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THE JAMAICA June 2011

Established 1874

THE CHURCH, THE BIBLE & SUICIDE —Dylan Toussaint

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n recent times, the incidents of suicide, in spite of the fact that Jamaica still has one of the lowest suicide rates in this region, have taken centre stage in the arena of public discourse. In more ways than one, the Church has not been immune to the discussions.

In a newspaper article entitled ‘Church Split on Suicide’, the writer stated, “Jamaica’s clergy is divided on forgiveness after death by suicide. Some of the island’s theologians are unrepentant of their traditional view, but others have softened their stance on the position that committing suicide is a sure way to miss out on going through the Pearly Gates…” (The Sunday Gleaner, April 24, 2011).

Suicide, which may be defined as the act or instance of taking one’s own life voluntarily and intentionally, has always been and, undoubtedly, will continue to be a very complex and controversial issue. History records that philosophical discourse about suicide extends as far back at least to the time of Plato. Generally speaking, Plato regarded it as a disgraceful act and believed that its perpetrators should be buried in “unmarked graves”.

(ii) Suicide injures the community of which an individual is a part. In essence, it is an offence against humankind in that it both deprives one’s family and society of a member prematurely and denies them any opportunity of ministering to one’s needs. (iii) Suicide violates our duty to God because God has given us life as a gift and in taking our lives, we violate His right to determine the duration of our earthly existence.

For many years, Augustine’s views on the matter served as the major platform for the Church’s response to questions about suicide. Those views have since been modified into a deontological position which presents suicide as being wrong because it violates our moral duty to honour the inherent sanctity of human life.

Liberalized Enlightenment The deontological position was particularly useful during the era of the so-called “Liberalized Enlightenment” when philosophers dared to mount major challenges to the Church’s generally established stance towards suicide. Two names stood out in this regard: David Hume and John Donne.

Amazingly, Plato also posited the view that suicide could be excused under the following circumstances: (i) When one’s mind is morally corrupted and one’s character, therefore, cannot be salvaged (ii) When it is done by judicial order (iii) When it is compelled by extreme and unavoidable personal misfortune (iv) When it results from shame at having participated in grossly unjust actions.

Over time, debates and discussions concerning suicide have filtered into the Church. Among her foremost commentators on the matter were Augustine and Thomas Aquinas.

The former basically determined that suicide was an “unrepentable sin”. The latter regarded it as prohibited based on the three main grounds: (i) Suicide is contrary to the proper love of one’s own person made in God’s image and it is also contrary to the law of nature mandating selfpreservation.

David Hume basically argued that suicide should “be free of imputation of guilt and blame”. His position was mostly utilitarian and was fuelled by a strong presumption of personal liberty. Furthermore, he contended that suicide does not “necessarily” violate any duties toward other people.

John Donne drew upon an array of classical, legal and theological sources to argue that Christian doctrine should not hold that suicide is necessarily contrary to the laws of nature, reason or of God. Indeed, he made the case that were it contrary to the law of nature mandating self-preservation, all acts of self-denial or deprivation would be similarly unlawful. He further made the observation that Biblical Scripture lacks a clear condemnation of suicide.

This brings to the fore the matter of the Bible and suicide. While it may be argued that the Bible does not give a clear condemnation of suicide, it may also be argued that it gives no commendation of it either!

The most outstanding biblical account of suicide is the hanging of Judas in Matthew 27:3-5. Other accounts (notably all committed by males) are as follows:  King Saul (after receiving injury while in battle) and his armour bearer fell on their swords in order to avoid capture and torture by the enemy (1 Samuel 31:1-6)  Ahithophel strangled himself after his military counsel was rejected by David (2 Samuel 17:23)  Zimri, facing defeat in battle, set his house on fire and died therein to avoid capture and torture at the hands of the enemy (1 Kings 16:15-18) cont’d on page 15

President’s Message

CALLED TO BEAR WITNESS

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he celebration of the victory of our Lord Jesus Christ over the powers of evil and death by His resurrection compels us, as disciples, to stop and take time to reflect on the nature of our faithfulness, as we live out our discipleship; and to take stock of our commitment to the commission of making disciples as given by our Lord.

Such reflection includes an assessment of the context in which we are called to bear our witness to the transforming power of Jesus Christ.

One of the major concerns for all of us as Jamaicans, but additionally more so for Christians, is the alarming rate of and the horrific instances of suicides. There is also concern about the youthful age of many of the perpetrators of violent crimes and the apparent increase in the participation of young women in crimes. There is the frighteningly deepening awareness that those who perpetrate violence have no sense of the sacredness of human life because of the apparent disregard with which murders occur. While these give a picture of our circumstances, we get the impression that our politicians seem more intent on posturing to win elections and attain power rather than to solve the problems.

While these are happening we as the people of God, called and with a mandate to bear witness, seem to be paralyzed as to how to quickly have an immediate positive impact on the situation. The fact is that no matter the negativity of the criticisms levelled against the Church, because of our apparent inaction and inability to curb the situation, our critics still expected that, as Church having moral authority, we will give some meaningful lead concerning solutions. It is in a moment like this that we need to hear the word of Jesus, again, that we should take up the cross and follow him. To bear witness by taking up the cross, as He did, is to confront the powers that dominate structures and people’s lives by neutralizing them and leaving them under the control of destructive forces and with distorted perceptions and desires.

It appears that discipleship has come mainly to mean being members of churches and simply being comfortable in the community of faith. Rather, we as the people of God, must be proactive in the effort to make persons free from the forces, which dominate their lives, and be God’s instruments to bring them into the liberating experience of Jesus who came to make persons free from powers and influences that wish to control them. There is no escaping the inevitable conflict with the forces of evil once the disciple becomes obedient to the purposes and will of the Lord who calls us to follow him in self denial, and to face the consequences of that obedience that could likely lead to discomfort and suffering. The idea of suffering and discomfort in obedience to the Lord is not so much in our awareness because the emphasis in our time seems to be undisturbed satisfaction with our life of ease and distorted understanding of what it means to be blessed by God. To follow Jesus is to go with him into the way of obedience that led him to death by crucifixion, for that was the consequence of our Lord going all the way in faithfulness to the purposes of God. We are called to discipleship when we accept Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord; and so are called to obedience and faithfulness to God’s will in the living out of our discipleship in our context. We must accept that the call of Jesus to follow Him is a call to allegiance to His person and is, therefore, a decisive commitment that says no to any other allegiance or commitment. The supremacy and absoluteness of the right of Jesus over our lives means, as Jesus says in the Gospels, letting go of all family ties and even of one’s own self and life. It is a call that makes all other ties idolatrous if they come first. But the amazing fact is that when we say yes to the absoluteness of Jesus over our lives, all relationships and occupations come into proper perspective and their quality is enhanced. But we must let go to God in total trust.

To say that we are called to bear witness means that we must carry the weight and responsibility of being faithful witnesses of our Lord Jesus in our time and context. It is a burden that is easy and light if we are acting in the will of God.

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he new creation comes to life in us when we begin to notice small, yet significant expressions of hope washing up on the sands of our consciousness. It begins with a sense of dissatisfaction with things as they are and leads us to strive at what might be, what can be and what is to be. The new creation blossoms into life when we dare to dream God’s vision of true shalom; and through a process that tends to defy explanation, we find the courage to call that dream “reality” rather than “illusion”.

Such was the conviction with which we gathered for the 161st General Assembly, quietly confident that those things which have often threatened our hope are far less permanent than they appear to be. We are not living in denial. Instead, we are affirming that in spite of the pervasive conditions of socio-economic and institutionalized injustice, the resultant cases of corruption, criminality and crassness, tragedies of one nature or another – including earthquakes, hurricanes and floods, - many features of our existence, stubbornly testify to our unyielding spirituality of resistance and audacious hope in Christ.

As Jamaica Baptists, ours is an enduring story of emerging from the crucibles of bitter and painful experiences which have served to threaten our past, present and future. Our reasons for living as people of hope rise from our common experiences of slavery, impoverishment, and dehumanization. This has been the starting point of our sojourn toward the new creation. This pilgrimage to newness is defined by a prior affirmation of our commitment to be one with the Triune God, who we have come to know as being in solidarity with the poor, the oppressed and the marginalized.

This commitment sets off within us a holy impatience with “things as they are” and challenges us to believe that it is necessary and possible for real change to take place, change that will result in a new way of thinking and living.

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THE JAMAICA BAPTIST REPORTER

And so in reflecting on the events of Assembly 2011, highlights of which are captured in this issue of the Jamaica Baptist Reporter, we answer to the charge implicit in the words of the prophet Habakkuk and we re-commit to “defy the dictates of the visible, deny the claims of the cynics, and dance to the rhythm of praise”.

