22. November 2011 by admin.

17 November, 2011   Port Antonio, Jamaica West Indies      PAPA’s Ministries Update           

 Three months have passed already since arriving here in Port Antonio.  That hardly seems possible.  To be truthful, we are still just settling in.               

Each of the four congregations that Merlin is serving is showing improvement and some growth.  That is exciting and challenging all rolled into one.  At Fruitful Vale and Hope Bay we have begun new Bible Studies.  Kay is helping out with Children’s Time and with a Discipleship / Evangelism Class later in the month.  In each, we are trying to step up worship and to provide quality music every Sunday.  That is not easy with no regular musicians to assist.  At Port Antonio we are in the initial stages of developing a Worship Committee that will meet regularly to flesh out the services and special programming.  We hope to do the same if on a different scale at the others.  We truly want the worship services to employ the creative and spiritual gifts of the people that they might have some ownership in it.  This won’t be easy either.               

We are reintroducing multimedia to worship in all four churches due to the fact that many of the people, especially the new comers do not have copies of the Prayer Book or the Hymnal.  If they do, many, due to poor vision can’t read the books.  It will be interesting to see how this develops.  One of the issues certainly has to do with the fact that everything is portable so it is not conveniently located in the worship space.  If we discover that it is truly making a positive impact on worship, we will try to figure out how to make it less portable.  Being more stationary also helps reduce set up time and take down as we move from congregation to congregation.              

While it is still a ways off, we are eagerly looking forward to the introduction of our new Hymnal.  It will be the first one published for the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas since the denomination’s official founding in 1967 as an autonomous entity.  The “current” hymnal was last published in 1933 by the British Methodist Church which they have long, long since abandoned. In fact, they just introduced their newest edition a few weeks ago.  The reason I bring this up is that there is an evident need to indigenize the Gospel here in Jamaica.  In the U.S. we are being asked to indigenize the Gospel, enabling us to reach new generations of people for Christ.  It is clear that those of us over thirty speak a very different language and live in a different culture than the young folks do.  Here in Jamaica, the work of indigenization is about moving from colonial / Western European / North American thought patterns, illustrations, hymnody, etc., in preference to thoughts and ideas that people here relate to on a daily basis.  It is the pattern that Jesus followed in his ministry.           

We are blessed to know that the Jamaican Bible Society and Wycliffe Bible Translators are working diligently on a Bible translated into Jamaican Creole (linguistic rules) and another into Patois, the common street slang of the people.  We understand that the Gospel of Luke has been completed but have not yet been able to get our hands on a copy.           

Our first Movie Nite took place at Fruitful Vale on a Friday Evening.  35 people attended as we showed “The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and the study of Joseph.  Our next Movie Nite will be at Hope Bay in December.           

The four congregations of Port Antonio, Hope Bay, Fruitful Vale and Bloomfield are in big trouble financially.  Subsequently, so is the Port Antonio Circuit.  The Jamaica District as a whole is also financially challenged as Jamaica struggles.  This, like at home, makes it difficult to not just develop new ministry opportunities but to sustain our structures including the Manse in which we live.            Something that I didn’t know until a couple of weeks ago is that the Sanctuaries are no longer covered by Property and Casualty Insurance by the District.  The District had carried insurance on these facilities until recently but as the Circuits did not adequately cover the expenses via their “Assessments” (we call them Apportionments or Ministry Shares) they were dropped in an effort to help the congregations be responsible.  That only works if you have money and many congregations just don’t have it.             

As we said before we came down, many congregations have sanctuary buildings that are in desperate need of repairs.  PAPA’s Teams have helped out with FruitfulVale and Bloomfield the last couple of years.  The Hope Bay building has some minor repairs that need to be made and well, the Port Antonio Church has some serious issues that must be addressed in the very near future including windows, roofing, structural cracks in the Vestry and to repair parts of the wooden structure that the termites have feasted upon.  Our manse, while it looks amazing with the hard work of Kay and her crew’s repainting, there are some structural problems that need attention fairly soon. These however must be done in accordance with the Historical Commission which regulates everything up here on the Titchfield Peninsula.             

Queen Street out front of us is being rebuilt thankfully as it has been a big challenge to move about here with vehicles.  However, the packer/roller’s vibrations have been a concern as it shakes the house as well as the marl on the road bed.  The “Chi Chi dust” (remnants of termite infestation) is being shaken out all over the house so we hope that the structure remains intact.             

