The Iglesia ni Cristo: Celebrating Her 98th Anniversary And Triumphs

The Iglesia Ni Cristo: The Mustard Seed Which Is Now A Fully-Grown Tree Is Celebrating Her 98th Anniversary

"Happy 98th Anniversary Greetings" to the inhabitants in the islands of the sea in the Far East and to those in the Distant West!!! Greetings to the "other sheep" of Christ in all the 100 countries and territories and whose true and only God is the God of Israel!!! Greetings to all of the the 110 ethnicities which now comprise the "other sheep" and coming from all the habitable continents. Greetings to the "Daughter of Zion" all over the world!!!

Greetings to the thousands who are now undergoing Bible studies on pristine scriptural teachings all over the world!!! Greetings to all visitors who will be joining the true Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo) members in our 98th anniversary celebration!!! Greetings to the thousands who have just been baptized!!! Greetings to the thousands who are being prepared for eventual baptism!!!

Proceed as invited and directed by the true brotherhood to the nearest Iglesia ni Cristo chapel in your place!!! You have nothing to lose but everything to gain!!! This is a sure thing!!! WELCOME ABOARD!!!

Greetings From Where America's Day Begins!!! Hafa Adai!!!

To those who would want to know more about the Iglesia ni Cristo:

Once you are with us during our 98th anniversary celebration, don't be shy and don't hold back your questions. Ask, ask, ask! There is no harm in asking but there is harm in ignorance most especially when your unanswered questions and doubts pertains to salvation!!! Try to learn the "secrets" of the Iglesia Ni Cristo which is being mentioned by someone who wrote thus:

"Very little is known about the Iglesia ni Cristo, a dynamic and rapidly expanding church. This is perhaps one of the reasons why there is so much bias, even intolerance, against it in the country.

"For many years now, theologians and critics have tried to pry open the 'secrets' which propel the Iglesia ni Cristo to such tremendous growth. Why are people attracted to it? Why does it grow so fast? Its cathedrals and chapels are impressive landmarks in all of the provinces, cities, and towns. And beyond the seas, the Iglesia has firmly established congregations in 65 countries throughout the world.

"All this has been accomplished within the short span of 78 years the Iglesia sprang up in the Philippines in 1914."

Reference: Robert C. Villanueva,'The Untold Story of the Iglesia ni Cristo', Philippine Panorama, May 31, 1992, pp. 4, 6).

As an update of its current propagational status, the Church of Christ (Iglesia ni Cristo) in these last days, has congregations, extensions, and groups worship services in 99 countries and territories worldwide, outside the Philippines.

The Chapels of the Iglesia Ni Cristo:'Distinctive, imposing, dynamic'

" ... the INC each year dedicates approximately 100 church buildings that bristle with magnificent spires, feature concrete soaring arches, are painted in distinctive pastel colors, and display high standards of maintenance. Enclosed by imposing fences and carefully manicured grounds, each church dominate the local skyline. The imposing sacred structures of this dynamic religion have thus imprinted both urban and rural landscapes of the Philippines."

Reference:(Reed, Robert. "From local to global: The expanding mission of the Iglesia Ni Cristo in the Philippines and throughout the world." Retrieved April 21, 2003 from http://www.ethnicstudies.ucsd.edu/html/spring ...)
An update of the construction frenzy of the Iglesia NiCristo shows that from January of 2012 up to the end of July this year, more or less 75 grandiose and beautiful chapels had been completed and dedicated or will have been dedicated to God. There were 14 chapels completed for the month of June and 10 will be completed up to the end of July!!!
We are only talking of chapels constructed in the Philippines and not outside of her. Also, edifices which are not chapels and used for other purposes in the Church are not included both from within the Philippines and from without.

The First Executive Minister of the Iglesia ni Cristo, Brother Felix Y. Manalo, is being described by discerning individuals as a good leader, public speaker, and organizer!!!

