East Jamaica Conference of Seventh

East Jamaica Conference
Communication
Department
74 Constant Spring Road ▪ P.O. Box 181▪ Kingston 10 ▪ Jamaica W.I.
Tel:(876) 924-1061-3, (876) 924-0263. E-Mail: [email protected]
Website: ejcsda.com
March 14, 2015
To: All Pastors, Elders, Leaders and Church Members
Sincere Christian greetings!
Please see important dates, events and communication from the East Jamaica Conference of Seventhday Adventists below.
(1) From the Desk of The President
Donate Now To The Camp Phillipsfield Project
We have now set up a bank account for members of our church and people around the world to
make donations to the Phillipsfield project. Feel free to make your donations to the project at
Bank of Nova Scotia, Account # 803113 at the Half Way Tree Branch. Lodgments are to be
made in the name of East Jamaica Conference.
(2) Notice from the Education Department
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March 29, 2015 is EJC Education Directors' Consultation Meeting (for Zones 1-3) from 9 a.m to
2:30 pm in the EJC boardroom
March 31, 2015 is EJC inter-schools Sports Day at UWI, Mona Bowl
April 4, 2015 is Education Rally for Zone 4 - Yallahs SDA, St. Thomas
April 12, 2015 is EJC Education Directors' Consultation Meeting (for Zone 4) from 9 a.m to 2:30
pm at Morant Bay SDA Church.
East Jamaica Conference Education Department thanks the brethren for your sacrificial giving
towards Kingsway High & Prep School, as we continue to see your contributions coming in. We
do appreciate your generosity. Envelopes are still available and can be obtained from your Pastor,
First Elder &/or Education Promoter, as well as EJC Resource Centre.
Education Thought:
“The world has had its great teachers, men of giant intellect and extensive research, men whose utterances have
stimulated thought and opened to view vast fields of knowledge; and these men have been honoured as guides and
benefactors of their race; but there is one who stands higher than they. We can trace the line of the world’s teachers as
far back as human records extends; but the Light was before them. As the moon and the stars of our solar system shine
by the reflected light of the sun, so, as far as their teaching is true, do the world’s great thinkers reflect the rays of the
Sun of Righteousness.”
Ellen G. White, Education pp. 13-14
(3) Notices from the Family Life Department
1. Kindly advise your church that the Counselling Empowerment Team is available for zones 1-4 for
group and individual session. Call the Family Ministries Department or Sis. Yvonne Francis for
information, appointments and seminars.
2. The EJC Adventist Singles Adult Ministries (ASAM) General Meeting, chaired by Mr. Geoffrey
Marshall & Dr. Desiree Tulloch will hold its 2nd meeting on March 16, 2015 @ 6 p.m. in the EJC
Boardroom. All singles ministries male and female leaders are expected to be in attendance. Note
that our EJC Men’s launch will be held on June 6, 2015. Coming soon also is our ‘Father Son
Affair’.
3. The 2nd meeting of the Men’s Ministries council led and chaired by Pastor Manley Phillips and
Elder Richard DePass will be held from 2:30 p.m. -3:30 p.m. on March 21, 2015. Please be on
time.
4. Needed immediately: the email addresses and telephone #s of all the singles & men’s Ministries
leaders in all churches.
5. March 29 will be our end of quarter meeting and fellowship. Take your lunch basket and your
immediate family members. Collect your return pass ($800.00 per person) by March 15, 2015 and
save. Special package for team members with Non SDA spouses. Boarding will take place at 3
points including zone 4. Destination - St. Ann.
6. The North Street Couples in Action (CIA) ministry invites you to its launch on April 19, 2015 (note
change of date). Couples ‘5 years’ and under are invited. For more information, call Marcus &
Tamra-Kay Biggs @ 4250603/4075197.
7. Couples who have been married for 5 years and less who are serious about keeping your marriage
aflame are invited to the CIA journey that will be held @ Golden Acres on April 18, 2015. Contact
Leon Ffrench for details.
(4) Notices from the Children’s and Adolescents Ministries Department
1. 2015 Child Preachers’ Training will be conducted in the churches. A joint class will be held for
the two last sessions at EJC. All topics are to be covered to meet the School of Evangelism joint
graduation November 2015. Call the office for guidance.
