THE Iglesia ni Cristo has experienced “unprecedented growth” in the past six years under the leadership of Ka Eduardo Manalo, with just over 17 chapels built and renovated every month since he took over the reins of the homegrown Church in September 2009—the result of the outpouring of support from INC members “who continue to embrace our faith and believe wholeheartedly in the Church’s evangelization efforts.”
This according to INC spokesperson Edwil Zabala, who on Monday said that 1,091 chapels in the Philippines have been dedicated under Manalo, who took over the leadership of the church after his father, Ka Eraño Manalo, passed away in August 2009. A significant number of chapels have also been established abroad.
“These new chapels are a concrete manifestation of the support given by our members to the Church, which is at an all-time high,” said Zabala. Among the provinces with new
and renovated chapels are Bataan, Benguet, Bulacan, Cavite, Camarines Sur, Cebu, Cotabato, Davao Del Sur, Davao Oriental, Iloilo, Laguna, La Union, Leyte, Nueva Ecija, Negros Occidental, Palawan, Pangasinan, Rizal, Tarlac, and Zambales.
Chapels in Metro Manila have also been dedicated in several cities, including Caloocan, Malabon, Manila, Muntinlupa, Navotas, Pasay, Pasig, Taguig, and Quezon City.
According to the minister, all INC members are free to give whatever they can to support efforts to strengthen the Church, “and seeing firsthand the results of their generosity and their sense of community is very encouraging for them; iba kasi talaga pag nakikita mo kung saan napupunta ang tulong mo (it’s a different feeling when you know where your support is going).”