THE JAMAICA BAPTIST REPORTER Official publication of the

JAMAICA BAPTIST UNION 2B Washington Boulevard, Kingston 20 Telephone: 969-6268 Fax: 924-6296 Email: info@jbu.org.jm Website: www.jbu.org.jm

Editorial Committee

Gillian Francis (Editor), Arlene Henry (JBU Programme Coordinator), Elaine Neufville (Editorial Assistant), Peter Evans

Contributors

Vanessa Burnett, Lois Bryce, Neville Callam, Eron Henry, Norva Rodney, Beryl Roper, Norbert Stephens, Dylan Toussaint, Danique Williams

Submit your articles, stories, poems and comments by email, fax or send to the above address.

JUNE 2011

From the Desk of the General Secretary

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amaica now awaits the Dudus-Manatt report being compiled by Commissioners Emil George, Anthony Irons and Donald Scharschmidt. The commission had its genesis in an extradition request made by the United States of America for one of our citizens, Mr Christopher Michael Coke. The request led to what appeared to have been a diplomatic row between the two governments, calls for the resignation of leaders of government including the Prime Minister and, sadly, the loss of over 70 lives - some under questionable circumstances.

We shall not soon forget the shock and horror many Jamaicans and well-wishers experienced as ‘Bagdad-like’ scenes unfolded right here in Jamaica when our security forces forcefully entered Tivoli Gardens to dismantle what many now agree was a military-like fortress. After nine months of reflecting on whether we should grant the extradition request and amid growing pressure, our Prime Minister apologized to the nation and gave instructions to the Attorney General and Minister of Justice to sign the order to proceed with the extradition.

It is my hope that the findings of the Commission of Enquiry will serve to cauterize the haemorrhaging of loss of faith in our country – its symbols, offices and leaders – and be a positive trigger in Jamaica’s onward journey.

Keep Hope Alive That entire ‘Dudus’ moment typifies, in a sense, the nature of living in this world – a world organized to place God on the periphery; a world whose systems are inherently unjust and which has a preferential option for the rich few.

The moment reiterates the reality that we are besieged by all types of challenges – economic, environmental, political, and religious which foster despair and disillusionment.

we see today is not all that there is to go on….

No sequence of calamity – natural or humanmade - is strong enough to separate us from God’s love.”

Reaffirmation of Hope Speaking of the 161st General Assembly, you will find fuller accounts of it elsewhere in this edition; but I cannot help but say how positively impactful the experience was for so many. During the week hundreds of members and ministers of our beloved Union came together for a time of reflection, reasoning and renewing. We came together to reaffirm that there is hope in King Jesus, there is hope in God! And, oh, what a time it was as we shared in events such as sunrise services, a community blitz, an open air meeting, thought provoking workshops and I could go on and on.... Simply put, it was a ‘moreish’ time!

During our time the 161st General Assembly convened, among the things we did was to choose the Rev. Luke Shaw, as president-elect for 2011 to 2012. Our brother is pastor of the Linstead Circuit of Baptist Churches and is one of the two sitting vice presidents. We urge you to pray for our president-elect and the congregations which he pastors as they prepare themselves in heart and mind to serve the Union.

Obituaries We mark the passing of another of our retired ministers, the Rev. Allan Christopher Walker.

Our brother died on May 31, 201. He served the pastoral ministry of the denomination for some 40 years and retired from the Savannala-mar circuit on July 31, 1994 after sojourning in the Gurney’s Mount, Unity and Sutcliffe Mount Circuits. A service of thanksgiving was held on Saturday, June 4, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. at the Calvary Baptist Church in St James. Let us remember to pray for his widow, Garis; their children, Candice and Philmore; other family members and close friends as they walk through these days of adjustment.

Our prayers also for the Rev. Lindsay P. Moncrieffe, retired minister of the JBU, on the passing of his wife, Lena, who departed this life on April 13, 2011. A thanksgiving Service for her was held on Saturday, April 23, 2011 at the Tarrant Baptist Church.

It is against this backdrop that we, as people of faith, seize and appropriate the message of the Resurrection.

‘Because Christ lives we can face tomorrow’ is more than just rousing lyrics but truth which we grasp and live out! Indeed, words uttered by our brother, Neville Callam, as he addressed the closing service of our 161st General Assembly are worth remembering. He said that despite the many seemingly insurmountable challenges there is reason to hope. “All over the world, people are hurting; among many, hope is dying; for others, hope is already dead. Yet…,we have a vocation to keep hope alive...the things we see and hear today are only part of reality. What

Be Alert The hurricane season will be upon us soon and we urge us to be alert and ready for any eventuality.

God bless you.

Karl B. Johnson

THE JAMAICA BAPTIST REPORTER

JUNE 2011

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Ministries and Mission

ENGAGE IN MISSION…LIVE IN HOPE

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The Jamaica Baptist Union Mission Agency (JBUMA)

ne objective of the mission of Jesus Christ is, ultimately, to give hope to those who are the object of the mission. We do mission in obedience to the mandate of the Church of Jesus Christ and that gives hope both to the bearers of hope and the recipient of the mission activity.

It seems that doing mission and living in hope are just as urgent for those engaging in the mission and for those who need to be living in the hope carried by the disciples of Christ who are engaged in His mission.

The vision, hopefully, will be achieved by the following mission activities: Believer’s Enrichment; Training in Evangelism Explosion; Cross Country Run; Presentation of the Gospel in Mass Evangelism Crusade; Discipleship; Baptism; Assignment of Member; Mission Causes; and Church Planting. Get engaged.

Disaster Awareness and Response

The year 2010 was by no means an uneventful year. We will long remember the passage of Tropical Storms Nicole and Tomas — the lives and the many homes lost; people’s livelihood virtually wiped out and the devastation of the Savanna-la-mar Baptist Church. We remember the destruction by fire of the Mount Carey Baptist Church, a heritage of Baptist witness in western Jamaica.

We give God thanks for all who responded and continue to respond to the needs of those affected.

During and after a disaster in and out of the Atlantic hurricane season, there is always dire need for disaster representatives to assist the JBUMA in its mission to offer aid. Volunteers are urgently needed to serve as disaster representatives. Join us.

The JBUMA encourages you to be agents of hope as you do the mission of Jesus Christ in your local church and, as a congregation, co-operate with the JBUMA. Intentionally carry out the mission of Jesus Christ and bring hope to others. To what extent are you obedient to the mission call?

Mission Mandate

Through the JBUMA, you are invited to engage in the following: • Enlist as a mission volunteer.

• Serve as a JBUMA Disaster Representative or Mission.

Representative • Participate in the JBUMA Mission Fund Giving Plan.

A word of prayer from Rev. Shim-Hue • Assist the 100 & Park Lanes missions, the Kingston Gardens Mission, Tent Rental Ministry, Sports Evangelism, Training in Discipleship and Ministry.

• Enlist as a Vacation Bible School Mission Volunteer.

• Participate in mission visits to other Caribbean partners such as Haiti and Panama.

• Assist churches without a pastor.

• Participate in church planting, Evangelism Training, Disaster Training and Agricultural training.

Sports Evangelism

Weeks before the recent Girls and Boys Championships at the National Stadium, the mission call went out to all our churches: Come, be a part of an exciting mission to those who shall attend Girls and Boys Champs; come and share your faith; come and pray with someone; come and hand out free bottles of water and come and give somebody a tract that might lead him or her to Christ. Thirty persons responded to that call. We distributed over 1800 tracts and 1200 bottles of water. We prayed for more than 30 persons. Were you there?

The JBUMA: Engaged in Church Growth - Mission 2020

Have you heard about Mission 2020? It is intended to double the membership of each JBU congregation by the year 2020, that is, to baptize at least 40,000 persons; bring the present cadre of church missions to church status and to found at least 140 new congregations.

Time for reaping from a vegetable bed

an income generating project.

Agriculture Through the JBUMA’s Urban and Rural Ministry, we have been using agriculture to encourage and empower persons.

You might have heard of the “Farming inna di City” project, a joint effort of the Jones Town Baptist Church and members of the Jones Town community, by farming land leased by the Agency in

To date, six famers and other persons are engaged in the project. In the Jones Town project, farmers have planted, reaped and sold crops of callaloo, tomato, hot pepper, sweet pepper, sorrel, corn, pak choi, cabbage, okra, string beans, cassava, banana and plantain. The farmers benefit from training in agricultural practices from RADA and from the expertise of Rev. Futtremann White, and other JBU Baptist members. The JBUMA, assisted by United Way of Jamaica, installed a Drip Irrigation System and the farmers no longer need to travel with buckets of water. The Agency hopes to engage other churches in agricultural projects and we have invited churches across the island to enlist in the programme. Get involved.

