MONTEGO BAY, St James - IN the face of mounting criticisms that the church remains silent on societal ills, Seventh-day Adventist pastor, Glen Samuels, has made it clear that the religious institution has the "divine command" to hit out against all wrongdoings.
"We feel like ancient prophets and current spokespersons. We have a divine mandate to speak to the issues of our nation, to bring forth the leaders of our nation, and to challenge the people of our nation that it is righteousness that exalts a nation and sin is a reproach to any people," the clergyman argued.
He was speaking at the Western Jamaica Seventh-day Adventist Leadership Conference in Montego Bay on Sunday under the theme: "Building a Better Nation... Changing Lives, One Life at a Time through Christian leadership.'
However, Minister of National Security Peter Bunting, who spoke immediately after Pastor Samuels, accused western Jamaica-based churches of not coming out forcefully against lottery scamming, which is blamed for 138 murders committed in the Police Area One up to the ending of last month.
The church has divine command
MONTEGO BAY, St James – IN the face of mounting criticisms that the church remains silent on societal ills, Seventh-day Adventist pastor, Glen Samuels, has made it clear that the religious institution has the “divine command” to hit out against all wrongdoings. “We feel like ancient prophets and current spokespersons. We have a divine mandate…
Read MoreJCF Set to Benefit from Adventists Celebrations
By Nigel Coke, The 172 stations and 11 posts of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) will benefit from a special ‘projects day’ activity to be undertaken by the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica as part of its 125 years of Adventism in Jamaica celebrations. The Church, which boast more than 730 congregations across the ‘length…
Read MoreNew Study Focuses on Stress and Ministry
BY STAFF ©2015 Baptist Press Though pastors are stressed about money and overwhelming ministry demands, only one percent abandon the pulpit each year, LifeWay Research finds. LifeWay Research surveyed 1,500 pastors of evangelical and historically black churches and found an estimated 13 percent of senior pastors in 2005 had left the pastorate 10 years later for…
Read More100 Days of Prayer Launched
by Nigel Coke The Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (JAMU) will have its Second Quinquennial Session at the Mandeville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Manchester from December 1-3, 2015. As part of the preparation for the Session, the Union, through the Ministry of Prayer has designated August 22 – December 3, 2015 as “100 Days…
Read MoreIndustrial Stove Donated to Assist Feeding at Good Samaritan Inn
Written by: PhillipE.L. Castell | Wednesday, August 19, 2015 The ministry of Jesus Christ to the poor was enhanced in East Jamaica Conference (EJC) on August 11, 2015 when Emmanuel Ministries from Florida, presented an industrial stove to the Conference to assist with the preparation of meals for the poor and needy in Kingston…
Read MoreIAD Vice President Visits Camp Phillipsfield on First Sabbath
Written by: Phillip E.L. Castell | Thursday, August 20, 2015 Pastor Leon B. Wellington, Vice President of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Inter-America Division (IAD) was thrilled to be part of history when he joined more than three hundred campers and officers on the first Sabbath of the first summer camp to be held…
Read MoreMajor Adventist forum challenges popular notions about religion.
Bettina Krause and Barry Bussey, IRLA True religion is comprised of faith mixed with elements of forgiveness and reconciliation, not a divisive force that fuels tension and violence in society as many people believe, a group of scholars, lawyers and religious freedom advocates declared at a major forum organized by a Seventh-day Adventist-founded group. The…
Read MoreHistoric Opening of Adventist Campsite in EJC
Hundreds gathered under the massive white canvas tent at the highest point of the campsite for the inaugural summer camp opening ceremony at East Jamaica Conference’s Camp Phillipsfield in St. Thomas. It was early evening as trumpets and drums echoed throughout the property signaling the official start to the historic “Build to Last” Adventist youth…
Read MoreFirst Adventist pastor appointed chaplain of the Jamaica Constabulary Force
Kingston, Jamaica | Jamaica Union Staff/IAD Pastor Gary Anthony Buddoo-Fletcher, former executive secretary in North Jamaica is the new Force Chaplain of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF). His appointment was made official and announced by Commissioner of Police Dr. Carl Williams to the JCF Executive Management Board in Kingston on August 3, 2015. Buddoo-Fletcher, who…
Read MoreWHO Teams Up With Adventists in a Global First
By Joanne Ratsara The World Health Organization and the Seventh-day Adventist Church are kicking off an unprecedented global partnership aimed at reducing infant and maternal mortality rates. This is the first time that the WHO, the public health agency of the United Nations, has partnered with a faith-based organization on a global scale, said Annette…
Read More