Live Show Brings God’s Words to Bay Area

HOST: This week on INC News World: a live audience taping to spread God’s words is experienced in the San Francisco Bay area; the Church Of Christ continues to grow in Los Angeles, California; and God’s words bring new life and purpose through the Dominican Republic and Colombia. Your INC News World starts now. 

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HOST: Welcome to INC News World. I’m Brother Michael Guerrero, coming to you from the INC Media studios in the San Francisco Bay area. ‘Face the Truth’, a show on incmedia.org that tackles the many misconceptions of Christianity by turning to the pages of the Bible, held its first live show of the year at the INC Media headquarters in Northern California, where studio guests tuned in to some very timely topics. Michelle Peredo has more. 

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MICHELLE KNOWLES (RESIDENT – CONCORD, CALIFORNIA): I was looking through some other events on Facebook, and ‘Face the Truth’ that was very eye catching. And I was like, you know what? I think I want to go to this,

MICHELLE PEREDO: Michelle, a resident from the bay area was looking for something to do on the weekend.

RENEZEN BENEDICTO (INC MEDIA SENIOR PRODUCER – BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA): One of the things that we tried to do was on Facebook to bring people who are interested in different topics together. So there’s a Facebook group and we posted the event in there and we noticed that Michelle had liked the post, so we reached out to her. 

MICHELLE PEREDO: Though the venue was an hour away from where she lived, she was intrigued and even shared the event on her Facebook page.

MICHELLE KNOWLES (RESIDENT – CONCORD, CALIFORNIA): My friend Yvette is with me. And I put it on my Facebook and she said, “Are you going?” I said, “Only if you are.” I’m like “Ok.” She’s like, “Let’s go.”

MICHELLE PEREDO: Not really knowing what to expect, she went to the live show hosted by INC Media, a media arm of the Church Of Christ with its headquarters located in Burlingame, California.

BROTHER BARRY THOMPSON (HOST – FACE THE TRUTH): Now today I want to first ask for a raise of hands: who here wants to be successful and have a good life? 

MICHELLE PEREDO: And this unique experience left an impression on her and her friend.

MICHELLE KNOWLES (RESIDENT – CONCORD, CALIFORNIA): I’m pretty impressed. I am really impressed with the whole setup.

YVETTE NUNEZ (RESIDENT – CONCORD, CALIFORNIA): I have gone to church events, but this is completely different. And I felt it was an awesome experience. Like everyone’s really friendly and they all welcomed us and everybody remembers our names and that’s amazing. 

MICHELLE PEREDO: It wasn’t just Yvette and Michelle who were surprised by today’s event. 

LISA LE (RESIDENT – SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA): This is my first time learning about a topic about wanting to live forever and how we can accomplish that. So I thought it was interesting. I’m also very interested in like, what the Church Of Christ has to teach us about life.

ROSE MARIE MALLAMO (RESIDENT – SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO): I loved the show. I loved everything that the minister had to say. And I’m really interested in getting back into it. Tonight, you know, my eyes were opened. So I just feel like coming back to Bible study. 

BROTHER BARRY THOMPSON (HOST – FACE THE TRUTH): The chapter is 20, the verse is 28: “Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock…”

JOSH BRINGAZI (RESIDENT – SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA): I liked that it was, scripture was quoted, and very simple presentation. I liked the visual effects of the pictures.

MICHELLE KNOWLES (RESIDENT – CONCORD, CALIFORNIA): He didn’t add anything to it, no personal stories, you know. And it’s just, here’s some word; here’s a word; here some word; here’s the word; you didn’t get that? Here’s some more word from the Bible, he said everything out of the Bible, and that’s what I appreciated about it the most.

MICHELLE PEREDO: And with the social climate of society on edge, surrounded by chaos, even in the start of 2020, the show tackled the meaning of what it all meant by what was written in the Bible.

MICHELLE KNOWLES (RESIDENT – CONCORD, CALIFORNIA): It was really informative. And as I’m watching this, and I’m paying attention to every little thing he says, and I’m thinking to myself “This is what this generation needs, this cast everywhere.”

MICHELLE PEREDO: With ‘Face the Truth Live’ kicking off the start of the new year, it is just one of the many future live events that INC Media has lined up for 2020.

RENEZEN BENEDICTO (INC MEDIA SENIOR PRODUCER – BURLINGAME, CALIFORNIA): We’re constantly researching to see what types of topics people are looking for when it comes to the Bible, trying to find a way to bridge what they’re searching for. The internet kind of opens the door to another realm of people to invite. There’s so many tools now to reach different types of people that it’s just, if that’s where people are, that’s where we need to be to be able to reach them and to be able to get them to the houses of worship.

BROTHER BOB PELLIEN (MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL – INC MEDIA OPERATIONS MANAGER): Here at INC Media services one of the important roles is the preaching of the gospel and sending it throughout the world. With this ‘Face the Truth’ and ‘That’s in the Bible’ and the children’s programming like ‘Time to Draw,’ the same gospel will be preached of course. We have to be right there, because that’s where everybody’s eyes are. But that’s the beginning of their search, to understand the proper way to serve God, what we do is help lead people to that.

MICHELLE PEREDO: And with changing times, the members of the Church Of Christ hope to reach as many people as they can, so they too may know the truth no matter where they are. 

LAYMER PAMINTUAN (INC MEMBER – DALY CITY): Technology is so advanced now. And the Church is actually taking advantage of that. If anybody asked, you know, “Do you guys have a website? or do you have a social media that we can follow?” We can actually do that now because of the Church work. I think this is a great opportunity because you can actually see the behind-the-scenes where everything is created. It’s a different setting where they can interact with the ministers as well, tour the office and, of course ask more questions and other than the Church settings. 

MIKEY SISTOSO (INC MEMBER – DALY CITY): You know, you just put it on your live story or you just direct message it to them or you just put it on your feed. Someone was kind of like, “Oh, what is this?” I invited them, a couple of my family members, and they came through. It was cool, it’s a good time. Whether people know it at the time or not, they’re seeing God’s actual work of salvation being presented to them around the world.

MICHELLE PEREDO: We’re going to have these monthly actually so would you ever consider coming back?

ROSE MARIE MALLAMO (RESIDENT – SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO): I would, definitely. I’d be here, yes. Of course.

YVETTE NUNEZ (RESIDENT – CONCORD, CALIFORNIA): I just think you’re all doing a great job here. And again, it was a very, it was something different for me, and I like different. So I really enjoyed it.

MICHELLE PEREDO: More people are learning about the Church Of Christ and the true God, not only through worship services but evangelical missions and activities such as these. To watch more inspiring stories on how more people are finding the true faith, visit incmedia.org/storiesoffaith. And if you’re in the San Francisco Bay area, register on incmedia.org/events for the upcoming live shows scheduled monthly. Michelle Peredo for the Iglesia Ni Cristo News Network; Burlingame, California. 

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HOST: Today, many Americans are leaving their former religions behind to find the true faith. Studies show that [continued in graphic]

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42% of Americans no longer consider themselves part of the religion in which they were raised. The Atlantic 

HOST: Though many are in search of true faith, let’s meet someone who actually found it. Krista Taduran has the story. 

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GARY TAYLOR (RESIDENT – LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA): I’ve been at maybe ten, fifteen churches looking for the right church. 

KRISTA TADURAN: In his search for the right church, Gary Taylor, already a businessman, was also pursuing higher education.

GARY TAYLOR (RESIDENT – LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA): I have another year before I get my Ph.D. in business.

KRISTA TADURAN: However, of the many things that Gary pursued, he struggled with finding the true church. 

GARY TAYLOR (RESIDENT – LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA): I’ve been looking for this Church. One day I kept walking down the street, and I said, “There’s something about this Church here.” I said “I’m going to find out what’s going on.” So I ran into a couple people that were there who said “Yeah, welcome! Come on in.” So I’ve been there ever since. 

KRISTA TADURAN: Once inside, Gary was eager to learn more about the Church Of Christ. 

GARY TAYLOR (RESIDENT – LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA): For a couple months I was going to Bible study like every day. You know, because I was hungry for God. Bible study taught me a lot of things I didn’t know. I thought I knew, but I didn’t. 

KRISTA TADURAN: Bible studies inside the Church Of Christ not only provided a place for him to ask questions.

GARY TAYLOR (RESIDENT – LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA): You get everything explained to you. When a minister reads the Bible, he tells you, and he gives you a reference from God with it. It doesn’t get any better than that. 

KRISTA TADURAN: But more importantly, a way to find the answers he had been searching for. 

GARY TAYLOR (RESIDENT – LANCASTER, CALIFORNIA): I learned more about the Bible and what God was telling me. He was showing me so many different things, I said “This is the Church that I need to be at.”

KRISTA TADURAN: And today, after years of searching for the right Church, Gary was baptized at the house of worship in Los Angeles along with others who also found the true faith in the Church Of Christ.

GARY TAYLOR (NEWLY BAPTIZED MEMBER – LANCASTER): It’s a life changing moment. And this is His Church. I want to be a part of that. So that’s what’s really important. 

PRISCILLA PURGANAN (NEWLY BAPTIZED MEMBER – SANTA CLARITA): I went to Bible study, it really opened my mind. There’s just a lot of things that really answered my questions. And from there I’m like okay, “This is it for me.”

ERIC GAMBOA (NEWLY BAPTIZED MEMBER – NORTHRIDGE): For the others trying to find the true Church, definitely give it a try. The Church Of Christ definitely changed my life in many different ways. 

GARY TAYLOR (NEWLY BAPTIZED MEMBER – LANCASTER): Be looking for the right one, you know. You knocking on every door and saying, like, “Well, I think I feel a little something here.” But the Church Of Christ is the way to go. It’s His Church, it’s the only Church. 

KRISTA TADURAN: The curiosity that led Gary to walk into a Church Of Christ chapel led him through a journey in discovering the true faith and eventually joining the Church Of Christ. Many more in the Los Angeles County area and beyond are discovering the Church Of Christ. If you are on the journey to find the true Church, go ahead and log on to

iglesianicristo.net/directory to find a local congregation near you. Krista Taduran; Iglesia Ni Cristo News Network; Los Angeles, California. 

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HOST: The Iglesia De Cristo Mundo show on incmedia.org provides news and updates in Spanish for communities around the world. This time, new life and purpose was brought to the countries of the Dominican Republic and Colombia. Charles Louinel brings us the update through the Iglesia De Cristo Mundo show.

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CHARLES LOUINEL: 2020 has arrived and the year is filled with hopefulness and new goals. In Latin America, some have found new life and new purpose by becoming members of the Church Of Christ. Local congregations in Bogota, Colombia and Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic held baptisms, adding new members to the Church Of Christ. 

FRANCISCO RENATO CASTRO (BOGOTA, COLOMBIA): I go to everything in peace and I get the blessings from God. 

MARY ALEJANDRA RODRIGUEZ (BOGOTA, COLOMBIA): It is one of the commandments of our duty to help other people and teach the teachings of God. 

ROSE MARIA SANTOS CAMACHO (SANTO DOMINGO, REPUBLICA DOMINICA): It’s a commitment to God. He helps you improve your life. He helps you change and become a new person. 

MELANEA ALTAGRACIA PEREZ DE LA ROSA (SANTO DOMINGO, REPUBLICA DOMINICA): Now I know better. I understand the Word better. 

CHARLES LOUINEL: Charles Louinel; Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic; Iglesia Ni Cristo News Network. For more news and updates like and follow our Facebook page “La Comunidad De la Iglesia De Cristo” and watch more stories on incmedia.org/espanol. 

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HOST: Thank you to everyone who submitted photos of their pet family members. We always love to see all of our furry, feathered, and scaled friends! 

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HOST: Our pet corner this week is featuring Zion, a 3 month old American Bully XL who lives with the Canlas family in Bowie, Maryland. He loves kids, meeting new friends, eating treats, cuddles, and sleeping. You can always find him waiting patiently out and about or at work. If you have a pet family member you want us to feature, send us a message at info@incmedia.org with the subject “Pet Corner”. 

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HOST: Now it’s time for the segment “Solid Through the Ages”.

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HOST: Today we’d like to greet Antonio “Jojo” Gallevo a happy birthday. He celebrates his 63rd birthday this month. He is registered in the Local Congregation of Chicago, Illinois where he serves as a head deacon. 

This is his advice to us: “I’ve experienced many sicknesses over the years. I have cataracts in both eyes, suffer from severe asthma, and survived prostate cancer. But thanks to God, my life has been extended. These experiences taught me how to be even closer to God, and to perform the duties He has given to me. Our race is almost complete, we can almost see the finish line. Pray and be courageous as taught by our Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo.”

HOST (CONTINUED): If you see Antonio or “Jojo” in the Local Congregation of Chicago, remember to greet him. And if you know of anyone celebrating a milestone birthday or anniversary, let us know at info@incmedia.org with the subject “Solid Through the Ages”.

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HOST: Well, that does it for us on INC News world. Tune in every Friday for new episodes of INC News World on incmedia.org. I’m Brother Michael Guerrero. On behalf of the entire INC News World team thank you for joining us. Have a great weekend and God bless!