East Jamaica Conference Communication Department

74 Constant Spring Road ▪ P.O. Box 181▪ Kingston 10 ▪ Jamaica W.I. T el: (8 7 6 ) 9 24 - 1061 - 3 , Fax (876) 924-0263. E-Mail: ejcc o m m un ic a ti on @ e j c s d a . c o m

website: h t t p ://e j c s d a . c o m

October 10, 2014

To: All Pastors, Elders, Leaders and Church Members

Sincere Christian greetings!

Please see important dates and events of the East Jamaica Conference of Seventh-day Adventists below.

(1) Zone 4   Federation Day - October 11, 2014 @ Woodbourne SDA Church  

Zone 4 A.Y Federation will be having a massive Federation Day on Sabbath October 11, 2014 at the Woodbourne SDA Church. Keynote speaker will be our Youth Ministries Director, Pastor Dane Fletcher.We invite churches to join us in the afternoon  via the internet  (EJC Website) through live streaming as the EJC Administrators will be interacting with the youth of the church  and constituents  at that time.   (2) Zones 1 - 3   Senior Citizens' Convention   - October 11, 2014 @ Half Way Tree SDA Church 

October 11, 2014 will be a special day for Senior Citizens  in Zones 1 - 3.  We ask church leadership to direct their seniors to be at the Half way Tree SDA Church on Sabbath morning, October 11, 2014 where  they will be recognized.   Church will begin at 9:00 am in the morning and at 4:30pm in the afternoon. 

(3)   Special Day of Prayer   - October 11, 2014

Members of our churches are being asked to take part in a special day of prayer with the global Seventh-day Adventist Church on October 11, 2014. According to the World Health Organization, the death toll from the Ebola virus in West Africa continues to climb to more than 3,000 in six months. Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, President of the General Conference, is urgently imploring all Seventh-day Adventists around the globe “to pray for our brothers and sisters in West Africa and for the entire population in that region of the world as they face this virtually unprecedented tragedy. The World Church is being asked to pray that God will put a halt to the spread of this virulent virus on Sabbath, October 11, 2014.   (4)   Notice from the Health Ministries Department

Kindly see an article from the World Health Organization regarding the Ebola Virus which has killed hundreds in Africa and one in the United States this week. (Click Here) 

(5) Notices from the Children’s and Adolescence Ministries Department

1. EJC Bible Spell-a-thon finals will be held on November 8, 2014 @ the Kingsway School.

2. To all our little members suffering from illnesses we pray for a speedy recuperation for all of you.

3. The Week of Prayer theme is “Stretch Out Your Hand”. It relates to perseverance, trust, respect, self control, kindness and compassion. Kindly check the EJC website as well as your email.

4. Let’s get back to basic with our Memory Verse- Get ready for a new start. Kindly have all the children learn the memory verse each week starting the 1st Sabbath of the 4th quarter and adding each Sabbath, so that on 13th Sabbath the children can repeat the 13 texts from memory.

                                      

(6) Women’s Ministries Department  

1. November 25 is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (IDEVAW). The material has been circulated for you to share with your church. 

2. MOMS in Touch: For the month of October let’s focus on and pray for our males in this category: Jewels, Adolescents, BEAMS and Adults. Prayer changes things. 

3. Coming soon HEART NTA Soft Skills Graduation. Venue and date to be announced.

  (7)   Notice from the Family Life Department  

1. A special Family Life seminar will be held this Sunday, October 12, 2014 from 9 a.m. – 12 noon in the EJC Boardroom. All F/L Directors from each church in zones 1-3 are expected to be in attendance. Come share your vision with President Nathan.

2. You are all invited to the pre-marital counseling clinic conducted by Dr. Eric Nathan, President and Family Life Specialist, every Tuesday @ 5:30 p.m. Venue – EJC.

3. Zone 4! Coming soon, your pre-marital counseling clinic to be held fortnightly on Wednesday’s beginning at 5:30 p.m. More details to follow. Get ready for this.

4. Zone 4 your special F/L event will be October 26, 2014 @ Morant Bay SDA Church from 9 a.m. – 12noon. All F/L Directors along with 1 team member from each church are expected to be in attendance. Kindly confirm with us by October 7, 2014, the names and telephone numbers so that we can adequately cater for your needs.

5. International Singles Day will be held on November 29, 2014. You are asked to plan for this and make it a day of affirmation for these out of the ordinary, extraordinary set of individuals. A program guide will follow soon.

6. A meeting of all volunteer personnel in counseling, mediation, social work, etc. from zones 1-4 who will form part of the core for our Family Ministries committee which will be held in November. Call 781-1565 or email cgenas@ejcsda.com. Let us help ‘while it is day, the night cometh when no man can work’.

7. Family Life, Men’s and Youth Ministries Directors, kindly send us by October 22, 2014 the names of two males (under 16 & over 17) sanctioned by your Pastor, First Elder or Board to be trained as BEAMS representatives for your church.

