Volume 124, September 2015Volume 124, September 2015

Mission Statement: The George Town Charge exists to love God, love others and make disciples.

South Sound United 44 South Sound Road

9:00 a.m.

Service Times

Office Hours:Mondays - Fridays

9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.Phone: 345-949-7923

Fax: 345-949-1723

Office Staff:Janet Macmillan, AdministratorDiana Bodden, Office Assistant

Council Website:www.unitedchurch.org.ky

Council e-mail: cicucjci@candw.ky

Minister:Rev. Dr. Dave Hazle

The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands

George Town ChargeGeorge Town Charge

The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands

Elmslie Website:www.elmsliechurch.org.kyE-mail: elmslie@candw.ky

Music & Worship Director:Antonio Sanchez

THE FAMILY NEWSTHE FAMILY NEWS

Office & Mailing Address:48 Harbour Drive, George Town

P.O. Box 494Grand Cayman KY1-1106

Sundays:Elmslie Memorial United

48 Harbour Drive, George Town10:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.

Unfortunately, churches around the world in our day and age have to deal with many things that competefor people’s attention and devotion. We are often described as a consumer society because in our worldtoday so many things are made purely for one’s enjoyment, entertainment and personal fulfilment. It’s

From the Pastor’s Desk

all about consumption; everything seems to be made to cater for thetastes and preferences of someone. In this kind of setting people aremost prone to make choices purely on the basis of what is mostpleasurable. Whether something is right or wrong often seemsirrelevant. “If it feels good, do it”.

The result is that church can become, for some people, no differentfrom a supermarket. Church-goers move around looking for thepreferred product at the preferred price. The result is that people areless committed to one congregation and tend to move around fromchurch to church. Churches are also doing more to meet the tastes ofpotential worshipers who visit from time to time. The next time youthink of or talk with someone who is thinking about leaving theirchurch, consider what Aaron Loy wrote in an article I recently cameacross. The article is entitled, “Five Really Bad Reasons to Leave YourChurch.” Let me highlight some of the main points of the article.The first reason mentioned in the article is “I’m not being fed.”For Loy this is only a copout given the number of ways available to most people to feed themselves.“To leave a church because you’re not getting enough substance is a copout. Your primary call in the church is tocontribute, not just to consume. As a Christian, you shouldn’t require spoon-feeding for the rest of your life.Eventually you need to learn how to feed yourself so that in time you can actually feed others.”

Next, Loy speaks to those people who are thinking of leaving because “It’s getting too big.”

The last day of July saw Bryan Bothwell’s retire as Regional Deputy General Secretary of the CaymanRegional Council of the United Church after over 13 years in office.

Thank you, Bryan

Having worked in banking for 36 years, the church asked himin 2002 to assume this new role and his background, experienceand skills in the financial industry, along with the fact that he wasalso an elder at the John Gray Memorial Church and involved inministry there, as well as having served previously as a CouncilElder, made him an ideal fit.

From early in the job he saw the need to organize and to putnew systems into place. These included delegation of certainpowers from Synod Committees to the Council to give moreautonomy to the Cayman Region, in accordance with the ‘OneChurch, Two Nations’ principle that had been agreed at the timehis new post was instituted. One programme he developed alongwith Council was the Mutual Support Programme to assist acongregation with an approved major project. In such a case, aminimum of 10% of the cost of the project would be providedby Council (on behalf of the other congregations on the Island,

which would replenish the Fund over the years).Council would also provide suitable property to be used as security for a bank loan for the congregation.

Projects like the building of the Savannah Church sanctuary and the new hall at JGMC were facilitated inContinued on Page 2

Continued on Page 4

Pray for Our Students Studying Overseas

this way. It has been his ability as an administrator and with finances thathas made him so indispensible in dealing with the many facets of the job,as well as providing much needed spiritual leadership. He set out to keep ontop of things, and his clear sense of direction, his ability to think throughthe issues and his calm nature gave Council considerable confidence in hisleadership. One vital role he has played over many years has been as a memberof the Board of Governors of the Cayman Prep and High School where hehas served as both treasurer and chairman.

The work has not been without its challenges, he says. He feels that thelevel of his influence on the congregations has been one challenge. “In 2009,the Church embarked on seeking ‘Renewal and Transformation’ throughoutthe denomination. This needs to work at the congregational level and, yes, therehas been some progress – differences are being seen.” Another challenge hasbeen in the area of intergenerational worship, and still another has beengetting the congregations to be involved with evangelism. “My vision for theChurch is for it to do what a church needs to do, to be caring both spirituallyand practically. It needs to be active in mission, both locally and internationally.”

