ISSUE 001 SEPTEMBER 2015

eNEWS

Dr. the Rev. Carlton Dennis AGA President

THIS ISSUE:

FROM THE PRESIDENT’S HEART

Read this thought provoking reflection

on Christians being God’s unique

people.

PASTOR JAMIN IS ORDAINED

The service took place on June 28.

See Pages 3-4 for details.

THE SPECTACULAR WEDDING!

Pastor Kevin South ties the knot with

Miss Phiona Smikle. Pages 5-6

OBITUARIES

AGA members offered support to

Rev. Floyd John-Keith during his

time of bereavement.

Reverends Dennis and Coke offi-

ciated at the funeral service of

their niece. Page 7

SPORTS FESTIVAL

Seven AGA churches supported this

event and the winners won by penalty

shoot-out. See more on Page 8

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

See upcoming activities in the AGA.

Page 9

The AGA eNews is a quarterly

bulletin providing updates on

activities and events within the AGA.

Please feel free to submit your

comments and suggestions to

agajamwi@yahoo.com

From the President’s

Heart

W hen we reflected on the punishment of Israel and we realise that God’s anger towards them resulted from their failure to follow His laws and be the unique people He intended them to be. They had acted contrary to God’s law and ignored His gracious actions toward them. These were actions that revealed God’s charac-ter and provided an example for them to follow.

Like the Israelites, we, the church, are God’s unique people and have been called by God to demonstrate the uniqueness of God to a watching world. We become useless in the process when:

1. We undervalue our uniqueness by seeking to conform to the image the world approves.

2. We fail to maintain our uniqueness by not obeying the commands of Christ.

3. We do not submit to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

4. We fail to reflect on God’s gracious acts towards us.

5. We do not fall in love with Him again and again each day.

How do you regard your uniqueness? Would you say a watching

world is able to see the character of Christ in you? Do you want to be

among the unique ?

T he return of the electricity signaled the

start of the eagerly anticipated service

of Ordination for Jamin Anthony

Wedderburn held at Lyndhurst Gospel Assembly on

June 28. The meeting’s Chairman, Rev. Dudley

McKenzie, began the proceedings in his customary

jocular fashion and with the Executive Board

of the Associated

Gospel Assemblies

all seated on the

platform, the service got

underway. Worship,

so ably led by Bro.

Johann Williamson

from Covenant

Community Church,

truly stirred the

spirits of those in

attendance and led

the way into the

singing of “Breathe

on me breath of

God”, a favourite of the ordinand.

Jamin Wedderburn is married to Taneika, and

together they have a daughter, Hannah. Jamin

accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour at four-

teen, and since then he has served Him as a

youth leader, intercessor and a preacher of the

Gospel.

Rev. Wedderburn, Taneika and Hannah sat in the

front pew as tributes came from various sectors

in which Rev. Wedderburn is involved. First

came the tribute from Light of Life Gospel

Assembly where Jamin grew up and now

serves as Assistant Pastor. It reflected on his

early years and the pride of the brethren in

seeing their own son succeed in the things

of God. Floyd Wilson, from the College of

Theology and Interdisciplinary Studies, then

spoke of Jamin’s years as a Bible school

student and his

knack for Scrip-

ture memorization.

His classmates,

Wilson pointed

out, would often

use Jamin like a

concordance in

class discussions.

Next came

Deacon Paul

Bender who gave

the tribute on be-

half of Lyndhurst,

where Jamin

completed his pastoral internship.

“To God Be The Glory” was the item given

by songbird Taskeea Cephas, daughter of

Rev. Oswald Cephas, Pastor of Light of Life.

Indeed this song is reminiscent of Rev.

Wedderburn’s life’s journey and was well

delivered by Sis. Cephas who had earlier

sang “May Those Who Come Behind Us”,

accompanied by Johann Williamson. The AGA’s

tribute, delivered by Rev. Anthony White,

was creatively done and provided the

context in which Rev. Wedderburn would

Prayer being offered for the Ordinand and his family

minister. Sis. Sandra Burnett, Sunday School

teacher and Board Member from Light of Life,

replaced the scheduled Bobby Wilmot and gave a

tear jerking reflection on her relationship with Rev.

Wedderburn since his childhood.

The final tribute by Sis. Taneika Wedderburn was a

poignant reflection on the struggles and

triumphs of Rev. Wedderbun’s life over the years.

