Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) central headquarters in Quezon City. PHOTO BY NINO JESUS ORBETA
The Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) will mark the 61st birthday of executive minister Eduardo V. Manalo today with the launch of its 2017 theme, “I am proud to be a member of the INC,” rallying its millions of members around a call that seeks to highlight the progress that the Church and its faithful have made since the Church’s humble beginnings in Sta. Ana, Manila. INC general auditor Glicerio B. Santos Jr. in a statement said the new theme is in line with the Church’s expansion programs, and seeks to inspire its members to reach out and share their faith with nonmembers.
“The INC has witnessed unprecedented growth under Ka Eduardo—1,642 chapels, and 74 of these are located outside the country. We now have a presence in every continent in the world,” he said. The INC has congregations worldwide. It also has congregations in 130 countries and territories in six continents. Established in 1914 by its first executive minister, Felix Y. Manalo, the INC has become one of the biggest and fastest-growing churches in the country and the world.