The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands

FamilyTHE

George Town Charge Volume 137, November 2016

NEWS

Interim Minister:Rev. Dr. Derik Davidson

Music & WorshipDirector:

Antonio Sanchez

Office & Mailing Address:48 Harbour Drive

George TownP.O. Box 494

Grand Cayman KY1-1106

Elmslie Website:www.elmsliechurch.org.ky

Elmslie E-mail: elmslie@candw.ky

Office Staff:Janet Macmillan, AdministratorDiana Bodden, Office Assistant

Office Hours:Mondays - Fridays9:00am - 5:00pm

Phone: 345-949-7923Fax: 345-949-1723

Council Website:www.unitedchurch.org.ky

Council e-mail cicucjci@candw.ky

Service Times:Sundays

Elmslie Memorial United48 Harbour Drive, George Town

10:30am

South Sound United44 South Sound Road

9:00am

Mission Statement: The George Town Charge exists to love God, love others and make disciples.

FROM THE PASTOR'S DESKHindrances to Spiritual GrowthRev. Dr. Derik Davidson

Cuba Mission Team. Back, from left: Dominique Morales, Mr. Malcolm Davies, Lakeisha Watler, Bryce Thompson, Jamalleo Ramoon, Mr. Thomas Myles, Joshua Mcfield, Amari Watler and Miss Madda Whittaker Front, from left: Jermaine Webb, Damari Goddard, Jennelle Mclaughlin, Deajra Tulloch, Kimberly Eccleston, Reanna Ramoon, Amy Mobley and Dazhano Mcfield. Missing from photo: Mr. Edward Rodney and Mrs. Elitia Vassell

The Christian life starts with a spiritual birth experience. A person cannot begin the spiritual life merely by making some good resolutions or joining a congregation of believers. Spiritual salvation is much more than developing excellence of character or being a member of a church. Until a person experiences a birth from above he or she dwells in spiritual death. God uses his divine word to beget spiritual birth. Some refuse to receive God’s word in faith. Consequently, they deprive themselves of this spiritual birth. Many hindrances and obstacles must be overcome if we are to grow physically from infancy to maturity. The same is true on the spiritual level. We would be wise to recognize some enemies that stand across our pathway to spiritual maturity. First, we have a fallen human nature that makes spiritual growth difficult.Most of us have been acquainted with at least one child who had a birth defect that prevented growth to normal maturity. In a very real sense, all of us have a spiritual defect that deters us from being who God wants us to be. It is sin. Because we are sinners we find it much easier to choose the path that leads downward rather than the path that leads upward. The Apostle Paul describes this in Romans 7 and you should read verses 15 and 18. Second, poor listening habits prevent spiritual growth. Jesus illustrates this in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13: 1-9. Here are some questions to ask yourselves:• Are you a wayside hearer of God’s word? • Do you refuse to let God’s word penetrate your heart and produce the desired effect?• Are you a rocky ground hearer? Cont'd. on Page 4

The weekend of October 8th and 9th was particularly significant in the life of Marco Archer. Not only did he reach his 50th birthday on the Sunday but, the evening before, received an award in Washington DC as Finance Minister of the Year, Caribbean 2016, from a prestigious financial institution, Global Markets. Most people know that Marco serves in the Government Cabinet as Minister of Finance and officially is referred to as the Hon. Marco Archer. However,

he is also a Christian brother and member of Elmslie Church. He and his wife Tammy transferred from the Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church in 2006. He says, “I did not grow up in church but was invited to attend Boatswain Bay Presbyterian Church by Tammy in 1992. It was here I became a Christian and was baptised in November 1995.”

He comes from a large family – the last of eight children. Having been born in West Bay, he grew up in central George Town, attending George Town Primary and the

Cayman Islands High School. “I was very athletic growing up and I used sports to cope with life's struggles,” he states. He went on to qualify first as an economist and then as a lawyer, working first for Government and latterly for a law firm before being elected as an MLA in 2013. His life is inevitably very busy. Apart from his wife, Tammy, who works full time as CFO and Deputy CEO at CICSA Credit Union, he has three children, Sanaa (13) and Naomi (10) who attend Cayman Prep, and one-year-old Andreas who, he adds, “is just starting to walk.” When asked how he balances work, church and family and, particularly, how he maintains his relationship with the Lord, he replied, “ I have to be very strict and disciplined. I start my day with my devotion to maintain my spiritual health and relationship with the Lord before driving the girls to school and Tammy to work. I then ensure that outside of my official duties, weekly constituency office clinics and community visits, I limit the social events in order to spend more quality time with my young family. “I had no interest in politics until one day I realised that God equips people with different gifts to be used for the good of others, “ he says. “I