Bryan admitted that at 66 he felt it was time to retire and, anyway, he hadstayed an extra year beyond the agreed retirement age. “I have found the jobrewarding and fulfilling,” he said, “but I am ready to move on.” When hewas asked what he planned to do in the future, he laughed, and said, “Isimply haven’t had time to think about that yet. Andrea (his wife) is tryingto plan a holiday, though!” He said he loved gardening – in fact, he likes anyphysical work - and there was a lot of work to do in his yard (not to sayround the church), and he has always had a passion for fishing – and he stillhas his boat. Of course, he remains an elder at JGMC, is called on to preachand leads a bible study group. He is also Chairman of the National PensionBoard and a director of CUC.

The Council and congregations of the United Church in Cayman areindebted to Bryan for his outstanding leadership and work as RDGS. Wepray for God’s blessing on him as he moves into a new phase in his life.

There will be a special service at 5 pm on Sunday, September 6th, at Elmslie Churchin recognition of Bryan’s contribution and to express the church’s thanks to him. TheModerator and the General Secretary will be visiting from Jamaica for the occasion.

As of August 1st, Rev. Yvette Noble Bloomfield has assumed the role ofActing RDGS, and to ensure that the operational (financial and administrative)work of the current RDGS position continues without interruption, JohnMacmillan has also agreed to serve on a temporary basis.

Thank you, Bryan! (Continued from Page 1)South Sound Church NewsThe South Sound United Church held its second summer picnicfor its Sunday School children on 19th August. Many children andtheir parents turned up to enjoy a perfect afternoon at the PublicBeach. Special thanks to Sheila Johnson for organising this eventwhich, hopefully, will be a permanent fixture on the South SoundUnited calendar in the future. Pictured below are some of theSunday school children with Ms. Sheila and Joanna Bodden Small. Mr. Harry Hurlston, a regular attendant at the South Soundchurch, recently fell at home and broke his right arm. Thankfully,he did not have to undergo surgery and is convalescing at home.Mr. Harry has been receiving several visits from Rev. Dave andfellow church members including Tom Mason, head of missions,some members of the Women’s Group - Ann Pike, RachaelHanson, Jennifer Smith - and others. We all miss him at church. It is a long hot summer but this is not deterring attendance atour Sunday morning services. Many visitors and new faces arewelcomed each Sunday. Several are away on holiday while manyreturning college students have come back.

Please keep the following students in your prayers:Emma Boyd-Moss – Final year at Plymouth University, UK, studyingAnimal Behaviour and WelfareVictoria Crawshaw – Graduate year at BPP Law School, London, UK, studyingfor a Diploma in Law, having gained a degree in Criminal and Social PolicyBlake Clarke-Wint – 2nd year at University of Rhode Island, USA, studyingHospitality and TourismTaylor Clarke-Wint – Graduates in November from University ofSouthampton, UK, studying Marketing and AdvertisingNeesah Godet – 1st Year at University of Tampa, USA, studying SociologyJulian Johnson – Final year at Brunel University, UK, studying MotorsportEngineeringJermaine Hughes – 2nd year at Nottingham Trent University, UK, studyingPhysicsShana Linwood-McLaughlin – Finishing her 3rd year at Vermont TechnicalCollege, USA, studying ArchitectureAmy Mobley – 1st year at Word of Life, USA, doing Biblical StudiesBrett Mobley – 2nd Year at Nottingham University, UK, studying BusinessManagement but spending it in ChinaBrittany Mobley – 1st year at the University of South Florida, Tampa,USA, studying EngineeringKayla Powell – 1st year at Southampton University, UK, studying PsychologyAlison Turner – 1st year at the University of Alabama studying AccountingEmma Walmsley – 4th year at the University College, London, UK, studyingPharmacologyJonathan Walmsley – 1st year at Leicester University, UK, doing ManagementStudies

Elmslie OfferingYTD

Budget Actual

GeneralMissions

July

$214,666.66$ 3,498.20$22,084.75

$ 24,500.00

YTDActual

$183,756.89 $ 27,311.00

Congratulations, Jennelle!

We congratulation Jennelle McLaughlin who recently gradu-ated with honours from University of Bedfordshire, U.K.with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting and finance.

Sunday, August 15th, saw Greg Dabb’s last day as youth pastor. During theservice which he led and at which he preached, he expressed his great appreciation tothe congregation for the unforgettable year he had spent as part of the church butsaid he was faced with an opportunity he couldn’t refuse.

