NOVEMBER Fam News - Elmslie Memorial United Church

The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands
THE FAMILY NEWS
George Town Charge
Volume 120, May 2015
2015
Mission Statement: The George Town Charge exists to love God, love others and make disciples.
Minister:
Rev. Dr. Dave Hazle
Music & Worship Director:
Antonio Sanchez
Youth Minister:
Greg Dabb
Office & Mailing Address:
48 Harbour Drive, George Town
P.O. Box 494
Grand Cayman KY1-1106
Elmslie Website:
www.elmsliechurch.org.ky
E-mail: [email protected]
Office Staff:
Janet Macmillan, Administrator
Diana Bodden, Office Assistant
Office Hours:
Mondays - Fridays
9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Phone: 345-949-7923
Fax: 345-949-1723
Council Website:
www.unitedchurch.org.ky
Council e-mail: [email protected]
Service Times
Sundays:
Elmslie Memorial United
48 Harbour Drive, George Town
10:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
South Sound United
44 South Sound Road
9:00 a.m.
Janet is Our New Administrator
“Quite honestly, after forty-eight years and four months, I am more than happy to be doing something
else!” So declared new administrator, Janet Macmillan, after the first two weeks in her new office. One
would have thought that after so many years working, in her case for the Mosquito Research and Control
Unit of Government, she would want to stay at home and put her feet up. However, she was ready to
do something else rather than retire altogether, albeit
in an area in which she was keen to be more involved.
“I wanted to do more for the church,” she said.
“Although, of course, I knew about the vacancy
– my husband was retiring from the post – I didn’t
think about applying for it. However, several
people approached me about it so I talked to John
(her husband, John Macmillan) and my daughter
Sheena who told me to pray about it and, if I was
interested, to apply. I did so, deciding that if I was
successful I would give it my all.”
The job is not a full-time one. However, Janet
says that while she doesn’t always work until 5
o’clock, if she has something that needs
completing she will work until it’s done.
Her initial challenge is becoming acquainted with the accounts. “John is still showing me these,” she
says. Overall, she says she feels comfortable in her new job and she is keen to do things right as it is one
she feels is valuable. “I am making some changes, of course, such as suggesting additions to the bulletin,
advertising the Bethesda Counselling Centre and letting people know about Sunday School and the crèche. I
also try to get down to the sanctuary regularly to help tidy up the hymn books and so on, and one of my jobs
in the near future is to work on organizing the filing system.”
She adds, “I believe this is the place God wants me to be, and I hope people will bear with me. I will
do my best to help anyone who needs it or, at least, redirect them to someone else who can.”
We welcome Janet – not to the ministry of the church for she has been working in it all her life, and
is currently an elder – but to this new role God has given her. We want to assure her of the prayers of the
church.
Mission Visit to South-East Asia
Rev. Dave and Mike Bowerman will leave Cayman on the long journey to Bali, Indonesia for their
much anticipated trip to visit Nyoman Sumaryana on May 11th, returning on the 28th. The invitation
to go came many years back. Nyoman met Christ through a fellow crewman while working on a cruise
ship which visited Cayman. Rev. Dave and
Mike met him here and confirmed him in
his faith and, at the end of his contract, he
decided to return home to Bali. He soon
realized that God was calling him to work
full-time for him and, following the
conversion of his wife, they began a ministry
to their own people, which included building
a home to house disadvantaged people and
those with disabilities. At the same time he
started a church and began training to be a
minister. From those early days, he asked
Rev. Dave to one day come and visit to see the work God was doing. Our church is special to him for, as
he put it, “Elmslie is the house where I was born because that is the first church I ever entered. Just like
Continued on Page 3
Editorial: It’s Saturday… but Sunday’s Coming
At the end of the Good Friday service, we watched a short video clip entitled, It’s
Friday… but Sunday’s Coming. It reminded us that the cross wasn’t the end of the story
but that shortly after would come the resurrection.
Each Sunday is a day to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. In fact, Sunday is given to us for
two primary reasons: to enable us to rest from the everyday work of the week, and to
meet with and worship God our Father and the risen Christ, together with his people.
Most people in society give their primary attention to the first. We who are Christians
need to equally focus on the second. In particular, I would like to suggest how we can
best maximize God’s gift of Sunday, especially the time of worship we call the service,
by providing some practical ways by which we might prepare ourselves so that the time
on Sunday morning becomes more meaningful, life-giving and God-honouring.
It starts with Saturday – hence the title. Especially Saturday night. This is often a
time when people go out, party or relax with TV. There is nothing wrong with these
things in themselves. However, as Christians it is worth considering that if we feel really
tired because we were up late, or our thoughts are full of the previous evening or we find
ourselves rushing because we overslept, we may need to ask ourselves whether we were
wise and, perhaps, whether the evening’s activities or worship at church was more
important. I know of some people who use part of Saturday evening to read their
Bibles and pray so as to prepare themselves for Sunday. Now that’s a radical thought,
especially if you are young!
