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Michelle Peredo: This week on Inc news world, we head to Nagoya, Japan as KADIWA members from all over the world come together for one of the year’s most anticipated events, the International KADIWA Meet and Greet. Your INC News World starts now.
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Michelle Peredo: Welcome to this special episode of INC News World. I’m Michelle Peredo, coming to you from the INC Media Studios in San Francisco, California. Discovering passions, striving towards goals and making connections. These are just some of the things that are important to the youth as part of nurturing growth, especially in their faith. The KADIWA Organization comprised of unmarried members, ages 18 and above, was established in the Church Of Christ. And in Nagoya, Japan, an exciting three day event was held for KADIWA members, bringing together young individuals from across 55 ecclesiastical districts around the world to unite for an opportunity to have fun and grow stronger with one another.
I’m really excited. It’s exciting that we have activities like this where so many of us are able to get together like this.
I’m very glad that everybody from everywhere has decided to join together. I’m very excited to meet people from all over and every congregation.
Calib Silva: I feel very inspired. All Glory to God that we are able to gather here.
Michelle Peredo: This episode, we bring to you the highlights. First, starting with a special worship service led by one of the primary helpers of Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, the Executive Minister of the Church Of Christ. Brother Michael Guerrero gives us that report.
Brother Michael Guerrero: As KADIWA members gathered at the Aichi Sky Expo in Nagoya, Japan, delegates were led in an uplifting worship service.
Brother Joel San Pedro: You often hear about how the Church has reached 168 countries and territories…
Brother Michael Guerrero: Led by Brother Joel San Pedro, one of the primary helpers of the Church Administration and sent from the Philippines by the Executive Minister of the Church Of Christ, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, KADIWA members were strengthened once again by the message they heard. For Neslie, from California, she was moved to hear the messages coming from the Church Administration.
Neslie Cavero: Today’s lesson was a great reminder of how our Church Administration truly cares about the mental health of the youth members in the Church Of Christ, because our Brother reminded us that even though we are so full of problems in this life, we have our Almighty God to always help us to overcome these problems as youth members. It’s not easy to live in this life, especially filled with lots of temptations.
Tristan Manning: It was invaluable, because the reminders that we got from the worship service pertained directly to us as youth in the Church. The Bible is really the guidebook for our lives. This is my belief. This is my creed. This is how I live my life.
Brother Michael Guerrero: For Kimberly from Texas, it’s through this worship service, she was all the more inspired to live by God’s words.
Kimberly Santuyo: When it comes to how to be a true Christian in this time, it’s really, really important to follow what the Bible says. The Bible gives us the foundation that we need to live our lives.
Brother Joel San Pedro: This world is a battleground.
Helena Cavero: Something that stood out to me during the worship service that Ka Joel explained was how, of course, these days, it is a battleground in the world, and we should always be careful of the people that we allow ourselves to hang out with.
Brother Joel San Pedro: The objective of the administration of the Church Of Christ today is the same objective we could see during the administration of the apostles in the Church Of Christ in the first century. Because of that, they’re also well aware and concerned about what the Bible warns about these difficult days, these times of evil, where we can see that there are many different influences that have beliefs that go against biblical teachings. They wanted to make sure that all of God’s people, from young to old, that they remember the reason God called us into the body of Christ. That we all grow up to be like the Lord Jesus. It’s God’s words in the Bible that we always live by, and that extends to every important part of our lives.
Claudine Ruiz: I am so thankful for the lessons that we were learning today. Everything was an answered prayer. Everything that I was asking God for was answered.
Genesis Cruz: One thing that stuck out to me during the worship service was the value of marriage. It was nice to hear the words of God truly from the Bible on the qualities that we need to look for in a good spouse.
Brother Joel San Pedro: There may be deep concerns of the brethren in such places when earthquakes
McGill Onate: What stood out the most to me, no matter what, quite literally, no matter what, we will always serve God. My personal wants and needs, if it doesn’t align with our Almighty God’s. I should not follow my own will. God’s will is the correct way.
Brother Charles Swank: Even if the conditions of this life worsen, we still continue to follow the words of God. Because of the words of God, that is our sole basis of how we should live in life.
Kimberly Santuyo: There truly is happiness and obeying God’s commandments truly and even though, when we feel like we can’t overcome our problems, God’s always there to help us like we got this because we have God.
Brother Manny Benedicto: Our KADIWA brethren were so happy when they heard about the International KADIWA Meet and Greet. This will give added inspiration to the brethren, so that no matter what happens, we will be able to continue serving the Lord God.
