NCU’s Community
Services Department – Bringing Healing to the Mandeville
Community.
Lives are
constantly being touched with the healing virtues of Jesus through
the Northern Caribbean University Church’s (NCU) Community Services
Department. For the church year, August 2003 – September 2004, the
department has reported a total of over two hundred persons,
inclusive of adults and children, helped. The help was given in the
form of food distribution, clothing given out, disaster relief,
cash, literature distribution and counseling.
The department,
in liaison with the university’s Campus Ministries department, has
distributed food to more than 120 persons. Persons to whom food was
given included shut-ins, retirees and persons not able to work.
These persons are from the community and the NCU family. In addition
the department has given out over 200 pieces of clothing and over
$90,000 cash. The department also donated a total of 21 educational
books and 15 compact discs to the West Indies College Preparatory
School. This donation came courtesy of a former lecturer of the
University, Dr. Marco Carillo, and his family. He also donated to
the department a four-piece living room suite, a five-piece dining
room table and pieces of children’s clothing. Another donation came
in the form of literature. Over 300 pieces of literature were
distributed. They included old Sabbath school quarterlies and
magazines entitled “Signs of the Time” and “Adventist Review”.
The department
has offered help to over 50 persons under their disaster relief
programme. They did a survey of areas such as Newport, Albion,
Wales, and Knock Patrick in Manchester. An assessment of the damage
in these areas was done. Persons who were affected were counseled
and told to report to the Adventist Disaster Relief Agency (ADRA).
During their survey and assessment, the department saw where the
VIVS home for the Aged in Newport was significantly damaged. They
along with the Campus Ministries department collaborated and a
thorough cleaning of the home was done.
The department
has also added to its portfolio, a pledge to extend monetary
services to the Curphy Home, four times per year. Curphy Home
houses Jamaica’s very own ex-service men from World Wars I and II.
The financial assistance was also extended to the four persons
residing at the Hillcrest Home for the Elderly and the 25 persons
jailed at the Cross Keys Police lock-up which has now been relocated
to St. Mary. The monies given so far, were in all $90,000.
Speaking to NCU’s
Public Relations Department, the Director of Community Services, Mr.
Jeremiah Baughton, said that he is pleased with the help he has been
getting with the department. He said that the active team of persons
in the department consists of faculty staff and students. He said
there were a number of upcoming plans “We are looking at identifying
other homes for the elderly, establishing a street people feeding
program where we will try to take a hot meal to these people at
least twice per month. We are also going to resume our service to
the children’s ward at the Mandeville Public Hospital which we
adopted in 1997”.
In addition to
their future plans Mr. Baughton says that the department is planning
a trip to see the prisoners whom they have grown to love and who
have been relocated to St. Mary. These prisoners he said have
benefited immensely from the services of the department. He said
that when the prison ministry team first visited the prisoners,
there was a sense of darkness and hopelessness among the prisoners.
Now he said that they are now bright and full of love.
Mr. Baughton went
on to laude Dave Walker, a recent graduate of the university, for
what he described as ‘sterling’ service. “God sent him to us” he
said, “at the right time”. In addition Mr. Baughton lauds the
efforts of Alrey Stewart, Michael Bryan, Charles Evans, Vinton
Nelson, Angella Martell, ADRA and other donors. “These persons”, he
said, “showed their support via cash, kind, prayers and
participation in our activities”
Mr. Baughton says
that lives are being touched each day with the healing virtues of
Jesus. “Let us continue,” he says, “ to support each other as
individuals and as a church family as we follow the example of our
Savior in going about doing good to our neighbors. Matthew 25:31-46
will always be relevant until our Lord returns ”
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