(Eagle News) — The Iglesia Ni Cristo announced that houses and buildings of worship continue to be built at an accelerated pace even during the construction of the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena until today, belying allegations that Church funds have been depleted with the construction of the arena.
INC spokesperson minister Edwil Zabala noted that no less than the INC Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo stated this in a special thanksgiving worship service held in the Central Temple last July 18.
He said the figures mentioned by the INC Executive Minister were undeniable proof that the INC’s detractors were merely spreading lies.
The INC since last week celebrated its 101st year anniversary with the holding of various activities, most especially thanksgiving worship services to God in all its congregations throughout the world for more than a hundred years of fruitful blessings to the Church.
The INC Executive Minister led one of these special thanksgiving worship services held at the Central Temple on July 18.
Last Saturday, Bro. Eduardo told thousands of brethren who flocked to the Central Temple that they should not believe those who are trying to destroy the Church with lies.
873 houses of worship built since 2011
He said that in fact the Church had continued its intensified building of structures of worship here and abroad with 873 houses of worship built throughout the world since 2011. The number of houses and buildings of worship being built yearly since 2011 had also been steadily rising.
In 2011, the year when the construction of the Philippine Arena started, he said a total of 119 buildings of worship had been built: 107 of these were in the Philippines and 12 were built abroad.
In 2012, the number of houses or buildings of worship built jumped to 139 in all: 123 in the Philippines and 16 abroad, stated Bro. Eduardo during the worship service.
In 2013, the numbers even increased with a total of 154 houses of worship built in the country and abroad: 138 in the Philippines and 16 in other countries.
And last year, 2014, considered as the INC’s centennial year, the number of buildings of worship that were completed even rose to 168. These included 79 barangay chapels and 81 houses of worship in the Philippines, and eight buildings of worship abroad, Bro. Eduardo said.
Bro. Eduardo said that the increasing number of houses and buildings of worship being built by the Church, not just in the Philippines, but in other countries as well is proof of God’s blessings to the Church.
This also serves as undeniable and concrete proof that those who are spreading allegations that Church funds had been depleted, were only spreading lies, the INC leader said during the Thanksgiving worship service.
Even after the construction of the Philippine Arena, the INC continued to build more buildings of worship to give glory to God.
293 houses of worship completed from January to July 2015
The INC Executive Minister gave these figures himself. From January to the first week of July this year, a total of 293 houses of worship had been built in the Philippines and in other countries. This was significantly higher than the 168 buildings of worship built last year.
“And this only represents the figure as of the first week alone of July, the numbers would go higher as I am speaking now as there are more houses of worship that might have been completed,” Bro. Eduardo said during the worship service last July 18.
Of the 293 houses and buildings of worship completed as of the first week of July, 262 were barangay chapels. These were constructed to bring the houses of worship closer to the homes of the brethren, stressed Bro. Eduardo. Eight are buildings of worship constructed in other countries, and 23 are buildings of worship constructed in the Philippines. Bro. Eduardo stressed that all these magnificent structures were built in the first six months and one week of this year alone.
Despite the world recession, the INC has been building more and more houses of worship, aside from other huge structures for its various activities, Bro. Eduardo said.
The INC leader also stressed that the 55,000-seater Philippine Arena was built only in a span of two years and nine months, which astounded even its designers from the Australian-based Populous and structural engineers from Buro Happold. Compare this to the 36,500-seater Saitama Super Arena in Japan that took longer to build. The construction of the Saitama Super Arena started in December 1996 and was finished in May 2000, he said.
On the other hand, the groundbreaking of the Arena happened on August 17, 2011. It was turned over to the INC on May 30, 2014.
The Philippine Arena, including the 20,000 seater-Philippine Sports Stadium in Ciudad de Victoria in Bocaue, Bulacan, was the center of the Iglesia Ni Cristo’s centennial celebration in July last year.
Outside the country, the more recent buildings of worship of the Iglesia Ni Cristo or Church of Christ that were dedicated to God were in Bakersfield, California; Jersey City, New Jersey; Orange Park, Florida; Lubbock, Texas; Roseville, California in the United States; Christchurch, New Zealand; Capetown and Johannesburg, South Africa; Leeds in the United Kingdom; Ibaraki, Japan; and Daegu, South Korea.
Other major structures being built by the INC are the EVM Convention Center and the new INC Museum situated along Central Avenue, Diliman, Quezon City.
The other structures built within the centennial year also include the new building of the College of Evangelical Ministry (CEM), the school for INC ministers, also along Central Avenue; the Honorata de Guzman Manalo building and the Pilar Manalo-Danao Multi-Media Center built inside the Central grounds of the INC; and the Professional Schools Building of the New Era University which houses the College of Medicine, the College of Law, and the School of Graduate Studies of NEU.
3 schools of ministry established outside the Philippines
Three schools of ministry outside of the Philippines were also established within the centennial year. These are in Sacramento, California in the United States; London, United Kingdom; and in Rome, Italy.
More ministers were also ordained to oversee the various needs of the INC congregations worldwide. Since 2010, under the stewardship of the present Executive Minister, Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo, more than 3,000 ministers have been ordained.
The increasing number of houses and buildings of worship not just in the Philippines, but in other countries as well is proof of the Church’s active global expansion and propagation activities which is expected to even intensify in the years after the INC Centennial.
This is just one of the INC’s achievements as the Church marks its 101st anniversary on July 27.