United Lifeline Deliverance Church of God celebrates 32 years
Published:Thursday | May 25, 2017 | 12:00 AMCarl Gilchrist
ST ANN'S BAY, St Ann:
From a rented apartment in 1985, the United Lifeline Deliverance Church of God, located on Main Street in St Ann's Bay, has grown in more ways than one to now become a beacon, delivering the Word of God to the community.
The 32 years have seen the church, in keeping with its motto - 'We Educate, Build, Restore and Renew' - open new branches in Brown's Town, Keith, Alexandria and Ocho Rios, all in St Ann and in New York, USA.
On Sunday, in the company of representatives from all the branches and its own congregation, resulting in a full turnout, the 32nd anniversary service was held in St Ann's Bay.
The occasion was marked by several moments worth remembering.
A dance item by children of the Keith United Lifeline Deliverance Church, a song by little Gabriel Henry of the St Ann's Bay Headquarters and one by the St Ann's Bay combined choir, a stirring sermon by guest speaker, Bishop Stenneth Davis from the New Testament Church of God which was based on the theme for the occasion, 'Come let us reason together' taken from Isaiah 1:18.
CUTTING OF THE CAKE
The icing on the cake, however, was when founder and overseer of United Lifeline Deliverance Church of God, Bishop Marchillion Jarrett and his wife, Minister Norma Jarrett, cut the cake to mark the occasion.
The church report, read by Evangelist Raynasha Brown, spoke of the several activities the church was involved in over the past year, including the awarding of 10 scholarships valued at $235,000, staging of a medical fair, marriage couples seminar, among other things.
"The 32 years have been really challenging, we've come from nothing, as it were; However, God was good to us," Bishop Jarrett told Family & Religion.
He said the success of the church came "through prayer, hard work, seeking God and being honest and letting integrity and uprightness preserve us".
The Bishop said he expected the growth to continue.
"I expect more growth; you see, it goes on. The Church of God doesn't have an end to it, it goes on, it's not just an organisation, it's an organism, so it grows, reproduces and what I try to do is to raise up leaders, train leaders, some go to Bible school and some train locally, so when there's an opening, somebody will be sent to that area."
He said the journey has also taught him a whole lot.
"I was a man who was in the world, right in St Ann's Bay here, living a non-Christian life. My life was like a block of ice that keeps melting, but when I met Jesus, there was a complete change, a turnaround in my life because before I became a Christian, I would go out there and drink liquor with my friends and do all the things that sinners do; but having met Jesus and started out anew, everything began to change. It was during the time I became a Christian that I met my wife, Norma, and we start working together, and the Lord has really blessed us, not only with the church, but with our family."
Minister Jarrett said she has supported her husband over the years.
"I have been very supportive of my husband because this ministry is not an ordinary ministry; it's an extraordinary one because we have been anointed and appointed by the Lord Jesus himself; it's one day at a time that we learn to depend on Jesus," she stated.