Message for Sunday, November 20, 2022

Written Messages

Brothers & Sisters:

The Stewardship Committee of St John the Evangelist began a series of short presentations intended to encourage persons in generous giving on Missionary Sunday.  We in the Cure will be celebrating Missionary Sunday on November 27, 2022.

Did you know that it is our own Bishop Harold Daniel who some 50 years ago, encouraged churches island-wide to set aside a Sunday during the month of November to dedicate attention to their local community as an expression of their understanding of mission? 

Over time, churches have chosen to have missionary meetings and activities at different times throughout the year as convenient.

The only mention of Missionary Sunday in the Canons states that every member of the clergy should set aside a Sunday each year for focus on the importance of missions.   

As the collection and distribution of money was one of the main activities involved, for proper governance, the Jamaica Church Missionary Society was established as the formal body to receive and distribute funds collected.   Engagement in, and support of the missionary work of the Jamaica Church Missionary Society is a purely voluntary undertaking, and not a required formal programme of the Diocese.

For good order and accountability, monies collected are sent to the Jamaica Church Missionary Society which reports to the Synod on the amounts provided and the projects supported during the year.

At the beginning of the programme, the money collected was mainly sent to support our missionaries in Africa, and the work they were doing there.  Through the years, support grew for local mission activities.  Churches were encouraged to send their proposals and requests to the Jamaica Church Missionary Society which would review and decide on the projects to support.  Sometimes the JCMS itself would develop a major project.  Bishop Daniel has revealed that during his time in the Cure, he had approved support for the mission at Portmore.  Other activities supported over the years have included the following:

  • The building of lavatory facilities in rural locations where there were pit latrines, or no facilities of any kind.  (The absence of these facilities had adversely affected attendance at worship services, especially among the elderly).
  • The provision of special funds for relief in times of disaster; hurricanes, earthquakes, flooding etc.
  • Support to churches to plan and host evangelical activities like crusades.  Churches can ask for help to print documentation or to get speakers.

Contributed