As I write, I recall the words of Moses to the people Israel found in Deuteronomy 31, “Be strong and take courage.  Do not fear or be dismayed.  For the Lord, our God is with you and he will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Please continue to pray for our work here.  I am so excited and hopeful about what the future holds for the people we have the privilege of serving.  It won’t be easy but I know God has a great work ahead of us if we are faithful to walk in His will and trust Him. 

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1. October 2011 by admin.

We need your help!  Rev. Everald Galbraith, President of the Jamaica District has asked PAPA’s Ministries to recruit teams to help with the construction of the Kensington Manse (Parsonage) in the Manchioneal Circuit.  The previous manse has been razed, with construction of the new home to begin in October.  Kensington is a located high above the sea on about 25 acres of property.  We will need folks willing to be block tenders, lay blocks, etc., and work with the local contractor.  Teams will stay at the Port Antonio Manse.  Contact us for more information.

We are awaiting final approval by the Portland Parish Council to begin construction of the new 10,000 sq. ft. Multi-Purpose Conference Center across from our Manse here in Port Antonio.  Please stand by for additional information.

One of our students from the Fruitful Vale Methodist Church is attending school at Happy Grove School near the end of the island.  That means that he must board there and it costs about $9,000J or $100 US per month.  If you can help keep Odain in school that would be awesome.  Odain’s mother works in Ocho Rios to help support Odain and his siblings.  While Primary School education is “free”, books, uniforms, shoes, lunches, etc., continue to challenge families.  Students in Secondary School (High School - 7-12) have tuition fees as well as the registration fees.

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21. July 2011 by admin.

All systems are go for our return to Jamaica on August 2.  The Ministry of Labor has issued our Work Permit documents so we’re ready to go. 

We have been at our Indiana Farm since June 21 and it is time to get back to work.  It has been a busy time getting our “house in order” in preparation to move; storing our belongings, taking care of some farm chores, spending time with our girls and their families, visiting friends and continuing the work of raising support and awareness for PAPA’s.  This week we have been visiting ministry partners in Kentucky and getting parts for computers and our old Toyota gathered in.  Thank Goodness for the Internet and electronic banking.  Wow!

We are excited and thankful for the work that has been done on the Port Antonio Circuit in preparation for our arrival and for the housing of teams that will come to work along side us.  Water, electricity and toilet facilities have been improved.  The house has been freshly painted inside and it will be nice not to have to worry about those things. 

As soon as we hit the ground we will be at work.  Arriving on Tuesday, August 2, we have just a couple of days before our team from Michigan, Indiana and Arizona arrives.  They will come in on Saturday, August 6 to Montego Bay, we’ll stay over in Port Maria and then Sunday after church we’ll all arrive back at Port Antonio.  That team will be working in Fruitful Vale and Commodore.  We are blessed that this is a veteran team.  A Bible School Team from the Kendall UMC in Miami will also be on the ground working in Port Antonio.  It will be an exciting time.  We will be blessed to spend a couple of weeks after the teams leave to spend time with Rev. Buchanan, the outgoing pastor to learn as much as possible about the community and churches.  Of course, we will learn a lot from our own personal exploration as well.  We will need to make a few trips to Kingston for business and we hope to visit a few places of interest that we will later take teams to as they broaden their experience.  

On September 1st, Merlin’s new duties as Pastor to the four church Port Antonio Circuit begins.  On the 4th, there will be an official “Welcoming & Induction” service at the Port Antonio Church.   A team from the Chinese Christian Community in Miami will be in town working at the Church as well.  We think God is up to some really cool stuff.

We want to take another opportunity to thank you for your amazing support and trust of our ministry.  We are so grateful.

See you in Jamaica.

Merlin & Kay

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11. June 2011 by admin.

June 1-4 found Kay and I at the West Michigan Annual Conference at Calvin College in Grand Rapids.  It was good to see friends and to have the opportunity to share the ministry of PAPA’s Ministries.  This was an important conference for other reasons as well.    

   First of all, both of us are returning to Jamaica with official “appointments” from the West Michigan Conference of United Methodists where we hold our clergy membership.  The Clergy session voted to approve Kay and I to Extension Ministries (worthy ministries not in the West Michigan Connection).  I have been appointed  to serve the Jamaica District of the Methodist Church in the Caribbean and the Americas and Kay has officially been appointed to serve PAPA’s Ministries.  

   Secondly, we were able to have a table at the Mission Fair where we visited with many folks that are excited about ministry opportunities with us in Jamaica.

