Category: Jamiko’s Blog

It has been some time now Perry Rise and for that I do apologize. Serving in new capacities has been a little taxing at some points but we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us and strengthening He has been doing indeed.

It has been almost eight months now I have been at the Burchell Memorial Baptist Church and what a time! I have had quite diverse experiences at the Church itself as it is 192 years old and still looking fresh just like the members. Due to its age and other factors the roof of the Church is temporarily down but we give God thanks that He poured it out in someone’s heart many years ago to build a multi -purpose education center so for a year now they have been worshipping from there. From the collapse of the roof also came the birth of a 7 a.m. service which has been an amazing help for those who have to work on a Sunday and just for those early birds, even I. 

I have made quite a lot of new friends and new challenges as I have served. In observing Rev. Thomas from leading Bible study to even home visits I see a care for his members that I have grown to emulate as well. The aspect that I have thoroughly enjoyed the most was the home visits. It allowed me to see the mixture that is found in the Burchell Church and the terrain that we had to travel from the hills to the valleys we went and yes the journey was good as we were able to speak to and pray with people who were not yet saved from the various communities but the destination was the highlight for me.

In our Churches people are divided in different groups or classes usually based upon where you live so as to help in the logistics of organization and to assist in situations such as these, the class leader and or other members would accompany the pastor in the visits to the homebound members and the members of the class would visit them on their own as well. The members that we visited were the saints of God that were no longer able to come to the Church due to various reasons but still had a lot of love in their hearts. The visits themselves would focus on different aspects of worship but generally we would pray, sing some of their favorite songs, share testimonies and reminisce on their lives and the goodness of God through it all.

The aspect of the visit that really resonated with me and has now been engraved into my heart was the fact that you went there to encourage these homebound members but I left feeling more blessed than expected. It was strange at first because these people have never met me but the love that they have for others permeated the air and their lives. Even in their difficult situations they haven’t lost hope but share that hope which is found in Christ Jesus.

The church itself is a large Church with members ranging from 500-600 for just Burchell Memorial Baptist Church as there are three churches under Rev. Thomas’s leadership; in Jamaica we call them Circuits. We have the largest being Burchell Memorial Baptist Church, then Tower Hill Baptist and finally Spot Valley Baptist Church which in the Jamaica Baptist Union’s recent general assembly gained Church status. I have observed like most Churches each Church has its own culture and my job has been to adjust to each and serve where I am told.

One of my assignments so far from Rev. Thomas, keeping within the theme of the Jamaica Baptist Union “Living the Sacrificial Life” is to guide Bible study at Spot Valley, there newest church. It has been a learning experience from looking at the true meaning of some text to wrestling with theologians views on certain topics to even rediscovering the mode of Sacrifice for the ancient Hebrews.

For Spot Valley Baptist Bible study is held at a member’s residence which does provider a warm environment. For corporate worship we now meet in a school but plans are underway to build a Church in the area, the congregation know however that they are the Church but see the benefits of having their own Church building. Recently we celebrated Harvest at Spot Valley.

During Harvest we get produce gathered from various members’ contribution give God thanks for His blessings upon us in various ways of our lives and then inviting others to a Church service wherein we thank God but also allow our invited guest to purchase this wonderful bounty. The service was great as the young people were given the task to write, direct and produce a play depicting the birth of Jesus and since it was drama you know I had to be there as the plump King Herod and one of the wise men. It was given a youthful filed and besides from us loosing baby Jesus at one part of the production I believe it went well.

In the same period at the Burchell Church they were having their annual Cantata, which included narratives, melodious singing, and elegant dancing. This production takes 3 – 4 months of preparation and it was quite a sight from the areas I was able to observe. The costume changes took some time but I was able to see quite a lot of the program. There was a combined youth, adults and youth at heart choir singing up to 10 songs through the program. They had smaller groups which took part as well and dancing.

I believe as a pastor you should be able to serve in various capacities, God has given us different gifts and so we use them. I was able to be a part of the choir, rendered a solo, dance and narrated; it was a busy night but helped with my flexibility. It was the first time I was dancing officially since returning from England and we decided to push the boundaries and did two dances. In all ministries it takes a lot of preparation physically, mentally and spiritually.

After months of practicing we ministered in the various art forms and the hearts of the people were blessed but equally important God was glorified. Overall I am still observing the various ministries of the Church, learning and imparting from the people I get to interact with and a major part of the year of Church placement is reflection on the call of God. I continue to reflect on my call, of how I can be of use to God and extension the Church and how can I learn from the ministries of my home Church and Burchell Church to impact the Church that I will eventually be sent to.

I hope to update you soon on further developments. While you wait I am thankful for your care and prayers; here are some more things you could pray about.

