Mammoth crowds gather for Iglesia ni Cristo Day

MANILA, Philippines - The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) commemorated the 95th anniversary of its establishment in the Philippines yesterday with two religious assemblies in Metro Manila.

Hundreds of thousands of delegates and supporters from local INC congregations in Metro Manila and Rizal province gathered at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila and at the Araneta Coliseum in Cubao, Quezon City “to celebrate and thank the Almighty for His bountiful blessings to the Church these past 95 years.”

Classes were suspended in Metro Manila at all levels in anticipation of traffic congestion on major roads.

This was the first time that the nation observed July 27 as a special working holiday in compliance with Republic Act 9645 signed into law by President Arroyo last June 12, which decrees the commemoration of the founding of the INC “in recognition of its exemplary feat of leading its members towards spiritual enlightenment and good citizenry.”

These enormous gatherings in Metro Manila are but two of the 14 celebratory religious assemblies simultaneously held in key cities in 12 regions of the country, plus five more gatherings in four other countries.

The other venues where Iglesia ni Cristo Day was celebrated are as follows: in Mindanao, the Ipil Sports Complex (Zamboanga Sibugay), the Davao Agro-Industrial Institute Football Field (Davao), the General Santos City Oval Plaza (Cotabato), and the Butuan City Sports Complex (Agusan del Norte); in the Visayas, the Panaad Stadium (Bacolod) and the Cebu Sports Center (Cebu); and in the rest of Luzon, the Quirino Stadium (Bantay, Ilocos Sur), the Central Integrated Terminal (Santiago City, Isabela), the Narciso Ramos Sports Center (Lingayen, Pangasinan), Villa del Sol Subdivision-Olongapo-Gapan Road (San Fernando, Pampanga), the Ashton Field Subdivision grounds (Calamba City, Laguna), and the Bicol University Sports Complex and Commencement grounds (Legaspi City, Albay).

In the US, Iglesia ni Cristo Day gatherings were held at the HP Pavilion in San Jose, California and at the Washington Convention Center in Washington. In Europe, the venues were the Central Hall Westminster in London, UK and the Parco Esposizioni Novegro in Milan, Italy. In Australia, the gathering was at the Hills Center in Sydney.

The religious event, which in the Philippines began at 4:30 p.m., consisted mainly of hymn-singing, prayers, and biblical sermon in praise of God and in joyful reflection of the Church’s 95 years of fruitful existence.

The video-recorded congratulatory message of President Arroyo was also shown, and a letter each from US President Barrack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper was read.

Obama expressed hope that INC will continue to restore kinship and to “strengthen to our communities and help lead your nation towards a better and brighter day.”

In his opening statement, Obama was quoted as saying, “Dear Brother Eraño, I am pleased to extend my congratulations as you celebrate the anniversary of your church.”

Describing the founding anniversary as an important milestone, Obama also told Brother Eraño (Manalo) and his followers to be proud of their years of faithful service.

“In this occasion, we are reminded of the abiding truth that each of us has the power to create a better world for ourselves and our children when we do God’s work here on earth,” the US president said.

The event concluded with a fireworks display which lasted for about eight minutes at the Big Dome and about ten minutes at the Rizal Sports Complex.

Those who were not accommodated inside the Big Dome and the Rizal Sports Complex because of the great number of delegates watched the proceedings on video walls set up outside the venues.

The rest of the INC local congregations in the Philippines and in other countries that were too far from the venues of the big gatherings also celebrated Iglesia ni Cristo Day in their respective houses of worship.

As part of the celebration, a special musical program was aired Sunday evening over GEM-TV 49 and NET 25 featuring original INC Christian songs performed by selected INC talents, accompanied by the FILharmoniKA Orchestra under the baton of conductor Gerard Salonga. Special guest Lea Salonga sang an INC song entitled “Sumilang na ang Kaniyang Liwanag” and her own “Journey.” The musical special premiered at 6 p.m. at the Tabernacle Multi-purpose Hall in the Central Office Complex and the delayed telecast, which started at 8 p.m., was shown worldwide through HDTV.

The INC celebration opened with the “Lingap sa Mamamayan” outreach program held in Barangay Maharlika, Taguig City last July 18. About 20,000 residents received free medical and dental services, medicine and vitamins and a package of rice, canned goods and instant noodles. This socio-civic program is regularly conducted by the INC to help victims of economic hardships and calamities. With Sandy Araneta