bbc magazine sep 2013

7/27/2019 Bbc Magazine Sep 2013

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BOULEVARD BAPTIST CHURCH | SEPTEMBER 2013 EDITION | ISSUE NO. 11

Kings Manor Development

Climate Change, a clear and present danger

BBC Footballersministering through sport

Sermon: Making the most of every

OPPORTUNITY

Testimony:

My Life is a MIRACLE

Youth in Mission

M A G A Z I N E


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Boulevard Baptist Church

2 Washington Boulevard, Kingston 20

Tel.: 905-2422, 905-0118 or 832-1522

Email: [email protected]

Pastor: Rev. Dr. Devon Dick

Opportunities For Worship

Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.Sunday School: 8:00 a.m. 8:50 a.m.

Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m.

Prayer and Fasting: 1st Saturdays, 7:00 a.m.

Editor-in-Chief: Sophia Williams

Editors: Dorrett R Campbell and Hyacinth Brown

Other Team Members:Carla Wilson-Redden, Francine Dallas, Simone Hull-Lloyd, Verna

Edwards, Ricardo Holness, Claudette Reid, Duvaughn Dick, Petrona Faulknor and Lorna Fraser.

Mission Statement:

To develop our spiritual lives,evangelize the wider communityand infuence the world throughChrist by organized preaching,public and private worship, Christian

education and ellowship, whileco-operating with other Christian bodies.

Boulevard Baptist Church


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The only sourceof knowledge

is experience.Albert Einstein

W E A L T H

w w w . w e a r e p r o v e n . c o m

Head Office: 26 Belmont Road, Kingston 5, Tel: 876.908.3800-2

Mandeville Branch: 5-7 Ward Avenue, Tel: 876.625.0845-6

Montego Bay Branch: Unit 11, Suite B, Fairview II Shopping Centre,

Bogue, Montego Bay, Tel: 876.908.3800-2 [email protected]


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Church On A

The Boulevard Baptist Church (BBC) hasbeen involved in missions both locallyand overseas. The Church equips andenables its members to undertake and

fulfill this important role.

Our community mission has been mainlyin Marverly. We minister through a SoupKitchen on a Saturday once monthly. Inaddition, we minister to the children atthe Marverly Primary and Junior HighSchool through breakfast assistance,back-to-school supplies and a weekly

Bible Club.

In addition to the Marverly childrensprogramme, other missions to reach theyouth are carried out through sportingand educational activities. One is ourNetball and Football Evangelistic Thrust.Most of those who use the facilities ofthe Church for these sporting activities

are not members of BBC. We are able tominister to them and have had success inchanging lives. Another is our ministrythrough devotional exercises to thestudents attending the classes of theBBC/HEART Trust/NTA Skills Trainingprogramme and our literacy classes.

These students are from the communitybut are not necessarily members of BBC.Our Local Missions have focused onassisting and developing churches,

surrounding communities and the youth.The churches include: Point Hill Circuit St. Catherine, Union Hill St. Mary, andAelous Valley St. Thomas. The last oneis the only one being served presently.

Other local missions include regularPrayer Walks, Prayer Vigils andwitnessing to non-Christians by

individual members.

Our Overseas Missions include:Turks and Caicos Islands 2009: Ten

missionaries assisted with Vacation

Bible School; Haiti 1999: Eight BBC

members assisted with Vacation Bible

School, built chairs and desks for a

Basic School and taught Arts and Crafts

to teenagers; Guyana 1996: We joinedwith the JBU mission team to Guyana to

teach and preach the Gospel.

BBC eVoice | 1


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Missions Month 2013 opened at theBoulevard Baptist Church on Sunday1st September with a passionate pleaby Dorrett Campbell or the Church toclose the leadership gap in a world thatis ghting one another or de power andde glory.

In a sermon with the teaser title, JahKingdom goes to waste, Sister Dorrettused the story o Elis sons (1st Samuel2: 12- 17) to urge the Church to provideexemplary leadership that transormsand renews Jamaica and restores harmonywith our God and his creation so that wecan pursue and enjoy peace.

