New Jesus Christ Centre to empower Lucea residents
The Sts Philip and James Roman Catholic Church in Lucea, Hanover, now has space to effectively deliver its community outreach activities.
The construction and handover of The Jesus Christ Centre, a multipurpose facility on the grounds of the church, was made possible through the generosity of Food For The Poor overseas donors.
The new building has an open communal space, kitchen and bathroom facilities to benefit more residents in need from the community.
The initiative was undertaken by Food For The Poor in response to the church’s lack of adequate space to effectively deliver its outreach activities.
Catherine Goodall, director of project development at Food For The Poor Jamaica, said the initiative will foster improvement in the literacy and numeracy rate of the children within the community through homework and remedial programmes.
THANKING DONORS
Sandra Caskey, senior field representative at Food For The Poor Inc, expressed sincere thanks to the donors, represented by Peter Anninos, at the handover ceremony.
“I want to thank Peter Anninos, our donor. When I told him about this church, its mission, and involvement in the community in leading people to Christ, he answered the call ,” Caskey said.
“His family has been blessed, but most importantly, he believes in the mission and he knows how important it is for all of us to just have the right tools. We could not have provided this gift to the people of Lucea without Peter,” she added.
Anninos, who was elated to have played a role in the development of the Lucea community, urged residents to make the most of the facility.
In expressing gratitude for the gift, Reverend Carl F. Clarke, church pastor, said he looks forward to utilising the space to teach children the remedial programmes and to assist them with their homework.
Sandra Grant, who is a volunteer with the Street Ministry at the church, said the new establishment will not only allow more students to partake in the remedial programmes, but will give the church the opportunity to do much more to help people in need.