The following are excerpts from the article "The Iglesia Ni Cristo, 1914-2000: From Obscure Philippine Faith to Global Belief System" that appeared in the Journal of the Humanities and Social Sciences of Southeast Asia and Oceania in 2001 which is published by KITLV, an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences based in Amsterdam. The said article was written by Robert R. Reed based on his own research:

"Born in a hamlet some 15 kilometers southeast of Manila on 10 May 1886, Felix Manalo was raised in a rural setting by his devout Catholic parents Mariano Ysagun and Bonifacia Manalo. With their livelihood based on a combination of agricultural work, shrimp catching and matmaking, they were humble people who lived on the edge of poverty. During a childhood disrupted by his father's death, his mother's remarriage and the Philippine Revolution, and an adolescence overshadowed by the Philippine-American War, Manalo received only a few years of formal schooling. In the course of farming, fishing, petty trade and handicraft work with family and friends, however, he did acquire an impressive range of practical manual and social skills. Some writers suggest that even as a teenager Manalo exhibited innate leadership ability and exceptional oratorical aptitude, which he later utilized to gather converts and fashion an enduring institutional framework for the INC."

"Like other founders of modern religious movements in Africa, Latin America and Asia (Hesselgrave 1978: 304-11), he was at once a skillful organizer, intense personage and charismatic preacher who firmly believed that God had directly authorized the INC's worldly mission, and he boldly proclaimed such a message."

"It is noteworthy also that the Sugo was always described as a mesmerizing speaker who could deftly sway audiences through exhilarating oratory and persuasive argument. Moreover, both friends and foes portrayed him as an amiable man who appeared equally at ease with the Filipino elite, Manila's poor, important politicians and Westerners."

... There is no doubt that Manalo managed these attributes and acquired abilities with consummate skill while transforming the Iglesia Ni Cristo from a tiny religious organization into one of the most influential belief systems in the Philippines and while concurrently setting the stage for its ambitious international mission."

"It is no exaggeration to say that his visions, teachings and administrative designs continue to provide an enduring blueprint for the doctrinal guidance of dedicated followers and the long-range development plan of INC leaders."

A Leader of the Iglesia Ni Cristo:'Dynamic stewarship'

"Under Brother Erano's dynamic stewardship, a fresh era dawned in the administration of the Church, not in terms of new doctrines or new teachings but in expansion---in the ever-incrasing number of brethren being added to the Church, in the numerous magnificent house[s] of worship being constructed, and above all, in its overseas expansion."

Reference:(Editorial,"Igl esia Ni Cristo's Executive Minister Erano G. Manalo 75th birth anniversary," Manila Bulletin, January 2, 2000, p. 11)

In an article on the global expansion of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, published in 2001 in the world's oldest professional journal focused on Southeast Asia, Bijdragen tot de taal-, Land-en Volkenkunde, Dr. Robert R. Reed, says of the Iglesia Ni Cristo's Executive Minister, Brother Erano G. Manalo:

"Displaying the characteristics of an able supervisor and thoughtful visionary, he immediately took charge of the Church's managerial apparatus and began to formulate plans for ambitious missionary enterprises within and beyond the Philippines ...

'"Confounding many critics, Erano G. Manalo soon displayed the distinctive qualities of a charismatic preacher. He also proved to be an exceptionally skilled administrator. In fact his stewardship of the INC has been marked by assertive spiritual leadership, systematic religious outreach and essential operational innovations."

" ... may in fact be the most successful form of of 'indigenous Christianity' to have arisen in the Third World during the past [20th] century."

Brother Felix Y. Manalo in the eyes of observers, historians and social scientists :

Even observers, historians, and social scientists have noticed the success that the Church has achieved over the decades. Others could not help but express wonder in awe in what has become of this Church since its humble beginnings under the stewardship of Brother Felix Y. Manalo. These are some of what they said:
Last 2007, the birthsite of Brother Felix Y. Manalo in Tipas, Taguig was formally inaugurated as a Philippine National Historical Landmark. At that event, the officials of the National Historical Institute unveiled the historical marker, together with the Deputy Execitive Minister of the Church of Christ, Brother Eduardo Manalo. In an interview, NHI Executive Director Ludovico Badoy had this to say:
"The National Historical Institute recognizes Brother Felix Manalo's contribution to the enrichment of the spiritual lives of Filipinos and the history of our nation. His works, his teaching, and the Church he started have changed the lives and the faith of many Filipinos. He deserves the pride and the recognition of the people of Taguig."

