Marabulig II, Mambabanga houses of worship dedicated to God

Marabulig II

“The brethren were delighted as soon as we heard that the Church Administration approved the building of our house of worship,” said Brother Felix Caldito, resident minister. Even when the construction of the house of worship began in July 2020, the brethren continued holding devotional prayers seeking God’s blessings so that the construction would go on smoothly despite the pandemic. “Now that it’s finally here,” Brother Caldito added, “We will take good care of it for the glory of God.”

According to Benjamin Antimano, head deacon of Marabulig II, before the establishment of their local congregation, the brethren had to walk for an hour going to the nearest local congregation—Mambabanga. He went on to say, “With God’s mercy and help, as membership in Marabulig keeps increasing, time came when we were established as a local congregation.”

As the number of the brethren increased, so did the need for a bigger house of worship. Hence, the brethren rejoiced when the new house of worship, which can sit 110 worshipers at any given time, was finished and dedicated to God.

What made the occasion even more memorable for the brethren in Marabulig II is the fact that it was Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, Executive Minister of the Church Of Christ, who officiated the dedication of their house of worship. The homily of the Executive Minister was streamed live from the Central Temple to multiple sites, including Marabulig II.

Mambabanga

Just a few days after the dedication of the house of worship of Marabulig II, the new house of worship of the Local Congregation of Mambabanga was also dedicated to God. The worship service was led by Brother Gil Caberto, the district supervising minister.

Brother Gil Caberto said, “It is a great blessing from God for a local congregation to be gifted a new house of worship. That is what Church members aspire, wherein they will hold worship services, and all the more expect God’s help when they pray, especially in this time of pandemic.”

When the construction of the 150-seater house of worship began in August 2020, the brethren volunteered to help in its construction. They scheduled rotational working hours to not only maximize their time but also strictly observe the government-implemented health and safety protocols.

Brother Aji Calaydan, resident ministerial worker, said, “This pandemic has affected the lives of the brethren but their faith and conviction have not changed. Led by the Church officers, they conducted devotional prayers, asking God to be gifted a new house of worship.” Together with the house of worship, a parsonage and an office for the local congregation were also built.

More edifices

The ecclesiastical district expects to see two more houses of worship to be dedicated to God later this year. These are the houses of worship for the local congregations of Delfin Albano and Pinoma. The completion of the said construction projects are expected by November and December 2021, respectively. Another project which has just started this month is the construction of a three-storey district office building within the compound of the Local Congregation of Cauayan City.

As of this writing, four houses of worship have already seen completion in the ecclesiastical district for this year. These include the newly-refurbished 1,605-seater edifice of the local congregation of Cauayan, which was dedicated to God by the Executive Minister on May 15, 2021; as well as the house of worship of the Rang-ayan Group Worship Service, which held its inaugural worship service on May 28, 2021.

“Through the ministers and Church officers, we remind the brethren that the parade of success of the Church, including those in our district, is a clear manifestation that God is with the Church Of Christ; that a pandemic cannot hinder the blessings of God. We also hope and pray that nonmembers of the Church would come to realize that these successes of the Church in the face of the pandemic are reasons for them to examine the teachings we uphold,” Brother Caberto added. — With reports from INC News Section