Jamaica and its journey of transformation

On 1 August 1965, District Apostle Michael Kraus steps into the church in Jeffrey Town, a small town in the northern part of this Caribbean island. He speaks the dedicatory prayer. The first New Apostolic congregation in Jamaica had just recently been established and he was there to dedicate the church.

This dedication just over 50 years ago was the reason that the two current District Apostles of Canada and the USA, Mark Woll and Leonard Kolb, each celebrated a divine service in Jamaica on the first weekend of August. On Sunday, 2 August 2015, District Apostle Woll was in Jeffrey Town. Nearly 300 people attended the divine service. At the same time, District Apostle Kolb was in Kingston, the national capital. There, in the city’s beautiful church, he celebrated a divine service with a 167 people in attendance.

A journey of transformation

For the brothers and sisters in Jamaica, the anniversary celebrations over the first weekend in August marked an absolute highlight. The local District Elder, Shorn Stephenson, wrote, “The celebration is not about us or the brothers from Canada and the United States. It is not an event about achievements or accomplishments. It is about the Lord’s grace and His journey with us over these 50 years: a journey of transformation. This is what we celebrate. We embedded this in the hearts of our members and they embraced it.”

District Elder Stephenson wrote, “People in the neighbourhood are still talking about it. A few who were out of touch with the Church said that this is a new start for them. It was like a community event. On the Sunday a church in our neighbourhood closed its doors and asked its members to come join our celebration.”

The early beginnings of the New Apostolic Church in Jamaica were also the start of the Church’s focus becoming more international. Additional missions were started in Jamaica. The teachings of the Church also spread to other islands and to countries in Central America. The missionary efforts were headed by the New Apostolic Church in North America. District Apostle Michael Kraus, especially, set significant accents here. Today the New Apostolic Church is well known. There are eleven congregations in Jamaica, of which all have their own church building. On Sundays, 350 members attend the divine services.

Fifty years of development

That is why the 50th anniversary celebrations in Jeffrey Town started with a marching band walking through the town to announce the jubilee celebration to the townspeople. Some members carried a banner that read “Celebrating a journey of transformation with the Lord.” The Saturday was dedicated to a day-long presentation of song, music, and history. Both the Jeffrey Town and the Kingston congregation had numerous visitors, more than 500 overall. Thankfulness was the theme and many participated in singing and watched pictorial presentations of pioneers throughout the 50 years. Music was provided by the Sunday School children, the youth, and the different choirs from the surrounding congregations. A wonderful meal was provided for everyone after the day’s activities. Several of the retired and active ministers from Canada and the USA who had worked in this country were able to participate in the celebration, as well as the District Apostles Woll and Kolb.

The jubilee celebrations will continue through the year with various activities in all the Jamaican congregations.