Caribbean Buzz

ISSUE: JAN-FEB 2022

The Council for World Mission Caribbean

Caribbean Buzz VISION - “LIFE-FLOURISHING COMMUNITIES, LIVING OUT GOD’S PROMISE OF A NEW HEAVEN AND A NEW EARTH.”

CWM's 40th Anniversary - Caribbean Artwork

T A B L E

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Contents Welcome and Programme Highlight Caribbean and Europe Region's Gender Justice Working Group

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Theme Reflection - How can women “Rise to Life” amid gender-based violence?

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Pause and Ponder - "Do not be Afraid" reflection by the Mission Secretary

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Mission Story - GCU's Quamina House Complex

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Prayers in the Pandemic Series

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Helpful Resources

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Notices

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Welcome!

Welcome to the first edition in the year 2022 of the bimonthly newsletter, Caribbean Buzz!

We greet you with hope and anticipation of what this year will bring.

Despite the feelings of fear that surround us, we are reminded in this edition to be people of courage knowing in whom we put our trust.

Thank you for being an ardent reader and we hope to continue to bring stories of inspiration, hope and prayers during this year. Our focus for this edition is on gender justice in anticipation of our March 8th online event which will commemorate the United Nations' International Women's Day. The details of this event will be shared in the next edition.

Caribbean and Europe Region's Gender Justice Working Group

CWM Caribbean in partnership with CWM Europe will celebrate the strides made by women in the ministry of the church – in pews and pulpits, classrooms, and centres of care and nurture. This came out of plans from the Caribbean and Europe Region's Gender Justice working group.

Gender injustices remain a challenge in church and society. The working group was formed to: 1. Work towards an event which gives opportunity to celebrate women in ministry and keeps the focus on helping to facilitate awareness.

2. Do advocacy in challenging churches and government to support campaigns against gender based violence.

3. Develop capacity training for women in ministry.

4. Re-read scripture in terms of GBV experiences; recognizing the patriarchal stories which were told and reviewing them with critical lenses.

5. Share/retell stories from a woman’s perspective – historical, economic, violence and prejudices.

6. Build a network for Caribbean women – to facilitate support and dialogue.

The group meets monthly and comprises women from the Caribbean and Europe region member churches and ecumenical partners within the Caribbean region.

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How can women “Rise to Life” amid gender-based violence?

Rev. Dr. Janet Wootton, The Congregational Federation

There is an extraordinary story at the end of the book of Judges (chapters 19-21).

It begins and ends with the assertion that there was at this time ‘no King in Israel’ (verses 19:1, 21:25) and the whole event takes place against the backdrop of a society that is sliding into confusion and chaos.

Through this confusing landscape, a small-time religious leader (a Levite) sets out in pursuit of his concubine, who has run away back to her father. Far from protecting his daughter, her father welcomes the Levite with open arms, and the two men get drunk together.

On the way home, the Levite accepts overnight hospitality in the territory of Benjamin, but a night-time mob storms the house, demanding sex. The terrified Levite throws his concubine out to the crowd, who rape her, all through the night, till she is dead. Devastatingly, she dies at the threshold of the house where she is staying, with her hands stretched out to the door, which is closed against her. What follows is akin to bitter farce.

Burning with rage at the violence committed by the Benjaminites, the tribes of Israel, muster for war.

Ah, but they are also tortured by remorse – ‘How can we rise up against one of our own tribes?’

What to do? They turn to the Lord, who tells them to fight.

So they slaughter the Benjaminites, destroying men, women and children. Right!

But then they are racked with remorse again. ‘Now that we have killed all the women, the survivors of Benjamin will die out. Oh no!’

And they have all sworn not to give their daughters to the men of Benjamin. Oops!

But, hang on, there is one town whose men-folk weren’t there when the oath was sworn. Aha! So they rush off to that town, slaughter the men, married women and children, and carry the virgin women off to give to the Benjaminites.

And when that isn’t enough – well, read it for yourself. It’s not pleasant.

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How can women “Rise to Life” amid gender-based violence?

You see, the whole story is told from the point of view of the men. If you turn it around, and read it from the women’s perspective, you will see something very different. While the men are off killing each other, slaughtering women and children, and inventing puerile ruses to get around ridiculous oaths made in jealous rage, the women have no power, no rights at all.

I write this against the backdrop of fresh revelations of gender-based violence by Christian clergy in Church institutions; allegations of systematic abuse involving the British royal family; and the recognition that the various COVID-19 lockdowns have resulted in huge increases in domestic violence globally. How are women to rise to any kind of life amid gender-based violence that encircles the globe, and runs throughout recorded time? The pandemic shows gender-based violence to be endemic in the human race.

It's not just the occasional rogue male (or complicit female) who needs to change.