As most everyone knows, Haiti was hard-hit by Hurricane Matthew, resulting in extensive, devastating damage to certain regions – particularly to Les Cayes where our church’s missionary, Joan Page Bain, resides. A couple of days following the storm, we received word from Claire Trueman

that, despite some damage to their home, Joan and her husband, Allemand, were coping but their section of the island was hard hit and without electricity. Also, crops and livestock were destroyed, many houses and schools in the area badly damaged and they were in desperate need of food and supplies – particularly for children and babies – so members of the United Church here in Cayman got into action and came together in support of Joan, Allemand and the Haitian people in their area. In this regard, Elmslie United initiated an effort in the church hall where hundreds upon hundreds of items, such as baby products, children’s craft supplies, clothing, sanitizers, water and non-perishable food were collected from members of the community and various congregations, sorted, boxed and labled to the attention of Nurse Joan. After much red tape, through the kindness of DHL Express Cayman who offered to transport the boxes free of charge, the first 32 boxes were shipped and delivered

to Joan on Monday, 17th October, with the remainder of the boxes to be delivered in the coming days. In addition to this relief effort, each congregation will be making a special offering earmarked Haiti for the remaining Sundays in the month of October. This special offering is being made across the whole church here and in Jamaica for this purpose.

Missions - Haiti Disaster Relief

Member Profile - Marco Archer

Cont'd on Page 4

Continued on Page 4

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Every year, there are a number of our younger church family studying overseas and those abroad at present were listed in the last Family News. Being at school or college abroad has its own excitement, opportunities – and challenges. Many rise to the occasion while others struggle. Being away from Cayman and from home, and having a new measure of independence, is liberating for some but frightening for others. Some even wonder whether being away is "out of sight, out of mind." Some students have struggled with their faith – or even turned their back on it on leaving Cayman. Most students keep in contact with their family and friends to a greater or lesser degree. However, it is felt important that the church family also keeps in touch with each one to remind them that they belong to a church and that the church is interested in them, praying for them and is there to reach out to them should they need support. This may be spiritual or practical. It is proposed that a system be established whereby each student who wishes is assigned a member of the church with whom they can keep in contact. These members will usually be those not already close friends but will, on behalf of the congregations at Elmslie or South Sound, keep in touch by phone, Skype or whatever means. There are a number of other suggestions as to how the relationship can be fostered. We are seeking those in our congregations who would like to be involved in this project by being paired with one or two students. Mrs. Sheila Johnson has agreed to coordinate this and so anybody who would like to be part of it should contact her. If you need more information, please talk to her (sheilajo1644@gmail.com or phone 916-1655/945-1644) or to Mike Bowerman (bowerman@candw.ky or phone 925-4590/949-2232). We would like to get this going in the new year so please talk to Sheila, or to Mike, if you prefer, before to long – say, by the end of the first week of November. What we propose is to have a get-together of interested persons to allocate the students and to talk further as to ways in which each person can reach out to the particular student assigned.

Students Studying Abroad

September ActualYTD

Budget

General

Missions

$20,063.38 $262,500.00

$ 2,254.00 $ 33,750.00

Elmslie Offering

YTD

$207,921.68

$ 29,163.28

Sharon Walmsley - 55 on the 8thOlive Miller - 95 on the 9th Essie Nixon - 99 on the 9th

David Whitefield - 70 on the 21stGrace Hayes - 92 on the 24th

Special November Birthdays

Upcoming Mission Trip to CubaA team of 19 (pictured on Page 1) are planning a youth mission trip to Santa Suarez Baptist Church, Havana, Cuba over the long weekend in November. This is coming about at the invitation of Pastor Daniel Gonzales who, with his wife Ana Isabel, was our mission weekend speaker in May. The young people have been busy preparing with twice weekly meetings as well as fundraisers to assist with their expenses. They have already sold fish dinners and held a Saturday morning carwash. They are seeking the support of the church, especially in prayer. They are also planning to take over much needed supplies, with a list in the Sunday bulletin of suggested items, and any who can help provide any of these should contact a member of the team. Financial donations would also be welcome. Pictured below are members of the team who gave their testimonies during consecutive Sunday morning services in October.

• The United Church's General Secretary, Rev. Norbert Stephens, visited the Cayman Regional Council mid-October. The purpose of his visit was to meet and interact with the various leaders and organizations of the church in Cayman. He met with all the congregational boards, each minister individually, the boards of CPHS and the Bethesda Counselling Centre as well as with the leadership of the Regional Council. He preached at John Gray Memorial, spoke at the CPHS assembly and visited with the Savannah United youth group. He also presented one of the modules at the elders' training. • Miss April Lewis has been appointed Director of the Bethesda Counselling Centre. She begins her job on 1st November.• Special prayer is asked for the family of the late Mrs. Karen Doran (guidance counsellor of CPHS) who died suddenly on 12th October. She leaves a husband, Will, and two children, Jacob, 7, and Caitlin, 9, in Years 3 and 4 respectively at the school. The funeral took place on Friday, October 21st, at First Baptist Church.• On Friday, 30th September 2016, ministers, elders, and congregation representatives of Council underwent an Audit Training hosted by the CWM, albeit somewhat curtailed by the approach of Hurricane Matthew to Jamaica. The Audit Training was conducted by Mrs. Karen Francis and Mrs. Vickeisha King Burke of

News from Council

Cont'd on Page 4

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Rev. Dr. Yvette Noble Bloomfield, Ms. Angela Martins, Rev. Norbert Stephens, Mr. John Macmillan and Ms. Carol Pearson

Left to right: Bryce Thompson, Lakeisha Watler and Amari Watler, Amy Mobley, Jamalleo Ramoon and Kimberly Eccelston

CWM Caribbean, along with Rev. Dr. Henroy Samuels (RDGS of the Northeastern Regional Mission Council – Jamaica) and Mrs. Elaine Commissiong (UCJCI Communications Consultant). The Audit Training Team facilitated workshops and discussions surrounding the actions of a “missional church”, adhering and implicating the vision statement of UCJCI, and becoming more aware of the communities that our congregations minister to and are surrounded by. The training provided the methodology to analyze the impact that our congregations and church have on its members and its various communities.