The JBU Mission Conference 2011

The conference will train participants, build awareness and create exposure to the mission involvement of other faiths. You do not want to miss this!

Theme: Engage in Mission…Live in Hope Date: Thursday, October 28—Sunday October 30, 2011 Venue: Sunset Jamaica Grande Hotel, Ocho Rios, St Ann Be there. Expect a time of inspiration and fellowship.

Register today: Jamaica Baptist Union Mission Agency For further information: Tel: 876-969-6268; 876-931-9225; 876-869-7381, 876-322-5387; Fax: 876-924-6296 • E-mail: jbuma@cwjamaica.com.

Church Growth — Mission 2020 Pilot Programme

Sealing the Agreement with a handshake are Rev. Dr Learoy Campbell (centre), chairman of Mission 2020 and Rev. Kevin Stewart (centre), pastor of the Stewart Town Circuit in Trelawny. Committee members look on.

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Sealing the Agreement with a handshake are Rev. Dr Learoy Campbell (centre), chairman of Mission 2020 and Rev. Rudolph Brooks (centre), pastor of the Bethephil Circuit in St. James. Committee members look on.

THE JAMAICA BAPTIST REPORTER

JUNE 2011

Representatives of the Savanna-la-mar Baptist Church, Westmoreland, signing Agreement in the presence of Revs Donovan Barclay & Dr. Learoy Campbell

Assembly News WORKSHOPS: A feature of the Believers Convention of the 161st General Assembly was Training Workshops dealing with a variety of topics

Me, My Jesus and I Workshop -- Rev. Stephen J. Henry, pastor of Stewart Town Circuit of Baptist

Churches, Trelawny, pointed out: The mature response of the Christian who understands Christian fellowship as grounded in a biblical understanding of Church must seek to appropriate the virtues of the Faith.

That individual must be more like Christ who, though having fellowship with God, Parent and Spirit became flesh—became one with others—sharing in our experiences, bringing sight to the blind and setting the captives free. We should not forget that included among those who were set free from their captivity were those holding others captive, denying them of their humanity. Each of us representing the Body of Christ, as the people of God, must, therefore, embrace the struggles of fellowship as well as nurture the opportunities for growth facilitated by the same struggles. It is then that the body of Christ becomes flesh, dwelling among us.

God’s Good Stewards --- Trevor Edwards, vice president of the United Theological College of the

West Indies, asserted that: God’s good stewards manage by: 1) Planning, Organizing/Staffing, 2) Leading/ Directing, 3) Assessing/Reporting. He said: (a) God’s good stewards have been called to use God’s gifts effectively and efficiently. (b) Each time you do something in the church, ask yourself, Am I giving of my best? Is this the best I can do with the gift given to me by God?

Evangelism Workshop -- intended to provide ideas and help in implementing strategies to reach the community and grow the church family through the saving of souls. Aimed at strengthening church life and church work, it was premised on the idea that the vibrant, active and serving church is a centre of hope for those within and beyond its walls. Presenter, Rev. Robert Campbell said “As the church lives out its understanding of love for God and love for neighbour, it should offer hope in the midst of human misery and suffering, and offer what is called an authentic community as the pathway to redemption- a community after which one yearns and genuinely wants to be a part. This hope is seen as hope in action which includes having an intentional evangelistic emphasis where the church not only tells the story but also lives the story as it engages its context. Where the church offers this hope as an authentic community, there will be effective evangelism.

The Leader in ME/YOU -- From Rick Warren’s Book, The Purpose Driven Church, Mr. Anthony Falloon submitted the following: Your area of service/ministry is the expression of your SHAPE – five elements that determine a person’s ministry: S — Spiritual Gifts: What are your spiritual gifts? Is leadership one of them?

H — Heart: the centre of your motivation desires, interests and inclinations. God has given to each of us a unique emotional “heartbeat”—a passion that serves as an important key to understanding His intentions for our lives.

A — Abilities: The natural talents with which you are born P — Personality: God uses the particular personality He has given to each of us. That is why you should “be yourself” as a leader. When you are forced to minister in a manner that is out of character with your temperament, it creates tension and discomfort and produces less than the best results.

E— Experiences: Warren reminds us: “In all things God works for the good of those who love him…” (Rom. 8:28). He suggests that there are five areas of experience that will influence the kind of ministry you are best shaped for: (1) educational, (2) vocational, (3) spiritual, (4) previous ministry experiences and (5) painful experiences - that is the problems, hurts and trials from which you have learned invaluable lessons.

What is your SHAPE? Take stock to discover your make-up. You will be most effective when you use your spiritual gifts and abilities in your heart’s desire in a way that best expresses your personality and experiences.

The Christian Hotel & Tourism Worker ---- Mrs. Myrtle Dwyer, stated that attitude determines your altitude; belief determines your belonging/connectedness; and conviction determines your commitment, and emphasized some values to model: Respect our co-workers and those placed in authority – Paul is quite specific about our responsibility to authority. (Eph. 6:5-6); Integrity as Christian workers; Honesty (Col. 3:22- 24); Don’t just go to work for the pay cheque, go to do the job; Sincerity; Caring; Gentleness, A Warm Smile— Be kind to others (Eph. 4:32). Let us not live as a people who do not have hope but partake of the great opportunities that God has provided for us. Don’t brag, let your light shine (Matt. 5:16). Don’t nag, be wise in the way you act (Col. 4:5–6). Don’t lag, do your job (Eph. 6:6). Don’t sag, be prepared to give reason for hope (1 Peter 3:15). Proverbs 14: 23—All hard work brings a profit. We cannot divide work from the sacred.

THE JAMAICA BAPTIST REPORTER

JUNE 2011

Workshop participa

nts – Awesome Wor

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Assembly News

REFLECTION:

CURRENT POLITICAL STRUCTURE MUST BE DESTROYED SAYS JAMAICA BAPTIST LEADER

Vanessa Burnet, (Youth Delegate, Trelawny Baptist)

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awley Bolt, President of the Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU), has called for the destruction of the current political structure.

Speaking at the 161st General Assembly of the JBU in Ocho Rios on February 23, Rev. Bolt said, “The current political structure, which pits us against each other, must be destroyed” as it does not allow “space for open and honest discussion.” The structure, he said, is an obstacle to “honest reflection in the interest of the citizens of our country”.

The structure of parliament is problematic, said the JBU president, as it fosters conflict “which is played out in and outside parliament.” Bolt called for the removal of a reference to an opposition, suggesting that the current arrangement prevents both parties that are in the house from participating meaningfully in the governance of the country. “Is it not possible [for] both sides to participate in the governing of the country, albeit through different roles?” he asked.

Bolt, who delivered the presidential address during the official opening of the Assembly at the Ocho Rios Baptist Church, also took issue with how the free market economy is conducted in Jamaica, denouncing the reduction of staff by employers simply “to maximize return on investment.” He said that “even though the market is free, it is not free to leave rapacious investors to do as they would be desirous of doing.”

Bolt also condemned a free market economy that “emphasizes possessing things for self enhancement,” and that “is driven by consumerism which creates the appetite of individuals to have and to own to make persons believe that to have things is to have a grasp on life and to be in possession of one’s destiny.” This economic reality, he asserted, “dominates our lives,” and “has seeped into all areas of our activities and influences what we say, what we do and even how we speak and conduct ourselves.”

According to Bolt, persons are “influenced to purchase goods with the false belief that to own a particular product gives status and makes the owner equal in status with somebody else.” Advertisements “foster a spirit of acquisitiveness, that is, to have and have without any purpose other than being able to say ‘I have.’” Some ads, Bolt asserted, “exploit the use of women, portraying them in a manner which fails to present them in a way that sees their intelligence as persons made in the image of God and are to be respected as such.”

Bolt called on Christians to be “alert to and resistant of the spirit of limitless consumerism and adopt simplicity as our way of being in society.” Christian hope,” he said, “is based on nothing less than the sovereign grace of God, not in what we have.”

