(Eagle News) – The Hong Kong Red Cross has given recognition to the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) for its recent blood donation drive in Hong Kong that helped its campaign to save lives.
The Hong Kong chapter of the Red Cross cited the “high participation” and the “contribution to social responsibility” of the INC members and awarded the “Give Blood Alliance” Gold, Silver, Bronze award to the Church.
The INC was also “publicly praised for their efforts to promote the culture of unpaid blood donation.”
This recognition was also reported in the local papers in Hong Kong.
The Church’s blood donation drive was conducted on February 19 in six areas in Hong Kong where at least 465 bags of blood were collected for the Red Cross.
At least 163,000 cubic centimeters (cc) of blood were donated by the INC volunteers in the February 19 INC blood donation activity held in Mong Kok, Causeway Bay, Tsuen Wan, Kwun Tong, Yuen Long, and Sha Tin that started at 11 a.m. and ended at 7 p.m.
There were even more INC members who lined up than can be accommodated as the Red Cross people had to turn away many when the cut-off time came.
INC District Minister for China Brother Arnel Verceles led the church members in this blood donation drive.
A few days before this, INC volunteers also held another blood donation activity in Shanghai, China.
Church members have long been conducting such blood donation drives to help those in need of life-saving blood worldwide.
Aside from this, the Church has also been conducting other programs that provide help to their fellowmen such as the “INC Aid for Humanity” or “Lingap sa Mamamayan,” “Kabayan Ko Kapatid Ko” (My Countrymen, My Brethren), and other INC Giving community activities across the globe.
In Hong Kong, the most recent Lingap activity happened on July 8, which benefited nearly 4,000 residents in the region, including overseas Filipino workers.
Thousands filled the Crowne Plaza Hong Kong Kowloon East for this “Lingap Pamamahayag”, or Aid For Humanity EVangelical Mission, hosted by the INC on that day.
Six other venues throughout the country, and two in Macau and Taipa, joined the event through a live video link.
“Many of the OFW, Overseas Filipino Workers, who are here came from poverty themselves. They
understand firsthand the sad isolation, the hunger and hopelessness of poverty. And because of that, we
members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo will always, no matter where we are, and no matter what our own
economic condition may be, will help who we can – be it through simple groceries or more importantly by sharing the words of God,” said Brother Verceles, District Minister of the 14 local INC congregations and extensions in China.
The event was the third large-scale Aid For Humanity event that was hosted by the Church Of Christ
in Hong Kong; thousands were offered aid and introduced to the Biblical teachings taught inside the
INC in 2015 at the Asia World Expo, and in 2014 at the Kowloon Bay International Trade and
Exhibition Center.
The joint effort of INC members across China is one of many international campaigns of the INC’s
socio-civic programs aimed to strengthen the bond between the congregations of the Church Of Christ
and the communities in which they serve.
(with an INC-PIO release)