2. Kindly contact the office for information about our Jewels ‘Fit for Jesus’ pink and blue polo tops
which will be needed for our Jewels anniversary, convention and graduation. The cost for the top
is $900.00. This will be worn with a black skirt- females and black pants-males. Directors please
make your order now and save. You can also make your own order from the store. Contact the
office for details.
3. May 3 will be our special children’s assembly/ bonding. Come to our planning session to make
your input.
4. All churches are asked to send us the names of 2 boys and 2 girls for usher sand hospitality training.
Kindly respond on or before April 15, 2015.
5. Mission 2000 & Beyond: The office is now accepting bookings for missionaries to Dominican
Republic for July 22 – August 17, 2015. Respond now and save. Contact the office immediately.
6. Bible Spell-a-thon: Team members kindly engage your children at least at the church level. The
spelling booklet is available in soft and hard copy. Call the office if you need assistance.
7. Come journey with us Turtle Towers Resort, St. Ann for our end of quarter meeting & fellowship
on Sunday, March 29, 2015 with your team members and their immediate family members. Pick
up your special transportation ($800.00 each) by March 15, 2015 and save.
(5) Notices from the Women’s Ministries Department
1. A meeting of the zone presidents and core committee members, chaired by Laurel Jolly will be held
from 2:30p.m. -3:30 p.m. on March 14, 2015. Please be on time.
2. Team leaders kindly send us the names of your GEMS Presidents on or before March 30, 2015.
This information is needed for the April 25, anniversary. If your church has not had its GEMS
launch, kindly contact the EJC GEMS Coordinator, Yvette Castell - [email protected]
immediately.
3. Calling for reports re International Women’s Day and other activities for 1st quarter.
4. EJC GEMS anniversary will be held at the Andrews Memorial Church on Sabbath, April 25,
2015. All GEMS and Mentors are expected to be in attendance. Theme - Turning Point.
5. Mentors get ready for our GEMS Mentor/ Mentee retreat which will be held on Sunday, April
26, 2015. Remember your mentees need you. Book your bus return passage by March 30, 2015.
6. Team members, join us on the journey for short fellowship during our end of quarter meeting.
Come journey with us to St. Ann on Sunday, March 29. Take your picnic basket and your
immediate family members. Pick up your return pass ($800.00) by March 15, 2015 and save.
7. JAMU /EJC Parent Convention will be held on Sabbath, May 2, 2015. Please book this date.
Watch the site for details.
(6) Notices from Youth Ministries Department
1. Global Youth Day (GYD) will be on Sabbath March 21. Each church is asked to identify a
project. Zonal projects will be promoted via the AY Federations. T-shirts will be available for
eight hundred dollars ($800.00). Please submit orders via the order sheet, which is available
online. Deadline for submission of order is Monday, March 9, 2015.
(Click here. Look under Documents.)
2. Zone four Youth Federation will be impacting Morant Bay as part of GYD and will start with
a road march at the Morant Bay SDA church and end at the Bus Park in that town where
activities such as health screening, prayers for the nation and singing among others will take
place.
3. Master Guide and Senior Youth Leaders Convocation will be on Sabbath, April 11, 2015.
We look forward to a mass assembly of all Master Guides and Senior Youth Leaders - active
and inactive - as we engage our services in the joys of living in readiness for the Second
Advent.
4. Youth Week of Prayer will be March 21 - 28. Let us start making preparation so as to make
this experience most meaningful and impacting. For Week of Prayer reading click here.
5. Articles for our newly launched E-Magazine- EJC Youth Konex can be submitted via email
to: [email protected]. Articles should be 250 - 300 words. Sermons should be 500-750
words. You may also send photos that highlight special events.
(7) Notice from the Publishing and Spirit of Prophecy Department
1.
Please note that the training camp scheduled for March 25-29, 2015 for Publishing and
Spirit of Prophecy Directors has been canceled.
2. Publishing directors please ensure books are available to give to visitors each Sabbath. Example,
priorities magazine ($20.00) Beyond Imagination ($75.00) The Great Controversy ($100). Also
Sabbath School Teachers may provide for their class members to read and give away.
