The Iglesia Ni Cristo holds INConcert for their 110th anniversary
- vlizcui
- Aug 12, 2024
- 4 min read
Updated: Aug 15, 2024
The Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) celebrates not only their 110th anniversary, but 110 years of a prophecy fulfilled.
July 2024 marked 110 years since the First World War broke out. Though it is not a celebratory anniversary, the world will always remember the historical significance of all that occurred in July 1914. But many Christians across the globe only remember World War I and the events leading up to it as the fulfillment of the prophesied emergence of the Iglesia Ni Cristo.
This past July, members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ) celebrated their 110th anniversary with concerts and events held simultaneously all over the world. The main celebrations were held in the Philippines, where the church was first established. But members of the district of Mountain States—Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, Utah, and New Mexico—gathered on July 28 at UNLV’s Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall for their milestone anniversary’s INConcert.
After months of preparations, the performers and crew achieved their hopes of bringing together members of the church, as well as neighbors and friends throughout the Las Vegas community. The crowd consisted of guests and loved ones, strengthening members’ belief of their biblical prophecy: beginning with its establishment, the church will spread across nations and bring together God’s chosen ones—a message members strive to share with the entire world.
“At the end of the day, all we want to do is allow [guests] to feel the love that we feel,” said Maricar Crisostomo, an INConcert crew member. “If we can do that and open their hearts up through things like ‘Stories of Faith’ during the 110 concert show, then putting on these huge productions is completely worth it.”
Just as the Iglesia Ni Cristo expanded over the last 110 years and continues to grow, the production crew of the Mountain States District’s INConcert sought to improve every aspect of the show. Along with new songs and performers, the program included video clips of converts’ stories, titled “Stories of Faith.”
“I liked how they incorporated interviews of people talking about their experience with the church,” said Nirayah Calaunan, a guest and UNLV student.
Calaunan said she knew little about the church before attending the concert but felt very welcome and interested as she watched the show, especially the interviews.
Devon Smith decided to join the church because of a Bible lesson about WWI and the establishment of the Iglesia Ni Cristo. The biblical lesson teaches that both the war and the emergence of the church were prophesied to occur all at once, and for Smith, that was the turning point of his faith.
Being a convert herself, Crisostomo said that her reaction to the prophecy was quite different. But now, her belief is just as strong.
“I was incredibly skeptical when I first heard it,” Crisostomo said.
She was raised Catholic but later searched for another church, and Crisostomo said she could never understand why, but nothing felt right to her. When she found the Iglesia Ni Cristo, she had little trust after the unanswered questions and speculations she got from other churches. But she continued to ask Iglesia Ni Cristo ministers questions about the prophecy and the church itself, and it was the answers coming straight from the Bible, like the prophecy, that convinced her.
Crisostomo is now active in the church and not only celebrated the 110th anniversary with the rest of its members, but she also took part in the event as an integral crew member. She hopes that others feel inspired to join just as she was, and that they have the chance to understand the church’s teachings through events like these.
“The INConcert really brought hope,” said Shealtiel Chavez, an INConcert performer. “Not only to the guests, but to the brethren as well.”
Similar to what Crisostomo hoped for guests, Chavez hoped the church members in attendance, especially the youth of the church, were inspired to strengthen their faith even more. Chavez was born and raised in the Iglesia Ni Cristo as a minister’s daughter and regularly takes part in other church activities. She even performed for the centennial anniversary when she was still a little girl.
“Now that I’m older, I’m able to understand the importance of these activities,” she said. “Especially when you’re younger, I feel like these activities really have a place in your heart as you grow up, and it really molds you as a person.”
Though Chavez had trouble picking up the new dances and juggled work and projects with concert rehearsals, she said that the new material and everyone’s dedication to the show despite their own trials is more proof of how the church continues to grow stronger.
The INConcert left everyone in attendance—members and guests alike—feeling very grateful and happy to celebrate the 110th anniversary with one another. Since the establishment of the Iglesia Ni Cristo in the Philippines, the church has reached 165 countries and territories with nearly 7,000 congregations all over the world. Eight of which are in Las Vegas. Whether individuals believe in it or not, the church’s prophecy continues to unite the brethren in their works for the church.
And while congregations outside the Philippines are largely spread out, members of the church are more connected despite the distances. Las Vegas regularly sees members from the rest of the Mountain States District, as well as others from across the country. They visit, not for the Strip or Fremont Street, but for church activities like the 110 INConcert. And Crisostomo is proud to show how this connection brings people across great distances together.
“My best friend who is over in the Philippines—she celebrated in the Philippine Arena, and she was so excited to hear about the 110 concert and what we did here in the Mountain States Nevada Region,” Crisostomo said. “My best friends live all over the world. One’s in the Philippines, one’s in Africa, one’s in the Bay Area, and I have some here in Vegas. And what’s so cool is no matter where we are in the world, we’re all participating in the same celebrations, but just regionally. And it’s nice feeling that unity. It feels very special.”
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