The World Mission Society Church of God (General Pastor Kim Joo-cheol, hereinafter referred to as Church of God) held the ‘Worldwide Passover Love, Life Love Blood Donation Relay’ at Las Piñas City, Metro Manila on the 22nd of May 2024. This event, the 1,386th worldwide blood drive, was attended by 200 people, including Church of God members and guests from Las Piñas, Manila, and Parañaque. People from all walks of life, including college students, office workers, policemen, and middle and old people, participated in voluntary free blood donations to awaken the importance of life and the value of blood donation.
The ‘Worldwide Passover Love, Life Love Blood Donation Relay,’ which started in Korea in 2005, is based on the Passover love of Jesus Christ. On the Passover, the day before his sacrifice on the cross, Jesus established the new covenant with bread and wine, which symbolized His flesh and blood, and promised eternal life and the blessing of forgiveness of sins. The Church of God, imitating this noble spirit of love and sacrifice, has been holding blood donation events around the world to save the lives of others for over 20 years.
The event, which was held at the Church of God building in Las Piñas City was actively collaborated with the Las Piñas General Hospital and the Satellite Trauma Center. They expressed gratitude by providing medical services such as blood type tests, blood pressure checks, and blood sugar tests. Various sponsors provided healthy snacks for all the participants including Senator Cynthia Villar who provided lunch and drinks for over 200 people. Representatives from the Philippine National Police, the Department of Health, and the health offices of Las Piñas and Parañaque graced the event with their presence and support.
The officer-in-charge of the Las Piñas City Health Office, Doctor Juliana Gonzales expressed her admiration for the scale and bright atmosphere of the collective blood donation. Doctor Juliana greeted, “It has always been an honor to be with you. Your mindset of giving back to others as a way of giving thanks to God for the life He gave us, is very heartwarming.”
The total amount of blood collected at the event, which lasted for 6 hours from 8 a.m., amounted to around 100 bags of blood. Police Colonel Sandro Jay Tafalla, the chief of police of Las Piñas City, said, “We practice what we teach. We were able to help many people because of this endeavor. Congratulations, World Mission Society Church of God!”
A Church of God official said, “The saints are united in saving their neighbors in danger by emulating the love of Christ, who sacrificed for the salvation of mankind,” and added, “I hope that those who suffer from accidents or diseases will get better as soon as possible and lead a healthy daily life.”
“Blood donation is a gift and hope that saves lives,” said Queenita Dejesa (25 years old), smiling brightly, cheering on the blood transfusion recipients, saying, “Animo blood donors!” As a way to uplift all the participants, the members of the Church of God and all the guests participated in listening to the beautiful music of the Church of God chamber orchestra and the bible seminar prepared by the church, adding to the significance of life sharing.
The Church of God, which also held a blood donation event in Cebu on the 6th of May, held voluntary free blood donations in Quezon City, Mandaluyong, and Urdaneta this year alone. The number of participants reached 615. The Church of God, which has been conducting group blood donations in the Philippines since 2012, has held more than 60 blood donation events. Through this, it not only promoted citizen awareness about voluntary free blood donation, but also contributed to resolving blood supply shortages in the community.
In addition, they have contributed to the country and society through various volunteer services such as environmental cleanup, tree planting, and comfort at welfare facilities. The Vice President, lawmakers, the Department of Social Welfare and Development, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Health, the Governor of Laguna, the Mayor of Manila, the President of the Philippine Red Cross, and the President of the International Committee on Environmental Law (ICEL) are giving support to the Church of God by awarding more than 230 citations, plaques of appreciation, and letters of appreciation.
The Church of God, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, has 3.7 million members in 175 countries who believe in God the Father and God the Mother and strive for happiness and harmony in the global community according to its teachings. They play the role of light and salt by performing various volunteer services over 28,000 times. Accordingly, they received presidential awards from the three major governments of the Republic of Korea and the United States, and received over 4,200 awards, including the Brazil’s Legislative Merit Medal.
Thank You so much to the World Mission Society Church of God for your never ending love and suport to our neighbours who really need the gift of blood.