Heeding the call of the Church Administration to further intensify the works of propagation, members of the Church Of Christ in the Ecclesiastical District of Ottawa in Canada successfully held the district’s first baptism of the year.

On January 23 and 24, 2021, at the house of worship of the Local Congregation of Nepean, Ontario, the candidates for baptism received a great blessing from God—the hope of receiving salvation on the Day of Judgment. Brethren who cannot attend at the house of worship, due to health and safety restrictions, witnessed the event through videoconferencing from the confines of their homes.

During the homily, the candidates for baptism were taught by the district supervising minister, Brother Jose Razon II, the great importance of receiving baptism in the true Church hence, valuing one’s membership no matter what.

Brother Edgardo dela Cruz, resident minister of Nepean Local Congregation, narrated that it was emphasized to the candidates of baptism that “by means of the true baptism inside Church Of Christ, people are forgiven of the sins for them to attain salvation on the Day of Judgment.”

“We are very thankful to our Almighty God that through the Church Administration, these events were successfully held here in Nepean house of worship,” said Brother Melvin Ibañez, Light of Salvation district overseer. He also divulged that some of those who were baptized went through different trials and tests:

“They came from different places and from different walks of life. But despite this situation and restrictions, they are very much determined to receive their baptism, which shows so much about their faith, their love for God. That truly inspires all of us in attendance.”

The newly baptized members expressed their joy they felt for receiving baptism and becoming full-fledged members of the Church Of Christ. One of them, Yusuf Sadiq, said, “I felt so blessed and at home. I am overjoyed because of the inspiration I received. Today is one of the happiest days in my life.”

Also joyful were the brethren who helped in the conversion of the newly baptized members. Marries Peras, head secretary of Montreal, Quebec Local Congregation, shared how she felt to see her parents finally baptized into the Church after years of inviting them:

“I feel blessed and overjoyed because since 1994, I have been inviting my parents to attend our gatherings and Bible studies,” she said, adding that she has found a peace of mind knowing that her parents are now Church members and will be saved come the Day of Judgment.

Her parents, Romeo and Helen Reyes, said, “We felt very happy to receive the true baptism in the Church Of Christ. Through the instrumentality of our daughter, we learned the biblical teachings.”

Romeo narrated that he did not believe in religion at all before. “But with numerous times I attended Bible studies,” he said, “I was enlightened by the teachings that the Church upholds. I can feel the presence of God every time we attend the worship services.”

Speaking on behalf of the brethren in the district, Brother Razon said, “We would like to extend our sincerest thanks to our beloved Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, for always inspiring us to uphold our spiritual endeavors inside the Church. That is the reason even though we are beset by the current challenges due to the global pandemic, we can still uphold our many activities especially in the work of propagation.”

He also said that the brethren in Ottawa promise to remain united in upholding all the works of the Church and to continue to further intensify the work of propagation this year. — With reports from INC News Section