With effect from the 1st January, 2017 the Braeton district of Seventh-day Adventist Churches, will merge two of its congregations (Hellshire and Greater Portmore) to create the Hellshire District. This action was voted by the Central Jamaica Conference (CJC) Executive Committee on December 13, 2016.
According to Pastor Levi Johnson, President of CJC, this move is in an effort to keep pace with the rapid growth of the church in Portmore. Pastor Johnson was speaking at a consultation meeting with the leaders of the churches within the Portmore area to discuss plans for the reconfiguration. The meeting was held on November 17, 2016 at the Portmore church.
The Seventh-day Adventist church in Portmore has grown from one (1) District with a few small churches in the 1980s to five (5) Districts (as of this new configuration) with nine (9) churches, boasting an average membership of 1,000 each.