All Articles For Mission News

“The LORD said to Isaac in a crucial time of his life. . . Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee. “ 

MEMORIES AND MUSINGS OF JAMAICA  You travel in a somewhat southeasterly direction in Jamaica along the famous tourist sight known as Bamboo Avenue as you approach a place called Lacovia. Through the bamboo arches you view the expansive fields of cane on the background of the near range of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the farther range of the Figuerro Mountains. The terrain at Lacovia is somewhat swampy. When it rains, you wonder whether the road is in the swamp or the swamp in the road!

Sometimes one live long enough in the complexity of the Jamaica churches to come to the solid conviction that he has come to the bottom of the problem from which many difficulties stem; that he has finally come to the point where he can lay his finger on it, and see the difficulties in proper perspective. Not only does he see the difficulties, but he also sees where the solution lies, if any.

There was a time when the apostle Paul wrote his famous “nevertheless” in II Timothy 2:19. He had had to contend with Hymenaus and Philetus, who had erred concerning the truth and were overthrowing the faith of some.

Tongues are wagging, ears are tingling and credibility is being tried. The “citizen’s band radio” is so very busy these days that it is becoming more and more difficult to sort out the rumor-news from the true-news. The Mission Committee thought it expedient to tune up the “official band radio” to give you more of the Jamaican mission news — hence this installment that had been promised you. Some of which you heard on the citizen’s band was true, of course, but the deductions and analyses are being stretched to the “I can’t believe it” stage.

Nine years ago the undersigned was sent with Mr. Harry Zwak to our mission field in Jamaica, that beautiful island in the Caribbean Sea. Our labours were at that time with three ministers who were serving twenty churches. The date of our arrival was April 20, 1965. 

Our conference at Lacovia, when the candidates preached their sermons, also cleared the air and drew the little band of nine churches closer together when the matter of infant baptism was brought on the floor by Rev. Elliott. He firmly declared that infants are not christened and blessed but baptized, that he had baptized a number of children and would ?neverrebaptize them. But he had a question about those who could produce no record of having been baptized in infancy. May they be immersed in the sea or river?