Then, what about Sunday morning itself ? The average person has about two hours
longer before going to church than during the week when they have to go to work or
school – unless they attend an early service. Some extra sleep is quite appropriate (Sunday is
a day of rest, as well), but some extra time with the Lord, preparing to worship him and
Continued on Page 4
South Sound Church News
Easter Sunday is one of the most popular days of worship in the Christian
calendar. This Easter Sunday proved to be just that at the SSU church. Almost a
hundred people attended and this found elders and other leaders scrambling to
find seats for the many visitors, returning congregants and regular attendees. The
section upstairs, which is usually closed off for Sunday school, had to be opened
up and used for the extra seating. Later in the service, when it was time for Sunday
school, congregants were brought down to fill the seats left by children going out
for Sunday school classes upstairs. Everyone agreed that this was not at all a bad
‘challenge’ to have in our little church.
During the past 10 weeks the SSU Bible study group has grown steadily with
at least 20 persons attending on the final night of the season. Led by Bud
Johnson, the group held very interesting, insightful and informative discussions
on the book of Revelations, not a very easy book to unravel. At the last meeting
a DVD of a lecture on Revelations by the Rev. John Stott was shown and was
well received by the group as it concretised a lot of the discussions and questions
which arose in the meetings.
Starting Wednesday, 15th April, the group continued to meet with a look at
Philippians. All are most welcome to attend and share in the discussions.
Wednesday night Bible Study group at the South Sound
church
Special May Birthdays
Happy Birthday to:
George Craig - 75 on the 12th
Terry Mason - 55 on the 13th
Julian Johnson - 21 on the 15th
Ian Downing - 40 on the 16th
Jane Ramoon - 75 on the 22nd
Uriah Clarke - 80 on the 28th
Intercessors’ Ministry
For the past couple of months, the church has
provided two “intercessors” following morning
worship at Elmslie. These two people wait quietly at
the front, usually in the south transept, for those
who would like someone to quietly pray with them
after the service has ended. They are easily identified
as they wear a special tag. Those wishing to take
advantage of this ministry are welcome to go to the
front of the church after the benediction has been
said and let one of the intercessors know they wish
for prayer.
New Members at Elmslie
On Sunday, 12th April, Michelle Faulknor and Noah
Whittaker (pictured above with Rev. Dave) were received into membership at Elmslie.
March was Girls’ Brigade Month
In celebration of Girls’ Brigade month, the Brigade held a week
of activities for the girls which began with participation in a
Sunday church service (pictured above) followed by joint meetings
of the companies during the week. Members of the West Bay,
George Town and Savannah companies got together, and North
Side, Bodden Town and East End members also met. At the
end of the week a day camp for Girls’ Brigade island wide was
held. This year’s theme was “Connected to Jesus”. - Joan McField
Mission Visit to South-East Asia (Cont’d. from Page 1)
a gate, I entered the life of Jesus. And it was the first time I ever met a
Christian pastor.”
After five day with Nyoman, they will take the short hop to Dili,
East Timor where Caymanian missionaries, Jim and Karla Smith, are
working in education, literacy and translation work with Wycliffe Bible
Translators. Having been engaged in this work in various areas of SE
Asia for twenty years, they said that they had never in all those years ever
had a visit from someone from a home church so are particularly looking
forward to seeing familiar faces from Cayman. Rev. Dave and Mike will
spend a further five days there. Apart from seeing the work being done
in both Bali and Dili, they will be leading seminars and preaching in
their churches .
God has already answered one particular prayer in that Rev. Dave was
able to obtain an Indonesian visa in Havana with the minimum of trouble.
They seek your prayers. Please pray that God will equip them to be a real
help, encouragement and source of strength to Nyoman and the Smiths
and that he will direct them in our preparations. Pray, too, for their travel,
for God’s protection both physically and spiritually. And please pray that
the Lord will be honoured in all they do.
Prayer Space at Cayman Prep
Leading up to Easter, the week of 23rd - 27th March, Cayman Prep &
High’s Primary School Principal, Trish Taylor, together with the
school’s Religious Education leader, Ms. Birch Menko, decided to
provide a ‘Prayer Space’ in the school in an effort to find new ways to
inspire and enable the children to develop and deepen their own
spiritual beliefs through worship, prayer and reflection.
The school library was transformed for the week with decorations
and prayer stations aimed to create a balance of activities, such as “Big
Questions” for God, Prayer Walls consisting of a “Waterfall of Praise”,
“Thankful Rainbow”, “Please” Prayer Wall, and “God’s Hands” on
which students could write their names and know that God
remembers each and every one of them.
There was also a “Sorry” Write and Swipe Board demonstrating
the process of being forgiven, “Telephone Prayers” which was a space
to just talk to God, a “Be Still” space for students to experience
stillness, free from other distractions, and an “In God’s Eyes” space
for students to reflect on how they see themselves and to know that
they are priceless in God’s eyes.