In all these stories, ancient and modern, violence is exacerbated by institutions, and even God is invoked in justification. In too many situations, still, women have very little agency, and often nowhere to run.

And yet there is a powerful, persistent biblical message proclaiming justice and equality in God’s sight. If we took this teaching seriously, by God’s grace, we could bring about the transformation needed to enable women to rise to a new life of flourishing for the whole human race. So why don’t we?

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How can women “Rise to Life” amid gender-based violence?

Isaiah speaks of a coming ruler who will be equipped with God’s spirit, a spirit of wisdom and understanding, who will judge the poor with righteousness, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth (Isaiah 11:2,4).

Joel foresees a time when that same spirit is poured out on all flesh. Maybe we should be listening out for God’s spirit specifically when our daughters speak out. (Joel 2:28-9).

Above all, we can look to the actions and words of Jesus. In the face of institutional violence against women in his own day, Jesus systematically and consistently raises the women he encounters to new life, so that their voices can be heard.

This is no easy task.

Gender-based violence is like a virus, deadly, often hidden, always dangerous, affecting every area of life. But by the life-giving example of Jesus and in the power of God’s Spirit, we can see women rising to life: for which, Hallelujah!

Revd Dr Janet Wootton is an accomplished author and minister within the Congregational Federation in the United Kingdom. Janet is a member of the Caribbean and Europe Region's Gender Justice Working Group.

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Pause and Ponder

by Rev. Dr. Michael Jagessar, Mission Secretary Caribbean (Interim)

Do Not be Afraid!

Who can predict the future in 2022 and beyond with any certainty?

We become more aware of the ‘unknown’ as we are still in the midst of and wrestling with the Covid-19 pandemic. Who knows when and how it will end? Will Covid 19 become endemic? For how long will we manage with all the different measures to keep us safe. The ‘pandemic’ though is only one of our worries. Our anxieties and fears are multiple. We all yearn for safety and security with the multiple problems (real and perceived) around us. We easily hark back on the mythical ‘good old days’ of peace and quiet, thinking that the world as we knew it then, safe and secure, is no longer, if it ever was. We can aptly describe our situation as living in an in-between time: between the “old world” as we knew it and the future that is not yet and that we cannot yet fathom. It makes us anxious.

The message of prophet Isaiah (chapter 43) could not be timelier.

The Israelites found themselves between the past that was no more and a future not yet born. The empire of Babylon had conquered them and captured the city of Jerusalem, leaving it in ruins. And now a new threat: a power was rising in the East (Cyrus of Persia) and finding themselves in a war zone. What was going to happen? They were anxious and afraid. At that point Isaiah turns up with a message from God: “Do not be afraid”. These are very familiar words: they were sung to the shepherds by angels announcing the birth of a deliverer; they comforted the women by the empty tomb on Easter morning; and with these very words Jesus assured his disciples when he appears in their anxious midst.

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Pause and Ponder

by Rev. Dr. Michael Jagessar, Mission Secretary Caribbean (Interim)

Hearing these words though does not mean that all our fears, which are real and present, will disappear. We do not know what will happen in our lives; we do not know how long we will still be struggling to live with and to contain the pandemic; we do not know how unemployment, rising cost of living and food insecurity will affect us; we do not know what natural or human-made disasters we will witness or experience this year; we do not know what will happen in our lives. But this is what we know: God assures us that we are not alone. God will be with us. God will hold us and call each of us by name. “Fear not. I know you. I have called you by name. You are mine”. However difficult or easy it may be for us to hear these words: may we receive these words of love and assurance and may they free us from our anxieties and fears.

Prayer God who accompanies and sustains: where our hearts are fearful and worried, grant courage and hope.

Where anxiety is growing and widening, grant peace and reassurance.

Where the task seems overwhelming and doors seem to close, grant imagination and resistance.

Where distrust warps our thinking, grant healing and illumination.

And where spirits are daunted and weakened, grant soaring wings and new dreams.

In the name of the One who frees, always present, and offers full life for all. Amen. [written by Michael Jagessar]

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The Dedication of the Quamina House Complex

“Renewing God’s Mission for the 21st Century"

Tuesday, December 7, 2021 was a most memorable day for the members of the Guyana Congregational Union (GCU). It was on this day that the Quamina House Complex was officially dedicated and opened to the Lord’s service. The Chairman of the Union, Rev. Valeska Austin, led the act of dedication which was witnessed by a small group of invited guests.

Greetings were received from Rev. Dr, Jooseop Keum, General Secretary of CWM; Rev. Norbert Stephens, General Secretary, United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI) and Mrs. Jennifer Martin, Education in Mission Secretary (EIM), The Caribbean and North America Council for Mission (CANACOM). Rev. Dr. Michael Jagessar, Mission Secretary, CWM Caribbean and Europe Regions, was the guest preacher.

The GCU is thankful to CWM for the tremendous support given in making this Quamina House Complex a reality.