Prayer points:

• Peace and discernment as I continue to understand the call of God on my life
• Preparation for the second interview with the ministerial training committee of the Jamaica Baptist Union
• Continued integration into the Burchell Baptist Church
• Strength when I will have to leave the family at Burchell Baptist Church
• Even more strength when I have to leave my Calvary Baptist Church family hopefully for full-time further studies
• Guidance on this new stage of my journey

The Interview

“Oceans” by Hillsong

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders

Let me walk upon the waters

Wherever you would call me

This was the song that really spoke true to the 2014- 2015 Action Teamers and it spoke again to me in this new area of my Christian life as I officially commenced this journey into training for full time ministry. Upon returning from the United Kingdom I was interviewed by the Jamaica Baptist Union Ministerial Training Committee who from my understanding of it would discern if the call to full time pastoral ministry was the will of God. They would also take into account information about my call to faith, my own call to ministry experience, my pastors recommendation and comments and various other documents. The interview I thought would determine if I would enter the United Theological College. The United Theological College is a multi-denominational College where most Baptist pastors are trained from the Caribbean region. I met with the committee along with another potential student for the College. Interviews are usually held earlier in the year but because I was away I would have missed that interview time hence they did my interview separate from the other potential students. I was interviewed with a panel consisting of about 12 ministers. I was nervous at first but I trusted that the Lord’s will would be done. We got called back in and our nerves were finally settled as we heard their decision; we were informed that we would be a part of the Pre Collegiate program. The Ministerial training entails one year in pre colligate, after the year we will appear before the committee again to be accessed based upon our activities in the year and what God has said to us and our supervisor about moving forward. If all parties see it as the will of God I will have four years study and two years’ probation in all its’ seven years. In the pre colligate program we would be under the supervision of the representative for Baptist students at the college Rev. Dr. Glenroy Lalor for the year. The program consisted of church placement; serving under a senor minster for a year, we would also go to the capital Kingston at least two weekends out of each month for classes and return home on the Saturday afternoon for Church Sunday while still working for those who worked; so the aim was to manage our time wisely. We are assessed in various areas of our studies. The main focus I believe for this year is reflection on the call that God has on my life.

At Burchell Baptist Church

In the program there are six of us, all from various parts of the country but majority of us are from the Western part of Jamaica. I live in Montego Bay and was placed at Burchell Baptist Church Circuit. In this Circuit there are three Churches the Burchell Memorial, Tower Hill and Spot Valley Baptist with Rev. Dr. Davewin Thomas as the pastor. I have been with Rev. Thomas for about two months now and I can say I have experienced so many wonderful things in God serving in all three Churches. I was introduced to the church the 4th of October 2015 and they have embraced me ever since as bro. Yapp although I knew a few of them before but it is a large church with 500 – 600  members so I still have a lot of names to learn. In the program we get to see behind the scenes of a pastor’s work from the administrative aspects, home visits for sick and homebound members, weddings, funerals, devotions at schools, church meetings, counselling, preaching, Bible studies, etc. I have been able to shadow Rev. Thomas in most of these areas and looking forward to what else I will learn about God and the relationships waiting to be built with people. The life of a pastor is rich not with earthly riches but riches in joy and satisfaction of serving God and His people while leading the church as well. This is one of many lessons I have learnt from my time so far but this one is my favourite as I find it to ring true day by day. Now we are moving into Christmas season where there are many weddings so it will be busy but looking forward to it as I have only been to one wedding in Jamaica so far. I have been serving in some way for all three Churches in the Circuit I’ve noticed that each church has its own culture but all three filled with life and passion for God. I get to visit my home Church at least once a month. I’ve also noticed that the pre collegiate program is structured to balance the practical aspects of ministry along with the theory.

United Theological College

In terms of theory, when we go to classes on Fridays we meet our seniors, people studying theology from other denominations (There are seven denominations at the College) and other persons who rent rooms from the College. The last time we went it was their annual Caribbean Cultural night where different aspects of the Caribbean cultures were highlighted. It was great to be a part of the festivities as it gives us a prelude as to what to expect from campus life, hard work but fun in the Lord. In classes we are studying about the Old Testament, Baptist history which is rich and another class known as Spiritual formation which is about us being shaped by God. I have enjoyed all three because they feed me both mentally and spiritually. Classes are grounded in prayer and our supervisor and lecturers are always so mindful that classes are intriguing but it’s a three and a half hour trip back home so we rap up in the afternoon. In our classes we have reading assignments from various denominational backgrounds. Our supervisor chose a book for each of us to do a presentation on, I was given a biography about Mother Teresa which has shed a lot of light on her and her work but brought with it a new range of questions. I will present on another book which speaks about devotion to God, so that will definitely be a prayer point. There will be various assignments as time progresses. So far I have been enjoying the work both theory and practical while still having a mode of reflection of God’s call on my life. I know in this year there will be difficulties and triumphs but I remember it’s all a part of the journey.

I thank you for all your prayers and ask that you continue to pray for not only me but the other students as well, pray that I stay diligent in my studies, continued strength and guidance as I serve in Burchell Baptist, that I will be focused on God. I am also praying and thanking God for the members of Perry Rise Baptist Church, may He continue to Bless you.