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JBU General Assembly and Believers Convention ow! Little did I know that the mere presence of God’s people could impact my life in so many ways. Under the theme, “Being God’s people in God’s world- Living in Hope”, Jamaica Baptists shared in a wonderful time of discipleship and fellowship in Convention held in Ocho Rios, St Ann. I was so fired up by this Hope that I returned from whence I came pledging to make a difference not only in my relationship with God but also in the lives of others. I was called by the Lord to be there, at that particular time, among fellow Baptists whom the Lord used to speak to us through the various sessions and workshops. I left the Convention equipped, empowered, motivated, encouraged and challenged to share the Hope of Christ so that others may see Christ in me and be drawn unto Him. The convention did not only served as an encouragement for me but also as a reminder that Christ is the only Hope, so despite adversities, God is always ready to strengthen us and only He is able to deliver us. As we congregated in the Ocho Rios Baptist Church nightly, and as I listened keenly to the word and participated in the singing, I was placed in the heart of worship and again reminded that we are God’s work in progress and are called as ambassadors of Christ to take His mission to the world. I departed prepared to answer to anyone who asks me to give the reason for the hope that I have (1 Peter 3:15).

It was indeed a productive and inspiring experience for me. I also departed resting on the assurance that ‘there is Hope in God’. As we reflect on the hope of God, we must bear in mind that Hope needs a foundation and that foundation is Jesus Christ! The challenge to us, as Baptists, is to remain rooted and grounded in that Hope, which lies in divine faith.

Rev. Norbert Stephens reminded us in Bible Study that ‘The greatest threat to Hope is the loss of confidence’. Unless we cling to that hope that is holding out its hand in the dark, and believe that our blessed hope is the totality of blessings that await us in the life to come, we will not experience this Hope and become the challenge through which many who have become hopeless may find hope in Christ, the source of Hope!

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Romans 15:13) H - Holding O - On to God’s P - Promise with E – Expectancy

DO NOT LOSE HOPE… WORLD BAPTIST LEADER URGED espite myriad challenges and difficulties, Jamaicans were encouraged to maintain hope for the future.

of people are turning their back on religion, claiming that it is one of the forces of injustice in our world today,” Callam told the largest annual gathering of Baptists in Jamaica.

Rev. Dr. Neville Callam, General Secretary of the Baptist World Alliance, who was keynote speaker at the closing service of the 161st General Assembly of the Jamaica Baptist Union on February 27, acknowledged that there is much that is happening that gives rise to fear.

Economic difficulties, natural and manmade disasters, political instability – all these and more suggest that there is deep and widespread deterioration in conditions around the world.

Despite all these many seemingly insurmountable challenges however, Callam declared that there is reason to hope. “All over the world, people are hurting. Among many, hope is dying; for others, hope is already dead. Yet…we have a vocation to keep hope alive.”

“Every 10, seconds, hunger kills another child. One in six persons goes to bed hungry every night – one billion out of the six billion people on earth! In Africa, malaria kills two children every minute of every day!” Callam told the thousands of Baptists gathered in the National Arena in Kingston. “Meanwhile, natural catastrophes are wreaking havoc on the earth… violent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile and more recently in New Zealand, vicious tornados in eastern India and the USA, and severe flooding in Australia and Brazil.”

Callam, a former president of the Jamaica Baptist Union who became the first black person, and the first who is neither a European nor an American, to lead the international umbrella organization for Baptists, noted that political instability is becoming widespread as “once powerful political regimes now face the might of people-power.”

In the meantime, “religious turmoil is causing chaos in the world,” Callam said. “In parts of India, some Hindus are becoming more militant than ever. In sections of the Islamic world, many Muslims are becoming jihadists of the most violent sort. Within the Christian community, some fundamentalists are architects of disunity, daily fomenting disrespect of the rights of people with whom they disagree.”

Such religious extremism has led to increasing opposition to religion. “A growing number

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Jamaicans, and Christians in particular, ought to maintain hope, Callam stated, because “the things we see and hear today are only part of reality. What we see today is not all that there is to go on…. No sequence of calamity – natural or human-made - is strong enough to separate us from God’s love.”

Christians, the BWA leader said, should defy the cynics who use these calamities and severe difficulties to claim that there is no God or who claim that religion is an illusion.

“We must not allow what the enemies of faith say to stop us from trusting God!” he urged the jam-packed National Arena. “Keep hope alive! Deny the boast of the cynics who mock our Christ and doubt our faith,” the international Baptist leader said.

The 161st General Assembly of the JBU began February 23 in Ocho Rios with delegates and pastors participating in worship services, Bible studies, workshops, and decision meetings at Sunset Jamaica Grande and the Ocho Rios Baptist Church.

The Rev. Luke Shaw, pastor of the Linstead Circuit of Baptist Churches in St. Catherine, was elected president-elect. The Rev. Karl Johnson was renamed general secretary to serve for another five-year term.

The final services were held Sunday, February 27, at the National Arena, with Rev. Dr. Cawley Bolt, JBU president, and Callam, the main speakers.

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JUNE 2011

Assembly News **********************

TRIBUTE TO JBU RETIRED MINISTERS **********************

REVEREND JACQUELINE COLEY

REVEREND EARL MORGAN

Ordained: Sept 13, 2001 - Retired: April 30, 2010

East Queen Street Baptist Church 1962-1965 Barbican Baptist Church 1965-2010

H

umble servant of the Lord Jesus Christ, an inspirational example, a woman devoted to the service of the church, one in whom God’s call has been evident from an early age — Jacqueline Coley: teacher, pioneer, leader, preacher, ordained minister of the Christian faith and obedient daughter of God. Jacqueline Coley, you grew up with examples of godly women in your family; and from the beginning, you followed in those footsteps.

You heard the call of God on your life - in your own words, “to serve His people wherever they could be found and especially those in difficult circumstances and remote places”.

You played a leading role in the establishment of church work in Little London, Westmoreland and, later, you resigned from the Ministry of Education in order to pioneer and direct a mission in the Robin’s River community. Such was your heart for this work that you built it from nothing, beginning with Sunday School in a shop building and later in your living room. It was there that worship services took place and where the first babies were dedicated. Under your inspired and inspiring leadership, the mission grew from those humble beginnings to blossom into the church that it is today.

Having always felt a call to full time ministry, it is no wonder that you are among a small band of women ordained as Baptist ministers and that you answered the call of the Warsop Circuit of Churches to become their pastor. Your pioneering spirit was at work yet again as you began another new church in that Circuit, at Wilson’s Run. Retirement has not dampened your enthusiasm or commitment to service and we hope that you will continue to blaze a trail in which others may follow. Your example is one that inspires many; and we esteem you as a woman of God who has wholeheartedly committed her life and energies to the endeavours to which God has called you.

The Jamaica Baptist Union, meeting in its 161st General Assembly, takes this opportunity to wish you continued peace and good health and we give God thanks for your glad obedience, dedication and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

February 2011

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h e Jamaican missioner to Costa Rica, the Rev. William Forde, went to Port Limon and preached the word of the Lord. During his time there, a young man came to Christ and was baptised.

He went on to develop a desire to respond to a deeper sense of call to ministry that issued forth in his relocation to Jamaica in 1958. That young man was Earl Morgan.

Rev. Morgan, your journey from Costa Rica took you to the Calabar Theological College where you were trained as a minister of the gospel of Christ and was later assigned to the East Queen Street Baptist Church, where you were ordained and where you served as assistant pastor alongside Rev. Leo Rhynie for three years, from 1962-1965.

However, the greater portion of your life and ministry, 45 years to be precise, was associated with the Barbican Baptist Church in St. Andrew, serving in the midst of affluence on the one hand, and poor socio-economic conditions on the other.

Rev. Morgan, you had a great heart for the community in which you ministered. You led the church to establish an education building, which has been used to expand outreach opportunities through homework programmes and other activities.

You also provided leadership to the Greater Grant’s Pen Ministers Fraternal. Through this crucial work, the violent and anti-social behaviour in the community was greatly restrained and peace was allowed to flourish. Your concern for the wider community led you to labour in the family court for many years, and to raise funds for the Horizon Home for the Aged.

Rev. Morgan, we know that over these years, you had the support and accompaniment of your charming wife, Patricia, and your children. We salute her and the children for their support, patience and faithfulness without which your ministry could not have been as successful. We, therefore, pray for God’s strength and good health for the years ahead.

The Jamaica Baptist Union, meeting in its 161st General Assembly, takes the opportunity to honour you, Rev. Earl Morgan, our friend and brother, a man devoted to the cause of Christ, dedicated to serving your Mrs. Patricia Morgan (right) accepts a token of appreciation from Rev. Merlyn Hyde-Riley, Associate General Secretary, JBU fellowman, and an example of diligent leadership. We pray God’s richest blessings on you and your family, and extend our grateful thanks for all that you have contributed to the Union and to Jamaica.