Noting that Mission is underscoredby stewardship, Sister Dorrett addedthat as keepers o the Kingdom, we areaccountable to God to deploy his gis,time and resources responsibly. Wemust advocate or the preservation othe environment and speak out againstthose who abuse Gods natural resources

to advance a narrow selsh agenda. Shepointed to the eects o climate changeon Small Island Developing States likeJamaica and cautioned that developmentshould not come at the expense o mansdignity and survival.

She opined that we have disrespectedthe purpose or which God had intendedhis natural resources plundered them;killed or them; played politics wid themConsequently, our poor stewardship hasshattered the peace and harmony o natureand has bred crime, violence and other

social atrocities.

Our stewardship, she exhorted, must alsoextend to promoting healthy liestyles andhealthy relationships, thus guarding thetemple o the Holy Spirit and each mansdignity and reputation.

Sister Dorrett emphasized that the essence

o the Churchs mission is to transorm livesthrough discipleship and mentorship. Sheapplauded the work o Boulevard Baptistin this regard, but lamented that greatereort was needed, and every Christian rom the pulpit to the pew - mustbe involved.

She concluded that i we did not heed the

command o Matthew 28:18-20, then JahKingdom goes to waste and every drop oblood we taste a we own disgrace.

Sermon:

Jah kingdomgoes to waste

Boulevard Baptist ChurchBBC eVoice | 2

Editors Pick of the Month


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Stephan Morrison, 23 year old Law student shares his Christian journey and his

work in Mission.

I became a Christian at age 13 or 14. However the peer pressure and curiosity as

a young man trying to fnd my place in an all boys school, led to me disregarding

my Christian teachings. I was still very convinced o the truth o the Word oGod, however, never willing to surrender every aspect o my lie to Christ. The

decision to live a Christian liestyle would deprive me o the most entertaining

aspects o youth, missing the un experiences shared by my riends.

Youth in Mission

Stephan Morrison

BBC eVoice | 3Boulevard Baptist Church

Young Christians participating in Love March September 14, 2013

However over this summer God

guided me to start attending the

Young Adults Ministry on a Friday

at 7:30pm. This group of young

believers provided an anchor for

me in Christ. I accepted that my

purpose on earth was to serve God

- everything else being secondary

or insignifcant to this purpose.

I became involved in mission work and started participating in activities of my Church Group

at Boulevard Baptist. I also accompany the Deacons on their visitations to the sick and shut-

in members of the Church. Through the Young Adult Ministry, I have been able to participate

in various Christian events held in the Corporate Area: For example on September 14 there

was a march titled The Love March by young Christians promoting sexual purity and the

protection of Jamaicas children from sexual exposure.

For Young Christians being distracted from giving priority to God because of school/work, as

Christians we need to consider our time with God as a divine requirement. A young person

starting a relationship with another person does not expect to build a lasting relationship

unless you constantly communicate over the phone or in person. That is how you will get

to know each other, build trust in each other and become best friends. So then how can we

expect to have the ultimate relationship with God if we never make Him a priority; if we dont

use our telephone line to God, which is prayer, and if we dont read his word in order to get

to know him better?


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BBC eVoice | 4

M I N I S T E R I N G T H R O U G H S P O R T

Te existence o a ootball team atBoulevard Baptist goes as ar back as1977, and orms part o the Outreachprogramme o the Sport Ministry. Tere is

now a new team in a rebuilding mode withplayers rom various communities and

varying abilities. Te team consists o 16to 18 active members, age ranging rom16to 25 years, with irregular visitors/olderplayers up to 30 years old. So ar, the teamhas completed the Whole Lie Sports 2013Summer Football League in the middle othe points standings and ailed to advance

to the semi-nals.

Te team meets once a week during the preand post season, and at least twice duringthe season. Fellowship takes place aer alltraining sessions, at church, and duringpractice and game matches. Majority othe ootballers attend worship service onceor twice per month, while on a special

day requested, 13 to 15 players are inattendance.

Te members o the team are appreciativeo the Churchs outreach eort, but morecan be done to change the physical lives

o the players. Tere is always the need toaddress more than the spiritual aspectssuch as mentorship, direction towardsimproved education, providing jobs and

living accommodation.