The Quality of God's Messenger From the East End (Dulong Silangan):

"Factors contributing to the Growth of the Movement ... First has been the dynamic leadership of Felix Manalo who dominated the Movement for a period of forty-nine years. Quite early in his life he manifested eloquence in speech, skill in argument, facility in the use of Scriptures, and mastery in organization."
Reference: Gerald H. Galang, Ph. D. Editor, Studies in Philippine Church History,(c) 1969.

The Children of God With Her Leaders When Compared To The Apostate Bishops Of Babylon The Great, The Mother Harlot:

What makes the Iglesia Ni Cristo achieved this phenomenal feat??? Let us ask a newspaper columnist:

" ... The INC does have discipline and its leaders do keep themselves very low-key, something that we wish our own Catholic bishops would learn to do...."

Reference:(Paredes, Ducky. Malaya, February 19, 2003)

Dynamism In The "Daughter of Zion":

"So dedicated are they as followers and so staunch is their drive to propagate their faith that the Iglesia Ni Cristo has every reason to flourish. Despite criticisms from religious skeptics and non-believers, the INC members hold steadfast to their convictions and continue to fulfill their mission, not with forlorn hope but with great confidence in their Maker who, they know, will help them succeed. Because they trust that where faith is, there cannot be failure."

Reference:("From Redicule to Reverence, Manila Magazine, 1983)

I'm happy to see the 98th year of this
Holy Church...We should thank the Lord
for this blessing.

I'm very happy we reach the 98th year Anniversary of our Church of Christ or Iglesia ni Cristo, celebration today.

Hello Sister Rebecca Santos Charest
are you going to attend a Grand Evangelical Mission ?

happy 98th anniverasy!! praise god the father in heaven.

... Brethren, Greetings! Happy 98th Anniversary ...

happy INC 98th anniversary

venush wrote:

I'm happy to see the 98th year of this
Holy Church...We should thank the Lord
for this blessing.

Venush,

The radiance of the Daughter of Zion is now well-known. She is now "officially amazing' from east to west!!! The subject matter of our Lord Jesus Christ's parable of the weeds (the good seed being the Iglesia ni Cristo) is now the talk of the town and most especially when she garnered grandslam feats in the Guiness Book of World Records!!! The last salvific work can never be hindered!!! Praise be to the only true God of the inhabitants in the islands of the sea from "mizrach"!!!

Real Elias Ibarra
Guam

Rebecca Santos Charest wrote:

I'm very happy we reach the 98th year Anniversary of our Church of Christ or Iglesia ni Cristo, celebration today.

Sis,

Greetings to all of you in the Florida Panhandle!!! I know that the patience and endurance of the brethren in your state played a big role in the expansion of the Iglesia Ni Cristo towards Central and South America, and the Caribbeans!!! You are all outstanding in the performance of your duties to God!!! Bravo Zulu!!!

Real Elias Ibarra
Guam

pat wrote:

happy 98th anniverasy!! praise god the father in heaven.

Pat,
Greetings to you and your family and your congregation!!! Happy 98th Anniversary to the "other sheep" of Christ!!! May your tribe increase with God's blessing!!!

Real Elias Ibarra
Guam

Equalizer wrote:

... Brethren, Greetings! Happy 98th Anniversary ...

Bro. Equalizer,

Thank you for taking the cudgel when I was busy!!! Matiyaga ka, kapatid!!! Happy 98th Anniversary of the Iglesia Ni Cristo!!! And thank you for posting the news item about the grandslam feats that we achieved which are now in the records of Guinness!!!

Real Elias Ibarra
Guam

From July 27, 2011 up to July 27, 2012, a total of 185 grandiose and beautiful chapels were constructed and dedicated to God by the true Church of Christ (Iglesia Ni Cristo)!!!

Real Elias Ibarra
Guam