   Thirdly, and probably the coolest, Kay and I had the opportunity to meet both the General Secretary of the UM General Board of Global Ministries, Thomas Kemper, who introduced us to the entire conference on Saturday and Deputy Secretary of UMCOR (United Methodist Committee on Relief), Rev. Cynthia Fierro Harvey.   

   The Cherry Hill Parsonage is looking pretty messed up right now as we continue to pack boxes and prepare for the move to our Indiana farm where we will make final preparations to return to Jamaica on August 2.  We’ve taken several loads of our belongings to storage already so the truck that  arrives on the 20th should be able to take everything that is left to move.   We know that we will make a few trips up and down the road to Michigan during the five weeks as well as an opportunity to be with our friend Rev. Sebert Buchanan who will be in Cincinatti in early July. 

   We will arrive in Jamaica on August 2 and our first team arrives on August 6.  We have lots to do in a few days and when the team arrives we will be working in the Fruitful Vale communities for both the Methodists and the Wesleyan Holiness Basic School family.  Please pray for all of us as we seek to serve the Lord Jesus there.

Blessings and Peace.  Merlin 

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14. April 2011 by admin.

Hi Everybody who just might take a moment to read this.  As of April 13, the United Methodist Women of Denton: Faith UMC in Belleville and Canton: Cherry Hill UMC have chosen to partner with PAPA’s Ministries in support of the Bloomfield Methodist All Age School, Swift River, Portland Parish, Jamaica.  It is an exciting thing for the women to support missions that they know and will have personal contact with.  Merlin, as the Port Antonio Circuit Pastor, will be chairman of the School Board when his appointment begins in September. 

On another Community Development front, Merlin received a telephone call this week from a chap in Scotland, GB by the name of Lovat Clement.  Clement’s father served as pastor to the Manchioneal Circuit, just to the east of the Port Antonio Circuit, back in the 50’s.  The two men had a good conversation.    BeeMethodist and PAPA’s Ministries will be working on opportunities for interested and capable Jamaicans in the Portland and St. Thomas parishes to begin building Bee related businesses.   This project remains in the developmental stage but several individuals have already been selected to begin with this fall or winter.

Merlin can’t wait for some of that wonderful tropical flavored honey, enhanced with mango blossoms, Coconuts and wonderful flowers.    Yum!

Blessings and Peace

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15. March 2011 by admin.

PAPA’s Ministries has been approved as an Advance Project Global Mission Partner of the United Methodist General Board of Global Ministries.  This is an exciting opportunity for us as we seek to raise awareness and support for our work in Jamaica.  The Advance Budget goal for PAPA’s is $5,000 annually with which to do programming and to help with Mission Expenses such as  transportation costs, etc.    The Advance will be helping promote our project in every United Methodist Church across the globe.    Our Advance Project Number is 3021286

The Advance gives individuals and churches the oppportunity to promote and support our project through their own local churche offerings, on-line at advancinghope.org     Credit card gifts can be accepted by phone.  The telephone number is 888-252-6174    Donors can make checks payable to ADVANCE GCFA  memo PAPA’s Ministries 3021286 and send to  Advance GCFA
PO Box 9068, GPO
New York, NY 10087-9068

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9. March 2011 by admin.

Good Evening,
I am finally feeling that it is a good evening. There is nothing like doing accounting for taxes to send your mood to zero. Yesterday I just couldn’t get anything to come out right. Then I stopped by the file on Monthly supporters to add a new one and had a very bad shock to my system. There is was, in black and white! I had miss added the amounts given by monthly givers. Here I was, thinking “We are doing ok. Just another $500. a month and we will be able to leave as planned.” First I got mad at myself and then I cried, most of the night. I picked up my Bible and turned to Proverbs. Surely, I thought, that is the place for fools. Before long I found a passage that spoke to me - 13:12 “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.” Ok, God, I know you are watching. I’ll just get with it again. Taxes are done. Time to move on to Godly things. If you know any philanthropists out there, send them our way. If you don’t, why not become one yourself? Go to www.papasministries.org and look for the financial spot, click on it and get a Vanco sheet to fill out for God’s work. If you don’t do it right now you will forget! Since there are dozens of people out there who were going to do that by the first of the year and have not, I know they have just forgotten. We only have about 3 months left to get our pledges in so we can go with a happy heart. Please won’t you join the team? Little amounts when added together make all things possible. Be a partner with the workers for the kingdom in Jamaica.

God Bless You Mightily, Kay and Merlin

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2. February 2011 by admin.

