Dr. Trevor Gardner.

The president pointed out that he believes the advanced notice allows enough time for the university board to execute a meaningful search for a replacement. Read More…

Everett Brown urging political candidates be more mindful of the effect of their campaign rhetoric. (Damian Chambers / IAD)

The Adventist Church is the single largest denomination on the Caribbean island-nation, and its leaders have joined representatives of other faiths in calling for calm after previous election campaigns turned violent. In recent years, violence has diminished during election season but campaign rhetoric from opposing candidates has increased.

“The administration of the union calls upon all our political leaders to keep the campaign rhetoric clear from personal attack,” said Everett Brown, newly re-elected president of the Jamaican Union Conference.

He cautioned that personal attacks fuel “unethical tensions and embarrassing dispositions between opponents” that can boil over into physical violence and even death.

“Let us not be weighed in the balance and found wanting,” Brown said at a dedication service for newly elected officers and directors of the Jamaican Union Conference at the Mandeville Adventist Church. Among those in the audience was Jamaica’s national security minister, Peter Bunting, and national parliament member Audley Shaw. Read More…

Pastor Everett Brown, president of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica. (photo by Nigel Coke)

“We are convinced that there is a special work for the Seventh-day Adventist Church to do,” said Pastor Brown.

“A work that some would define as service, a unique ministry that the Church has been called to accomplish. It is a ministry that recognises our obligation to lead sinners to Jesus Christ and speak and act as the voice of God in a hedonistic and perverse world.”

Brown was speaking at the service of installation and consecration of the officers, directors and executive committee of the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (JAMU) held at the Mandeville Seventh-day Adventist Church last Sunday.

“Today,” Brown continued, “the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica, reaffirms its commitment to God and the preaching of the gospel. We also reaffirm its commitment to the nation-building values of respect, excellence in humility, compassion, integrity, fairness, commitment, forgiveness, responsibility, punctuality, justice for all and trust. We call upon our members to be true to these standards, and our fellow citizens to be exemplary on these principles. Read More…

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Sydney Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 8,500 times in 2015. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 3 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

Officers of the Jamaica Union Conference (L-R) Pastors; Meric Walker – Executive Secretary, Everett Brown – President and Bancroft Barwise – Treasurer.

The Session was held at the Mandeville Adventists Church in Manchester from December 1-3, 2015.

Heading the team of Officers and Directors is Pastor Everett Brown, who was re-elected president after serving the Union in the capacity for the past five years. He will be assisted in administration by Executive Secretary, Pastor Meric Walker, who currently serves as Executive Secretary of the East Jamaica Conference (EJC), and Pastor Bancroft Barwise, who was re-elected as Treasurer. Read More…

Pastor Luis Jesse and Carmelita Finley were reappointed as secretary and treasurer respectively, for the Belize Union of Churches. Image by Keila Trejo/IAD.

The following were elected to serve in the Inter-American Division Headquarters Office in Miami, Florida:

ADRA Director: David Poloche of the West Venezuela Union. He is replacing Wally Amundson who is retiring by Dec. 2015.

Chaplaincy Ministries Director: Hiram Ruiz. He also serves as IAD Public Campus Ministries Director

Field Secretaries:
Moises Reyna president of the Inter-Oceanic Mexican Union, serving in Mexico.
Balvin Braham, who also serves as assistant to the IAD President for evangelism.
James Daniel, also assigned as associate stewardship director and trust services. Read More…

Nigel Coke

Nigel Coke, communication, public affairs and religious liberty director of the Jamaica Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, said that the church would not accept money from anyone, as tithes or offerings, which was gained through the lottery scam.

“We do not support any form of corruption or illicit activities, including the scamming of people,” said Coke. “We believe in the dignity of work, and that people should use legitimate means in order to earn and provide for themselves and their families. If we know that the funds persons are giving to the church come from illicit activities, we will not accept it.”

Coke added that the SDA church seeks to educate people on the dangers associated with lottery scamming, which has been touted as a major factor in the recent increase in violent crime across western Jamaica. Read More…

Noted Montego Bay urologist Dr Keith Wedderburn (right), accepts his award from Pastor Everett Brown, president of Seventh-day Adventist Church in Jamaica, for outstanding contribution to the Church’s Health Ministries.

Johnson, who was unable to attend the ceremony, was baptised at age 10 and served in youth ministry and community outreach while she was active during her 93-year church membership.

In a video interview, she expressed joy about her achievement and her love for the church.

“I feel happy, I can say glory! From I was a small girl coming up I just love my church. The Lord provided every way for us, I was glad that many more could live and serve the Lord in Adventism,” she said. Read More…

(L) SAMUELS… the question is raised many times about what the church is doing. (R) BUNTING… in western Jamaica we have one of the most corrosive activities.

“We feel like ancient prophets and current spokespersons. We have a divine mandate to speak to the issues of our nation, to bring forth the leaders of our nation, and to challenge the people of our nation that it is righteousness that exalts a nation and sin is a reproach to any people,” the clergyman argued.

He was speaking at the Western Jamaica Seventh-day Adventist Leadership Conference in Montego Bay on Sunday under the theme: “Building a Better Nation… Changing Lives, One Life at a Time through Christian leadership.’

However, Minister of National Security Peter Bunting, who spoke immediately after Pastor Samuels, accused western Jamaica-based churches of not coming out forcefully against lottery scamming, which is blamed for 138 murders committed in the Police Area One up to the ending of last month. Read More…

Ted N.C. Wilson, General Conference president, speaks to delegates in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, USA. [Photo ©2015 Adventist Review / ANN. Photo by Pieter Damsteegt]

Wilson drew from hallmark initiatives of his first five-year term — Revival and Reformation, Mission to the Cities, comprehensive health ministry, and a daily online Bible study plan — to call on every church member to share Jesus in their communities.

He emphasized that regular study of the Bible and the writings of Ellen G. White were key to developing a closer relationship with Jesus.

The sermon ended with a thundering rendition of the Adventist anthem “We Have This Hope” combined with “Jesus Is Coming Again” by a 1,100-member choir, a record size for a choir at a General Conference session.

“We thank the Lord for the ways He has led this General Conference session during the last 10 days, and we give Him all the glory for the unity and singleness of purpose in accomplishing His mission for this dying Earth,” Wilson said, speaking in the Alamodome stadium packed with more than 60,000 people in San Antonio, Texas.

“As I stated five years ago, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is God’s remnant movement made up of those who according to Revelation 12:17 keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ, and we are on a heaven-directed journey,” Wilson said, referring to the first sermon he gave upon his election at the General Conference session in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2010. “We must go forward, not backward because we are almost home. I am more convinced than ever that Jesus’ return is near, even at the door.” Read More…