LOS ANGELES, CA—The glorious World Mission Society Church of God’s 60th anniversary has arrived! In honor of this commemorative occasion, 21 churches from all over the Southwest region of the United States, including members from California, Arizona, and Nevada, gathered in solidarity to celebrate the momentous year by hosting its largest blood drive ever.
On April 28, 2024, the Church of God partnered with Lifestream Blood Bank to carry out the 1,297th Worldwide Mega Blood Drive to “Give Life Through the Love of the Passover.” The massive and groundbreaking event was held in LA’s iconic Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall to strive for 1,000 pints of donated blood. In the end, a record-breaking amount of blood donations were given, achieving a final count of 1,080 pints in one day!
A historic event
The Shrine Auditorium, known for hosting historic events, such as the Academy Awards, Grammy Awards, the Star Wars and Barbie movie premieres, and the filming of the original King Kong movie, was a fitting venue for the Church of God to make history. Since one pint of blood can save up to three lives, the Church of God members could provide enough blood to save up to 3,240 lives during this one-day event. The united efforts of the church members displayed through the blood drive did not go unnoticed, as local news outlet Fox 11 covered the blood drive during their evening broadcast.
The event was also memorable for being the 10th year of an ongoing partnership with LifeStream, which will supply the collected blood to 80 hospitals across Southern California. Additionally, numerous sponsors, such as Starbucks, Corner Bakery, and Papa John’s, supported the event by providing meals and refreshments for the 300 volunteers and distinguished guests.
Productive, highly organized, and sincere from beginning to end, the blood drive was full of excitement and smiles. Many VIP guests attended, such as doctors, company CEOs, presidents, athletes, and celebrities, eager to contribute to such an important cause. Jon-Paul Martino from the Church of God in Orange County reports that guests were moved and shared touching words about how they could feel the love of the church members through many aspects of the event, big and small. Furthermore, they mentioned that they were deeply impressed to see how orderly the event was, and were even more touched, seeing the physical distance and heartfelt lengths the members were willing to go through to serve.
Activities
Various activities were set up for guests of all ages, such as face painting, balloon animals, games, a photo booth, and tote bag printing. Beautiful live musical performances were presented throughout the day, with outdoor ensembles and astounding vocals from the Southwest region’s united choir and orchestra. The Church of God cheer team encouraged participants throughout the day, and youthful church members professionally presented information booths about the Church of God, such as ASEZ IUBA, STAR, IMBA, and IWBA. Such gracious details were all captured during a YouTube livestream, which was broadcast throughout the event and has (at the time of writing) already amassed over 8,000 views and nearly 2,000 likes.
Amazing Church of God volunteer events like these are not a one-time occasion, as members carry out blood drives regularly in major cities worldwide. The origin and motivation for this service is the love of God, who shared His blood with us through the Passover. The Passover is God’s teaching in which all mankind can receive eternal life through Christ’s holy flesh and blood. Christ established the Passover through his sacrifice and bloodshed on the cross (John 6:53-54; Matthew 26:17-19, 26-28).
Donating blood is honorable
In the same way, the ultimate goal of this blood drive was to save precious lives by donating blood. According to the Lifestream Blood Bank website, about 500 blood donations are needed daily to fulfill patient needs in 80 Southern California hospitals and medical facilities in six counties. Donating blood is honorable, sacrificial, and an immense contribution to those in need simply because blood cannot be manufactured. Blood can only be provided through generous and willing donors; therefore, each participant during this mega blood drive made a difference in the world.
All Church of God members give thanks to Heavenly Father and Mother for such a gracious turnout and genuinely warm-hearted impression on others! It was possible only through everyone’s united efforts to follow the teachings of Christ Ahnsahnghong and Heavenly Mother!
Awards
Elected state public officials also demonstrated their support and appreciation by providing awards to the church; as the collected blood would be used to help patients in hospitals within their districts.
The certificate from California State Assembly member Mike Gipson whose district includes UCLA Harbor hospital stated on the certificate, “your organizational efforts to address the blood shortage exemplifies your mission of selflessness and demonstrates the willingness of your congregation to give of themselves to others.”
California State Senators Lola Smallwood-Cuevas and Lena Gonzalez echoed the sentiment and also congratulated the Church of God on its 60th anniversary, even mentioning the name of Christ Ahnsahnghong on their certificates of recognition.
Dr. Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati who serves as the Associate Dean and Professor of Preventive Medicine at USC Keck Medical School delivered a letter of appreciation and shared thankful remarks for the church and its work to save so many lives through the blood drive that was held adjacent to the USC campus.