Farewell, Mr. Greg!

Greg will be joining a church inAlexandra, Virginia, as the youth pastor. Thechurch, a Wesleyan one with about 150members located in the Washington DCarea, is being “rebooted” (his word) by agroup of young men with whom he wentthrough college. He left Cayman on the 17th,and headed home to Buffalo to spend acouple of weeks with his family. “I will thenbe driving the long trip down in my littlecar, together with my two dogs, and willstart at the church sometime around LaborDay,” he said.

He will be sorely missed. With his fun-loving, friendly personality, he cultivatedrelationships at all levels in the church, notonly with the teens and children. One older

member was heard to say that Greg was just like a son to her!We wish for Greg all God’s blessing and pray that the Lord will continue to use

him. One thing Greg has assured us: he will be returning to visit and, if not before,he will be helping with next summer’s camps.

A year before I graduated from John Gray High School I visited the University College of theCayman Islands. When I realized that I would not be able to earn a degree in Architecture atUCCI, I decided that it would be best for me to go overseas to pursue my degree. I enrolled atVermont Technical College (VTC) in 2012 after graduating from John Gray in June. Scholarshipissues delayed me from attending VTC that August and so I had to wait until January of 2013. I have been at VTC for two-and-a-half years. The Christian faith I had developed here athome had helped me to begin my first semester. Like any other international freshman atcollege, I felt nervous and shy because I didn’t know anyone and the college was new to me.

Shana Linwood-McLaughlin is a 21 year-old student studying for a degree in Architectural Engineering Technology at the Vermont Technical College, Vermont, inthe USA. She is also a member at Elmslie. She was asked to write something of her experiences as a young Caymanian Christian going away to college and, especially, todescribe how her Christian faith has helped her both in things she enjoys as well as the challenges of life, in opportunities for witness and what she has learned from herexperiences. This is Shana’s story.

Student Profile - Shana Linwood-McLaughlin

Cont’d. on Page 4

Special September BirthdaysHappy Birthday to:

Bryce Thompson - 16 on the 11thLexie Solomon - 21on the 20th

Sherrilee McLaughlin - 55 on the 20thCherryAnn Hodgson - 55 on the 20th

Alvernie Watson - 90 on the 20thTerri Merren - 55 on the 30th

Special September AnniversaryHappy Anniversary to:

Ann-Marie & Rodney Webb - celebrating15 years of marriage on 2nd September. May

God bless you with many more happywedding anniversaries to come!

Being so far fromhome was also veryintimidating and so Ishied away from every-one, staying on my own.I quickly realized that that was not God’s will for me. I met a Haitian student twomonths after my start at the college and we quickly became very good friends.Another incident that allowed me to see that God was with me was at a basketballhome game. Someone introduced me to a pastor who had also been at the game.The pastor was a preacher at a nearby church so he invited me to attend and evenoffered me rides each Sunday. My Christian faith helped me to make the rightdecisions and has allowed me to see God in everything I have done there so far. I had a great start at college since I was so fresh in my faith. However, as thesemesters went by I started to get really busy with my school work and hanging outwith my new friends, and once the basketball season began I practically found timeto only do my homework and sleep. Attending church became a struggle - and stillis. The lack of encouragement or a Christian environment pushed me to stop goingto church and even praying and spending time with God. Even though I am stillstruggling to get back up, I thank God for this experience because he has opened myeyes to a very important lesson. He showed me that I need him. I couldn’t really seeit in the same way while at home because I was always in a Christian environmentand so it was very easy to be a Christian. But what happened when all of that wastaken away from me and I was left to face the real world? I fell. I realized that I wasn’tas strong as I had come to believe. Going overseas to college helped me to learnwhat it really means to lean on God and run to him for everything.

