By Colleisha Osbourne/JAMUWhat began as one community project for the Grange Hill and Word of Hope Seventh-day Adventist churches could have been counted as two at the end of Community Project Day, July 15, 2012.
The mother and daughter church team started their initial project of painting the Morgan’s Bridge Police Station, but somewhere along the line was inspired to paint the Grange Hill Post Office as well.
Members of the Grange Hill and Word of Hope Adventist Churches in Westmorland, Jamaica paint a section of the Morgan’s Bridge Police Station on Sunday, July 15, 2012, as part of the 50th anniversary of the relocation of the West Jamaica Conference (WJC) Office from Mandeville to Montego Bay, St. James. Other community projects of the Conference took place in St. James, Hanover and St. Elizabeth on that same day. (Photo courtesy of WJC).The members of these two Westmoreland churches did commendable work as they gave back to the men and women who spend their lives protecting the community. They cleaned and painted the exterior and interior of the two-story building. This included the Guard Room, Cell Room as well as a waiting area. In addition, they cut grass and cleared debris on the compound.
Detective Inspector sub-officer in charge, Noel Laing, said, “My team and I are elated with the work done by the church members. We got more than a face-lift. It was a total make-over. They cleaned from the floor to ceiling. The place looks and feels different.”
“It was well received by the every member of staff,” he continued. “It was a joy to come to work in a comfortable, clean environment. That’s what we now have. This will certainly boost the moral of the men and women here. The impact was also felt by the community folks who visited the station after the work was done.”
A Church member cleans the outside wall of the Grange Hill Post Office in Westmoreland during outreach activities on Sunday July 15, 2012 to mark the 50th anniversary of the relocation of the West Jamaica Conference (WJC) Office from Mandeville to Montego Bay, St. James. ( Photo courtesy of WJC)The Inspector, noting the impact of the work on the community also remarked, “This is what community life is about, citizens coming forward to interact and assist the police as we build-up our community. We really appreciate the work of the church, and look forward to continued partnership.”
Flecon Moodie, Pastor for the Grange Hill District of Churches, said, “As Adventist Christians we believe in law and order, so there is a natural synergy with the police and us, as we work to preserve law and order in the community. We wanted to make their work environment more comfortable. It was a wonderful experience and we enjoyed it.”
Moodie added, “The church is not only interested in the spiritual well-being of the community, but in all areas of community life. This was evident, as the members came out and sacrificed their time and money to realize the project.”
After completing their work on the police station the members then turned their attention to the exterior of both floors of the Post Office. Even late in the afternoon and with rain clouds above, they could still be seen working feverishly to get their second project done. They were hampered only by the unavailability of specific color needed for the building.
The Post Office and Police Station share the same building. The station, which serves 29 communities in the Grange Hill area, was relocated from Race Course Road in 2002 to its current location due to the poor physical conditions.
The project was part of the West Jamaica Conference 50th celebrations of its relocation from Mandeville to its current location in Mount Salem, St. James.