Te ootballers are encouraged to acceptJesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour,to increase their involvement in churchactivities, which will direct and impacttheir lives as young men, and to builda strong enough team to have regularellowship matches with other teams andshare the gospel.

Teir testimonies include acceptance intovarious learning institutions, getting jobsand surviving violent acts against them.Te team has the potential to grow and bea better team.

BBC Footballers

~ Deacon Varick Downie

Chairman Sport Ministry


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YolandeBeckfordshares her experience in Japan

BBC eVoice:Tell us about your experience during your frst month.Yolande: Dicult. I literally cried daily. I have a very close knit amily and nothaving them there was a huge wake-up call. I also ell o my bicycle, cut my leg andmy head missed the sidewalk by a couple o inches. The situation was made even moretraumatic as a Japanese lady and her child were driving by, watched the whole incident,but didnt stop to help me.

BBC eVoice: Describe their education system.

Yolande: The Japanese Education system is based on the American School system.They have a compulsory education period o 9 years which includes the elementary andjunior high school years. Japan has one o the worlds best-educated populations, with100% enrollment in compulsory grades and zero illiteracy. Schools usually operate ona three-term system with the New Year starting in April.

BBC eVoice: How does the culture dier rom Jamaicas?Yolande: Japan is guided by group norms whereas Jamaica celebrates and applaudsindividuality. This explains the Japanese characteristic o group behaviour. There is a

Japanese proverb that says the nail that sticks out gets hammered the most, so youwill nd that most persons adhere to society norms and do not challenge the status quo.

Many oods are eaten raw or with very little seasoning so that you can taste the authenticfavour o the ood. They eat very healthily and they not only consume ood or sustenancebut use it or its medicinal and aesthetic purposes.

BBC eVoice: What were your best and worst experiences?Yolande: I know that this will sound clich: however it was nothing but the grace and

mercy o the Lord, Jesus Christ. I was able to nd two church homes and it helped withthe negative experiences. I had a lot o great experiences. I was a bit o a local celebrityin my little town, and being rom the same country as Usain Bolt helped. I joined a

Japanese Choir and the members o the Choir made me eel so welcomed. I also gotinvolved in several other activities and met some wonderul people.

BBC eVoice | 5

Article continues on page 6

Yolande (right) spends her last day in Japan with riends Fumie Shimojo(let) and Terrike Brown


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Boulevard Baptist ChurchBBC eVoice | 6

My rst winter in Japan was one o my worst experiences ever. I was totally unprepared.Generally, Japanese houses are not insulated, and neither are they centrally heated.To cope I wore layers and layers o clothing, covered with a minimum o 3 blankets,and used small portable heaters. Finally, you know in Jamaica we dont go to work ilikkle rain all too hard. Well not so in Japan. I had to go to work three times during

a tornado. It was very scary, the car shook violently and I thought that I would not makeit. But i God is or you, not even the storm can be against you.

BBC eVoice: Tell us about Japans religion.Yolande: I would say Japan is a hodgepodge o Shintoism, Buddhism and olk religion.They have many temples or shrines per square mile. However, in Nagasaki, whereI lived, is considered the birth place o Christianity in Japan. I toured many CatholicChurches which are rated as world heritage sites by UNESCO. I did however visit atemple once and I did not like it. People sit on the foor, they throw money in these boxes

and make wishes. They also write prayers on small sheets o paper and leave it orthe gods.

BBC eVoice: Name one thing about Japan that you like that is notcharacteristic o Jamaica?Yolande: One o the best things about Japan is its customer service - legendaryworldwide. The customer is always right. I would love to bring the Japanese model

here to Jamaica. Other great things about Japan are the amenities, the rst worldexperience, and the ease o access to anything that may be desired.

BBC eVoice: What would you say to anyone who wants to live and workin Japan?Yolande: It is one o the best things a young person can do or his or her lie. It helpswith character building, and helps you to discover who you really are, especially withoutall the comorts o home. My advice is to always remain proessional, be open-mindedand be willing to try new things. Handle each situation with grace and ask or Gods

help in everything that you say or do.

