Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
It was 22 years ago when I arrived in Canada and chose Calgary, Alberta to be my home. Leaving my family and friends behind, it was a new adventure for me to be in a new country without knowing anyone. That was the time I looked for a Filipino community paper and never found any, [...]
Read full post »

Visitors to Pinoytimes

Start of StatCounter Code

End of StatCounter Code

Page added on May 20, 2016

Email This Post Printable version

Print This Post

Iglesia Ni Cristo Aids Fort McMurray Wildfire Evacuees

On May 10, 2016, members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) from Edmonton delivered and handed out relief goods to Fort McMurray residents displaced from recent wildfires. More than 2000 bags filled with food and personal use items were given out in the cities of Lac La Biche, Plamondon, and Boyle in the province of Alberta, Canada.

More than 150 Iglesia Ni Cristo members convoyed in two buses and more than ten vans, followed by 5 trucks filled with goods, starting in Edmonton and traveling to evacuation sites.

The Iglesia Ni Cristo, through the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation, offers various aid and relief efforts to victims of natural disasters. May 10 is a significant date, because it is the birthdate of the late Felix Y. Manalo, who members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo believe is God’s Messenger in These Last Days. This year, marking Felix Y. Manalo’s 130th birth anniversary, members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo in Edmonton decided to commemorate this day by aiding Fort McMurray wildfire victims.

A vast wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta has threatened a dozen communities in the area since it started spreading on May 1.

A mandatory evacuation has forced all 80,000 Fort McMurray residents to leave their homes in search of safety – this has been the largest fire-related evacuation in the province’s history. The fire has destroyed homes and businesses in several areas and is threatening Downtown.

When news of the Fort McMurray wildfire began making headlines and residents were told to evacuate, the Executive Minister of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, Eduardo V. Manalo, immediately gave the order to aid displaced victims. Iglesia Ni Cristo congregations in Calgary, Red Deer, and Edmonton immediately started donating items to local charities and organizations.

The Iglesia Ni Cristo, through the Felix Y. Manalo Foundation Chairman, Glicerio B. Santos Jr., ordered the purchase of various food and personal use items to be donated to wildfire victims on May 10, 2016.

The items donated were packed into more than 2000 bags on May 9, 2016, at the Canadian Druze Centre, by more than a hundred members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo, led by Western Canada District Minister Rolando E. Gaviola.

Rey Escalona from the Edmonton South Congregation said about this event, representative of the feeling of all who were present, “I love extending my help, especially to a cause such as this.” This passion of the Iglesia Ni Cristo members led many to decide to take the day off from work or school to participate.

One passerby exclaimed, “Who would have thought that a congregation with majority of its members being the society’s minority would be so generous and eager to extend tremendous support and aid to Canadians?”

Another member of the Iglesia Ni Cristo said, “Even with the economic downfall of Alberta, members of the Church of Christ have once again shown and have done their part in doing good to those who needed it; members have shown the true meaning of unity, love and care for their fellowmen.”

On the morning of May 10, 2016, members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo met at the Canadian Druze Center, at 8:00 AM. After a prayer, they traveled by vehicle convoy 225 kilometres to Lac La Biche, Alberta. After distributing goods to Fort McMurray wildfire evacuees, they traveled 43 kilometers to Plamandon White Sands Resort and then 67 kilometres to Boyle’s Millview Recreation Complex, to donate goods for victims in those areas.

The Iglesia Ni Cristo at present is a worldwide church with congregations in more than 100 countries and territories. There are multiple congregations in the cities of Calgary and Edmonton, including a congregation in Fort McMurray.

Members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo from their Fort McMurray Congregation were also displaced, with the majority of members evacuating to Edmonton, and some to Lac La Biche. These displaced members also helped in the relief efforts of this project of the Iglesia Ni Cristo.

The Felix Y. Manalo Foundation was established under the directive and leadership of Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo, to directly oversee and implement various aid and relief efforts to those affected by calamity, disaster, and poverty. One of the themes of the INC Giving and aid efforts of the Iglesia Ni Cristo is “Whenever you possibly can, do good to those who need it,” from Proverbs 3:27 Good News Translation.

see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php

Iglesia Ni Cristo Aids Fort McMurray Wildfire Evacuees

pinoytimes.ca © 2009