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UCJCI Update

Page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 [11-20] [21-29]


TIME MARCHES ON Wednesday Mar 16, 2022
	Worry is a waste of time. To worry and to harbour illusions are of the same value. They produce nothing. Illusions can be pleasant and may be called fantasy, a fantastic flight of fancy. please click here for more information (PDF file)

International Women’s Day March 8 “Break the Bias” Wednesday Mar 09, 2022
	International Women’s Day, reminds us as Christians to actively choose to encourage and enable our women, without allowing our men to feel insignificant. This year, the Council for World Mission (CWM) hosted a virtual Worship, Table Talk and Poetry surrounding Gender Justice via Zoom, themed, “Women – Breaking Chains, Nurturing Communities, Planting Seeds of Hope”. In this challenging Covid-19 time we struggle with injustices due to disabilities, race, socioeconomic status, climate and gender but we have been gifted with opportunities for education and avenues to speak up and out on these issues. As a young Christian, I agree that women are the “backbone” of our ‘churches and societies’. Women are “agents of healing - providing food, shelter, hospitality, health care, comfort and avenues for peace and reconciliation. Despite the arduous work of women in contributing to the essentials to life, including building up the community of believers, they are often denied full humanity in church and society.” On the one hand, we are cultured to perceive women and girls as weaker, subordinate, and incapable of matching up with men whilst, on the other, we encourage women to be themselves, affirm they are loved and should express challenges, but, do we really consider the conditions being experienced and the ways we ourselves hinder this goal? please click here for more information (PDF file)

Welcome to Lent 2022 Wednesday Mar 02, 2022
	The Lenten period of forty days has its basis in Jesus’ forty days and nights in the wilderness (or desert). Three accounts of the wilderness experience are found in Matthew 4:1-11, Mark 1:12-13, and Luke 4:1-13. The Lenten journey is symbolic of the The Christian journey, fraught with challenges to our identity, the demand to prove self-worth, and pressure to compromise values in order to acquire the temporal and superficial even at a painful cost. But the Christian journey has a formula for joyful fulfilment. This formula for joyful fulfilment is in resisting the world’s value system through (1) knowledge of, (2) deep and constant reflection upon, and, (3) ready application of the Word of God. This engagement with the scriptures is what leads us to answer by word and witness “What does the Lord require of you?” please click here for more information (PDF file)

REPARATIONS TASK FORCE Wednesday Feb 23, 2022
	The Reparations Task Force of the UCJCI has been very interested in the discussions and debates surrounding whether the Maroons can truly be categorized as an indigenous group of people. The Maroons are credited for having paved the path for the emancipation of Jamaican Black people. However, some people reminded us that there were Maroons that helped to keep other black people in slavery. Arguments have been raging on all sides. The debate continues. Constitution Corner This month’s edition of Constitution Corner will look at the Officers of the Church, namely: The Deputy Chairman of the Congregational Board; The Secretary of the Church; The Treasurer of the Church; and Auditors. The establishment of these Offices and their duties are found in the By-Laws of the Constitution, Chapter 1, paragraphs 3(b)-(c) and paragraph 4. Who qualifies for election as these officers? The Deputy Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer are elected from among the Elders of the congregation. In the case of the Auditors, the persons who qualify for such election are persons who are independent of any control of the church’s accounts and must be appointed in accordance with such other terms and conditions as shall be issued by the Synod and Council from time to time. please click here for more information (PDF file)

Time Marches On -God is the Master and the Measure Wednesday Feb 16, 2022
	I was two years old but it is still fresh in mind. We lived at Marigold Avenue. The milk was delivered in bottles which we had to return in order to get fresh milk. The bread and buns and other delights were delivered by a horse-drawn cart. That was my favourite. I seemed always to know when the cart was approaching. Maybe it was the shoed hooves of the big, dark, brown horse striking the asphalt in steady rhythm. The cart itself exuded an irresistible aroma of choice wood, cured and fermenting by sugars and spices. The cart itself had a visor broad enough to protect the driver from the heat and glare of the sun. But if it rained, well, that was a different matter. please click here for more information (PDF file)

