Adventist Leader admonishes church to stop the finger-pointing

Pastor Everett Brown, president of the church in Jamaica addresses the congregants at the Mandeville Adventist Church on Independence Day, Saturday, August 6, 2016. Images by Nigel Coke

August 11, 2016 | Mandeville, Jamaica | Nigel Coke/IAD

While Jamaicans celebrated 54th years as an independent nation on Aug. 6, 2016, the spotlight was turned on the Christian community to examine its ways and “stop the finger pointing.”

The call came from Seventh-day Adventist Church President in Jamaica, Pastor Everett Brown, as he addressed government leaders and congregants during the church’s Day of Prayer for the Nation, celebrated on the first Sabbath of August each year.

Referencing Jeremiah 29:10-13, Pastor Brown said “the call today is for us to pray to seek God, with a clear conscience, because God is ready to forgive.

Pastor Dudley Hosin (left), prayer coordinator for the Adventist Church in Jamaica prays for the nation’s leaders with (L-R) Councilor Jones Oliphant, Mr. Wayne Morgan, a representative of the Manchester Lay Magistrates of Association, Councilor Breda Ramsey, Mayor of Mandeville, the Hon. Sally Porteous, Custos of Manchester, Mr. Peter Bunting, Member of Parliament for Central Manchester and the Hon. Audley Shaw, Minister of Finance of Planning.

Brown lamented the state of affairs in Jamaica and opined that for some time now the country has been experiencing severe pain, not from the outside, but from within, because a evil force has captured the hearts and minds of a small minority who are making life difficult for the majority.

“Before God fulfill His promise to bless and rain down His blessings on us, we must seek him, and expunge corruption, injustice and inequity from every area of our national and private lives,” said Brown.

“The Church, you and me as the called out people, must take the lead role in the crusade to seek God, to love, respect and value our neighbor. The Christian community must stop the finger pointing and set the right example in terms of how to conduct ourselves as good citizens, in the sight of God and in the presence of those we are called to influence and lead.

The Adventist leader said that “justice, equity, honesty must characterize the modus operandi of the Church of the living God. That is the kind of leadership we are called to offer this nation…spiritual leadership, to lead people who are lost in the darkness to the light Jesus the Christ, by precept and example.”

Repentance of Sin
In turning his attention to the area of prayer, both individual and corporate, and in response to those who believe that the Church is all about prayer and God does not answer prayer, Pastor Brown declared that the God who spoke and acted in times past still hears and answer prayers today.

“God is willing to heal and bless this country, but He cannot forgive us of our sins until we repent of the sins we have committed against God and against our neighbors,” said Brown.

Members of the Mandeville Seventh-day Adventists Choir sing during a praise segment.

“This nation must repent of her sins and seek God. Individual confession and repentance, and national confession and repentance must take place before national transformation, healing, progress, prosperity, redemption and restoration can take place.”

The service was held at the Mandeville Seventh-day Adventist Church under the theme “Transforming Lives
Through the Power of Prayer”

In attendance were the Custos of Manchester, Hon. Sally Porteous; Mayor of Mandeville, Councillor Brenda Ramsay; Finance Minister The Hon. Audley Shaw and Member of Parliament for Central Manchester, Mr. Peter Bunting. Scores of Jamaica Constabulary Force members and officers from the Mandeville Police Station were also present.