Jamaica: Pentecost and More climaxed with call for the Adventist Church to be more heavenly

March 22, 2010 – Montego Bay, Jamaica….[Colliesha Osbourne, Nigel Coke/IAD]

More than 900 new believers were added to the Seventh-day Adventist Church in West Indies Union (WIU) on Sabbath, Mar, 13, 2010. The good news came amidst a call Pastor Derek Bignall, president of the church in the West Indies, for the church to be more heavenly, as he delivered the message to hundreds of members and visitors at the Seventh-day Adventist Conference Center in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

In a sermon underpinned by the theme, Jesus the Only Hope, Pastor Bignall stressed that it was time for the world to see that the church is heaven-bound.

“According to social scientists, the church is a microcosm of the society, but the apostle Paul says in Ephesians 2:19, ‘You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God — people and members of God’s household’, so we must think heavenly and behave as if we are heaven-bound,” said Pastor Bignall.

He was keen to point out that Jesus alone is able to initiate and sustain real change, so man can, in fact, place his hope in Christ and not in himself. “All man can do for man is chain him…man cannot help man, only Jesus can.”

Pastor Bignall further pointed out the failings of mankind by highlighting the failures of man-made organizations such as the penal system in reforming inmates, the United Nations in bringing world peace, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in solving the world’s hunger problem, and the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in protecting all the world’s children from atrocities.

Turning to the importance of baptism in Christ, Pastor Bignall defined the process as an introduction to a new environment or union with something else that alters one’s previous condition. “A Christian is not baptized if he walks the same way”. He added that through Jesus, the believer is free from a life perpetuated by sin, another reason for hope in Him.

The event, which was streamed live on the West Indies Union web site, saw 158 persons being baptized at the main site in Montego Bay. A total of 374 persons were baptized by the West Jamaica Conference.

Among the 158 that were baptized at the Conference Center in one of four pools, was Vera Sharpe-McIntosh, who was returning to the church of her family after 30 years. She grew up in Cold Spring, St Elizabeth, and started her road to baptism through a Family Life Series she visited at the church with her husband in 2008. When asked why it took her 30 years to return she simply replied, “Satan was keeping me away”.

In describing his joy at being newly baptized, Bertram Blackwood of the Huntley Castle Church in St Elizabeth said “to be born again feels like you leave a burden behind…I put down a ton of load, that’s how I feel.”

Teenager Rejhaune Rowe with a quiet confidence gave the reason he decided to give his life to the Lord at such a young age, “I want to walk with Jesus.”

Earlier in morning, the Honourable Ewen Corrodus, Custos Rotulorum of St James, Jamaica, brought greetings to the worshiping congregation. The National Adventist Choir and local singers also provided special music.

Later in the afternoon, Pastor Vincent Rose, youth ministries director for the church in West Jamaica spearheaded the culmination of the day’s activities with an special program with musical presentations, prayer concert, interview-style testimonies, and a final charge and commitment to witnessing by Pastor Brevitt. In his presentation, Pastor Brevitt reminded the members that there is need for the infilling of the Holy Spirit for us to fulfill the Mission, as it cannot be accomplished otherwise.

The day’s event was the fourth staging of “Pentecost and More” which seeks to replicate the Biblical Pentecost experience of Acts 2.

To view a photo gallery of West Indies Union Pentecost and More program, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/wiunion/