Yvonne Cato
LIVING IN Kingston, both my parents got caught up in fending for the family and so church was not included in our weekly schedule. However, school did its part since I was living in a Christian country (Jamaica). In my time, outdoor Sunday
School was held in our tenement yard, followed up with attending Vacation Bible School at Webster Memorial United Church. This provided the opportunity for us to learn Bible verses and stories.
Also, we would frequently go to ‘country’ that is, rural Jamaica, Springfield, Welcome Hall in St James where my mother hails from, to spend summer holidays, and at one point lived there for a short while. There in the ‘country’, I attended the Springfield Baptist Church and Barry Road Class House with my step grandmother where I participated in Sunday School, youth fellowship, prayer meeting, and night service.
Some years later, my immediate family migrated from Kingston to the Exchange community in St Ann where my father hails from. I met my grandmother then and there. She was instrumental in recruiting us to accompany her to church, which is the Exchange Baptist Church. According to God’s design, the church family became a place of rescue in dealing with challenges and struggles that we went through individually and as a family.The church was the only‘ go-to place’apart from school, to deal with stress. This church helped to shape my life of service from early teenage into adulthood.
I was tempted at one point to leave the community when I went to study in Kingston, my birthplace. However, it was my commitment to church and family that kept me grounded. Another occasion was when I was faced with a serious challenge within the church family, however there was no place I would rather be after making several attempts. I have come to realise that your family is comprised of good, bad and indifferent personalities and there’s no escaping them, as there is a bond which is not of man but of God’s Holy Spirit. Not my will but God’s will be done. I also realised that the church is home and there is no place like home.
I have the opportunity and blessing to be part of the journey of the Exchange Baptist Church ministry in the community, and it has helped me to become who I am today. Brethren, the journey continues because God is faithful.