Sandy Bay SDA celebrates 90th anniversary with worship and outreach

WESTERN BUREAU:

LAST WEEKEND was chock-full of activities at the Sandy Bay Seventh-day Adventist [SDA] Church in Sandy Bay, Hanover, as the church engaged in several community outreach endeavours and worship to mark its 90th anniversary.

The anniversary celebration commenced with Friday evening vesper worship, which was followed by Saturday’s traditional Sabbath services, which featured congratulatory messages from the SDA Church’s Jamaica Union and West Jamaica Conference. Their celebration climaxed on Sunday with sports day activities, featuring sack races, football, cricket, marching band performances, and bounceabout attractions at the nearby Sandy Bay Community Centre.

Michelle Robinson, one of the Sandy Bay SDA Church’s elders, expressed joy at being able to celebrate the congregation’s formal establishment in 1934 and witnessing its long-term impact on the area, including its regular Wednesday feeding programme for shut-ins and other residents.

“I am originally from St James, but having been in this parish for over 25 years and having joined the church and becoming a member, I have seen it growing over the years, and so I am happy that I am still here to celebrate,” said Robinson. “We do lunches on Wednesdays, and we reach out not only to our members, but other members of the community. Even during COVID-19, we were very active in giving out care packages, and this is something we continue to do over the years because we have quite a few needy persons in this community.”

Donna Grant, a resident of Sandy Bay, commended the members of the church for their on-the-ground community work within Sandy Bay and in neighbouring areas.

“They are doing a good job in the community, because they help the people who are in need of help, and they also cook for the shut-ins, and they are doing a good job so far. It is benefiting a lot of the people in the community, and not only in Sandy Bay, but also in Montpelier, Barbican, Pumpkin Bottom, and other places all around,” said Grant.

Sandy Bay SDA Church started as a Sabbath School gathering with nine members, arising from street meetings held in the Sandy Bay community by Alexander Lewis and believers from the Montego Bay SDA Church in 1932. The Sabbath School group initially met in a wooden apartment building, but later formally became a church on September 15, 1934.

An earthquake in 1957 damaged the worshippers’ meeting site, resulting in a new building being constructed for them in 1959 and its present structure later being built in 1993. Today, the Sandy Bay SDA Church serves as the mother church in the Sandy Bay Circuit of SDA Churches, which includes its sister congregations in Jericho, Cascade, and Montpelier.

The Jamaica Union’s President Pastor Everett Brown commended the Sandy Bay Church for its enduring community spirit over its 90 years of existence, including under its current host pastor Alpheus Smith.

“For nearly a century, the Sandy Bay Church has been a beacon of hope and a centre of compassion in our community. Your dedication to spiritual growth, your unwavering support for those in need, and your commitment to spreading love and understanding embody the highest ideals of faith and humanity,” said Brown.