INC Expands To North Bay, Ontario
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Naomi Delacruz: The Church Of Christ makes a new home through an inaugural worship service in North Bay, Canada. Watch how the Care For Humanity project helps fight food insecurity in Florida. Your INC News World starts now.
Host continued: Watch the overwhelming response of aid for refugees and immigrants through the Care For Humanity project in Brooks, Canada. From North America, Europe, and Africa, watch the latest events of the Church Of Christ happening around the world. Your INC News World starts now.
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Naomi: Welcome to INC News World. I’m Naomi Delacruz coming to you from the INC Media studios in Anaheim, California.
In the northeastern region of Ontario, Canada is North Bay, a city historically considered the “gateway to the north” and for one woman, she discovers her faith fortified while part of a milestone event significant in her life. Michelle Pineda has the details.
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Michelle Pineda: Lala made the bold decision to move to Canada, in pursuit of higher education and hopes for a brighter future for her and her family.
Lala Subayno (Working Student, North Bay, Canada): I came here primarily because I want to study health care administration. My mom is a chief nurse in the Philippines, I admire her. I decided to pursue my nursing career.
Michelle: A pursuit demanding more commitment than she had expected.
Lala (Working Student, North Bay, Canada): Especially that I am a full time student and at the same time I have to work, it’s very exhausting.
Michelle: Surrounded by Ontario’s breath-taking lakes, North Bay is almost 4 hours north of its capital city, Toronto, and the nearest Iglesia Ni Cristo or Church Of Christ local congregation.
Lala (Working Student, North Bay, Canada): I’m having a hard time finding a job. I have to be strong. I came here to Canada alone. I don’t have my family. There’s a time that I badly needed to go to church [the house of worship]. I want to pray. I have no one here. All I can do is pray to God.
Michelle: Despite the long distance, Lala was not hindered from fulfilling her duty as a member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo or Church Of Christ.
Lala (Working Student, North Bay, Canada): When I took the bus, it took me 5 hours so I can attend the worship service.
Michelle: Months later, she stumbled upon an unexpected encounter while aiding international newcomers at school.
Lala (Working Student, North Bay, Canada): I have to help the students, the newcomers. I’m helping with sister Diana’s luggage but I have no idea that she’s a member of the Church Of Christ. I just knew when I saw the tag, the tag of Iglesia Ni Cristo and I said “You’re a member of the Church Of Christ?” I’m so happy. I don’t know her, but I really hug her.
Diana Taypan (Lab Technician, North Bay, Canada): My course is biotechnology technician, which took 2 years. I work as a laboratory technician here in North Bay.
Michelle: Their encounter marked the beginning of the Iglesia Ni Cristo or Church Of Christ’s gathering of members in this part of the world.
Diana (Lab Technician, North Bay, Canada): Before 2019, it was just me and Ka Lala, and then we got the new members in the middle of the pandemic. We had to commute. We usually take the 2 a.m. bus.
Michelle: Iglesia Ni Cristo or Church Of Christ members from different local congregations would offer their assistance and support both in big and small ways.
Wayne Garraway (Head Deacon, Blue Mountain, Ontario): My wife and I sister margie would pick them up in Barrie and bring them to Newmarket worship service. It’s important to me because our doctrines taught me in the beginning, to share with my brothers and my sisters, to look after them when I can and to always maintain the brotherhood.
Michelle: Lala and others remained hopeful to have a group worship service closer to their place. And after a long awaited answered prayer, the day of a newly established group worship service in North Bay, Ontario had finally arrived.
Led by Supervising Minister, Brother Glendo Baitan, the inaugural worship service commemorated a new group worship service in North Bay. Members of the Church Of Christ across the ecclesiastical district of Greater Toronto were also in attendance to unite with Lala, Diana and other pioneering members in North Bay, for this special milestone.
Bother Joan Apita (Resident Minister, North Bay, Greater Toronto): Our worship service is a vital part of our life. This is where our faith is and edified. This is where our prayers are answered by our Almighty God and the worship service is the solution to all our problems and cares that we have in our life.
Lala (Working Student, North Bay, Canada): I was renewed. It was very powerful, especially when I heard the first song earlier for our inauguration. I started to cry. I missed this. I super missed this.
Wayne (Overseer, North Bay Group Worship Service, ecclesiastical district of Greater Toronto): We continue to grow in the church and every time this happens, it makes my heart swell. We are going in the right direction, and I believe that one day we will be in Sudbury and every town between here and Timmins.
Michelle: Now a registered nurse and reunited with her family, Lala strives for more as she accepts the duty of a deaconess.
Brother Glendo Baitan (Supervising Minister, ecclesiastical district of Greater Toronto): This event today is very important because this is in line with the campaign of the Church Administration through the leadership of Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, to strengthen the faith of the brethren. Right now, the group worship service of North Bay may be small in number, but we never doubt that through the mercy of our Almighty God, this group worship service will continue to grow. Altogether we will remain active in our faith and ever growing in our spirituality.
Lala (Deaconess, North Bay, Canada): I’m really thankful. It’s really far from the Philippines, but I can feel the love of brother Eduardo V. Manalo. Thank you so much for giving us our group worship service. You’re bringing us, you’re bringing us closer to God.
Michelle: Lala is a reflection of countless members of the Church Of Christ who strive for a better life, and the impact of trusting in God leads to the achievement of even greater goals. Michelle Pineda Iglesia Ni Cristo News network.