Spirit of Prophecy Quote
“Talk courage to the church; lift them up to God in prayer. Tell them that when they feel that they have sinned, and cannot
pray, it is then the time to pray. . . . The Father has given his Son for us that through the Son the Holy Spirit might come to
us, and lead us unto the Father. Through divine agency, we have the spirit of intercession, whereby we may plead with God,
as a man pleadeth with his friend. Signs of the Times, Oct 3, 1892
(8) Notices From Health and Stewardship Department
Medical Missionary Training School:
Butler Creek Health Education Center (BCHEC), USA, in association with the East Jamaica
Conference of SDA will be having a Medical Missionary (MM) Training from March 24 to April 4,
2015 at the V. H. Percy Centre, 10-12 Osbourne Road, Kingston 10. There is provision for two (2)
training options or groups:
Option A - Morning Training from 7:45 a.m. - 12:00 noon for a total of 32 hours &
Option B - Evening Training from 4:45 pm - 8:00 pm to accommodate persons who work
during the day.
To make up the 32 hours, there will be classes for the evening group on Sunday, March 29 from 7:45
a.m. - 4:00 pm and on Friday, April 3, from 7:45 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Contribution for each registrant
is only $3,800 for those who pay this amount by March 17, 2015. This contribution will go towards
materials/registration package, refreshment and other training cost. Graduation will take place over the
Weekend, Friday/Sabbath, April 3-4, at the Medical Missionary (MM) Convention.
All interested persons (members and non-members of the Church who want to improve their knowledge
of health and to take Adventist healthy lifestyle to another level) are encouraged to call the EJC Health
Department to register NOW {indicating whether they want to be in Option A (morning group) or
Option B (evening group)} as spaces are limited for this very reasonably priced MM Training.
Registration between March 18 & 19 (closing date) will attract a late fee of $200.00.
ii) Due to the MM Convention and Graduation, the Trust Services Convention scheduled for April 4,
2014, will be rescheduled for another date to be announced.
Workshops
iii) The first Stewardship & Trust Services Seminar/Workshop for 2015 for Elders, Treasurers and
Stewardship & Trust Services Directors will be held at EJC Board Room on April 5, 2015 for Zones
1, 2 & 3.
iv) The second Stewardship & Trust Services Seminar/Workshop for 2015 for Elders, Treasurers and
Stewardship & Trust Services Directors which is for Zone 4 (i.e. St. Thomas) has been rescheduled
from April 19, 2015 to a date to be communicated.
Massage Therapy Training
v) The Massage Therapy Training Course scheduled to start on April 21, will also be rescheduled for a
new date to be communicated. Persons interested in this training are to begin registration with the EJC
Health Ministries Department.
First Aid & CPR Training
vi) Over 20 persons have registered their names for this training. We are calling you and others to
make your payment, (the Course fee is $5,500.00), which will allow us to set the starting date after the
MM Training. This First Aid & CPR Course comes with a certification that will be internationally
recognized.
5K Health Run/Walk - June 7, 2015, Register Now!!
vi) Please note the following revised prices for the 5K Run/Walk:
Adults - $1,000.00 per person; Group Package: 20 – 49 persons $900 per person &
Group Package: 50 & more $800 per person
Children - $500 per person; Group Package: 20 – 49 persons $400 person &
Group Package: 50 & more persons $300 per person
Requirements: Submit a letter to the EJC Health Department with the group name and names of the
group members, completed application form for each member of the group and payment of entry fees.
(Satisfy the required number of persons for the group at the time of submission.)
(9) Notice from the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department
Church Fears Same-Sex Marriage Ruling May Stifle Religious Freedom
Andrew McChesney News editor, Adventist Review
The Seventh-day Adventist Church filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday asking that it
provide legal protections to religious denominations in a potentially landmark same-sex marriage
case.
The church is concerned that a written decision in favor of same-sex marriages nationwide might
contain language that could one day open the door to requiring religious organizations to provide
services contrary to their beliefs, such as obliging universities to open up married student housing to
same-sex couples, or hospitals to allow same-sex weddings in their chapels.
“We want to maintain the religious exemptions and protections that we currently have and ensure that
we will have them down the road,” said Todd McFarland, associate general counsel for the General
Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Read more.
(10) Notice From the Communication Department
1.
