a history of family life ministries · royes and arnold and hope aiken. we continued our reflection...
TRANSCRIPT
Family Life Ministries was
born in the hearts of five
persons in a living room in
Kingston in 1982. The five
were John and Vilma Keane,
Barry Davidson, Gordon
Russell and Brendan Bain -
the venue was the home of
the Keanes and we discussed
the state of family life in
Jamaica. After our first
meeting, we agreed to meet
again at the same venue,
this time inviting the three
wives who had missed the
first occasion- Beverley
Davidson, Grace Russell and
Pauline Bain. We also
invited Charles and Grace
Royes and Arnold and Hope
Aiken.
We continued our reflection
about family life in Jamaica.
Some persons shared that
their own friends, including
persons in the church, were
having serious problems in
their families. We ourselves
felt vulnerable. There
seemed to be so few “model
families”, and few
programmes addressing
family life in the nation.
We looked at each other
nervously. Then the question
was asked — could this
concern that we were voicing
for families in Jamaica,
indeed for ourselves, be an
indication that God was
laying it on our hearts to do
something about it. We were
willing to explore the idea,
but first, we felt, we must try
to sort out our own thoughts
on the difficult areas of
family life. We thought of
various types of public
ministry involving the use of
films and videos followed by
small group discussions;
seminars; weekend camps;
and programmes in
churches. We felt very
strongly that if we were
going to minister effectively
to others, we must first
minister to ourselves within
this small group. We were
also convinced that, at least
for us as married couples
with children, our children
should be included.
The next step we took was to
have a weekend retreat to
which the parents and chil-
dren in our families were
invited. The retreat was held
at the University of the West
Indies house at Bellevue in
the hills of St. Andrew. The
families could relax, get to
know each other a bit better
and discuss family issues
from a Biblical perspective.
An enjoyable and successful
weekend was held in late
June 1982.
A second retreat was held at
Moorlands Camp in
Manchester a few months
later. By that time, the
group was joined by Ivan
and Faith Linton. We
shared ideas for a public
ministry and the group was
getting committed.
(continued overleaf)
The roots of a stable family go deep into the Word of God.
February 14, 2007
“To encourage and actively promote healthy family life in accordance with the principles of
the Bible, God’s Word, in Jamaica, the wider Caribbean and elsewhere.”
A History of Family Life Ministries ®
History written by Dr. Brendan Bain, seen here with wife, Pauline,
both Founding Directors
Family Life Ministries became a
registered organization in 1984.
In the 1980s we broke new ground in
church ministry, camps and radio. Our
speakers’ bureau grew to include David
Corbin, Gene Denham and Melrose
Rattray, among others. The prerecorded
radio programme, Family Talk, began
being aired on Trans World Radio
(TWR), Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles in
1985 and the live, call-in programme,
Family Time® was started on Radio
Jamaica in August 1986. These two
programmes have enjoyed wide
listenership. Through the generosity of
TWR, Family Time was replicated for
broadcast on Christian stations in other
parts of the Caribbean. In the 1990s,
Family Time was also broadcast in
Jamaica on Love FM with Nigel
Wilkinson hosting the programme for a
short period. We are grateful to a large
number of volunteers who have
appeared as guests on these two radio
programmes and to the several persons
who have made personal sacrifices to
serve as hosts.
Dr. Davidson meets with a client in the
role of Counsellor.
In March 1983, our team, consisting of
seven couples and Dr. Ramlal, held a
month-long series of meetings at
Bethany Gospel Hall in Kingston as a
pilot exercise. We believed that it was
fitting to hold the first public
programme in the home church of the
Davidson and Keane families. In fact,
during the programme at Bethany, a
remarkable meeting occurred between
Dr. Ramlal and Mr. Calvin Williams,
which eventually led to their marriage.
Calvin then joined us on the FLM
Board.
Meanwhile, Barry Davidson had been
weighing up the difficult decision to
leave Jamaica Youth for Christ for this
new family ministry. After wrestling
with the Lord in his own personal
retreat, he announced to the YFC Board
that he wanted to make the pioneering
move. With their blessing, he became
our first full-time staff member in June
1983, serving as Executive Director and
Professional Counsellor.
Barry Davidson was a key figure in the
development of FLM. In his time in the
U.S.A., where he was trained in
Counselling Psychology and later in
Marriage and Family Therapy, he had
made several personal contacts. One of
these persons was Dennis Guernsey, a
seminary teacher from California. In
1983, Barry invited Dennis to visit and
advise our group about how to organize
an effective ministry to families. Out of
that consultation came the plan to launch
an interdenominational movement to
serve the churches and the wider
community - first in Jamaica and then, as
opportunities came, in the rest of the
Caribbean.
Family Life Ministries (FLM) was
established in 1982, with a Board of Di-
rectors, an Advisory Council and a
Council of Reference. The seven couples
who had taken part in the preliminary
discussions formed the first FLM Board
of Directors. Shortly after Dennis’ visit
we invited Dr. Angela Ramlal to join the
Board.
History of FLM (continued)
“In the 1980s we broke new
ground in church ministry,
camps and radio.”
Page 2
Dr. Barry Davidson
Between 1991 and 2000, FLM entered a
working partnership with the Caribbean
Graduate School of Theology (CGST) to
train persons to Masters Level in
Counselling Psychology. The programme
became the most popular of CGST’s
programmes, attracting a growing
number of students from year to year. It
has borne fruit not just for Jamaica, but
also for other Caribbean countries,
including Belize.
FLM acquired a home of our own in 2000
through the kindness of Mr. Samuel Fitz-
Henley. The FLM building at 1 Cecelio
Avenue houses our administrative
officers, the main FLM Counselling
Centre and a multipurpose auditorium.
History of FLM (continued)
We are convinced that the
pioneering work of FLM has
served to inspire and persuade
individuals and other groups to
pay more serious attention to
family life
Page 3 Samuel Fitz-Henley
Family Life Ministries: No. 1 Cecelio Avenue before renovation.
Under the leadership of Barry Davidson,
our counselling ministry has grown. We
believe that the Counselling Centre at
Cecelio Avenue is the largest facility of
its kind in the English-speaking
Caribbean with a staff of ten. Two other
FLM Counselling Centres are situated
in Port Maria and Mandeville.
We are convinced that the pioneering work of FLM has served to inspire and persuade individuals and other groups to pay more
serious attention to family life. The evidence of this is the number of churches that now run organized programmes dealing with
family issues on a regular basis and the number of Government and non-Government agencies that are involved with family
programmes in recent years. There has been a very clear interest in the development of professional and lay counselling and
much of this appears to be as a result of the presence and influence of Family Life Ministries.
Written by Dr. Brendan Bain, a Founding Director
In the early years FLM families gather for fellowship.
Family Life Ministries Singles Retreat
Family Life Ministries participating at Children’s Expo
Family Life Ministries Couples’ Camp
History of FLM (continued)