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2008-04-01 issue:

Jamaica conference celebrates 50 years

Leaders from Virginia Mennonite Missions, Conference attend March event.

by Gloria Lehman

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With the theme “We have come this far by faith,” the Jamaica Mennonite Church (JMC) celebrated 50 years of conference meetings March 7-9 in Kingston, Jamaica. Former missionaries, church members, Mennonite Central Committee personnel and Virginia Mennonite Missions and Conference representatives joined in celebrating.



Virginia Mennonite leaders present a Menno Simons fraktur to Jamaica Mennonite Church leaders. From left: Douglas Senior, Steve Carpenter, Liston Aiken and Loren Horst. Photo provided.

The three-day conference and celebration began with a welcome reception on March 7. Jamaica Mennonite Church president Liston Aiken, administrative director Douglas Senior and members of the council of management greeted guests from various places in the United States, mainly Virginia, New York and Florida.

In 1954, D.H. and Annie Loewen from Manitoba answered God’s call to go to Jamaica to spread the gospel and met Simeon Walters, who with his family became the first members of the church. The Loewens returned to Canada due to health concerns. Warren and Erma Metzler took their family to Jamaica and served in various areas for 11 years. Erma Metzler Schnobel attended the celebration.

Twelve congregations were established in various locations on the island. Jamaican pastors serve in each one. The last missionary pastor left in 1995.

On March 8, congregational reports interspersed with lively singing and prayer informed the delegates and the visiting guests of activities and goals for each church. On March 9, former missionaries told stories of their work in Jamaica, recalling how God had led them into new communities—sometimes over rough roads. Former members described their encounter with Mennonite missionaries, the various methods of baptism and the guidelines for lifestyle issues.

On March 10, buses filled with church members from across the island arrived at the large auditorium in a local high school. The morning hours were filled with praise songs, intercessory prayer, greetings from fraternal delegates from the Mennonite Church of Trinidad and Tobago and from Beryl Jantzi, moderator of Virginia Mennonite Conference. A sermon by Myron Augsburger challenged the audience of 700 people to “live by the principles of the kingdom, to transform life by believing. … Reach out to other Caribbean areas, including Cuba. We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, but may it bear fruit for the kingdom.”
In the afternoon session, president Liston Aiken instructed the gathered church to “constantly understand that we are a peace people … peacemaking is not an addendum but is part of being God’s child,” he said.

Aiken urged members to make peace with the brothers and sisters in the congregation, to share Jesus with people others have shunned and to be people of prayer because “peacemaking is connected to our connection with God.”

Virginia Mennonite Missions has related closely to Jamaica since the 1950s; its current role is to listen to the vision JMC expresses and assist where possible with personnel and funds. Jamaica Mennonite Conference seeks closer connections with Virginia Mennonite Conference.—Gloria Lehman of Virginia Mennonite Missions

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