Communication Workshop - Zone 4 - March 15, 2015 @ 9:00 am
The first Communication workshop for the year will take place at the Morant Bay SDA Church on
March 15, 2015. We will be covering the following topics at the workshop
1.
2.
3.
The effective use of video in spreading the Gospel ( with the Seaforth SDA TV Crew)
What’s new at ejcsda.co &
Let’s talk Social media.
All communication leaders in Zone 4 are invited to make a special effort to be there.
2.
Communication Workshop - Zones 1 - 3 - March 22, 2015 @ 9:00 am
A similar workshop for Zones 1 - 3 will be held at EJC on March 22, 2015 covering the same
topics. We invite communication team members to note these dates and plan to be there.
Latest News
Beginning Sabbath March 14, 2015, all Seventh-day Adventist
churches island wide are to observe a Special Needs Awareness Day
with emphasis on persons with disabilities. A declaration was signed at
Camp Verley in St. Catherine on Sabbath March 7 by the Jamaica
Union Conference President, Pastor Everett Brown, during the
inaugural staging of a Special Needs summit in the island. Read more.
Story and Photos by Phillip E.L. Castell
The East Jamaica Conference’s Phillipsfield Campsite received nationwide support on Monday when it was
named as the Labour Day Project for Jamaica Union
Conference this year by Pastor Everett Brown, president of the
Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica. This was done at a
JAMU summit with Pastors and church leaders in Mandeville
on March 9, 2015.
Brown endorsed the Phillipsfield Campsite project being
undertaken by East Conference and highlighted that when
complete, Adventists from all over the island would stand to
benefit from its facilities. The church leader encouraged
support for the Labour Day workdays which are scheduled to
take place on May 24 and 25 at the Conference’s Phillipsfield
Campsite in St. Thomas. Read More.
By Dunique Perry
The talk on everyone’s lip is the ALL ABOUT JESUS GOSPEL
SERIES held in Harbour Heights, Harbour View St. Andrew, with
Evangelist Pastor Ryandro Brown. It all began on Sunday January 8,
2015 at 7 pm; the lights were on, the music was heard from a mile
away and the people marching to the crusade. It was a great start to
what we prayed to be a successful one. Read More.
Notices from the Constituency
1. The North Street SDA Church will be celebrating Visitors' Day on Sabbath, March 14, 2015.
The theme is "The Certain Passing of the Sands of Time: Is your record in order?" The guest
speaker will be Pastor Alton Williams, Pastor of the Portmore SDA Church.
2. The Community Services Dept of the Rollington Town SDA Church presents its Grand
Gospel Concert on Saturday March 28th, 2015 at 7:45 pm. Ticket Cost $400. Featuring
artists: Acts, Assure, Amen, Washington Gardens Female Quartet, TFC, Nagash McTavish,
Vennica Nicholson, One Accord and other exciting artists. All proceeds in aid of daily
feeding programme of the church.
3. The Hagley Park Prep School invites everyone to its Edupraise concert on March 28, 2015,
at the Karam Speid Auditorium. See poster below.
4. If you are interested in going to the 2015 General Conference Session in Texas and need
assistance with booking your flight etc please contact: Independent Agent - Racquel FairclothMerchant at [email protected], 581-3609, 325-9773 or 884-2883.
() Schedule of Upcoming Conference Dates and Events
Dates
Mar 15
Mar 21
Mar 22
Mar 21
Mar 21 - 28
Mar 24 - Apr 4
Mar 29
Apr 4
Apr 5
Jun 7
Aug 21-22
Event
Communication Workshop Zone 4
Global Youth Day
Communication Workshop Zones 1 - 3
2nd meeting of the Men’s Ministries council
Youth Week of Prayer
Medical missionary training
Work Day 3 at Camp Phillipsfield – Zone 2
Education Rally for Zone 4 Stewardship & Trust Services Seminar/Workshop
5K Health Run / Walk
National Singles Convention
Phillip E. L. Castell
Communication Director
Location
Morant Bay SDA Church
Everywhere
EJC Board Room
EJC
Everywhere
VH Percy Center
Phillipsfield St. Thomas
Yallahs SDA, St. Thomas
EJC Board Room
Robin’s Bay