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February 2011 JUNE 2011

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Assembly Photos

Opening Service

Worship Service at the

h

Ocho Rios Baptist Churc

The Assembly Combine

d Choir

BWA Gen Sec., Neville Callam greets the Assembly

A section of the co

ngregation

Ministers Conference & Calabar General

Marjorie Lewis, president UTCWI, chats with Roy Henry and Neville Callam after presenting at the Calabar General Meeting

Ministers in session

Davewin Thomas of Burchell Baptist Church & Stanford Simons, President of the Grenada Baptist Association making a point at the Ministers Conference

The Women’s March

Members of the Women’s Federation took to the streets during the Baptist Blitz

Some Special Guests

Professor Trevor Munroe Convention Lecturer - “Rebuilding Jamaica: Does Trust Matter?”

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Hon. Radcliffe O. Walters-Custos Custos Rotolorum of St Ann greets the Assembly on opening night

Assembly participants: JBU ministers, delegates and others

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June 2011

South African pastor, Rev. Sobusa Ngodela, guest preacher at the Thursday night service

Open Air Service-Turtle River Park

St. Ann Praise Team

Judith Gayle GuestArtiste

Dub Poetry Group -Gibraltar Baptist

Preacher, Rev. Devere Nugent, pastor of Falmouth Circuit of Baptist Churches

Denise Forrest - consultant & author, gives the Keynote Address

Elecia Myers, former chairperson for the Stewardship Committee, responds on behalf of the authors

Assembly Photos

Section of crowd

Section of crowd

Worship leader, Rev. Franklin Small, pastor of Hanover Street Circuit

Launch t n e m n o r i v En Manual

JBU President, Cawley Bolt receiving copy BWA Gen. Sec Neville Callam receives of the Environment Manual , from copy of the manual from President Bolt Merlyn Hyde-Riley, Associate General Secretary, JBU

Las Newman, President Caribbean Graduate School of Theology, gives a commentary

Trevor Edwards, Deputy President of United Theologocal College receives copy of the manual from President Bolt

Closing Services Assembly Combined Children Choir

Special guests: l-r, Mrs. Helen Bolt; Mrs. Dulcie Callam;

Choral Speech Group - Waldensia Baptist

Rev. Neville Callam, BWA General Secretary; Hon. Zaila McCalla, Chief Justice; Hon. Steadman Fuller, Custos of Kingston; Hon. Dorothy Lightbourne, Attorney General; Rev. Victor Williams, Texas

JBU Vice President Trevor Edwards greets newly accredited JBU Ministers, l-r Michael Francis, Garry Knowles & Futtremann White

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JUNE 2011

Norman Gardens Baptist Church accepted by the Assembly as a new church. Members of the new church receive the right hand of fellowship from JBU officers.

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WINDOW ON THE WORD

CAUSE FOR CONCERN Habakkuk 1:1–11

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—Norbert Stephens (General Secretary, United Church of Jamaica & the Cayman Is.)

he book of Habukkuk contains a dialogue between the prophet and God in two arguments on the issue of justice.

Many summary titles are associated with the book, including from fear to faith, worry to worship, questioning God to trusting God. It is a book about a concern, a conversation and a conviction so my title could be “From concern to conviction”.

It is a book about progression, faith in God in the midst of challenging and despairing times — a faith critical to understanding, expressing and demonstrating Christian hope in the midst of such times, a faith must be discovered, rediscovered and demonstrated in renewing ways in the Church of God. If we are to express and demonstrate “Being God’s People in God’s World – Living in Hope”, then in light of the truth of Habakkuk’s progression from fear to faith, from worry to worship; from questioning to trusting God; from concern to conviction, What kind of Church is this?

Habakkuk belonged to the generation of prophets who called attention to and criticized the miscarriage of justice on the political, judicial, and economic institutions of Judah and its capital Jerusalem. He predicted the demise of an unjust society through coming events in which God would punish unjust leaders and re-establish equity and proper order.

The central theological issue of the book is theodicy. How could a just and holy God allow evil to exist? Habakkuk stands alone in dealing forcefully with theodicy through direct dialogue with God. Habakkuk’s opening speech is basically a prayer, which asks two questions: How? Why? He addresses God (1:2), and employs a phrase commonly used in laments: “How long?”(Ps 13:1-2; cf. Ps 74:10). He continues with the complaint proper; a statement of the problem experienced by the speaker (1:3-4); and then, he parts company with the lament model.

Habakkuk’s concerns reflect: a) an internal crisis, b) a theological crisis and c) an external crisis. Injustice defines the crises. It is a cry for intervention, which seems long in coming.

The Internal Crisis— vv 2-4: Institutional Failure a) Political Failure: Habakkuk is concerned about the perversion of justice in Judean society (1:4). The language in which the injustice is described and in which its perpetrators (“the wicked”) and its victims (“the righteous”) are identified is so general that scholars are not agreed concerning the precise kind of injustice lamented in the prayer. The options are either an external force such as Assyria or the internal Judean politics. There is greater support for the latter.

The internal disorder has been viewed as the suppression of a pro-Jehoahaz, pro-Babylonian party by the pro-Jehoiakim,

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pro-Egyptian party in power, or as the restriction of prophetic activity and speech. Jehoiakim was the son of Josiah who had overseen significant reforms of the Mosaic law in Judah (2 Kings 25). The injustice Habakkuk deplores is best understood as the abuse of power in the administration of King Jehoiakim, whose reign in Judah (609–597 BCE) is chronicled by the deuteronomistic historian in 2 Kings 23:34–24:7 and referred to repeatedly, with prophetic scorn,

by Habakkuk’s contemporary, Jeremiah. Truth be told, the political institution had failed. b) Social Failure: The exploitation of the poor, and the less privileged by the rich and powerful is a fundamental concern among Israel’s prophets, and Habakkuk is no different. Other prophets used “violence” and “destruction” (“plunder” in 1:2-3) as a pair to describe the ruthless accumulation of wealth by political officials (Ez. 45:9; Amos 3:10; cf. Micah 2:4). The social institution had failed, thus producing moral and ethical failure. c) Judicial Failure: “Strife” and “contention” derive from the legal sphere of Judean society. They appear to describe stresses in Judah’s judicial system brought on by irresponsible litigation or the failure to administer justice properly. Even Habakkuk’s use of “righteous” for the victims of such abusive policies may identify them as society’s poor and marginalized. Habakkuk’s mention of the righteous being surrounded reflects the severe restrictions and limitations on the freedom of the corrupt regime’s victims, perhaps including restrictions on prophetic activity and speech itself. Such abuses of power are ultimately to blame, according to Habakkuk, for a society in which justice is absent and the law ineffectual (1:4).

Assembly delegates at Bible Study session with Rev. Norbert Stephens

Judah’s historians and prophets are agreed that Jehoiakim ruled a regime in which oppressive policies were pursued.

Jehoiakim was accused of dishonest gain (Jer 22:17); charged with using forced, unpaid labor for building his own lavish residence, and with demanding heavy payments from Judah’s citizenry to support his Egyptian alliance (2 Kings 23:35; Jer 22:13). He was implicated in the obstruction of justice (Jer. 22:13), in the shedding of innocent blood (2 Kings 24:4; Jer 22:17), and in the murder of prophets (Jer. 26:20-23). Jehoiakim’s regime was deposed as a result of the Babylonian invasion predicted by Habakkuk in the oracle of 1:5-10. Institutional and systemic failure!

What has changed since then? Does this not reflect the reality of many of our core institutions and systems in this land? The security forces, the judiciary, the banking sector, the private sector, the public sector, and do we dare include the Church?

The institutional structures and systems created to provide and care for the people had failed! The structures and systems created to protect and defend the people had failed!

The structures and systems created to affirm, inspire and guide the people had failed! Can we not say the same about our own crises? One writer states that there is no greater distress than when power ordained for the service of justice makes injustice legal.

Habakkuk described institutional failure (vv.2-4) — politics had failed, the social institutions had failed and the judicial structure had failed. Significantly, they did not fail the architects of the systems and institutions; but the people they were meant to serve! The result was injustice at all levels. So he cried to God, as we are now crying: “How long?” Cause for concern.

The Theological Crisis This raised for the prophet a theological crisis, thus he asked: Why Lord? Why do you make me see wrongdoing, look at trouble, exposed me to destruction and violence?

Habakkuk was consistent with other prophets in complaining about social injustice, what separated him from others was his approach to the solution. Normally, a prophet in such circumstance would deliver a judgement speech in two parts: 1) The indictment outlining the sin would be declared, followed by a sentence prescribing punishment for them (Isa. 5:8-10; Amos 1:3-5; 2:6-16). In such a judgement speech, the prophet assumed the role of messenger or herald delivering publicly the verdict of the presiding judge.