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Naomi: Food pantries around the central Florida area have seen the demand for food assistance way up in the past year, reports showing that around 65% of food banks in florida reporting an increase in the number of people seeking charitable food assistance all resulting from rising inflation. And for one food pantry in Orlando which is lacking donations would receive timely aid as part of a series of humanitarian efforts to help needy families throughout florida. Kevin Singh brings us the story.
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Warren Houghland (Senior Vice President, Community Action Services, Osceola Council on Aging): Our need has always been funding, having enough money to keep the doors open and the services going. As of the past few months, food has been a big one, just to keep the doors open.
Kevin Singh: The fear of doors closing. Warren, the Senior Vice President of Community Action Services at the Osceola Council on Aging has been looking for a way to continue feeding families in Osceola County but food supply is lacking and the sense of urgency for Warren helping families is high.
Warren (Senior Vice President, Community Action Services, Osceola Council on Aging): We serve roughly between 2-3 thousand families a month. This is drastically needed.
Kevin: Not only lacking food but lacking the volunteers to donate and help in his pantry.
Warren (Senior Vice President, Community Action Services, Osceola Council on Aging): We could really use volunteers if they want to help us out through our Meals on Wheels program and other services that we do here.
Kevin: Until one humanitarian effort provided donations that would help keep his doors open and bring food security to residents in his area.
Warren (Senior Vice President, Community Action Services, Osceola Council on Aging): You guys coming in and bringing us food has really impacted us greatly.
Kevin: Care For Humanity—an outreach program spearheaded by the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, the volunteer arm of the Church Of Christ, aims to provide aid to those living in impoverished communities. And it is through the Care For Humanity program, making an impact towards local communities like the Osceola Council on Aging.
Warren (Senior Vice President, Community Action Services, Osceola Council on Aging): So we have a food pantry that people are requesting help with food. So these bags of food, which are amazingly pre sorted for me and they’re all packaged and ready to go. So those will go out to our families that are in need of food, so that’ll be great.
Kevin: With care packages rolled off the line, Church Of Christ members from around the Orlando region attended and participated in this activity, led by Supervising Minister, Brother Marlone Balason.
Brother Marlone Balason (Supervising Minister, Ecclesiastical District of Florida): Care For Humanity, this shows that we are truly following the teachings of God written in the Bible, that we should show our love and care for our brethren and for our fellow men. And our beloved Executive Minister, he has this great care and love for people as well.
Kevin: The activity even extended as far west as Tampa, to Pensacola, across the panhandle to Florida’s northeast city of Jacksonville in the neighborhood district of Arlington, often known as one of the low-income communities in Duval County.
Deatra Williams (Resident, Jacksonville, Florida): Oh, it’s wonderful. It warms my heart, you know. I always knew something was going on here. I just wasn’t sure.
George Butler (Resident, Jacksonville, Florida): This is nice. Like I said, it’s good for the community, you know, especially in a community like this, around here it’s good. And I appreciate you all for doing this for the community.
Kevin: Care packages containing groceries and hygiene products for daily needs, along with Pasugo or God’s Message magazines were given to those in attendance.
George (Resident, Jacksonville, Florida): [There are] a lot of homeless people around here, and you know, they need stuff like this, [they] need motivation. Stuff like this to help them remember that they can still get out here and be productive in the community.
Deatra (Resident, Jacksonville, Florida): I definitely think it would be helpful to let the young people know or the people that are coming of age, that are young adults, that there is someplace where they can reach out to somebody and get help if they needed to just find peace and be part of the community.
Kevin: Through this event, the teachings taught inside the Church Of Christ were also introduced to them.
Marjorie Junious (INC Member, Kissimmee, Florida): I feel it opens up a lot of knowledge to the people that are here because they never heard of this church before. So when they see what we have done, and as I heard that they want to have Bible study, this was an encouragement to them to be part of it and also to want more, to hear more about God’s word.
Brother Marlone Balason (Supervising Minister, Ecclesiastical District of Florida): Showing our love and our care for the people of this world, it can also bridge our faith. We can also show our faith to them through these kinds of activities and when we do show our care, of course, we help out those less fortunate and it gives them hope.
Marjorie (INC Member, Kissimmee, Florida): And just the feedback from the people that received it, the word and the donation make me even feel more proud to be a member of the Church Of Christ.
Brother Marlone Balason (Supervising Minister, Ecclesiastical District of Florida): Part of the goal for this Care For Humanity is to show care to everyone. So we specifically chose this place so that we could also extend the care of the Church Administration and the care of the Church Of Christ here in this place as well.
Kevin: For Warren, the Care For Humanity provided more than care packages after having the opportunity to witness a great blessing with the chance to be introduced to the Church Of Christ.
Warren (Senior Vice President, Community Action Services, Osceola Council on Aging): Thank you so much and keep up the great work. I got to see all the wonderful work that you did, that you do just within my community, but throughout the whole world. It’s amazing to see what you and your church do. So keep it up and thank you.
Kevin: Through these activities, members of the Church Of Christ are able to truly share their love and care for their neighbors and most importantly introduce them to the truth taught by the Holy Scriptures.
If you want to learn more about the Church Of Christ and its various activities visit INCMedia.org/church-news and check out our YouTube channel at @INCmedia.official. Kevin Singh, Iglesia Ni Cristo News Network, Jacksonville, Florida.
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Naomi: Well, that does it for us on INC News World. Tune in every Saturday for new episodes of INC News World on incmedia.org, our youtube channel and on streaming platforms . I’m Naomi Delacruz. Thank you for joining us, stay safe, and we’ll see you next time. God bless!
