Tokyo District marks 13th anniversary through series of events

By ERIC RAMIREZ

Date Posted: September 25, 2023

Previous slide
Next slide

Though all of them reside in the metropolitan prefecture, Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ) members in the Ecclesiastical District of Tokyo, Japan live far from each other. Having plenty of reasons to thank God, they did not allow such distance apart to hinder them from celebrating their district’s 13th anniversary through a series of events held in August 2023.

The first of these celebrations took place on August 6 at Hamamatsushi Fukushikoryu Center, for the Chubu Region of the district; the second on August 20 at Tochigi Cultural Hall, for Gunma, Ibaraki, Tochigi, and Tohoku, among other regions in Tokyo’s northern area. The third and final event transpired on August 27 at Ota City Industrial Plaza (PiO) in Tokyo, for the Kanto Area.

The Christian Family Organizations (CFO) officers of the district facilitated these occasions, all of which Brother Amante Rodriguez, the district supervising minister, graced with his presence and biblical admonitions. Over dinner, talented brethren performed their best in rendering some songs from the collection of the INC Original Music.

“I joined the Church Of Christ about 20 years ago. There were few ministers, and not as many local congregations as there are now,” reminisced Hisatsugu Sasahara, a deacon from the Local Congregation of Kawasaki, “Now we have more ministers and members. The children who were so young back then are now grown-ups, most of whom are Church officers.”

“We’re so delighted to have this kind of activity where we met with our brethren from various local congregations, including our guests. Witnessing our brethren’s diverse talents is truly a sight to behold,” said Corazon Sagiri Ragub, a deaconess from the Local Congregation of Gunma-ken.

One of the performers was Marika Sasaki, a KADIWA member from the Local Congregation of Tochigi, Utsunomiya Extension. “I’m so glad to be part of this event because it is for the Lord God, to give praise to Him,” she expressed.

“Even though the brethren traveled from afar, we could see the happiness on their faces because they’re here to participate,” Brother Rodriguez said. — With reports from Jansen Danganan of INC News Section