Habakkuk assumes the role of the victim whose case has not been redressed by divine intervention. The institutional failure has gone unnoticed and unpunished. Habakkuk, therefore, accuses God of sleeping on the job, indifferent (2); inactive (Hab. 1:3-4), and inconsistent (vv.12-17).

Habakkuk’s choice of a lament rather than a judgment speech sets the tone for the entire book. He is not alone in his response to the experience of injustice among Israel’s prophets. Jeremiah complained bitterly to God for not acting to judge the wicked and for allowing Jeremiah to suffer their torments (Jer. 15:10-21; 20:7-18). But in no prophetic corpus does the problem of divine justice set the terms for the book as a whole, as they are set for this book by the opening lines of Habakkuk’s lament.

Is it beyond the realm of possibility to state that, for Habakkuk, there was not just institutional failure but divine injustice and failure as well? Are we brave enough to question God as Habakkuk did? Cause for concern.

God’s response to the prophet raised the third crisis for him. I am rousing the Chaldeans.. (1:6). This was God’s announcement of judgement on the Judeans and it pointed to: The External Crisis The normal pattern following a lament would have been an oracle of salvation. Yahweh offered, instead, an oracle of judgement. Addressed to the entire Judean populace as the plural imperatives (“look”, “see”) in its opening lines, indicate (v. 5) and, as is customary in this genre, it is presented as a speech by God in the first person (1:6; cf. e.g., Jer. 4:6 and Amos 6:14). After this divine declaration to act, the nature of the intervention is described in third person narrative verse (vv. 6-11). (cont’d on page 12)

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JUNE 2011

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JUNE 2011

Youth News

  11

News from Around the Churches

BROTHERHOOD IN ACTION

ON THE MOVE JAMAICA BAPTIST WOMEN’S FEDERATION

The Jamaica Baptist Women’s Federation (JBWF) continues to grow and strengthen The Jamaica Baptist Union Brotherhood (JBUB) held its bi-monthly National Executive through fellowshipping, prayer sessions, engagement in mission and outreach meeting on March 19, programmmes, and through training opportunities among other activities.

2011 at Mt Carey Baptist Agricultural Revolving Project Launched Church in St James. This Women representing various Women’s Federation branches across Jamaica participated allowed the men firsthand in the Jamaica Baptist Union Believers Convention & 161st General Assembly held in Ocho Rios and at the National Area, in February. Hundreds of women attended the knowledge of the scope sectional meeting of the Assembly, held at the Ocho Rios Baptist Church on February of work required to 24, when the JBWF launched its Agricultural Revolving Project. The project is designed rebuild the church. The to assist unemployed sisters members of the JBWF to improve their living conditions. meeting received a report The Reverend Desmond Smith launched the project, to be piloted in the parishes of on the situation with the Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Catherine and St Ann. Items for the project will include pigs, goats, chickens and pepper seedlings. The guest speaker for this session was Nina Savanna-la-mar Baptist Hart, author and motivational speaker from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Church.

The JBUB is exploring ways in Ocho Rios Blitz After the launching service, the JBWF also led a march (Baptist Blitz) through the town which it can assist with of Ocho Rios, culminated in the town centre where Rev. Cherrine Abrahams addressed the rebuilding of both the large gathering of sisters, delegates, other participants of the Convention and many curious onlookers. She spoke on the theme, “Being God’s People in God’s World churches.

Living in Hope”.

Other Outreach The JBWF made a financial contribution to the Savanna-la-mar and Mt Carey Baptist Churches rebuilding project. Sister Yvonne Pitter and Sister Verona Ricketts, respectively, made the presentations when they shared in the churches’ worship services.

Contributions were also made on behalf of the parish of Manchester as well as the Porus Women’s Federation branch.

Some sisters visited the Mustard Seed Community in Moneague and treated the inmates with bun and cheese and other goodies. Different branches island-wide continue their outreach and special fellowship through events such as fun day, prayer breakfast, rally and other social activities.

A major event to which the JBWF looks forward is the festival in June, which will be held at the Philippo Baptist. Creative abilities will be brought to the fore as sisters use not only the fruit of trees but also the trunk and leaves to make whatever useful object they can. You are invited to participate in the festival and enjoy the excitement and fellowship with others.

A section of the burnt-out chapel, Mt Carey Baptist

CAUSE FOR CONCERN (Cont’d from page 10) The methodology is consistent, God punishes a corrupt Judean government by allowing it to fall at the hands of a foreign army (cf. Isa 10:28-32; Jer. 4:5-31). Importantly, the look and see—be astonished and astounded—were meant to produce emotional preparedness for something out of the ordinary. God intended to create shock and awe among the Judeans! The words describing the Chaldeans were meant for impact, fierce and impetuous (v. 6); dread and fearsome they are (v. 7). Their weaponry and equipment were superior, horses are swifter and more menacing than wolves at dusk; they fly like an eagle (v. 8); they laugh at every fortress (v. 10). Their attitude was without comparison, they seized dwelling not their own, their dignity and justice proceeded from themselves, they all came for violence, they gathered captives like sand. At kings they scoffed and of rulers made sport and more tellingly their own might is their god!

The intention of the divine response was clear; the enemy was overwhelmingly powerful, and decidedly and undeniably unstoppable. Indeed, they deferred to no one! They were invincible! Judah was no match for them; there was no escape from the coming judgement and ultimate demise. The external crisis was unavoidable.

Some scholars are clear that several features of this speech suggest that Habakkuk’s announcement of judgement was originally composed independently of the literary context in which it is now found becuse: 1) It is addressed to the people, not the prophet (v. 5). 2) A judgement speech is not the normal response to a lament. 3) There is no transition linking it to the preceding lament, unlike the transition used later in Habakkuk’s second lament (2:2).

If this is true, then it serves to reaffirm God’s just rule, that indeed this is God’s world and God administers its affairs justly.

If, however, this judgment is positioned as part of the prophet’s argument with God, the announcement of judgement takes on a new role. Following Habakkuk’s lament, it is now a response to a problem, not an unquestioned principle of faith; it is an argument in a debate, not a proclamation of assumed truth. The speech still defends mainline prophetic theology.

It asserts that the injustice of Judean society detailed in Habakkuk’s lament will be fairly punished by God through the agency of Nebuchadnezzar’s armies. But this theology has now been repositioned as one argument, though a traditional and honourable one within a larger debate—a debate, as it turns out, that is not to be settled with this response.

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The doctrine that this is God’s world, that God directs affairs towards just ends is biblically sound. Yet, when applied to the global scene of world politics as Habakkuk does it becomes a two-edged sword, for it is both a reassuring and, at the same time, a troubling doctrine. On the one hand, such a doctrine challenges the view that history and by extension life has no determined purpose and worse that we live purely by chance or by the forces of evil. Yet, such a belief is almost impossible to work out within the vagaries of real politics, in which life and issues are driven by the ongoing conflict of national self-interest. How should we understand what is taking place in Lybia or what took place in Egypt or Tunisia? How should we understand what has happened in Christchurch, New Zealand, or closer home?

How should we understand divine punishment in Jamaica? What would be its source and how should we react to it as Church? Do we not, like the prophet, have to cry in the face of systemic injustice without any perceivable light at the end of the tunnel: O Lord, how long?

Cause for Concern.

The greatest threat to hope is the loss of confidence in our sources of hope. Low morale is the killer blow to hope in any society. Institutional failure, expressed in political, social, economic, judicial or religious failure produces a loss of confidence and generates a low morale. When we lose confidence in the systems which should provide and care for us, protect and serve us, inspire and guide us, we lose hope! And the telltale sign is ambivalence – those who refuse to exercise their duty during an election, social concern, volunteerism…

When we lose our confidence in the divine and, by extension the gospel, we have nothing of substance and hope to offer to those who cry out how long or why; and we live not in hope, but in delusion .... The grounding for hope lies in divine faith, which produces confidence; and confidence produces positive and hopeful possibilities for the present and the future.

We can only be God’s people in God’s world - living in hope if we have a viable, vocal and visible faith! What kind of Church is this?

Sources: New Interpreters Bible. 1995-2002; Wrath and Mercy, Maria Eszenyei Szeles. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publ.

Co., Grand Rapids, 1987; Nahum, Habakkuk and Zephaniah, An Introduction and Commentary. David Barker, Inter-Varsity Press, 1988.

