March 26, 2009 – The Members Church of God International (MCGI)
Presiding Minister Bro. Eli Soriano shows his compassion and
concern for the brethren by bringing the award-winning Ask Soriano
format to the International Thanksgiving Celebration in the ADD
Convention Center in Apalit, Pampanga. By answering Biblical,
spiritual, and personal queries of brothers and sisters all around
the globe, Bro. Eli Soriano demonstrates his incessant desire to
serve the congregation via this Consultation segment.

Bro. Eli Soriano stresses the importance of this portion of the
thanksgiving celebration. Bro. Eli coaches the brethren on to air
their complaints and problems, so that the brethren may continue
to serve God with peace in their hearts and souls. After reminding
the congregation of God’s admonition in Leviticus 5:1, the
consultation portion of the three-day Thanksgiving feast begins.

Brethren lined-up toward the stage in anticipation of raising
their questions for the whole congregation to hear. In various
parts of the world, lines of communication were busier than ever
as brethren established clear lines from their host countries to
Apalit, Pampanga.

In the middle of the Consultation segment, a high-ranking
government official graced the ADD compound to tell everyone of
his advocacy to help Bro. Eli and the MCGI in general in
preserving their right to freedom of religion. Bro. Eli thanked
God for his coming to the congregation’s human rights rescue.
“Justice is lucid in our country,” stated Bro. Eli, as he recounts
the many injustices he and the congregation have experienced in
the country. He thanks the official once more, hoping that he’ll
be an instrument of justice and the same replies that he
believes that Bro. Eli is on the side of the truth and he speaks
the truth. Mandy Saguin, a resident doctor in Bro. Daniel Razon’s
Public Service morning show Good Morning Kuya! followed the said
government official onstage and enlightened everyone with the
humanitarian efforts of the Church spearheaded by Bro. Eli Soriano
and Bro. Daniel Razon. After their brief talks, the Consultation
resumes.

More than 20 questions were greeted with Bible-based answers.
Almost all of the questions asked were incredibly interesting,
like bro. JR Cruz’s of Metro Manila, who asked Bro. Eli “Who
baptized Bro. Nicolas Perez, the Presiding Minister of The Members
of the Church of God, the Pillar and the Brace of Truth?” Bro. Eli
stated that Bro. “Terese” baptized Bro. Nicolas Perez. He answered
“Bro. Nicolas Perez taught Bro. ‘Terese’, who was a worker in the
Church. He was handpicked by Bro. Nicolas to baptize him for Bro.
Nicolas believed that he was a meek-hearted brother.” Unlike other
pastors who weren’t baptized in their churches and claim that no
one was immediately there to baptize them, Bro. Nicolas was
baptized in the Church.

Even the non-believers had a chance to ask Bro. Eli questions. An
agnostic visitor in Hawaii asked if Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
is true. Bro. Eli gave him an answer he sure won’t forget as he
divulged that Charles Darwin wasn’t even the proponent of the
Theory of Evolution, it was believed to be his father who started
it all. Bro. Eli stated that there are different kinds of flesh –
the flesh of men, beasts, fishes and birds – all of which are
different from each other. The popular evangelist answered “Not
all flesh is the same. The DNA, chromosomes and genes are
different. The missing link is not true; this proves that the
Bible has scientific insights.” To further prove the point, Bro.
Eli even quoted Time Magazine stating that Charles Darwin’s the
Missing Link is “one of the greatest lies in the century.”

The Consultation is a staple part of the Thanksgiving celebrations
of the whole City of God. Brethren from all over the world ask
Bro. Eli queries of faith as he answers each question with a
strong Biblical foundation. Parallel to the Ask Bro. Eli segment
in The Old Path program, this segment answers live questions with
Biblical and scientific bases. Brethren gather Biblical and
intellectual insights applied in real-life situations they are
experiencing via this segment. Words by Pauline Arellano