As the TMI-LTM journey gains traction around the North Caribbean Conference (NCC), innovation stimulates ministry and a free car wash for single mothers was the most recent fare served by Seventh-day Adventists on Tortola. On Sunday February 20, 2017, members from the East End, Belle Vue, Purcell and Maranatha congregations pooled their efforts and made an investment in the lives of 25 mothers as part of the Church’s effort to connect with the community and serve others.
The pastor of the district, Howard Simon, was enthusiastic about their involvement: “It was a chance to meet many members of the neighborhood and let them know they are cared for by the body of Christ. Our faith finds its most compelling expression in the everyday words and actions of Christians in their communities. It’s about total membership involvement.” Members were busy washing, cleaning and even preparing meals for what became an all-day event.
One organizer of the event, Jacob Adolphus, expressed satisfaction: “We are happy about what is happening. I think we should always have that ambition to lead people to Jesus, but unless people see that we care for them, even if they never decide to become Seventh-day Adventists, we will never be the caring church. Today we are demonstrating that we [care about] the single mothers in our society.”
Several of those served were heartened to know that the church wished to served them and shared their contact information, expressing an interest in future ministry efforts. One satisfied recipient, Miss Lettsome, shared: “We are usually among the ones who are left out and I am extremely [glad] that the church is thinking about us. It was an uplifting experience.”
This effort is one way in which members have been embracing the Total Membership Involvement–Lord Transform Me (TMI-LTM) quest, sponsored by the Inter American Division (IAD) of Seventh-day Adventists. Over the years, the SDA Church in the North Caribbean Conference, continues to find contemporary methods for impacting people and the environment.
The President of the North Caribbean Conference, Pastor Silton Browne, is celebrating the initiative of the members on Tortola: “We are united by a vision to let the world know about Jesus’ love in several ways. You must be a witness [by] serving those in need wherever you are, clinging to a close relationship with Jesus and doing as He did while connecting with those who are around you.”
The Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) community on Tortola, Virgin Gorda, and Anegada, in the British Virgin Islands, is an active body of believers which worships as 8 congregations and is engaged in neighborhood ministry coordinated by the North Caribbean Conference. This community operates the BVI SDA School which is an accredited institution with an inviting spiritual environment.