Hi Friends, Kay and I have just returned from a nine day trip to Jamaica.  On the trip, we bought a rebuilt 1990 Toyota Land Cruiser which will help us get around on Jamaica’s challenging roadways.  We had set out believing that we would be making final arrangements for our new home in Port Maria (Annotto Bay Circuit) only to find out by the end of the Jamaica District’s Annual Conference that I would be serving the Port Antonio Circuit in the Portland Parish, some two hours East, beginning September 1st. 

We are excited to get to work there, both on the Manse (Parsonage) and in the Circuit.  The manse, was built more than 200 years ago by the British as a barracks and storage facility for gun power (The ground floor walls are hollow).  It has been hit by several hurricane as it is positioned on Queen Street at the top of the Titchfiled Penninsula.  The circuit has a friend from Ohio who has been making repairs over the last few years and we are thankful for what he has accomplished.  There are issues with water, security and now it needs to be decorated as a home / mission house.  Remnants of Fort George are about a block away.

The Circuit has four churches, churches that we have been preaching, teaching and rebuilding over the last 5 years.  They are Port Antonio, Hope Bay, Bloomfield and Fruitful Vale.  Bloomfield and Fruitful Vale are in the interior, up in the Blue Mountains.  There are tremendous needs and opportunities for ministry on the circuit including Leadership Development and Training, Community Development, Evangelism, Mission, etc.  Most exciting indeed.

I have posted several pictures of the Manse at the beginning of the Photo Album to give you an idea of what the Manse looks like.  We currently can hold 16 or so folks on teams with the possibility of 24 when we get things up and running. 

There are a few developments with the mission including a PAPA’s Ministries Fund Raiser on April 17, 5-7PM at Faith United Methodist Church, 6020 Denton Rd., Belleville, MI 48111.  It will include a dinner and an auction.  PAPA’s Board Member, Pat Grainger is heading that up.   

Our April Mission Team has been cancelled due to the huge expense of airline tickets.  We felt it was wrong to spend money on a seat instead of meeting needs.   The team will be going in August instead and we will be returning to Fruitful Vale to finish the work begun in June 2010 and to build an office for the Wesleyan Holiness Church’s Basic School in Commodore just a short distance from the Wesleyan Church.

Stay tuned for new information

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13. January 2011 by admin.

The Annual Congress on Evangelism, sponsored by the UM Foundation on Evangelism was great as usual.  This year’s Denman Lecturer was Dr. George Hunter, author of 10 books including Radical Outreach which is one of my fav’s. 

We are eager to put some of the skill and knowledge to work here at home and once we get back to Jamaica.  We had the opportunity to meet many new contacts and to reaffirm our future partnerships with leaders across the U.S.  Workshop Leaders, Musicians and Evangelists will be joining us over the next couple of years.

The Jamaica District Annual Conference will be held in Kingston from January 21-28.  Please pray for the Conference.  We’ll be posting news from Jamaica along the way.  Blessings.  mhp

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15. November 2010 by admin.

Hi Friends, Our 1st Annual Advisory Board Meeting took place at the Cherry Hill UMC in October with a dozen folks in from Indiana and Michigan.  It was a great time with some of this December’s team present and eager to hear how things were going with the long term planning. 

The December Team is ready to go.  Kay and one of our ministry partners, Cindy Norris are heading down a few days early to make final preparations: Vehicles, last minute communications with folks one the ground and hopefully making a final decision regarding a Mission House.  This team from Pilgrim UMC will be staying at “Strawberry Fields Together” at a place called Robbins Bay.  From this idealic setting where the team can spend time in prayer and contemplation, they will be working with Children in a couple of schools, Pringle Home for Children at Caron Hall and an afternoon Bible School gathering at the Annotto Bay Methodist Church.

We are praying about the correct Mission House.  We have been offered two; owned by women from the Annotto Bay Circuit. 

In January, PAPA’s will be having a presence at the Congress on Evangelism in Myrtle Beach.  We will have a Vendor’s Table with the opportunity to have a thousand or so people pass by our table.  Please pray for Kay and I, that we might be positive representatives of the Mission and make many positive contacts for support and ministry partners that will help us help the Jamaica Church.

The Jamaica District Annual Conference will be held in Kingston January 21-28.  We will be flying down on the 19th to spend time with the leadership and make preparations for our April team.

PAPA’s is looking for ideas to help get the word out.  If you have some ideas, let me know. 

We are still waiting for affirmation from the Bishop’s office regarding the “official” appointment process.  We hope that can happen fairly soon so as to begin concentrating on getting the paperwork on the Jamaica end cared for (Visas, etc.)

Stand by for more news as it comes in.  Blessings and Peace.  mhp 

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