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UCJCI Update

Page: [1-10] 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 [21-30] [31-35]


Meet the 2021 Ordinands Wednesday Nov 03, 2021
	Pastor Anna-Kay Henry-McGregor, Pastor Wendell McKoy, JP and Pastor Sandra Collins are the 2021 Ordinands in the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands. We offer to them our heartiest congratulations and wish them profound blessing in their ministry. please click here for more information (PDF file)

Constitution Corner Wednesday Oct 27, 2021
	This month’s edition of Constitution Corner will take a look at Elders – who they are, how they are elected and their term of office. Who are Elders? Elders are officers of the congregation who, along with the Minister, form the Congregational Board. The Congregational Board is the local executive body of the congregation. (Basis of Union, paragraph 3(b)(ii)) Who can become an Elder? Any suitable person from among the members of the congregation may be elected as an Elder. (Chapter 2, Section 2(b) of the Constitution) How many Elders should a congregation have? It will depend on each congregation. Each congregation will decide how many Elders it needs, based on the number of members it has and other factors considered relevant. (Chapter 2, Section 2(b) of the Constitution) please click here for more information (PDF file)

Rev Herbert Augustus Redway Sr 100 years! Wednesday Oct 20, 2021
	A native of St. Ann, Herbert Augustus Redway, was born in Dumbarton, Liberty Hill on October 22, 1921. Redway had his sight set on becoming a pharmacist but it was while he was undergoing preparation for his chosen vocation that he experienced a compelling sense of call to the Christian ministry. Such was the force of this call that he proceeded to apply for and succeeded in gaining admission to Theological College. Upon his satisfactory completion of the requirements for ordination as a minister in the Congregational Union of Jamaica, he was duly ordained. Thus began a period of active and dedicated service extending into the fifth decade. Following the completion of his probation he was inducted as pastor in the James Hill Charge of churches in Clarendon in 1951 and then, shortly after getting married to his late wife Mrs. of Linette Mavis Hall Redway they set out for service in what was then British Guiana (now Guyana) under the auspices of the Guyana Congregational Union from 1953 to 1957. please click here for more information (PDF file)

Sweat, Blood and Tears by Rev Kraig DeLeon Deidrick Wednesday Oct 13, 2021
	Sweat, blood and tears were the price paid. There are many who have taken our freedom for granted, in the words of the Elder, “wi tek badvantage of wi freedom”. Our heroes and heroine where among those who were endowed with the spirit of resistance and resilience. They recognized that human life, their life, had intrinsic value and worth and being enslaved was not to be their lot. They recognized that this intrinsic value would have to be fought for as negotiations were only as strong as the paper they were written on. Armed with this knowledge, they charted a path of freedom by rising against the former slave masters who relegated their lives to that of servitude and subordination. Who were those people to brand them as slaves? after all, they recognized that everybody’s blood is red. please click here for more information (PDF file)

Beyond the Pulpit Young man, arise! Wednesday Oct 06, 2021
	This coming Sunday is Synodical Men’s Fellowship Sunday in the United Church. Gods willing, I will be enrolled as a member of the United Church Men’s Fellowship, through the Hope United Church where I presently worship. In relaying this to a friend via WhatsApp, she seemed perplexed by my intention. As the conversation ensued, I picked up the reason behind her perplexity: that I, a young man in my mid-20s, am about to join an auxiliary of the church that is traditionally filled with older men, who are somehow seen as tired, lazy, very rigid and stubborn about their operations. As that friend asked me “Why?”, I thought very deeply about the negative perceptions and stereotypes that abound about the Men’s Fellowship, and I responded with the question “Why not?” please click here for more information (PDF file)

Understanding Vaccines Wednesday Sep 29, 2021
	While taking the Covid-19 Vaccine is a matter of choice, we encourage each person to give due consideration to the matter to prevent adverse effects. We were joined on several occasions by Dr Delroy Fray, a member of the United Church and the Clinical Coordinator at the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), to discuss the COVID-19 vaccines. In one instance, he shared that 99.9 per cent of COVID admitted patients in WRHA did not take the vaccine. According to the Ministry of Health in Jamaica, the 1,860 persons who have died from COVID-19, so far , were unvaccinated. At a point, only three COVID patients at the Cornwall Regional Hospital received the first dose of the vaccine, Dr Fray said. He reported that those three people were only admitted for a few days before being discharged. Westmoreland recently experienced a spike in COVID cases, especially among children. Here are some questions and concerns addressed in the various fora: please click here for more information (PDF file)

REPARATIONS AND THE FAMILY Wednesday Sep 22, 2021
	It is our considered opinion that in order to right the wrongs of an evil period in history there is the need for former European Colonizers to provide payment or other assistance to the former colonies such as the Caribbean nations. We believe the demeaning system of chattel slavery that was maintained for centuries has left considerable damage to the state of race relations in the world and the psycho-social wellbeing of the descendants of the formerly enslaved Africans. It is to that end that we are seeking to mobilize the Christian community, beginning with our own denomination, to be part of the movement to advocate for reparatory justice from the European nations. At the last Synod of the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, a special reparations task force was established to explore how the United Church could more actively participate in the growing advocacy for reparatory justice for the descendants of formerly enslaved Africans. please click here for more information (PDF file)

Greatness Redefined Wednesday Sep 15, 2021
	When I think of Greatness Redefined, I think of the woman at the well in St. John 4. Like her, we run to many wells to fill voids in our hearts and souls instead of drinking from the fountain of living water and feeding on the bread of life. Like her, the search for worth and purpose pushes many in the arms of promiscuity or under the crushing weight of accolades. But, her encounter with Jesus at the well brought about a different understanding of what greatness is and where it is found. please click here for more information (PDF file)

The Church humbly recognizes wrongs and boldly acts to repair Wednesday Sep 08, 2021
	I wish to thank Mrs. Karen Francis for the comprehensive article, published in the August 25, 2021 Weekly Update grappling with complex issues relating to reparation for the centuries-long enslavement of African people. This is a matter with which the Church has not always grappled openly and indeed there may be some who wonder why the Church would engage such an issue. Your treatment of the subject confirms that this is an issue whose time has come and that the Church should indeed bring the Kingdom values to bear on these significant historical, international matters. By posing the question as “Seek reparations or forgive and forget?”, you challenge us to consider where on the continuum of potential responses would Jesus’ response be found. The Scriptures can tell us. please click here for more information (PDF file)

Seek Reparations or Forgive and Forget? Wednesday Aug 25, 2021
	“In my conversations with persons on the matter of reparations, I have encountered responses ranging from hissed teeth, ‘Bawda-Cat-like’ response, “Dat will neva ‘appen,” to strident declarations that, “The UK mus’ pay”. So, what of reparations? Should we simply forgive and forget or do we champion a cause for just recompense? Let’s pause for a moment and consider the discourse by reflecting on the concepts of Forget and Forge. please click here for more information (PDF file)