THE JAMAICA BAPTIST REPORTER

JUNE 2011

News from Around the Churches KEEPING HOPE ALIVE AT 100 Jones Town Baptist Church — Beryl Roper

Christ Church in Jones Town is hardly remembered as it has long become Jones Town Baptist Church. The church began its ministry 100 years ago. Under coconut fronds at the spot where the church now stands, the Rev Earnest Price, head of the then Calabar Theological College sited where the Blood Bank is located, was instrumental in founding the church. Price Street, named after him.

JBU SUNDAY SCHOOL EXAMINATION Congratulations to all who were successful in the Sunday School Examinations held in October 2010. Those who received the highest passes are listed below. These were specially mentioned at the recent JBU Assembly and presented with trophies.

Renowned in the Baptist community and wider circles for its work in the Corporate Area, the church was pivotal to the Christian formation of scores of the city’s populace who lived in Jones Town and further afield. It was a key partner of the theological college (later part of the United Theological College) and Calabar High School, both of which were relocated.

Under the theme, “Keeping Hope Alive at 100”, the Jones Town Baptist Church began its 100th anniversary celebration on Palm Sunday April 17, 2011 — symbolic of the palm branches which formed part of the first worship service in 1911. The overflow gathering at the service included past and current members, officers of the Jamaica Baptist Union (JBU), pastors and members of community churches, representatives of local and corporate businesses, the area police and scores of citizens. Rev. Dr Burchell Taylor preached the sermon, pastor of Bethel Baptist. Rev. Karl Johnson, JBU General Secretary; and Member of Parliament, Dr Omar Davies, were among those offering congratulatory messages.

The occasion was used to launch a foundation that will become a conduit for opportunities to foster justice, peace and to uphold the dignity of the citizenry.

Current outreach includes a scholarship fund, daycare centre, a programme for teen mothers, a weekly feeding programme and a food garden project utilizing idle spaces in the community.

The celebration will end in September 2011 with a number of activities throughout that month.

Place 1st 2nd 2nd 3rd

1st 1st 2nd 2nd

2nd 2nd 3rd

Younger Children Karla Ellis Ruth Ann Edwards Kyle Pottinger Dalton Douglas

Liberty (St. Ann’s Bay Ct) Hopewell Bethel (HWT) Hanover Street

Older Children Orlando Gray Ammoy Smith Cedric Davis Zadriann Thomas

Bethel (Bog Walk Ct) Gregory Park Salem (Mt Hermon Ct) Gregory Park

Ashe Bryce Dujuan Parkes Sean –Michael Barnett

Bethel (HWT) Mamby Park Mamby Park

Place 1st 2nd 2ND 3rd 3rd 3rd

Youth 1 Lissana Francis April Fairclough De Anna Toussaint Crystalee Gardner Orville Kirkland Keron Johnson

Jericho Bethel (HWT) Edgewater Bethel Town Buff Bay Mamby Park

1st 2nd 2nd 3rd

Youth 2 Dana Virtue Jelliesia Williams Tahjera Clayton Krystal Lynch

Eltham Mt Zion (Bamboo Ct) Mt Carey Angels

1st Abigail Hall 1st Ashley Tucker 2nd Khandece Green 3rd Herona Thompson

LETTER TO THE EDITOR The Editor The Jamaica Baptist Reporter

1st 2nd 3rd

Sir/ Madam:

Young Adults Jean Rose Courtney Calvert Kerol Johnson

Youth 3 Mamby Park Bethel (HWT) Mt Nebo Bethel (HWT) Barbican Salt Spring (Calvary Ct) Orange Park

I am 120 percent for the “jump up and wave” section at a gospel meeting, but I do not think it should come after the message. In my opinion, not all the persons who respond to the message come to the altar. Some will leave thinking about what they hear.

When the dance section of the service comes immediately after the message, it detracts from the effect the message could have on the hearers.

I think a gospel meeting should be in three sections. The dance section, the serious praise in worship section, and the message section. Following the message should be the altar call, counselling and dismissal. I am aware that some of the persons who come to the altar will be concerned about transportation and company; so as things are, the “jump up and wave section” or entertainment section allows people to be entertained while counselling goes on. I would suggest that quiet repentant music be played instead. Think about it.

Lois Bryce William Knibb Baptist Church Falmouth, Trelawny

Place 1st 2nd 3rd 3rd

Adults - Regular Exam Patricia Meikle Pauline Phillips Nicola Llewellyn Rohan Stewart

1st 2nd

Adults - Church Based Assesment CBA Ann-Marie Thomas Brown’s Town CBA Cecelia O’Neil Gregory Park

1st 2nd 3rd 3rd

Teachers Claudine Bailey Lillieth Ledford Grace Green Angella Wright

THE JAMAICA BAPTIST REPORTER

JUNE 2011

Grace-Mineral Heights Grace (Oracabessa Ct) Ocho Rios Trinity

Zion Hill (Zion Hill-Friendship Ct) Mandeville Mandeville Zion Hill (Zion Hill-Friendship Ct)

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Regional and International

BEST PRACTICE

H

ow often do we hear, during discussions of operational procedures deemed suitable in certain contexts, a call for best practice to be pursued?

One hundred and five years ago, the Yale theologian/ sociologist/economist, William Graham Sumner, wrote the classic Folkways, which provided food for thought not only for sociologists and anthropologists but for students of ethics. In Folkways, Sumner propounded the celebrated theory of social relativism. It did not take too long before the claims of social relativism applied in the field of morals were shot down by rigorous reflection by several persons, notably the German psychologist, Karl Duncker. Yet, there is something priceless about Sumner’s thesis that we dare not forget in the church.

The truth is that whereas many years ago, persons representing imperial cultures simply announced to “native peoples” what they are to believe and how they are to act - after all the speakers represented the “civilizing powers” -

T

today, the language has changed.

It no longer appears appropriate to reveal the nakedness of haughty cultural presumptions of superiority that issue in pronouncements on legitimate belief and appropriate methodology. Today, an apparently more defensible method must be employed. It often exhibits the liberal use of the expression, “best practice” or “best practices.”

Especially when there appears an inversion in power relations, some people tend to dress their cultural prejudice in the language of best practice. In some cases, the glad users of the expression are unaware of the fact that it can be interpreted as a modern robe for an ancient cultural superiority complex.

Every cultural tradition has its own best practices, but the practices deemed best in each tradition are not to be regarded as best for all traditions, unless the speaker assumes normative standing for his or her own tradition.

Proper Christian humility that affirms the reality of the

incarnation in a variety of cultural settings and traditions leads us to be rather careful when we use the expression “best practice.” Especially when we engage in discussions in global organizations, we must remember that none of the contexts from which each of the participants come ought to claim to host what ought to be best practice for all cultures. Whatever we make of the works of William Graham Sumner, we do well to tread lightly when we - all of us - are tempted to trumpet with arrogance from our own peculiar cultural assumptions.

Furthermore, since best practice is related to the application of technique for the sake of desirable outcomes, we may wish to affirm that outcomes are not all that matters when we are dealing with Christian living. Outcomes matter but many people believe that God cares also about motives, means and more.

The language of best practice is not always useful!

Source: www.bwanet.org

BAPTISTS AGAINST RACISM

he Baptist World Alliance encouraged member bodies around the globe to observe International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. According to the website of the United Nations, March 21 is observed as such because, “on that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid ‘pass laws.’”

The first International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination was observed in 1966 as a challenge to increase the fight against racism in all parts of the world.

The BWA publically condemned the systemic racism found in South African apartheid.

In 1985, the 15th Baptist World Congress held in Los Angeles, California, in the United States, resolved that “we believe that it is our duty in the name of God to denounce this system [apartheid] and all who practice or support it.”

Furthermore, a resolution from the General Council in 1986 stated that the BWA “expresses its solidarity with the leaders and others in that country who are struggling for a just social order through a multi-racial government based on majority rule, especially with those who

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— Neville Callam , General Secretary, Baptist World Alliance

—Washington (BWA)

are suffering in that struggle.” While the BWA rejoices that apartheid, after decades of discrimination, was abolished in 1993, the BWA continues to advocate for the elimination of all forms of racism occurring in the world today. The BWA Atlanta Covenant arose out of the International Baptist Summit against Racism and Ethnic Conflict held in 1999. This comprehensive statement on the BWA stance against racism and ethnocentrism is based on the conviction that commitment to racial justice is “an integral part of proclaiming Good News in Jesus Christ.”

The BWA observance of a Decade to Promote Racial Justice, starting in 2001, provided Baptists an opportunity for a coordinated effort to further the mission to help eradicate racism and ethnic conflict. During the period, BWA member bodies supported efforts to end racism in their own contexts.