Brother Ralph Esguerra: Through activities like these launched by the Church Administration, our Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo Manalo, and the Deputy Executive Minister, Brother Angelo Manalo continue to show that they know and understand the needs of the youth of the Church Of Christ. Through the help of our Almighty God, we believe that this event is a success, because we can see in the faces of the brethren who attended this activity that they are very happy. And even though we came from different parts of the world, we have the same goal. Even though we speak different languages, we have the same culture, and that is Christian culture, and we want to please our Almighty God.
Brother Michael Guerrero: Through this very inspiring message from the Church Administration, the KADIWA members were once again strengthened in their faith through the preaching of God’s words here in this activity. They can continue in their growth as members of the Church Of Christ, continue to strengthen the bonds of brotherhood, and all the more continue in their services to God. I’m Brother Michael Guerrero, reporting for the Iglesia Ni Cristo News Network.
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Michelle Peredo: Among the most highly anticipated activities during this three day event was building connections and getting the chance to create. New friendships with other KADIWA members through a business KADIWA activity. Nicole Macatangay gives us the details.
Day two of the International KADIWA Meet and Greet began with a special worship service. But that was only the beginning of a truly unforgettable experience for the youth in the Church Of Christ.
Veronica Gamet: I’m getting emotional right now. I can’t believe I’m here.
Caleb Silva: I feel very inspired. All the glory to God that we are able to gather here.
Nicole Macatangay: Here in Nagoya, Japan, KADIWA members from different parts of the world have gathered for This Is KADIWA Event. More than just a joyful reunion, this event strengthens bonds, creates new relationships and friendships rooted in faith.
Monet Kerns: There’s so many people here just overwhelmingly see the activeness of all the brethren who want to be here and meet each other and find faith within that. It was nice to see everyone.
Nicole Macatangay: The This Is KADIWA Event of the meet and greet was led by the districts of Nagoya, Japan and Tokyo Japan. It featured lively performances, a shared dinner and free time for attendees to socialize and connect. For Nicole from Italy, she traveled over 14,000 kilometers to be part of this event.
Nicole Constantino: From the moment we set foot inside this venue, it was a huge wow, because it’s truly large and has been able to accommodate all the delegates from different continents of the world. But above all, listening, getting to different continents, listening to their stories, hearing what they do, what their duties are within the Church Of Christ, and the culture in which they live, and also knowing how to compare the cultures of different countries.
Nicole Macatangay: For Charmaine, this meet and greet was more than just a trip. It was a promise to herself to step out of her comfort zone and embrace the experience fully.
Charmaine Arongay: I definitely didn’t want to miss this. I didn’t want to miss out on this experience. I wanted this one to be the one where I’m most myself, the one where I put myself out there the most, the one where I can truly feel the Brotherhood, the unity of the fact that the Church Administration has put this together for us. My sister and her now fiance would have a pretty good conversation that would have a good rapport, and then after the meet and greet, it just seemed like they kept talking. A few years later, they’re now engaged to be married. So that’s why I truly believe that, you know, God sets up these activities to maybe one day find the person that you were meant to be with.
Nicole Macatangay: Beyond the fun and excitement, each interaction carried a deeper meaning, a reminder of why gatherings like this matter so much to the youth inside the Church.
Monet Kerns: It helps strengthen the faith when you make more friends. You have more people to rely on, more people to talk to about any struggles or even victories inside the Church that you could share your faith with.
Aaron James Aben: Oftentimes, especially if you’re busy, and for myself, busy with work, being alone or being isolated from other members, aside from worship services and some activities. Sometimes it’s easy to forget that there are other people like me who are strong in the faith and who continue to make sacrifices, who continue to participate in the different activities of the Church. So it’s good to see all of these other active members here being able to interact with them, being able to share experiences, and just being able to celebrate the love of the Brotherhood.
Nicole Macatangay: From heartfelt conversations to unforgettable memories. This gathering in Nagoya shows what it truly means to be KADIWA. This is connected not only by friendship, but by a shared faith that crosses borders. This is Nicole Macatangay for the Iglesia Ni Cristo News Network.
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Michelle Peredo: Japan is famous for its unique blend of ancient history, futuristic innovation and world renowned cuisine, attracting visitors from all around the world. Nagoya, home to the popular Ghibli Park, is also known as a major transportation hub, and where we can find historic landmarks like the Nagoya Castle and one of our final stops of this three day event, Yumiko Kanno takes us through the story.
Yumiko Kanno: Nagoya, Japan’s fourth largest city, and also the capital of Aichi Prefecture in the Chibu region. It’s this bustling and vibrant city known for its rich history, modern architecture and cultural significance, the KADIWA members from all over the world now take a day tour, one of the much anticipated events of the International KADIWA Meet and Greet. As one of the activities of the KADIWA Meet and Greet, we are touring Aichi Prefecture. One of our four stops was Nagoya Castle, where we learned about Japanese culture and history. The KADIWA members rode buses to go to the different historical places that were part of the day tour. The Nagoya Castle was originally built in 1612 by Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa sagunet as a strategic defense point between Kyoto and Edo, modern day Tokyo. The KADIWA members were able to walk on the Nagoya Castle grounds and were able to explore the Hommaru palace.