(Photos L-R: Japans Flag, Overlooking the city o Nagasaki, interior o Oura Catholic Church, Nagasaki)


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BBC eVoice | 7

In a recent sermon titled, Making the most of every opportunityReverend Johnsonreerred to Pauls exhortation to the Church at Ephesus to compel us to examine howwe have used Gods time to evangelise the world. He noted that this was our missionthe reason we exist; the reason we have church and the heart o Christianity.

Te Baptist preacher reminded us that evangelism is both a way o lie and a liestyle,thereore our liestyle must support our verbal witness and underscore our evangelismactivities; in the same vein, our experiences with God must be shared: our testimonyshould not be kept a secret.

Reverend Johnson also exhorted us to examine the kind o advocates we have beenand whether we have used Gods time to advocate or the protection o his creation, thedignity o others and care or those who were socially marginalised. He emphasizedthat we are Gods mouthpiece thereore, we should use our voice our infuence tostand up and speak out against evil - not just in the wider society but in the churchesand among amilies. Te Church, he said, must be principled as we cant survivewithout principles, because Christianity is based on principles.

Te JBU General Secretary urther challenged us to refect on how we use Gods

time to engage and transorm lives. Our involvement and engagements in church, insecular activities, in the work place, wherever we are must transorm lives, he argued.Te projects we undertake must also be used to restore lives and to provide a reshstart or others.

May God help us to this end.

Be very careful, then, how you livenot as unwise but as wise,

making the most of every opportunity, because the days are

evil. (Ephesians 5:15-16)

Making Te Most o

EveryOpportunity

SERMON:

General Secretary o the Jamaica

Baptist Union (JBU), the Reverend

Karl Johnson exhorted the Boulevard

Baptist congregation to refect on how

we use Gods time.


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A Clear and Present DangerCLIMATE CHANGE

Te global phenomenon, Climate Change is described by experts and politi-cians alike as inarguably the greatest environmental challenge o our time andthe greatest threat to development. British climate statesman Sir David King isconvinced that climate change is a greater threat than international terrorism.

Jamaica and other Small Island Developing States (SIDS), because o their lim-ited size and proneness to natural hazards and external shocks, are the mostvulnerable to the eects o climate change, despite the act that we contributevery little to cause this catastrophe.

In what seems like one o earths cruel ironies, the gases - Carbon Dioxide,Methane, Nitrous Oxide - that make lie possible on earth are the very oneswhich threaten to destroy our very existence as they continue to heat up theplanet rapidly - the eects o what is described as global warming or the green-

house eect.

Research has shown that over the last 100 years, the average temperature othe air near the earths surace has risen a little less than 1 Celsius, making theearth much hotter than it has been or at least a thousand years. Although roma laymans point o view, 1 Celsius does not seem all that much, experts say itis responsible or the conspicuous increase in storms, hurricanes, earthquakes,oods and raging orest fres we have experienced over the past ten years.

Te constant rise in sea level, the dangerous impact on human lives rom the

emission o greenhouse gases, the erosion o natural beaches and landslidesbecause o deorestation all contribute to natural disasters. Tis is compoundedby the consequential negative eects on agriculture and ood security, povertyand human suering.So what can we do about this?

Join us next month or Part wo o this article

There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in variousplaces, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. (Luke 21:11)

~ Dorrett R Campbell

BBC eVoice | 8


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Advertise through this medium and support our

Sport Ministry the BBC Netballers and Footballers.

This is an evangelistic outreach effort for our Youth.


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Rev. Oral Campbell, a Jamaica Baptist Union

missionary who lived in the Turks and Caicos Islands

for six (6) years, extended the call to Boulevard

Baptist Church for volunteers to assist with Vacation

Bible School in the summer of 2008. One year later,

a team comprising of ten (10) persons went on

mission to Turks and Caicos Islands to assist with

Vacation Bible School July 4-18, 2009.

Turks and Caicos are made up of 40 islands witha population of 23,000 inhabitants. Expatriates

make up two-thirds of the population. There are 13

Baptist Churches in TCI. We were accommodated

at the manse and at another house. During the

Church service at Mount Moriah Baptist Church

Rev. Campbell officially welcomed us to Middle

Caicos and TCI. He expressed gratitude to us for

having taken up the challenge to assist with VBS this summer. Deacon Claney Barnett was designated the

Principal and the teachers were Wilma Reid, Coleen Collins, Stacey-Ann Clayton, Kathlyn Grant, Victoria

Gibbs, David Wallen, Moya-Mae Gordon, Derrick Saddler and Jenifer McLean.