Beginning with the difficulties of growing up in

Trench Town through the financial hardships,

especially aggravated by having a father who was

unable to provide due to mental illness. Rev.

Wedderburn’s story is one of God’s commitment

to changing lives wholly committed to Him.

The sermon delivered by AGA President, Dr. the

Rev. Carlton Dennis, was a challenge to the

ordinand to watch his associations, appearance,

actions and attitudes from 1 Timothy 4:16 .

Next came the formalities of the ordination

process led ably by Dr. the Rev. Peter Garth.

Elder Barrington Hibbert then prayed God’s

blessings and provisions on the family. The

newly ordained Rev. Jamin Wedderburn was

next to respond. He spoke of his commitment to

seeing God’s glory being shown in His Church

and in the earth. Rev. Wedderburn also spoke of

the fact that those of particular stigmatized

social classes also deserved good ministers,

hence providing a rationale for his desire to

minister in Trench Town. The service ended

with the challenge to “Rescue the Perishing”

with the singing of the hymn by that title.

THE SPECTACULAR WEDDING

A fter being swept off his feet in 2013 at the first sight of Phiona, Pastor Kevin South and Phiona Smikle tied the knot on June 27, 2015. The wedding was planned by the couple with much prayer and faith in God who has been the inspiration from the very beginning. The wedding was hosted at the Mandeville Baptist Church in Manchester in the afternoon. The day and location were perfect

for a June wedding, with lush green trees, beautifully manicured lawns and cool Manchester breeze, allowing for a breathtaking reflection on God’s greatness. It was a day that brought everyone, from near and far, together for a spectacular event.

The wedding was officiated by Dr. the Rev. Peter Garth. The ceremony was uniquely planned with a blend of royal blue, gold and a touch of lime green. The bridesmaid were embellished in royal blue dresses along with yellow and blue bouquet handbags, the matron of honour was adorned in lime green dress with a yellow and green bouquet. The groomsmen were tailored in black suites with gold shirts, and the best man was decked out in lime green shirt to correlate with the matron of honor. The man of the hour made his entrance like a celebrity as he was

escorted in by his groomsmen who posed as his body guards.

The bride was a breathtaking reflection of God’s heart as she flowed down the aisle in a white gown accentuated with sequins at the top and ruffles at the bottom. A crown that reflected a queen and a smile that melted the heart of the audience and brought Pastor South to tears as she marched to “Dreams Come True” by

Pachelbel’s Canon.

Not being wedding planners, Phiona and Kevin knew that they wanted a wedding that reflected worship and love and this was very evident throughout the ceremony. This was the ideal wedding that highlighted the unique and special qualities of their personalities and their union. The scripture reading was beautifully done in both French and English. Instead of the traditional sand ceremony or lighting the candle, they decided to use three corded strands, not easily broken, to show God at the center (gold strand), the groom (purple strand) and the bride (white strand). Rev Garth gave the couple a surprise during the ceremony by inviting Mr. and Mrs.

Francis to render a song to the couple.

At the reception, the bride showed up wearing a second dress, simple yet elegant,

to complement the beautifully decorated hall. The prayer was done in sign language

followed by fragrance of praise which brought the feeling of worship to the

reception. The cutting of the cake and exchange of wine glasses was very

exhilarating. However, the best part was the first dance of the couple which brought

with it a third dress gorgeously worn by the bride and a powerful prayer by the

MC, Pastor Harris, that brought an end to a beautiful day and the start of a new life

together for Mr. and Mrs. South. The couple expresses their gratitude to everyone

who supported them during their period of preparation and hope the support will

continue in their marriage.

NIECE OF PASTORS DENNIS AND

COKE PASSED ON

P astor Floyd John-Keith's father, Roy Anthony John-Keith, died on May 24, 2015. The funeral service was held on Saturday, June 13, 2015. Family,

relatives and friends packed the Portmore Methodist Church, Mega Way, Portmore, St. Catherine. Interment was at the Meadowrest Memorial Gardens.

Tributes were given from Exchange Gospel Assembly; St. Peter’s Sun-day School; the Neighbourhood Association and Point Hill Leased Primary and Junior High school.

