St James residents herald the new year in church

Joselyn Gibbs stood at a window of the jam-packed New Testament Church of God in Montego Bay as Pastor Kirk Bowen beckoned for sinners to start 2020 on a positive note by surrendering their hearts to Jesus Christ.

Gibbs looked anxiously at his watch, as a member of the church encouraged him to respond to the preacher’s call, but he bluntly refused. “Mi all right, mi hear every ting from here so,” he said, without looking in her direction. “Place too crowded.”

Gibbs reluctantly gave his name, when The Gleaner team approached him, but provided little else.

“Is the same thing every year,” he argued, while looking suspiciously at the camera, “ … not ready for the church thing, but at least the new year must catch me with the Creator.”

Gibbs admits that he only attends on New Year’s Eve, but says the Water Lane-based church is his place of worship. “Ring in the new year with a positive vibes, that works,” he stated, with a look on his face that suggested that the conversation was over.

FULL HOUSE

The Trumpet Call Ministries on Howard Cooke Boulevard was filled to capacity, as popular worship leader and recording artist Jermaine Gordon led the congregation through a session of praise. Others could be seen on the outside, waiting to draw closer as it approached the midnight hour.

It was a similar scene at the Faith Temple Assembly of God, where senior pastor and Custos Rotulorum of St James, Bishop Conrad Pitkin, encouraged those in attendance to maintain their faith in God, despite the uncertainty that a New Year brings. “We will leave after the prayers,” a scantily clad female could be heard telling her seemingly impatient friends in a waiting car, outside the church premises about 11:30 pm.

Worship was on a high at the Refuge Temple Holiness Born Again Church of Jesus Christ in Catherine Hall, when The Gleaner team stopped by. However, some churches opted to close their doors and give their membership some well-needed family time.

“We have to play our part in restoring values and attitudes in our communities and we believe these special occasions must be dedicated to families coming together and bonding in whichever way they choose,” said minister Christian McKenzie of Eagles Wings Ministry in Bogue. “It is not that our brothers and sisters at other churches are doing anything wrong to have worship but we believe that having had worship throughout the year, spending time with our immediate families at a time like this is priceless … it is an option.”