8. November 22, 2014 ‘BEAMS Junior Convention. More information will follow from the EJC Youth and F/L Ministries Departments.

(8) Notices from the Sabbath School, Personal Ministries & Comm. Services Dpt.     1. Ingathering 2014 has been launched. Incentives for best performers include:

First church in Conference to remit goal First church in each zone to remit goal Highest ingathering intake

- Church- Person

2. Personal Evangelism Explosion

A. Each member is to work with at least one person Many Bible lessons available now Remember Prayer and Evangelism Convocations – meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.

- Zone 1 – October 8 – North Street- Zones 3 & 4 – October 15 – Constant Spring and Morant Bay,

respectively- Zone 2 – October 22 – Hagley Park

B. Special 6-weeks training course for all New Believers. Classes begin October 12. Zone 1 –Heroes Circle Zone 2 – Half-way Tree Zone 3 – Constant Spring Zone 4 – Morant Bay

3. Day of Kindness – October 11 & Week of Generosity – October 11 – 18

4. Senior Citizens Convention – October 11 (all day) – Half-way Tree Rehearsal – 10:00 a.m Thursday, October 9 – Half-way Tree

5. Big Virtual (cyberspace) Graduation – October 25 – 2:00 p.m. - Andrews Rehearsal at Andrews Memorial Church – Sunday, October 12 Sabbath School Teachers (graduands) will meet at Andrews at 9:00 a.m. and

Elders and Child Evangelism group will meet at 10:30 a.m.

6. Mission Week – November 9 – 15 --- Get your churches involved Grand Evangelism Symposium and Baptism – November 15 – 3:00 p.m.

(venue to be announced)

(9) Communication Workshop (Zones 1 - 4)

The Communication Department would like to thank all those who attended and participated in the workshop which was held last Sunday. We have listened to your suggestions and will try our best to address what we can. Please continue to send us your feedback via our email ejccommunications@gmail.com.

Latest News

Members of the East Jamaica Conference Administration paid a courtesy call on Governor General Sir Patrick Allen on Friday October 3, 2014 at Kings House. The visit was planned to officially introduce the new leadership team of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in East Jamaica Conference to the Head of State. Click here for more on this item.

 

(10) Notices from the Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Department

1. Below is a story found in the “World” online magazine. The story was published October 3, 2014.  

Reports of rebels threatening churches with firing squads, storming church services and holding pastors hostage are just some of the stories that have emerged from rebel-held regions of eastern Ukraine in recent months.

The threat to Ukraine's evangelical churches is a lesser-known aspect of the ongoing political struggle between the pro-Russian separatists and the Ukrainian government in Kiev. A fragile ceasefire was agreed on September 5, though (this week) the rebels have resumed attacks on Donetsk airport, a key site in the conflict, and (yesterday) a Red Cross aid worker was killed by shelling in Donetsk.

On (Saturday), Seventh Day Adventist minister Sergei Litovchenko was abducted by pro-Russian gunmen during a church service in Horlivka, in the Donetsk region. This is just one of many reports of infringements on religious practice within the rebel-controlled eastern regions.

The Institute for Religious Freedom (IRF), based in Kiev, has recorded numerous incidents of religious persecution that took place in June and July. In August, Human Rights Watch reported several cases of arbitrary detention and torture, which had been largely overlooked by the media. 

In June, the IRF reported that gunmen captured four men from Transfiguration Evangelical Church in Sloviansk, Donetsk. The town's deputy prosecutor, who managed to escape from detention, said the men had been tortured and then shot. A Ukrainian government advisor said the men had been buried in a mass grave.

-adaptedhttp://www.christiantoday.com/article/ukraine.christians.threatened.with.firing.squads.and.pastors.held.hostage/41224.htm

Please continue to pray for the pastor of the Horlivka Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Ukraine, Sergei Livchenko, who remains prisoner in that country. Let us pray that he will be returned safely to his family.

 

 (11) Notice from the constituency  

The Health and Community Services Department of the Washington Gardens SDA Church will be hosting a Treat and Health Fair for the pensioners and Staff of the Western District Post Office on the grounds of the Western District Post Office, Molynes Road, on Thursday, October 9 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.

(12)   Schedule of Upcoming Conference Dates and Events    

Dates Event LocationOct 11 Special day of prayer for Ebola patients All churchesOct 11 Senior Citizen Convention Half-Way Tree SDAOct 11-15 Week of Generosity All ChurchesOct 11 Zone 4 A.Y Federation Day Woodbourne SDAOct 11-18 Children’s Week of Prayer All ChurchesOct 12 Family Life Seminar EJC Oct 25 Junior Male ConventionOct 26 Elders and Family Graduation BanquetNov 8 EJC Bible Spell-a-thonNov 22 Beams Junior Convention

     Phillip E. L. Castell

Communication Director