305 Church officers added in Manitoba, Ottawa districts

“It is very important to comply with the instruction of our beloved [Executive Minister,] Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, to enlist more officers since the growth of the Church Of Christ throughout the world is indeed unstoppable,” Manitoba District supervising minister, Brother Roland Andrade, explained. “The membership continues to grow far and beyond; thus, we need more officers to take care of the growing flock and make sure that all the brethren under our care are being prepared to receive salvation and merit that promise upon the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

On June 18 and 19, 2023, respectively, the two districts in Canada swore-in a total of 305 Church officers who have completed their trainings.

In Ottawa, Brother Jose Razon II, district supervising minister, officiated at the special gathering of officers, old and new alike, from the auditorium of Pierrefonds Community High School in Montreal. The whole proceedings was streamed live to the places of worship of the local congregations of Moncton, New Brunswick; Halifax, Nova Scotia; and Nepean, Ontario.

Brother Razon exhorted the Church officers to have the same mind as the Lord Jesus Christ in caring for the brethren and be diligent in performing their duties.

This same mind as the Lord the brethren have witnessed in Brother Eduardo Manalo. Among them was Yasmin Abilar who, as one of the 104 new officers in the district, took oath as Children’s Worship Service (CWS) assistant chairperson of the Vaudreuil, Quebec Congregation. She said that among those who inspired her the most “in accepting this duty is our Executive Minister and how he tirelessly performs his duty as our leader in the Church [because of which] I am all the more strengthened in my faith.”

Meanwhile, Brother Andrade ministered to the Church officers assembled in the house of worship of the Winnipeg South Congregation and that of Regina, Saskatchewan Congregation, which was linked to the former via videoconferencing. In his Bible-based homily, the Manitoba District supervising minister emphasized that a Church duty is a gift and calling from God, for which reason it should be greatly valued by devotedly fulfilling it for the brethren’s sake and for His glory.

Two hundred one new officers took their oath of office after the sermon. One of them, Amery Castillo, organist from the Regina Congregation, said, “I feel blessed that God has called me, through the Church Administration, in this duty to fulfill what He willed me to do.”

“In these times that our Lord God shows His mercy and blessing to the entirety of the Church and many people are being added inside the Church, the brethren are encouraged to accept an office in the Church so that they too will become good helpers of the Administration to edify the faith of our brethren,” said Brother Felman Saren, resident minister of the Local Congregation of Winnipeg North. — With reports from Laura Bridgette Ibañez and Denisse Roque of INC News