Constant vigilance is required if the BWA commitment to work for the elimination of racism is to be an ever-present commitment. To this end, we commend the March 21 observance.

A BWA REFLECTION ON THE FAMILY

n the historic Judeo-Christian tradition, the family is ascribed a place of great significance whatever the location of the society in which it is found. Celebrated attempts have been made to destroy the bonds of family, but with little or no success. Notwithstanding this, the question of the form the family should take has not admitted unanimous agreement whether in Jewish or Christian circles. One reason is that the family takes its shape in the social context in which it exists.

participate in the traditional marriage rituals formerly allowed only to their overlords.

Forty years ago, Barbadian social and cultural historian, Edward Kamau Braithwaite, popularized the recorded exchange between a missionary and a church leader over justification for the leader suddenly being considered unsuitable to continue to hold office because his recent emancipation from slavery required him to mimic the marital customs of his former oppressors.

For many years, some have assumed that the normative form the family should take derives from what was sometimes referred to as “the British tradition” and its Greco-Roman precedents. The so-called “nuclear family” would include a man and a woman, united in publicly-attested bonds, following socially sanctioned mores enjoying legal recognition.

Children - offspring of the husband and wife - would complete the family unit.

In the Caribbean, beginning in the 1970s, politicians have collaborated to arrive at definitive answers to the question of the forms the family may take. The result has been a raft of legislations to ameliorate the adverse position of persons living in households in so-called “Common Law Unions.”

In the 18th and 19th centuries, when missionaries took the gospel to lands far away from their own, they tended to assume that the form of family they had in their home country was to be replicated by the people who would become the benefactors of their “civilizing” efforts.

To complicate the situation was the fact that in some of the situations in which the missionaries served, sections of the civilizing party actually owned human beings and counted these as part of their property. As property belonging to another, the enslaved persons were not entitled to benefit from the protection of the state in the matter of family relations. The result is that the enslaved developed patterns of cohabitation that differed from those of their “masters.”

With emancipation, what was to be the socially approved situation with the family of the formerly enslaved? In some cases, churches which once accepted into leadership enslaved men who lived with their female partners and children started to require these leaders to

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Some people once felt that determining admissible structural forms for human cohabitation, which are not based on canonized social conventions is a most challenging undertaking.

Is it possible that, today, far more difficult issues arise whose resolution will take many decades and perhaps even centuries?

Many will not dispute the church’s responsibility to support the family, recognizing, for example, the contribution of the family to the spiritual formation of people in community.

Not surprisingly, the 1989 BWA General Council approved a motion to encourage Baptists throughout the world “to acknowledge and endorse anew the need for the home and the family to be deeply rooted in the Christian faith.”

When the General Council met again in 1994, the International Year of the Family, the BWA passed a resolution acknowledging that “since family life is under threat in all cultures, Christians must ensure effective marriage preparations, teach family members to communicate with each other, provide relevant models of parenting and benefit from the older generation of Christians.” —Washington (BWA)

THE JAMAICA BAPTIST REPORTER

JUNE 2011

Regional and International WCC-IEPC 2011 REFLECTIONS ‘GLORY TO GOD AND PEACE ON EARTH’ —Danique Williams, Secretary - Jamaica Baptist Union Youth Department & IEPC Steward - Jamaica

“I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one--as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me” (John 17:21).

As a Christian, I have questioned the unity of the Church; wondered why we were so different and segmented; wondered if ever a day would come when our fractured light could shine bright enough to convince others of a God who is holy, loving, just and peaceful. I was privileged to attend, as a steward, the World Council of Churches International Ecumenical Peace Convocation Danique (centre) with the Registration Team (WCC IEPC) held in Jamaica May 17-25, 2011.

We explored issues of Peace in the Community, Peace with the Earth, Peace in the Marketplace and Peace among the Peoples. We took a united stance against glaring injustices. It was here that my passive pessimistic thoughts transformed to hopeful possibilities.

Generation Possible - The Stewardship Programme Prior to the IEPC, a group of 30 youth leaders representing their nations/countries gathered in New Kingston, Jamaica for the pre-convocation meeting for those who would serve as stewards. While there were a few persons who had knowledge of some ecumenical work being done in their country, many had never heard of the ecumenical movement until the IEPC. It was nothing short of an eye-opening experience for many of us who through the presentations caught a glimpse of what can be achieved when Christians all over the world decide to put their differences aside and “affirm and celebrate those things that they have in common”.

Through the team building exercises, paired sharing, group sharing and fellowship time, we exchanged stories and bonded as a group. Suddenly, the world has become a smaller place for us now that we have so many brothers and sisters scattered abroad. I am no longer indifferent if there is unrest in Syria or Botswana, for example, because my sisters live there. Even though the IEPC marked the celebration of the end of a decade, as stewards and as young ambassadors we have left the Convocation Participants in the Youth Pre-Convocation Meeting with the realization that we have a responsibility to continue what was started in Kingston, Jamaica. We were specifically charged with the responsibility to implement ecumenical projects in our communities and we humbly ask for the Church’s support in carrying out this obligation. Using the Internet social networking tools and email, we will remain connected to this universal promotion of Just Peace for all.

For more information visit http://www.overcomingviolence.org/ .

THE CHURCH, THE BIBLE & SUICIDE (Cont’d from page 1) Also some persons have called Samson’s death a “heroic suicide” although it seems more likely that his death was the unfortunate result of a brave pre-emptive strike, on his part, against the Philistines (Judges 16: 28-31).

Perhaps the closest indication of condemnation of suicide in the Bible comes from the sixth commandment (Exodus 20: 13): “Thou shalt not kill” (KJV) / “You shall not murder” (NIV). According to Augustine: “The law, rightly interpreted, even prohibits suicide, where it says ‘Thou shalt not kill’. This is proved especially by the omission of the words ‘thy neighbour’, which are inserted when false witness is forbidden. In the commandment there is no limitation added nor exception made in favour of any one, and least of all in favour of him on whom the command is laid.”

Ostensibly, Augustine’s argument is based on the view that suicide is another form of murder (i.e. “self-murder”)! However, the added problem with “self-murder” is that, seemingly, there is no conscious opportunity/ability for the perpetrator to repent after he/ she has committed the act.

There is the often indistinguishable link between suicide and mental illness. Some studies on suicide indicate that over 90% of suicide victims displayed symptoms of depression before committing the act!

Furthermore, there are psychiatrists and psychologists who contend that in some suicides, the victims may have experienced “a fit of temporary insanity”, notwithstanding those who had a prior history of mental disorder.

It is that “fit of temporary insanity” which often poses an ethical and spiritual conundrum.

For no one can refute, with any certainty, the claim that such an experience could actually take place. Besides, on what basis can anyone accurately determine who will or will not be “going through the Pearly Gates”? After all, isn’t that God’s prerogative?

Perhaps, instead of speculating over the fate of those who commit suicide, our time and effort would be better spent realizing and minimizing (if possible) the factors and conditions which may spur individuals to take their life — factors and conditions such as disillusionment, depression, hopelessness and helplessness.

As caring and compassionate people of God, we should do everything humanly possible to minister effectively to the bereaved family and friends of suicide victims who, in addition to the usual grief process, may experience a complex array of feelings which could lead to a protracted period of grief.

In so doing, we further uphold the biblical injunction to “bear one another’s burdens”. Shalom!

THE JAMAICA BAPTIST REPORTER

JUNE 2011

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Jamaica Baptist Union Youth Department presents

Summer Camps 2011 Theme: “Hope: To Di Worl!”

Don’t be a drone, get in the zone and sign up today for camp like you’ve never experienced before!

Intermediate Camp 2

Intermediate Camp 1

Who: Ages: 15 & 16 yrs

Who: Ages: 13 & 14 yrs

When: July 18 – 23

When: July 11 - 16

Junior Camp

Youth Camp

Who: Age: 9 – 12 yrs

Who: Age: 17 – 20 yrs

When: July 25 - 30

When: ƵŐƵƐƚ 1 – 6

Activities include: Bible Study Rap Sessions

Cost: J$6500 which includes food, accommodation, excursion/beach trip and more.

Sports Day Banquet

Venue: Nutshell Conference Centre.

Duncans, Trelawny.

…and much more!

For more information: Call the Jamaica Baptist Union office at 969-2223 or 969-9835, email us at: jbuyouth@gmail.com or info@jbu.org.jm or visit the JBUYD website at http://youth.jbu.org.jm/ THE JAMAICA BAPTIST REPORTER

JUNE 2011

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