Parents were invited to drop their children to school early to reflect,
pray and engage in activities or just experience the quiet space before
school started. During the school day, each class also spent time
experiencing the space. Parents were encouraged to discuss prayer
with their children at home. For example, if they had relatives in
other parts of the world, the children could add them to the “Prayers
for the World’ chain (seen in this photo with Ms. Taylor standing
behind.)
Ms. Taylor who originally got the idea from her home church in
Inverness, Scotland, said that it was a wonderful success and a parent
who attended one morning emailed saying that it was amazing, with
a sense of peace and God’s Spirit there.
Elmslie Offering
March
Actual
YTD
Actual
YTD
Budget
General
$ 32,225.06
$ 76,540.18
$92,000.00
Missions
$ 4,468.79
$ 11,116.44
$ 10,500.00
A Ministry to Cuba
Marcus and Kay Gremli are a couple who in recent months have been worshiping at the South Sound Church. Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, they
have had a growing interest in reaching out in practical ways to children in needy parts of the world, from Tibet and Nepal to Haiti, and more recently to
those in Cuba. They have recently collected school supplies and personally taken them there.
They write, “Our interest in Cuba arose from our first visit there. We were constantly
approached by Cubans asking for assistance for food, soap and milk mostly. On a few occasions
we took people to the store and sponsored them with food supplies. What really got us
thinking along the lines of school supplies was finding out that while education is free, and
there is a 98% literacy rate, the supplies are not forthcoming. Most children share pens, pencils
and books and it makes learning more of a challenge. When we came back to Cayman and
reflected, we thought it would be a way in which we could assist. We believe that the foundation
for a society begins with the children. We asked one of our Cuban friends to find a school in
Trinidad de Cuba that had a real need for supplies.
We chose Trinidad as opposed to Havana as schools are better supported in Havana. On
our second trip we used our own funds to obtain basic school supplies. Our visit to the school
was successful, although we were not allowed to visit with the children. We left the supplies
with an extremely happy and thankful principal. The school is primarily for children with
special needs who have various disabilities both physical and mental. They are often “forgotten”
Marcus and Kay, either side of some Cuban teachers
in the wider school system and not given priority for supplies and such.
“After our second trip we asked Rev Dave if this is a mission the church would support. He gave us the green light and this is when we asked for
donations from the congregation at South Sound for our third trip. The support was overwhelming, to the extent that we were able to donate to another
school, make individual contributions to children we heard about who were in need and to give to others on the street. It was a successful trip though
challenging at times. The other school we donated to was in
a remote village outside of Sancti Spiritus called El Patio.
Getting there was a challenge but that’s another story. In
both cases, special permission had to be obtained in order
for us to enter the school and interact with the children.
Although the authorities were aware before our visit,
permission had to be sought on the day of our arrival. At
the special needs school, we waited for almost two hours
before we were given the ok. It was a special visit as one of
our Cuban friends brought his band with us to entertain the
children. There were some precious moments with dancing
and socialising with the children. At the other school, in El
Patio we waited for almost four hours, but still the final
permission did not seem forthcoming. We made a decision
to leave the supplies with the principal and teachers who
were all in tears that the authorities would not say “yes” to us
Children wait in anticipation for the donated stationery
entering the school (they did not say “no” either). Ironically,
the school was only two doors away from the principal’s home where we presented the donations.” Those who would like to gain more information or
to get involved with Marcus and Kay’s ministry can contact Marcus at <[email protected]> or Kathleen at <[email protected]> or phone 936-0090.
It’s Saturday… but Sunday’s Coming (Continued from Page 2)
hear from him might be even more valuable. Again, I know of some who do this by spending a
little longer ‘quiet time’ or by taking a walk while listening to a sermon or Christian music and so
preparing their hearts to meet the Lord in church later. An important part of preparing for church is
to specifically pray for the worship and ministry of the day – for the minister and his preaching, the
worship leader, the Sunday school teachers and their classes and so on.
I encourage you to get to church on time! Many have developed a habit of coming late to church.
I wonder how God feels about us keeping him waiting, if I can put it that way! Our habitual
lateness can suggest that the first part of the service is unimportant and it can be distracting to those
who are on time. Some of you have kids to get ready and time seems to run away. However, you
have to get them to school on time, and yourselves to work as well, from Monday to Friday! I
wonder whether with a little more planning and determination most if not all of us would be able
to time our arrival before the service actually begins.
In fact, I think worship services would benefit - and we would, too - if we were to arrive a few
minutes early. In this way we could sit and quietly meditate as we anticipate the worship time to
come. We might look at the bulletin and see the hymns to be sung or go through the Bible reading
– or just simply pray. I think we would find it really helpful in preparing to have that five minutes
before worship starts as a time of quiet. Often there seems to be too much commotion, coming
and going and noise.
If Sunday worship is as important as we say it is (and judging by all the arguments about it, it
obviously is to most people!), and if we are serious about meeting with God, hearing from him and
seeking to honour him, we will make a much greater effort to properly prepare ourselves for it.
Coming to church will be something we look forward to with a lot more enthusiasm and something
we won’t want to miss.