Shayna Arciaga: One of the most memorable experiences here in Nagoya Japan has to be going to the Nagoya Castle and immersing ourselves in the culture and the historical artifacts that we have seen during the tour that we had there.
Jason Gantz: It was really fun to just meet a lot of brethren from across the world, and everyone’s really nice, everyone’s really welcoming, and everyone has, like, the same amount of energy. So it’s like, everyone’s excited to be there.
Shei Dayan Apelacio: I actually really love the culture here in Japan, but everyone’s very respectful, very polite, and the views and the attractions, the history, whether it’s a city or countryside, it’s very beautiful in this country.
Dekker Wetzstein: The culture is very vibrant. I’ve kind of learned a lot before I even came to Japan, but now being able to see with my own eyes, I’m just absolutely floored by everything. It’s so fun. Very thrilled to see it all.
Bethel Esmillarin: Super fun because it’s my first time in Japan and my first time in Japan is an activity of the Church. I’m really happy because the brethren are very hospitable, especially those who are from Japan. After the tour, they assisted us and toured us around because they are more fluent in Japanese than us. So thank you so much to the brethren from Japan for welcoming us.
Yumiko Kanno: The brethren were not just able to see and appreciate the Nagoya Castle structure, but also learn some of the history that made their experience truly remarkable. After the tour of Nagoya Castle, the KADIWA members travel to their next location to learn about the history of the primary mode of transportation in Japan. Another stop is here at the SCMAGLEV and Railway Park, where we studied Japan’s technological advancements.
Yumiko Kanno: The SCMAGLEV and Railway Park is a railway museum of JR Central. The museum seeks to educate visitors on the advances in high speed rail in Japan, and displays a number of actual trains, including historic steam locomotives, world record setting experimental bullet train and the latest magnetic levitating trains, SCMAGLEV. We also met some of our brethren who tried to learn and speak Nihongo during the KADIWA Meet and Greet.
Marriel Fontanilla: I really enjoyed meeting so many people.
Alyssa Gwendoleen Talioga: I took some Japanese classes in high school, so I’ve learned a lot. I’ve been kind of rusty, though, so I’ve been saying “Please” “Hello” and “Thank you very much.” because that is a proper way to, you know, show respect to not just Japanese people, but everyone else here in this country.
Yumiko Kanno: The brethren were able to not just see the vast culture of Japan, but also forge meaningful friendships that developed throughout the KADIWA Meet and Greet. We met one of our sisters, who also joined the International KADIWA Meet and Greet last year in Manitoba, Canada.
Maefanwe Zaragoza: For the overall experience for this KADIWA Meet and Greet for Japan 2025 it was really amazing how I got to meet a lot of new people. It was also fun that we got to interact like creating new friendships, meeting old friends as well, because from last year’s meeting, we didn’t meet a lot of people, so that I’ve seen a lot. So it’s like a good receding moment for us.
Yumiko Kanno: This marks the final day of the three day fun filled event, and the KADIWA members would be parting ways and saying their goodbyes.
Malcolm Wetzstein: I feel like in the short amount of time we’re here, we really got a lot of worthwhile activities in our meet and greet
Shayna Arciaga: But this is something that we will definitely remember forever, and we’ll be able to connect with when we see each other again. And we’re very thankful to brother Eduardo V. Manalo for allowing activities such as these to allow the KADIWA to get together and connect from all around the world.
Alyssa Gwendoleen Talioga: Something that I truly take to heart is where we learn about how we grow up as KADIWA members, and what we should know and what we shouldn’t do as members of the Church of Christ. And I really enjoy the International KADIWA Meet and Greet. So thank you to our executive minister and our deputy executive minister for allowing us to have this special plan.
Yumiko Kanno: Through this activity that was launched by the Church Administration, brethren completely felt the love and guidance of our Mighty God that was manifested throughout the event. From Nagoya, Japan I am Sister Yumiko Kanno for the Iglesia Ni Cristo News Network.
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Michelle Peredo: With the activities held in Japan, members of the KADIWA Organization have felt the love of the Church Administration. They’ve been inspired to remain close to one another as part of the Christian Family Organizations, while continuing in their services to God in the true faith.
Michelle Peredo: Well, that does it for us on this episode of Inc news world, we hope you enjoyed following us on this special coverage, and stay tuned every Sunday on INC TV and every Saturday on our YouTube channel for new episodes of INC News World. I’m Michelle Peredo. Thank you for joining us. Stay safe and we’ll see you next time. God bless you.
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