Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Calabar Church
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to travel with Pastor Damian Campbell (from New Life Church of the Deaf at the Jamaica Deaf Village) and his family to Calabar Church in Kingston. Calabar is a Baptist union school that has offered its facilities for the deaf to gather and fellowship for many years. Recently there has been a substantial increase in the thirst and desire for God’s Word to be taught, yet they lack a full-time pastor. To help, Pastor Damian travels to Calabar once a month to preach. A hearing pastor also comes once a month and a hard of hearing woman interprets for the deaf. On Sundays where there is no pastor, they will worship and someone will share scripture and their thoughts. Please pray for the Lord of the Harvest to raise up a shepherd for this community of believers. It impressed me greatly the enthusiasm the congregation had for Pastor Damian to teach.
We arrived at the church only to find several men painting the walls and ceilings of the chapel. Due to the strength of the odor we decided to move the service outdoors, and as Damian told everyone, “we are going back to the old days how they worshipped in the country, right under a shade tree.”
It was a unique setting and I won’t soon forget these images.
Pastor Damian taught on the “Christian Family Home” and went back to the Creation story to lay the foundation for God’s design for marriage. In Jamaican culture it is common for a young couple to get married but not have the financial means to live on their own, so they will initially live with one of their parents. Damian highlighted circumstances in which that may be necessary and viable, but he challenged everyone to take heart to God’s command to “leave your mother and father and cleave to your wife, and two will become one flesh.”
It was encouraging to see the participation those in attendance showed to Damian, excitedly waving their hands and signing responses to his rhetorical questions, as well as the continuous “amens” being signed (make a fist with one hand and place it in the open palm of your other hand).
Please pray for this church at Calabar!
We arrived at the church only to find several men painting the walls and ceilings of the chapel. Due to the strength of the odor we decided to move the service outdoors, and as Damian told everyone, “we are going back to the old days how they worshipped in the country, right under a shade tree.”
It was a unique setting and I won’t soon forget these images.
Pastor Damian taught on the “Christian Family Home” and went back to the Creation story to lay the foundation for God’s design for marriage. In Jamaican culture it is common for a young couple to get married but not have the financial means to live on their own, so they will initially live with one of their parents. Damian highlighted circumstances in which that may be necessary and viable, but he challenged everyone to take heart to God’s command to “leave your mother and father and cleave to your wife, and two will become one flesh.”
It was encouraging to see the participation those in attendance showed to Damian, excitedly waving their hands and signing responses to his rhetorical questions, as well as the continuous “amens” being signed (make a fist with one hand and place it in the open palm of your other hand).
Please pray for this church at Calabar!
# posted by Blake @ 8:25 PM 
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