80 Years of Existence Clarendon College Wednesday Feb 09, 2022
	On Wednesday, February 02, 2022, Clarendon College commemorated 80 years of existence in its Founders Day Celebration. In this 2022 celebration, Rev. Hyacinth Edwards, minister of the Salem Charge was recognized for 24 years of service to the institution. The UCJCI salutes Clarendon College for its contribution to nation-building through education and applauds, Rev. Hyacinth Edwards for consistency in providing Christian nurture and inspiration for students and staff over these many years. please click here for more information (PDF file)

Black History Month Wednesday Feb 02, 2022
	“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6vs. 6 - 7 NIV) That was the heart of what Rt. Ex. Marcus Mosiah Garvey meant when he said “A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots.” We should take seriously what the philosopher George Santayana meant when he wrote “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it.” Rather than fear the pain of recollection of this challenging time in our history, we should seek to set right the historical record for our generation and for those yet to come. Rootless trees are easily uprooted. please click here for more information (PDF file)

UCJCI Trains Lay Leaders for Service Wednesday Jan 26, 2022
	“This was thought provoking and much needed!” “Oh my word! Training was excellent today. To God be the glory!” “These sessions let me seriously believe that l need to serve as a Lay Pastor. They are so rich, bringing out the gift or gifts inside.” “I enjoyed today’s sessions thoroughly! A greater understanding of what, before now, was mostly known to me as "The Lost Books of the Bible", especially appreciating why they were/might have been omitted. Overall guidance and comments of the session leader were both insightful and reassuring. Group work was excellent!” These are among the testimonies from participants in the 2021 UCJCI Lay Leaders Training Module 1. Training was held between February 13 and July 31, 2021 bringing together over 100 persons from across all regions of the United Church. please click here for more information (PDF file)

International University of the Caribbean - Life and Culture Wednesday Jan 19, 2022
	With flexible timetables and supportive lecturers, the International University of the Caribbean, IUC, has won the hearts of its students. Echoing the gratitude of the student population, Ricardo Todd expressed that the institution has not only afforded him the opportunity to pursue his academic ambitions, but that this experience has propelled his personal growth and development. Todd, who is currently the President of IUC’s Circle-K district, is on the verge of completing his Bachelor of Science Undergraduate degree in Business Administration this year, all while working full-time without conflict. please click here for more information (PDF file)

PRAYER and CONDOLENCE for the family of Rev. Dr. Edmond Folkes Wednesday Jan 12, 2022
	It is with deep sadness that I inform you of the passing of Rev. Dr. Edmond Folkes, J.P., who made his transition earlier today after a brief illness. Rev. Dr. Folkes was ordained to the Ministry of Word and Sacraments on July 8, 1964, and has exercised his call to ministry in a number of capacities within the United Church. He served as minister in the Askenish, Davyton and New Broughton Charges. He also served as Chairman of the former South Middlesex Area Council (now Southern Regional Mission Council), the Synod’s Mission Witness and Service Committee and Chairman and member of the Board of Management of the Mt. Olivet Boy’s Home. At the community level he served as a Justice of the Peace, chaired and served on numerous school boards, taught at Bellfield High School and founded the Conference Centre of Project Ebenezer with skills training centres at Davyton, Williamsfield and Porus in Manchester. Rev. Dr. Folkes was a model of servanthood as a pastor, leader and community builder. As a pastor he blazed a trail of compassion, care and commitment to the empowerment and evangelization of people. As a leader he demonstrated boundless energy and enterprise while leading congregations in establishing new congregations and in building programmes, Union and New Broughton, are two such among many others. As a community builder his contributions to offering relevant and contextual ministries within the communities he served are worthy of commendation. please click here for more information (PDF file)