News from Council (Cont'd. from Page 3)

Mrs. Helen Hislop was recently commissioned as the Service Ministry Coordinator, taking over from Mr. Richard Trull. Service ministry is a practical demonstration in sharing the love of Christ, and the coordinator is primarily responsible for overseeing meeting any special, practical needs of members of the church but will also reach out to meeting some of the needs of the community. Hence, the Soup Kitchen and Pantry Ministry comes under its umbrella. Should there be a disaster, such as a hurricane, the coordinator would oversee ensuring the security of the church's buildings and assisting any who have a special problem and ask for help. From time to time, the church might decide to have a 'work day' to clean up a section of town or paint an elderly person's home, and the coordinator would organize this. Helen has also agreed to help Ms. Karen Lee who is to take over responsibility for communion preparation from Mrs. Beth Roulstone who has done this for many years. Our deep-felt thanks to Beth for her quiet, faithful service.

Service Ministryrealised that our country had reached a stage where capable people had tostep up but I was hesitant because some people view Christians with skepticism and some Christians see themselves as above politics. However, it dawned on me that many Jewish and Gentile leaders in the Bible believed in God, and Romans 13 tells us that all authority is ordained by God and are servants of God. The other matter to be resolved was whether it was the Lord's will for me to be in politics. I asked several people to pray for God to reveal if my thoughts were his will or my ego. That was confirmed on three

separate occasions, two by Scripture (Deuteronomy 31:6-9and Jeremiah 29:11)and in surviving a Pit Bull dog attack without ascratch while I waselectioneering inApril 2013. “I try to remember, as a politician, that at all times I am serving the Lord, I am to trust him, and to conduct myself accordingly. Pol-itics can be very cruel and matters are hardly ever simple with economic deve-lopment, growth population and cultural diversity.

However, it can also be very gratifying to know that you are making a difference in the lives of others. Christians ought to pray for wisdom, health and integrity for their representatives in Government, and even for themselves if politics is an area in which they can serve the Lord because he gives different gifts at different times and for different purposes.” Marco commented on the special challenges facing the Cayman Islands and how Christians should respond. “Economic development and population growth have resulted in a changing culture and expectations, for Caymanians and expatriates alike. We have been blessed as a society because of our belief in and our relationship with God, and long may this continue. As Christians, we are to pray for acceptance of and respect for our differences, to the extent that our belief in and relationship with God is not threatened or disrespected." When he is not working or going to church, he says he enjoys reading but, with a young family, he admits he struggles to read anything other than what is necessary for work. “But my real joy and pleasure is barbequing/grilling for my wife and children and relaxing at the cinema,” he adds. We greatly appreciate having Marco and his family as part of our church fellowship. However, we need to keep him very much in our prayers with his great responsibilities serving our country.

Marco Archer (Cont'd. from Page 2)

From the Pastor's Desk (Cont'd. from Page 1)• Do you permit God’s word to enter your heart only in a

superficial way?• Do you let the cares of the world choke out the word of God?• Do you hear and respond to God’s word like good soil being

planted with seed?How you hear and respond to God’s truth will determine the extent of your spiritual growth. Third, the evil world around is a foe to spiritual growth. Read 1 John 2: 15-17. By “the world” the writer is referring to society as it ignores God and rebels against Him. John is pointing out the perishable nature of many material objects that the unbelieving world considers to be of extreme value. He urges believers to think about and live for things that will abide forever. Fourth, the devil is an enemy to our spiritual growth. Read 1 Peter 5: 8.Those who ignore or joke about the devil are deceiving themselves and depriving themselves of the resources that God has made available for living a victorious Christian life. Satan would like to see to it that all of us remain in a spiritual infancy. Fifth, our human tendency to put things off for another time hinders growth. Each believer is responsible for overcoming the obstacles to spiritual growth. We will remain in spiritual infancy if we neglect the means of individual spiritual growth and postpone responding to opportunities for growth provided by the church. Sixth, the poor example of others can impede our spiritual growth. We must be constantly alert so that others’ faults and mistakes will not cause us to stumble on our pilgrimage to spiritual maturity. We cannot be held responsible for the actions of others but we are responsible to God for our own growth. In ending this reflection, please take note that no one can do your eating for you. No one can do your sleeping for you. No one can do your learning for you and no one can do your growing for you. Therefore, let each of us determine that, with the Holy Spirit’s help, we will nourish ourselves from God’s word. We will avoid all hindrances that could prevent us from becoming the mature persons God wants us to be.

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