Apostolic Church helps the St Ann’s Bay community

For 26 years, the Restoration of Life Mission in Christ Apostolic Church at No. 1 Jail Lane in St Ann's Bay has been helping that community and the wider St Ann.

Last weekend, Pastor Alberta Boswell-James held the annual Christmas treat for children and adults, offering an open invitation to all who wanted to participate.

Boswell-James had just returned from abroad a week before the treat, resulting in a smaller turnout than usual. However, those who participated enjoyed the offering of food and drink, ice cream, and toys for the kids after a session of praise and worship.

Dozens of persons turned out for the event and were happy for it.

"It is 26 years [that] we've been having this annual Christmas treat for the entire family - not just children and not just church members either. It's for the community. We're a community outreach church. We're here for the community; we serve the community," Boswell-James told Family & Religion.

The Christmas treat follows another annual event that the church hosts.

"Every July, we have the back-to-school programme, where we help the needy children in the community and their parents, and we give out back-to-school books, pencils, shoes, uniforms. We help in every way we can, and they look forward to it."

FOOD PROGRAMME

Boswell-James, who said she was born "around the corner" from the church, also runs a food programme, where she gives out groceries to the needy in the community.

Over time, the helping hand that the church offers the community stretched outside the boundaries of St Ann's Bay to reach Lime Hall.

There, the church offers a feeding programme at the Lime Hall Primary School, where breakfast is served five days a week.

"I was commissioned by God to come and do what I'm doing. We don't care whether you're Baptist, Pentecost ... . We don't care. Anyone (who) comes to us, we help them. We're a community-based church. That's what we are," Boswell-James said.

familyandreligion@gleanerjm.com