By Lyndon Harvey
EBC Europe Bureau
The Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) is now the official owner of a 200-year old church edifice in Glasgow, Scotland, which was previously owned by the New Jerusalem Church.
The handover ceremony was held on April 26 at 17 George Street in Paisley, Scotland where the church edifice has stood since it was built by the Methodists in 1810 and then owned by the New Jerusalem Church in 1861.
Having served its congregation and the local community since then, the New Jerusalem Church held its last gathering at the building on April 21, 2019, where 23 people attended.
“The Church was put up for sale, not for financial reasons, but mainly because we have a dwindling congregation,” said New Jerusalem Church congregant, Winnie Laing explaining why the property had changed ownership.
She said that all the members of their congregation were elderly so it was difficult to for most to help with the upkeep and maintenance of the building.
Margaret Blair, one of the New Jerusalem Church members, although sad that their time as occupiers of the building had come to an end, welcomed the change.
She said was “so nice to see the Church with so many happy faces in it looking forward to a new start.”
The building’s new owners will soon begin renovations to their new chapel and hopes for the future are bright.
“God willing, this will be the first chapel of the Church Of Christ to be dedicated to God in Scotland,” Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) Head Deacon from Glasgow, Marc Angelo Tuazon said.
As a result of the INC’s rapid growth around the world and a rise in its membership in the United Kingdom, the Church has acquired the property to serve the increasing spiritual needs of its flock in Scotland.
Another INC member, Thomas Millar, said, “When the building’s finally ready for dedication … the biggest thing that I’m hoping for is that our congregation continues to get larger and larger.”
He also expressed his excitement at having a chance to help those in need in the local community through the Church’s various outreach programs.
The Iglesia Ni Cristo’s purchase of the building coincides with the 10th anniversary of its Glasgow congregation, as well as the commemoration of the 10th year in office of the Church’s spiritual leader, Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo.