Church Youth Convenes on Perfecting Holiness March 31, 2010

Church Youth Convenes on Perfecting Holiness

The youth force made their presence felt during the International Youth Convention (IYC) on April1 to 2 at the ADD Convention Center in Apalit, Pampanga, Philippines.
This year’s theme “Perfecting Holiness in the fear of God”, was inspired from the message given by MCGI Vice-Presiding Minister Bro. Daniel Razon during a Youth Ministry Officers’ assembly on December 30, 2009.
Based on II Corinthians 7:1, which talks about about cleansing oneself, Bro. Daniel Razon elaborated that “we must first learn to cleanse our spirits so that we may have a smooth-sailing performance of our duties and obligations.”

Youth members from distant regions and countries join in through teleconferencing.

Apart from sports activities and games, band competition, educational seminars, Bible Readers Society’s TV program Bread Tambayan airs live over Top Channel, featuring youth participants of the convention.

The consultation session, where MCGI Presiding Minister Bro. Eli Soriano addresses the concerns, problems and questions of the youth, highlights the event. A bigger amount of time is allotted for this segment.

Although he is miles away from the Philippines, Bro. Daniel Razon reminded the young attendees about St. Paul’s admonition to the early Christians to live soberly, righteously, and godly in the midst of worldly indulgence that many youths engage in. Restraint is the keyword of his brief but meaningful address.

The two-day affair will be capped with the offering of Thanksgiving to the God of Israel on April 3, 2010 (Philippine time). The Church’s youth from the different parts of the globe will render a thanksgiving song translated in different foreign languages.

The youth in the Church is considered the largest group in the congregation.

(Written by: Pol Arellano)

MCGI Celebrates Quarterly Thanksgiving Feast March 29, 2010

MCGI Celebrates Quarterly Thanksgiving Feast

Members Church of God International (MCGI) will celebrate its 2nd quarter International Thanksgiving of the whole congregation on June 12-14, 2010 at the ADD Convention Center in Pampanga, Philippines and in major coordinating centers worldwide.
Earlier in May, Presiding and Vice-Presiding Ministers, Bro. Eliseo Soriano and Bro. Daniel Razon, were already occupied preparing for the three-day event. Members have also started making all arrangements ready for the grandest Church event.
The quarterly affair is the fulfilment of one of the Scriptures’ declaration about God’s servants, described in the Bible as “a peculiar people.”
Other biblical citations relating to thanksgiving are recorded in Psalms 30:4 and Psalms 107:21.
The thanksgiving feast will also welcome the new members who have been baptized in the last two months.
(Written by: Rose Cemanes)

MCGI Remembers the Lord’s Supper March 28, 2010

MCGI Remembers the Lord’s Supper

The tetragrammaton at the ADD Convention Center lighted up at night time. (Photo courtesy of PVI)

This do in remembrance of me. – Jesus Christ, The Gospel according to Luke (22:19).
It may be short, but this resounding quote from the Lord Jesus Christ is key in the observance of the biblical supper – the Lord’s Supper – that He privately conducted together with His apostles two thousand years ago.
The Members Church of God International observes the Lord’s Supper in Israel’s reckoning time, which falls at sunset on the 14th day of Nisan, the first month of the Hebrew calendar. MCGI celebrates the holy gathering that coincides with the setting of the sun in Israel, in their respective time zones. This shows the Congregation’s unity in observing the Supper at the time the Lord Jesus Christ did the same.
MCGI Presiding Minister Bro. Eliseo Soriano explains before the Congregation during its Thanksgiving ceremonies on March 27 that “the Lord Jesus Christ did this exactly to fulfill the Scriptures.”  According to Bro. Soriano, the Lord observed the Feast of the Passover a day prior the killing of the lambs in Israel.
The celebration of the Lord’s Supper takes its inspiration from the account in the Holy Bible. In the book of Matthew 26:1-57, the Lord Jesus Christ celebrated the Feast of the Passover together with his chosen twelve in a house not far from the garden of Gethsemane where he was later arrested. During the Feast, he related to his disciples that he must suffer, die, and on the third day rise again. Similar accounts in the gospels of Mark, Luke, and John relate the activities during the solemn ceremony, which included Jesus’ teaching, washing of his disciples’ feet (John 13:5), the eating of bread (Luke 22:19), and the drinking from a single cup (Mark 13:23), the latter two symbolizing his body and the blood of the new covenant which is poured for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 22:19-20).
During the Feast of the Passover, a lamb without blemish is killed and later eaten. This Jewish custom dates back to the time of the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt. According to the account in Exodus 12:1-14, God commanded his people that on the eve of their exit, they ready a male lamb without blemish, kill it, and later eat in haste the meat which was roasted in fire. The blood then was brushed on the posts and lintel of their doorways, which will be a sign for the angel of death to ‘pass over’ their houses and spare them from the plague of death. The ‘passing over’ of the angel of death is where the Passover Feast gets its name.
In the previous year’s Lord’s Supper memorials, Bro. Eliseo Soriano explained through the Bible that the Mosaic account is prophetic of the events that were to take place in Jesus’ time. Using St. Paul’s explanations, Bro. Soriano related to the Congregation that the objects of the first passover – unblemished lamb, its meat, and blood – are all symbolic of Jesus Christ. It was during the height of the Passover Feast that Jesus Christ was seized by betrayal and later tortured until his death on the cross. The lambs that were slain in the time of Moses all count for one lamb that was slain to redeem man from sin, and the lamb happens to be Jesus Christ.
Bro. Soriano coupled his explanations with other biblical proofs and intelligent discussions that attest to Jesus Christ as the lamb that was to save people from their transgressions. Some are the account of Abraham and his sacrificing of Isaac, the prophecies of the early prophets, John the Baptist’s declaration, and John’s visions in the island of Patmos.
This solemn celebration of MCGI recounts once more the greatest sacrifice of one man and God’s unconditional love for mankind, according to Bro. Soriano in his sermon during the previous year’s Lord’s Supper ceremonies. This is clearly written in probably one of the most favored verses of the Bible, John 3:16 which says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
(Written by: Cecile Vizcaya)

Top Channel Switch On Opens with 10 New Programs March 27, 2010

Top Channel Switch On Opens with 10 New Programs

It’s a dream come true.
This was the remark of Bro. Eli Soriano, evangelist-host of the Ang Dating Daan program and Presiding Minister of Members Church of God International during the official switch-on of the Church’s new TV band — Top Channel — via Dream Satellite Television on March 24.
In his message during the pilot broadcast, Bro. Eli Soriano thanked the Lord for another opportunity to “reach people through the famous Dream Television.” Like other stations that Dream carries, including UNTV, TOP Channel will be seen in remote areas throughout the Philippines and other neighboring Asian countries over channel 10, 24/7.
Its round-the-clock line-up includes programs “about spirituality, faith, religion, and various aspects of Filipino religious life,” Bro. Soriano quips. He hopes that through TOP Channel, he will be able to “share things he has learned in the Holy Scriptures and throughout the years of his broadcast of the good news of God’s kingdom.”
TOP Channel will house up to 10 programs – ADD By Demand in multi-lingual renditions, How Authentic the Bible Is, Paghahambing (Comparison), The Blog (TV version of the Bro. Eli’s online and magazine formats), Wonders of Creation, KNC Show, BRead Tambayan, D’ X-Man, Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path), and Top News in English and Filipino – 10 different sets of wholesome, educational, and entertaining shows for the viewers’ religious preference.
The TOP Channel is the latest addition to MCGI’s growing gospel media propagation endeavors, along with the Organization’s websites, radio and television/CATV programs, and its sister channel, TOP Channel, broadcasting in Canada, United States and the United Kingdom.
Bro. Eli Soriano sees the TOP Channel as means to “ fulfill the [religious] needs of people who will be reached by satellite [services].” He anticipates that as there are many people getting hooked in newscasts relating human interests, they will also devote inch of their time to listen to and read the Word of God.
TOP Channel is new to the roster of religious TV channels broadcasting globally. Nevertheless, Bro. Eli Soriano realizes this as both challenge and opportunity for people to judge between the truth and the hoax, as he mentions Ecclesiastes 7:27 of the King James Version that reads, “Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:.”
With Top Channel, the Church revolutionizes TV viewing by presenting another sensible alternative which “will help people trace the way of Truth”, Bro. Soriano adds. He also notes that in the proliferation of religious programs airing worldwide, watching these programs and studying each more critically will eventually lead one to find the Truth. According to him, “not everyone who claims to be a minister of the Word is right in what he is saying.”
Bro. Soriano congratulated the Members Church of God International for “an investment that shares their faith and investigates the truth.”
Above all, Bro. Soriano prays for God’s continued guidance to the Congregation on this new task. He quotes, “Even beyond the time when I will not be around, I hope this endeavor will continue. May God help us in this herculean task of evangelizing the Word.”
Dream Satellite Television broadcasts live through the Philippines’ very own Mabuhay Satellite Aguila II, and is the first all-digital Direct-To-Home (DTH) broadcasting service system via satellite in the Philippines. By switching to satellite TV like Dream, even hard-to-reach coastal areas and cable-limited regions may be reached.
(Written by: Cecile Vizcaya)

Bro. Eli Soriano Appears on Italian TV Show, S.O.S. Sesso March 15, 2010

Bro. Eli Soriano Appears on Italian TV Show, S.O.S. Sesso

On the first day of the three-day International Thanksgiving on Saturday (March 13), Members Church of God International witnessed the appearance of MCGI Presiding Minister, Bro. Eliseo Soriano, on an Italian talk show: S.O.S. Sesso. Bro. Eli showed the video footage of the broadcast to MCGI congregants gathered in more than 875 locations across the Philippines and the world via the Internet.

The talk show on sex invited Bro. Eli to talk about the Bible upon hearing him preach in one of his Bible Expositions. “I will be guesting in a program in Rome 15 min from now. The topic is sex and religion,” tweeted @BroEliSoriano to all his followers on Twitter at 5:38 a.m. on March 11 (PHT). The international evangelist appeared on S.O.S. Sesso via live video streaming and entertained the biblical queries of the program’s guests with the aid of an interpreter.
“I speak always based on the Bible,” began Bro. Eli as he answered the question of his Italian inquirer on whether premarital sex was allowed in the Bible. “If we are going to consult the Bible about sex, sex is a part of our being. And our sexual desire, which is part of our being, was given by God for the continuation of our being, for the procreation of our species,” he continued.

After a brief explanation, he says, “The desire of sex comes as early as the teenage years. But in the Bible it is not permitted to Christians to have sexual relationships outside the bond of marriage,” and then cites 1 Corinthians 7 1-2. In the end, both the inquirer and the program host thanked Bro. Eli for the biblical information and insights he shared with them.
Aside from the start of his radio and TV program, the Ang Dating Daan or The Old Path, two decades ago, his regular appearance on a religious show featuring local authorities on religion, Dis is Manolo and his Genius Family, helped establish his presence on Philippine airwaves as the resource person to ask when it comes to the Bible. To materialize that, he was awarded by his fellow preachers on the show, Most Outstanding Preacher of the Year for three consecutive times — a feat achieved by no one else on the show.
This week, after MCGI’s three-day Thanksgiving, Bro. Eli will continue indoctrinating in English at Church coordinating centers worldwide via the Internet; after which, a Mass Baptism reaping thousands of souls simultaneously is expected. The last MCGI Mass Baptism yielded more than 3,500 souls, following the seven-session Mass Indoctrination in Filipino.
S.O.S. Sesso airs every Wednesday from 10 to 11:30 p.m. and every Sunday from 10 to 11 p.m. (CET) on Télévie CH65.
(Written by: Jay Arellano)

MCGI prepares for International Thanksgiving, New Year March 9, 2010

MCGI prepares for International Thanksgiving, New Year

Three days before the three-day International Thanksgiving celebration, congregants of the Members Church of God International from provinces and cities in the Philippines and from many different countries start pouring in at the ADD Convention Center in Apalit, Pampanga.

Congregants from the Mindanao and the Visayas regions in the Philippines have started on a pilgrimage, by ferry and by plane. Balikbayans (returnees) have lined up terminals for air-fare tickets to experience what MCGI considers as ‘the most wonderful time of the year’.
Abroad, similar preparations are also ongoing to gather the foreign hosts who will occupy big monitoring centers in the six continents – North and South America, Europe, Asia, Middle East, and Africa.
Elsewhere in the Pacific, Papua New Guinea is continuing to provide more wide spaces for occupants, especially the newly-baptized following the recent live indoctrination in early February.
At the ADD Convention Center, where the biggest bulk of attendees is expected to land, reconstruction, redesigning, and widening projects are up daily. Social welfare amenities, such as the transient house and the hospital, are also ready for the grand event.  According to supporting Overall Servant Bro. Daniel Razon, these efforts are aimed at ensuring the safety and comfort of the congregants.
In addition, on March 15 at sunset, the Church will welcome the biblical reckoning of the new year. The day and the hour falls on the first day of the first month in the Hebrew calendar, which is Nisan (or Abib) 1.
This celebration is unique as the Congregation, led by Overall Servant Bro. Eli Soriano, closes and opens the outgoing and the incoming years with prayers and praises of worship, not fireworks and feasting.
(Written by: Cecile Vizcaya)

MCGI Indoctrination in English and Filipino Simultaneous Tonight March 1, 2010

MCGI Indoctrination in English and Filipino Simultaneous Tonight

After the two-week indoctrination sessions which concluded in the baptism of more than 3,500 converts on February 19, another series of indoctrination is set on the first of March 2010. This time, it will be a simultaneous live English and recorded Filipino versions.
Prior to this, Members Church of God International Presiding Minister Bro. Eli Soriano conducted an initial live indoctrination at the opening of February. It was coursed via cable and Internet technology, with local and foreign audiences.  The same setup will be observed except that English will be the medium for the live format. This will benefit especially his English-speaking audience.  Meanwhile, the Filipino version is the recorded lecture of Bro. Soriano’s previous live session conducted last month. This system shall directly cater to many in his Philippine audience who prefer to listen in Filipino.
The live English indoctrination will be held in 119 centers in the Philippines alone, while the rest of the coordinating centers will have the Filipino recorded version.

  Online invitations are already posted on Youtube, the leading video sharing site today. Inquirers may send their questions to MCGI’s phone lines and mailers on matters concerning the live indoctrination.
The next baptism follows on March 12, the day before the anticipated Quarterly International Thanksgiving of the Congregation. Usually after baptism, new converts render thanksgiving as a sign of their gratefulness to the Lord.
The new indoctrination setup is shorter by three weeks than the previous sessions which used to last a month. The topics still cover the basic teachings which were discussed in the former month-long gatherings.
With Bro. Eli in the hosting panel are Bro. Daniel Razon, his Vice Presiding Minister, and reader Sis. Luz Cruz. The three compose the group that pioneered the now extensive gospel propagation through the program Ang Dating Daan (The Old Path) way back in 1980.
(Written by: Cecile Vizcaya)