Vacation Bible School was scheduled at three Baptist Churches- Mt. Moriah, Mt. Lebanon and Bethany

located on three different islands over the two week period under the theme Digging In; The Bible Gods

Guidebook for Life.

At Mt. Moriah and Mt. Lebanon Baptist the sessions were conducted from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to

Friday. All participants were presented with VBS certificates. After a hectic first week, we prepared to leave

Middle Caicos for Providenciales. Mrs. Campbell arranged for us to explore the Middle Caicos Caves and

we also went to the beach.

At the Bethany Baptist Church we were amazed at the overwhelming turnout, with attendance numberingup to 166. Many parents turned out during the presentation of certificates to see what their children had

done during the week of July 13-17, 2009.

In Turks and Caicos we were well taken care of. The ministry of the team made a significant impact on

the lives of individuals from all age groups. We give thanks for the opportunity to witness in another part

of Gods Kingdom.

Turks & Caicos

HIGHLIGHTING ANOVERSEAS MISSION

~Deacon Jenifer McLean

BBC eVoice | 10


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Sociologist Steve McMullin has noted that despite

a high level of spiritual vitality in churches, severalcongregations are dying. He attributed this decline

to a lack of understanding of the change in society,

precipitated by technology; and emphasized the

need for pastors to be trained for 21st-century

social realities.McMullin added that spiritually vital pastors needed help to

understand and connect with their communities and to know how to communicate

the gospel eectively among secular people. In his research conducted among 16

Canada and US based dying congregations o which eight were Baptist congregations,

McMullin discovered that Pastors and church leaders were not well prepared or

the kinds o changes taking place in the social environment. Many congregations,

he asserted, were not responding to the changed social environment in ways that

acilitated eective witness because their leaders dont know how.

He proffered eight reasons for the continued decline in congregations.Chief among them are:

1. Inappropriate and aithless attitudes toward fnances in church lie. This, he argued,

is evident in the tendency to hoard, rather than to use the fnances o the church to

support the vision and mission

2. Inability to maximise use o digital and social media to reach young people who

make up more than 66% o the un-churched population

3. Failure to support Christian witness with a social and practical ministry that meets

the social needs o our communities

4. Unwillingness to practise gender equity among our congregations, thus

constructing certain traditional roles or men and women that are no longer socially

relevant

5. Failure to train leaders to embrace and promote a practical ministry, hence they

cannot make the necessary connections to the world to which the church has been

called to go

Are these applicable to the Baptist congregations in Jamaica?

Are Baptist congregations dying?~ Dorrett R Campbell

BBC eVoice | 11


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Houses for the Lord.headlined an article in the Gleaner Newspaper of

August 23, 2013 on the Kings Manor Development, signaling that construction

on the Town House Development is on in earnest. Kings Manor Development

Company Limited, in joint venture with the Boulevard Baptist Church and the

Jamaica Baptist Union has finally got this Development off the ground.

On completion of the five (5) townhouses, which is set for January 23, 2014, the

ground floor will have a patio and garden area, internal laundry area, powder

room, living and dining area that opens on to a back patio. The kitchen will be

fitted with solid-surface countertops and the roof will be a combination of metal

tiles and slab. Upstairs has en suite master bedroom another bedroom and

bathroom as well as a balcony. Floors are ceramic tiled and each town house

has two parking spaces. There is also a guardhouse to this environmentally-

friendly, gated complex, located at 15 Kings Drive, Barbican, Kingston 6. The

price per unit is 21 million dollars but is subject to escalation. Each unit will

also allow for expansion of up to 220 sq ft. See diagram of top floor below.

Kings ManorTownhouse Development

Houses for the Lord


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20 Micoud Street, Castries, St. Lucia E-mail [email protected]

Listed on the Jamaica Stock Exchange

bbc magazine sep 2013

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