driving to and from Baguio City just to make sure that he gets the fresh vegetables, which he and his family distributed to selected individuals in their community.

Aguilar and de Guzman, as many other Iglesia Ni Cristo parents prefer, involved their children in such activities in the Church, “so that, even at a young age, they learn how good it is to express their compassion to other people by extending help to them whenever they can,” de Guzman said. “Through this activity, we were able to teach our children to be generous, and how it can be manifested through action. They also experienced how good it feels every time they participate in the activities launched by the Church Administration,” Aguilar added.

Most of all, “we continue to give glory to God as we take part in activities like this, while also having our faith edified, the bond among our family members further strengthened,” Guevarra said. – With reports from John Louie Domingo of INC News Section