Are We Yet Alive! The 111th Session of the Jamaica Annual Conference
By Joan Phillips-Bennett, YPD Director, 16th Episcopal District
Lift up your heads, oh ye gates, and the King of Glory shall come in! Glory and praise to Almighty God for a successful Conference! April 19 – 23, 2023, proved to be a rekindling of the Jamaica Annual Conference. This year marked the 111th Session of the Jamaica Annual Conference under the leadership of Bishop Marvin Clyde Zanders, II, and Supervisor Winifred Houston Zanders. With hearts open, we stood in total expectancy for God to move us through each session. We pushed through the REEF (Rejuvenating Everything and Eliminating Fear) and focused on the Promises of God.
The conference’s flagship church, Chapel of Christ Our Redeemer AME Church in Kingston, Jamaica, pastored by the Rev. Dr. Emily A. Pardue, hosted all preconference and conference activities. The Women’s Missionary Society (WMS) and Women in Ministry (WIM) kicked the conference off with pre-conference sessions followed by a wonderful candlelight service that evening. The service reminded us that no one has the power to dim our light as long as we stay connected to our power source.
The official opening of the conference happened the next day. It paraded in the presence of the Holy Spirit into the sanctuary and built the momentum that would carry through the rest of the days for the Annual Conference. Worship, Business, and Prayer were the pillars that guided our sessions and unified us to do the work of God within our various components. Bishop Zanders II led insightful Institutes as he focused on teaching and training us to be better stewards of God’s business both in the sanctuary and our communities. The Sons of Allen, Lay Organization, and the Young People’s Department led the night sessions with FIRE(Faith Impulse Resilience and Expectancy). The Young People’s Division led the final night of worship with a dynamic mixture of worship and culture as they showcased their talents in performing arts.
The Blue Mountain and Pedro Plain districts joined in a jubilant song for each Hour of Power as we prepared to report on all the Lord had done for the Annual Conference. Each component of the Church cast its visions as their reports reflected their growth throughout the conference year. Each church reported missions and various efforts to Show People Love and Share Him (S.P.L.A.S.H.). These included community feedings, games nights, workout sessions, hosting food, clothes, and back-to-school drives. Each church shared the common accomplishment of giving their time and gifts to persons within their respective communities and their members.
We continued to celebrate God’s hand in our efforts as the members of the conference traveled to Gaines Memorial Chapel AME for their dedicatory service. They reconsecrated their sanctuary to the Lord under the leadership of the pastor, the Rev. Newton Dixon. Great Are You Lord was the proclamation that opened the service as Bishop Zanders II reminded us that despite the unfavourable circumstances we face as believers in Christ, the Church is still God’s vehicle of liberation and reconciliation.
Members attended in great numbers after two consecutive years of virtual annual conferences. We praised God for bringing us this far and for the opportunity to fellowship once more with each other. We spent five days conducting business and worshiping the Lord under the theme: “Serving the Lord With Determined Faith.” Indeed, we did! The annual conference’s closing day ended with a special moment to memorialize the former pastor of the host church and Presiding Elder of the Blue Mountain District, Presiding Elder Rev. Florance Marie McElroy, on the eve of her birthday. After which, members of the conference stayed at the edge of their seats for the highly anticipated appointments and a charge by our Bishop to share God’s love in what we do and say. We are grateful for God’s never-ending favour and stand in expectancy, believing God has much more in store for us!