The sermon was preached by a composed Rev. Floyd John-Keith who said in times like these we often fall into denial, become angry, begin to bargain, become hopeless or we are led into depression. He said we have to accept truth – death is real and certain. Members of the AGA attended and paid their last respect to the late Mr. John Keith as well as stood is support with our own Rev. Floyd John-Keith, pastor at Exchange Gospel Assembly, Exchange, St. Ann, Jamaica. Rev. Floyd John-Keith expresses appreciation to everyone who attended the funeral service for his father. He also extends appreciation to those who could not attend but offered support through prayer. Rev. John-Keith also lost his mother who died in August.

The Funeral service for Alicia Ruby Richards (nee Stewart- Walker), held on Friday June 19, 2015 at Bethel Gospel Assembly, was well supported by family members, friends of the family and other well wishers, including various AGA leaders. Officiating ministers were Rev Carlton Dennis, Rev Maurice Coke and Rev. Leopold Johnson. The programme was moderated by Elder Kermit Tucker and comprised various tributes to Alicia and reflections on the memory of the life she lived. Rev Dennis brought the message from Isaiah 54. The directive of the

message was that it mattered not how we died but rather how we lived our lives. Interment was at Dovecot Memorial Park. Alicia is predeceased by her mother Pamela Dennis and survived by her father Horatio Stewart-Walker and daughters Gabriel and Tia Richards. She died tragically on Thursday May 21, 2015 in Covington Georgia, USA.

PASTOR JOHN-KEITH’S FATHER IS

LAID TO REST

Rev. Floyd John-Keith

Rev. Maurice Coke

Dr. the Rev. Carlton Dennis

n Saturday July 11, 2015, the National Youth Executive hosted

its Annual Henry and Olive White Sports Festival. This year’s

venue was Football Factory in Shortwood Kingston as opposed

to the regular venue of Merl Grove High. Eight (8) churches

participated, they are Arlene, Bethel, Calvary, Duhaney Park,

Emmanuel, Hope, Lyndhurst and Rehoboth Gospel Assemblies.

The day consisted of fiercely competitive matches amongst all teams.

Semi-finalists were Duhaney Park, Rehoboth, Bethel and Calvary with

Bethel and Calvary going through to the finals . The match ended in

penalty shootout. The eventual winners were Bethel Gospel Assembly,

making it their first time winning this prestigious event

One of the main purposes of the NYE is to bring the AGA youths

together; Henry and Olive White Sports Festival is one of the avenues

that is used to achieve this. To God be the Glory, there were no major

injuries to report. It was a day filled with competition but also a day of

fellowship with the believers. It would be remiss of the committee to not

report a big heartfelt gratitude and appreciation to Pastor Peter Garth

and the AGA Executive for supporting the venue change and providing

the assistance in making the payments to the venue. It is greatly

appreciated

God Bless you all!

SEPTEMBER

NYE United Youth

Meeting - Friday the 4th

Spiritual Emphasis Day -

Tuesday the 8th

Pastors’ Share -

Wednesday the 16th

Youth Congress -

Saturday the 19th

WMF United Prayer

Meeting—Saturday the

26th

OCTOBER

NYE United Youth

Meeting - Friday the 2nd

Youth Leaders Meeting -

Saturday the 17th

Women’s Convention -

(Heroes Day) Monday the

19th

Sunday School Rally -

Saturday the 31st

NOVEMBER

NYE United Youth Meeting

- Friday the 6th

AGA Schools Principals’

Meeting - Thursday the 12th

Pastors’ Seminar -

Wednesday the 18th

Youth Presidents’ Meeting-

Saturday the 21st

Sunday School Teachers’

Conference and Social—

Saturday the 27th to Sunday

the 29th

Associated Gospel Assemblies 15-17 Dunrobin Avenue, Kingston 10

(876) 969-1350 Telephone (876) 931-9076 Fax agajamwi@yahoo.com Email www.agachurches.org Website

THE ASSOCIATED GOSPEL ASSEMBLIES

MISSION STATEMENT

We exist through our network of churches to worship God by: bringing people to Christ and fellowship in his church; developing them to Christ-like maturity; and training them for ser-vice in the church and a lifestyle of evangelism

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Elder David Hall - Public Relations Director

Sis. Sophia Ferron

Bro. Damian Scarlett

Sis. Olecia Henry

Sis. Marsha Harris

The Public Relations Department exists to:

To maintain a high level of internal

and external communication, consistent

flow of information and education to

promote understanding and influence the

public.

To develop and implement a dynamic com-

munication programme and to respond to

the internal and external needs of the

Associated Gospel Assemblies.