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CIRMC Weekly

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 [11-20] [21-25]


Find Us Faithful by Mrs. Katherine Jackson Wednesday Aug 10, 2022
	Please read Hebrews 11:1-16 First, let us see how faith is defined by Hebrews 11:1 and 3. “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for, and assurance about what we do not see. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” The writer then begins his walk through the various chambers of the Faith Hall of Fame, naming some of the Heroes of Faith: Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel. So, what about us? Are we living by faith? Can we look through our families and name the generations? Can we look through our Churches and name the families? At John Gray Memorial here are the surnames of some of the stalwart families there: Gray, Ebanks, Bodden, Bothwell, Hydes, Henning, Jackson, Farrington, Banks, Dilbert, Bush, Rivers, Glidden, Robinson, Parsons, Bonner, Elliott, Gordon, McDermot, Thompson, Burke, McLaughlin, Wright, Kandler, Smith, Anglin, Powery, Welds, Powell, Dixon, Pouchie, Rankine, Voaden… and this list could go on and on. please click here for more information (PDF file)

The World Council of Churches 11th Assembly -“Christ's love moves the world to reconciliation and unity” Wednesday Aug 03, 2022
	“Christ's love moves the world to reconciliation and unity” is the theme of the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches which will take place in Karlsruhe, Germany, from 31 August to 8 September 2022. This is the first time the assembly gathers in Europe since 1968 when the meeting was held in Uppsala, Sweden. “The WCC Assembly is the highest governing body of the World Council of Churches (WCC), and normally meets every eight years. It is the only time when the entire fellowship of member churches comes together in one place for prayer and celebration.” please click here for more information (PDF file)

New Perspectives & New Priorities by Rev. Otto Menko Wednesday Jul 27, 2022
	Please read Luke 12:13-21 The subject of today’s reading is our attitude to material things such as money and other assets that we regard in high esteem and also something that is absolutely necessary in our earthly life. Someone in the crowd asked Jesus to act as a mediator in a family dispute of financial nature. “Teacher, - the man said - tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” (v.13) It may seem strange to our modern, Western way of thinking that someone is asking a spiritual leader (in this case, Jesus) to act as a judge and officiate in a dispute, but it was and still is the custom in Judaism. Jewish men and women always seek the ruling of their rabbi and go to a secular court only as a last resort. The Torah, or Law, has extensive and often detailed instructions for almost every aspect of life, what is permitted, what is not, what course of action is to be followed, and so forth. Rabbis were and still are the professional guides and judges not only in spiritual but also in practical matters. This man’s complaint was not that he didn’t receive his rightful portion of his inheritance but that his older brother was still in charge of his share. The words, “tell my brother to divide the inheritance” indicates that this man was a younger brother and although after the death of their father his share of the estate was allocated to him, he still didn’t have access to it. He didn’t accuse his brother of misusing, mishandling the inheritance; he just wanted to take charge of his share now. He wanted to be independent of his brother, he wanted to have complete control over his assets. Obviously, this matter has become a matter of contention between them and maybe even strained their sibling relationship. please click here for more information (PDF file)

Vacation Bible School - John Gray Memorial and Savannah United Wednesday Jul 20, 2022
	John Gray Memorial VBS by Alikie Kandler The John Gray Memorial United Church VBS was held from July 4-8, 2022, with an average of 20 kids attending and a total of 15 volunteers for the week. This year’s theme was Jerusalem Marketplace focusing on learning about the week and the stories leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Leaders and kids alike were able to travel back in time to Jerusalem by visiting Synagogue School, Marketplace Shops, and the Village Playground. Savannah United VBS by Camile Watt The week of July 4-8, 2022, was filled with excitement as children walked into a whole new world of Adventure as the Savannah United Church Sanctuary, Hall and Sunday School Classrooms were transformed to reflect the theme: Discovering Adventure Island please click here for more information (PDF file)

There’s A Choice to Be Made by Mr. Bryan Bothwell Wednesday Jul 13, 2022
	Please read Amos 8:1-12 and Luke 10:38 – 42 The theme developed for us to grapple with this week is “There’s A Choice to Be Made” in responding to ‘God Who so loves the world’. Scholars assure us, though, that that “choice” is not between “being” versus “doing”, as some may have interpreted that Gospel Scripture - they remain inseparable! Though clearly, Jesus did say that the way in which Mary had prioritized His presence, having taken the posture of a then student focused raptly on being shaped by a Rabbi, was “better” than Martha letting herself be, as the Divine Jesus sensed, “worried and upset about many things”. We don’t know what those were. Luke says that one thing that “distracted” her was all that had to be done to prepare the meal for Jesus, and the disciples travelling with Him, which was an important element of caring for one’s neighbour in those days. And we could speculate from what Martha said that she was also “upset” that Mary was not helping her. And we probably all know how that feeling of “why is it always me having to do everything?” indeed distracts us from Godly thoughts! But we do not have to speculate on the details; Christ knew, and Christ has spoken. Though we should learn from the caring voice in which He “corrected” Martha. please click here for more information (PDF file)