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The Quamina House Complex will consist of the GCU’s Secretariat atop the Clarkson Congregational Church. The church itself which will serve as the spiritual centre for the complex and the Retreat Facility and Mission Centre located on the northern half of the compound.

The Retreat Facility and Mission Centre will be used to generate income as the space will be available for rental by other churches and organisations which are sympathetic to the principles and values of the church and mission activities respectively.

This configuration of space falls in line with the GCU moving away from the maintenance mode of ministry to the more refreshing mission mode as the Union seeks to reflect more of God’s image in its work. This availability of space coupled with the equipping of the members through the various training programmes being pursued will see the Union addressing the needs of its members and persons across the wider society.

(From left) Rev. Keith Haley – General Secretary, Rev. Valeska Austin AA – Chairman, Rev. Jeanette Adams – Financial Secretary and Rev. Leander Warren – Assistant General Secretary and Mission Enabler

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Prayers in the Pandemic PRAYER FOR WOMEN, MEN, GIRLS AND BOYS WHO ARE EXPERIENCING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE Faithful and Loving Father Mother God, in the Name of Jesus and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we come to you to offer thanks, and praise to who You are and who we are in You. As your word encourages us, we put our hope and confidence in You. We pray that by Your Spirit, You develop our consciousness and build our courage and stamina to address the pressing issues that confront our lives today.

We ask that your presence will strengthen us to unmute our silence buttons and take all round action to stop the pandemic of gender based violence- the rape and other experiences of sexual abuse, the fear, pain, anguish and abuse- resulting in long lasting physical, emotional and spiritual alienation that plague too many of our people, women and girls in particular.

Give us courage to stand up against violence perpetuators in all spheres and at all levels. Forgive us for our own complicity in not standing up against abuse and the victimisation of vulnerable communities of our own Sisters and Brothers.

In fulfilment of your plan for all your children to enter into your forgiveness, restoration and peace, help us to be agents for healing and hope to the lives of victim/survivors and perpetuators of gender based violence and to bring wholeness to all our families and communities.

We give thanks and pray in your Name Jesus.

Submitted by Mrs. Linnette Vassell, member of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands and the CWM Caribbean and Europe Regions Gender Justice Working Group

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Prayers in the Pandemic We come before you giving thanks for all things; good and bad. We thank you especially for bringing us safely into 2022, in the midst of this pandemic. We thank you for life, health strength and the many challenges that help to make us stronger.

PRAYER FOR CAYMAN, JAMAICA AND GUYANA

Father, we ask a special blessing on the people of the Cayman Island. Our prayer is that you continue to shine your light on them; that you continue to cover them that their numbers may remain at its minimum.

We remember now, the people of Jamaica, where curfew measures continue to distort. We pray that you will continue to guide and direct their movements so that everything is done to the glorification of your name.

We pray your blessings and protection on the people of Guyana; especially the children going to school, we remember their families and ask that you continue to cover them.

Touch the leaders of these countries in ways you have never touched them before; that all their new implementations will represent the people and bring and abundance of peace to their lives.

May their minds be steadfast in you that they may know you and know peace, without end.

In the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Submitted by Mr. Delon Grandison, a member of the Guyana Congregational Union and former Board Member of CWM

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HELPFUL RESOURCES Accessible Online Resources Theological Book Network https://www.theologicalbooknetwork.org/join-the-network/free-digital-resources Online Resources and Blogs from Wabash https://www.theologicalbooknetwork.org/join-the-network/free-digital-resources The Theological Commons

https://commons.ptsem.edu/

Theology Books on Google https://www.google.com/search? q=Free+theology+books&tbm=bks&ei=j7vdYcujMs2FhbIPsKmEqA4&start=0&sa=N&ved =2ahUKEwiLp935mar1AhXNQkEAHbAUAeU4ChDx0wN6BAgBEDs&biw=1280&bih=60 9&dpr=1.5 Get a free eBook each month from Wipf and Stock (sign-up for their monthly newsletter) https://wipfandstock.com/books/ International Review of Mission https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/loi/17586631

New Books to Consider Delroy Hall, A Redemption Song: Illuminations on Black British Pastoral Theology (SCM, 2021)

Lynn Swaner & Andy, Wolfe, Flourishing Together (Eerdmans, 2021) Richard R. Osmer, The Invitation: a theology of Evangelism (Eerdmans, 2021)

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Conversations on the Legacies of Slavery

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Thank you for viewing this issue of Caribbean Buzz, a bimonthly news feature of CWM Caribbean. Do remember to let us know if you wish to be removed from the mailing list or if you know someone who would like to be added.

Share your comments and input at michael.jagessar@cwmission.org or vickeisha.burke@cwmission.org.

Images and graphics courtesy of CANVA

Editor: Vickeisha King Burke