The Church News for 22 January 2023

The Church News for 22 January 2023 is distributed by the Grace Missionary Church Office.
Have a blessed week ahead.

BIRTHDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES

Below is a list of our members and adherents who will be celebrating birthdays and anniversaries during the coming week. If you are also celebrating your special date during this period and your name is not listed, please visit our “Birthdays / Anniversaries” page to update your information.

Prayer Meeting and Bible Studies:

On Wednesdays, we meet for our weekly Prayer Meeting session at 7:00 PM on ZOOM. The evening Bible Study starts at 8:00 PM and is shared on ZOOM and YouTube. Our Midday Bible Study will resume at a date to be announced.

Youth Meetings

Grace Youth Ministry (GYM) resumes “in-person” meetings this Friday, January 27, 2023. We will be participating in the Keswick Youth Meeting at the Boulevard Baptist Church at 7:00 p.m. Please contact Youth Director, Sister Dionne Richards, if you need assistance with transportation. Parents/Guardians are asked to indicate permission for participation by their children/wards who are below 18 years of age.

Youth In Praise (YIP) and Teens In Praise (TIP) will resume on Saturday, February 4, 2023, at their usual times.

Sunday School Activities

Sunday School classes for all age groups take place from 8:00 AM – 8:55 AM. This is immediately before Worship Services. Covid Containment protocols continue to be observed.

Sunday Service

Our Worship Services continue in a face-to-face format from the Sanctuary each Sunday at 9:00 AM. It is shared via ZOOM and live-streamed on our YouTube Channel. For January 2023, our focus is: “The Providence of God…who sees, hears, and is in control“. Our speaker this Missions Sunday is Elder John Roomes.

We welcome your feedback regarding our Bible Studies and Sunday Services. Your comments will help us to grow and serve you better. So call or email the office or any of the Elders or Deacons, or email us via our website using our contact page. In addition, you may complete an online survey on our Polls page. We greatly appreciate your feedback.

Membership and Baptism

We ask anyone desirous of Baptism or Membership, please indicate your interest to the Church Office, or speak directly with Reverend Mark Dawes.

GMC Connect Card

The GMC Connect Card is available on our Membership Page and from members of our Team of Ushers. We invite you to complete and submit the card to help us to get to know you better. This will help us to provide the spiritual support you may need from time to time.

Other Announcements

The Funeral Service for our Sister Ivel Barrett is scheduled for Saturday, February 4, 2023, at 10:00 a.m.
here at Grace Missionary Church (GMC).

A number of our members and friends have recently lost loved ones and we continue to offer support through our prayers and words of encouragement as they pass through this time of loss and bereavement:

• Elder Linley Reynolds’ mother, Mrs. Violet Reynolds, died on Tuesday, January 17. Funeral arrangements will be shared, once finalized.
• Sister Jennifer Blake is grieving the loss of an uncle. He died in the United Kingdom, last Wednesday, January 18, 2023.
• Brother John Lawful recently lost his brother, Eric Stewart. Funeral arrangements will be shared when they are available.
• The Funeral Service for Mr. Patrick Leslie, husband of Sister Diana Leslie, will take place here at GMC on January 30, 2023, starting at 11:00 am.

Also remember our brethren who are not well, or are recuperating, at this time. Let us keep surrounding them with our prayers and words of encouragement:

• Reverend Garnett Roper
• Sister Evadne McLean
• Sister Yvonne Wright
• Dr. Carmen Moe, the sister of Elder Donald Blake

Kingston Keswick Convention 2023

The Kingston Keswick Convention 2023, under the theme “Be Transformed to Transform”, begins this evening, January 22, 2023. It will continue until Sunday, January 29, 2023, with face-to-face meetings at the Boulevard Baptist Church, starting at 7:00 pm each evening. The services will also be streamed online on the Keswick YouTube Channel. Our Wednesday evening Bible Study at GMC will not be held during this week. Attendees are invited to join the Keswick meeting for that night as well.

Please note the schedule for Saturday of the Keswick Convention (January 28, 2023):
✓ Men’s Meeting – 8:00 a.m. GMC- Speakers: Bishop Rohan Edwards & Dr. Michael Coombs
✓ Women’s Meeting – 10:30 a.m. Boulevard Baptist – Speaker: Rev. Khereen Wilson-Bailey
✓ Children’s Meeting – 3:00 p.m. Bethel Baptist – Speaker: Ms. Blossom Tucker

Eastern District Convention

The Eastern District Convention of the Missionary Church Association in Jamaica (MCAJ) is scheduled for Sunday, January 29, 2023, at 9:30 a.m. at the Portmore Missionary Church. All are invited. The speaker will be the Reverend Dr. Sam A. Green. Join us as we pay tribute to the life and work of the late Dr. David Clark.
Special note: The Convention will for the first time, feature Junior Church for the young ones. This will be led by Sister Charlette Newell from the Jamaica Child Evangelism Fellowship. There will be no service here at GMC on that date.

The Missions & Evangelism Department of the Missionary Church Association in Jamaica (MCAJ), will hold its Missions Conference at Grace Missionary Church on February 5, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. -7:00 pm.

Any GMC Church Family member who does not have a Birth Certificate is invited to contact Sister Dawn Ashley, our Social Support Officer, through the Church Office. The Membership Department will be reaching out to the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) to determine the best way of helping our congregants to acquire this most important document.

Special Appeal

A member of our fellowship is urgently seeking a self-contained room with access to cooking facilities for light meals. If you have such a space in your residence and are willing to make it available for rental, please contact the Church Office.

Prayers

Please continue to pray for God’s healing touch for our members who are at this time recuperating. Also, please remember to pray for the “Sick and Shut-Ins“, as well as those classified as vulnerable. In addition, remember to stay in touch with each other during our time of isolation and separation.

Resumption of Church Activities

We continue to observe the following protocols for your safety and comfort when we meet:

1. Hand Washing and Sanitization.
2. Mask Wearing in enclosed spaces (highly recommended, but not mandated).
3. Maintaining Physical distance (highly recommended, but not mandated).
4. Remaining at home if you are feeling unwell.

Also, please remember to pay very close attention to the periodic updates and advisories issued by the Health Authorities.

Please remember to call and pray with one another. Also, keep safe, practice social distancing, wash hands, and clean surfaces regularly.

In addition, remember to wear your masks, sanitize, and maintain 6 feet physical distance. Also, let us keep in touch and encourage each other, especially during these very challenging times.