Mission Trip to Ruvuma, Tanzania by the Tanzania Mission Team Wednesday Jul 06, 2022
	The team which travelled to Tanzania consisted of Bishop PJ Lawrence, Mr Andrew Rollins, Mrs Debreca Rollins, and Mr. Michael Bowerman. It left Cayman on 18th May for a ten-day mission trip. The journey was long and tedious – about 36 hours. They left Grand Cayman for Miami, then to Istanbul, on to Dar es Salaam and finally to Songea, the capital city of the District of Ruvuma in southern Tanzania. The team was hosted by the Anglican Diocese of Ruvuma under the leadership of Bishop Raphael Haule, the diocesan bishop. They found the people of Ruvuma warm, friendly, and appreciative of their visit. During the formal introduction at the Ruvuma diocesan office, they were welcomed by the bishop and the diocesan leadership and by singing and dancing by the Mothers' Union - something which accompanied them in all the places they visited. please click here for more information (PDF file)

The CIRMC’s Response to the Ukraine Crisis Wednesday Jun 29, 2022
	The Congregations in the Cayman Islands Regional Mission Council received financial donations from Members and Adherents from March to May 2022 to provide relief in war-torn Ukraine. On Wednesday, June 29, 2022, the Regional Deputy General Secretary, Rev Dr Yvette Noble-Bloomfield, presented CI $ 7,782.40 to the Cayman Islands Red Cross. Mrs Samantha White-Smith, the CIRC Volunteer and Resources Manager, accepted the cheque on behalf of the CIRC. The CIRC will send the funds to the Ukraine Red Cross to support the continuing relief effort. We remain in prayer for the people of Ukraine. please click here for more information (PDF file)

Resilient: The Cost of Discipleship (or The Cost of Following Jesus) By Mr. Noel Wallace Music Minister, Savannah United Church Wednesday Jun 22, 2022
	Please read Luke 9:57-62 As Jesus travelled during His earthly ministry, He encountered a number of ‘would-be’ followers. They made a show of wanting to be His disciples… to impress Jesus, or better yet, to impress the crowds that followed Jesus. Well, who is a disciple? A disciple of Christ is one who follows the teachings, life, and lifestyle of Christ. The aim is to become like Christ in everything and every way. Jesus made it quite clear that in deciding to follow Him we must count the cost. Salvation is a free gift of God. Jesus died on the cross for our sins. All we need to do is open our hearts and accept God’s forgiveness. However, God’s goal is not merely salvation but discipleship. God does not want us to merely show up at church on Sundays, He wants us to be a visible, verbal follower of Jesus daily. Today’s Church in general suffers from the fact that only 10% of the congregation do 90% of the work. Why? Excuses! Excuses! We find so many excuses for not following Christ, for not attending church (or even attending regularly), and for not participating in the church’s mission. Excuses represent the choices we make by justifying the reasons behind our actions. To be fair, not all excuses are bad. Some can be, let’s say, reasonable. In Luke 9:57-62, we are faced with the dilemma of how reasonable excuses are challenged by Jesus for their superficial nature because they mask what’s happening deep inside our hearts. please click here for more information (PDF file)

Resilience amid Doubt and Depression by Rev. Euthman Wray Wednesday Jun 15, 2022
	Please read: 1 Kings 19: 1 – 15 “What are you doing here, Elijah?” This was the question asked of the prophet in 1 Kings 19, as he found himself in a particular “place”, literally on the run, in a desert, being clearly doubtful, desolate, depressed, and even inviting death. In verse 4, we hear the extent of his pain, “I have had enough, Lord. Take my life,” and rolled over to die. Elijah wasn’t always “here”. This was the person through whom many miracles were wrought, as seen between chapters 17 and 18 of 1 Kings: no rains for over three years (17:2 & 18: 41); the miraculous increase in the small provisions of a widow and her son (17: 16); the resurrection of the widow’s son (17: 7 – 24); culminating with the miraculous calling down of fire from heaven as proof of the true God (18: 16 – 39). He was “there” in the know, the active, the victories, the fulfillment of purposeful life and witness. But now, alone, leaving his servant behind intentionally, preferring to be by himself, he embarked on a 40-day journey into his wilderness of deep doubt and depression. So, from “there”, “here” he was. Yet, the troubling question, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” please click here for more information (PDF file)

‘God in Three Persons, Blessed Trinity’ By Rev. Otto Menko Wednesday Jun 08, 2022
	In the Church’s Liturgical Calendar, Pentecost Sunday is followed by Trinity Sunday, inviting us to celebrate the mystery of the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to consider the relevance of this mystery in our life. We all are familiar with the tenet of our Christian faith that there is one God only and that this One God has been revealed to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One divine being, and yet three distinct and identifiable divine persons. To some of us, this may seem to be a contradiction. How is it possible that God is one and three at the same time? What are we supposed to make of this? Well, this mystery – in a way- reminds us that when it comes to knowing and understanding God, we must acknowledge our limitations and boundaries. Our human intellect and language are completely inadequate to fully understand and express who God is. God is a mystery we cannot ever fathom or comprehend. Understanding and knowing God to a certain degree is possible only because of God’s self-revelation. With infinite love and mercy, God reached out to us and partially lifted the veil, so to speak, so that we might have a glimpse of the One who is beyond our human comprehension. Most of what we know and understand of God is coming from the Holy Scriptures, from the records of God’s self-revelation through events and persons, but in its fulness, through Jesus Christ. The Scriptures are the primary sources for gaining some degree of knowledge of who God is. please click here for more information (PDF file)