Shana (left) with Natalie Williams and Kayla Powell

God wanted me to see what I would do when I only had Him standing nextto me, when my family, church, and friends where gone and all I had left wasHim. Though I have not fully gotten back on track with my relationship withGod, I can see him working on it. I am slowly learning many things aboutmyself, and God’s love and dedication to make me the person he wants meto be. I am slowly being drawn back to my Lord but this time with real faithand appreciation for who he is and what he has done for me. While I’ve been at VTC I have found opportunities to share God withmy friends. Sometimes, when we are having random conversations andsomeone makes a religious point, I quickly take the opportunity to tell themabout Jesus. I explained Jesus to one of my friends one day when I realizedthat he had tried to make Jesus seem like the bad person. He later explainedthat no one had ever helped him see Jesus in that light before and that hewanted to know more. I introduced him to a website where he could findthousands of sermons and bible lessons that he could use in order to spendsome time reading God’s Word and learning who this Jesus person is. Ialways encourage my close friends to remain strong in God and not losehope, but I can still see where I have much to grow. My desire it to increase my faith so that I can talk to anyone about Godand not just talk to those who have heard of Jesus before or who want tolisten. I am learning the meaning of sacrifice and commitment to Jesus. Idesire to have my own personal and close relationship with Him and make himmy number one priority in every aspect of life. Every time I feel like givingup and don’t see my purpose for being at college, or every time that a bigchallenge is before me, God has reminded me, through my mum, my church leaders or my friends, that He has me there for a reason and that he wouldnever start a work in me and not finish it. He will never leave me nor forsakeme and the plans he has for me are to build me up and not to tear me down. Itis these promises and special people in my life that direct me back to Godwhen I’m straying away or getting caught up in the things of this world.

Remaining small, he notes, is “sad and unbiblical”. After all, if we are faithful toJesus’ call to make disciples, our numbers should grow. So growth is a goodthing that we should expect and welcome, not resist. A third bad reason toleave your church is because “I don’t agree with everything that is beingpreached.” However, as Loy goes on to argue, “Chances are you are not goingto agree with everything that is preached anywhere. As long as your pastor isn’t preachingoutright heresy, you can afford to disagree on secondary issues...”

Loy, in the article, also addresses one of the most common reasons sitedby people thinking of leaving a church: “My needs aren’t being met.” Onthe surface this seems a reasonable motivation but let’s think for a moment.Loy puts in well when he says, “The church doesn’t exist to meet your needs. Youare a part of the church that exists to meet the needs of the world. So put away theshopping cart and pick up a shovel.”

Finally the article talks about the common game-changer called“unresolved conflicts,” But conflicts are inevitable and when they happenthey give a great opportunity to show that as Christians we live by a differentstandard than the world.“When we leave at the first sign of real conflict,” says Loy, … it short changes God’sbest work in our midst. It sidesteps the process of repentance, forgiveness and grace. Itnegates the power of the gospel to bring reconciliation where reconciliation might seemimpossible. We and those around us miss out on all of it when we just leave… I do knowthat not all conflict is resolvable. I know that reconciliation is impossible where there isno repentance. I get that. But remember, repentance starts with us. And so does theextending of grace.”

Too often we are not prepared to do the hard work that reconciliationrequires. We are content to live as enemies rather than strive to renewfriendships. In contrast to this, God demonstrated His love for us evenwhen we were separated from God by our sin and rebellion. Despite beingHis enemies, He sent Jesus to die to bring us back to Him. He invites us dailyto come to Him in humility and for His forgiveness when we sin.

As you think about people you will invite to church over the next fewmonths, consider those who have left our church and challenge them tocome back. Reach out to those who go to no church and invite them toexperience the reconciling love that God offers through Christ. Thinking ofleaving your church? Think again.

From the Pastor’s Desk (continued from Page 1)

Student Profile (continued from Page 3)

Word of Life Group

VBS was a Blast (to the Past)!A fun filled VBS culminated on the final night with a dinner and speechesin appreciation of youth pastor Greg Dabb. VBS Week was entitledBible Blast to the Past and the children were taken back in a ‘time machine’to Bible days to learn of God’s everlasting love. Numbers ranged from74 to 98 over the five evenings, and the children enjoyed songs, gamesand teaching. The team running VBS included a large number of thecongregation and even a couple from other congregations. Specialmention needs to be made of Tony McField whose team decorated thehall so attractively. However, Greg was complimentary of all the teachersand helpers for their varying parts in making it so successful, not excludingthe ladies and contributors who provided food each night. Greg himselfshaved off most of the beard of which he admitted he was very proud andbecame “Professor Von Bruaschwiger”, a “crazy scientist”. “What I reallyliked about this week,” he said, “was seeing how excited the kids have been.”

Clearly, there was more than “fun” on offer for on the followingSunday the children and teachers were invited to sing the theme songafter Greg told the church how well the week had gone. The theme ofGod’s everlasting love was well expressed in his message on that Sundaymorning, a powerful and challenging one, reminding us of the fact thatwe must display the same kind of love to one another that Jesus showedin his day.

Children working on an arts & crafts project at VBS

6th - Bryan Bothwell’s Farewell service at Elmslie (5pm)13th - “Back to Church” Services19th - Regional Council Meeting

27th - Harvest Sunday

Special Dates in September