Pastor Norman Grant speaks animatedly with The Gleaner.Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter
He is in the newspapers, on television and radio, and his voice is often heard in public discourse on farming. But Senator Norman Grant is more than an agricultural spokesman. As a clergyman, he is also a cultivator of souls.
Corporate Jamaica knows him to be the CEO of the Mavis Bank Coffee Factory. But he also proudly wears the hat of assistant pastor of the Tower Hill Pilgrim's Church of God, in Mavis Bank.
It was hard for him to escape the strong pull of the church. Born and raised in Mavis Bank in East Rural St. Andrew, he lived beside the Mavis Bank Pilgrim's Church of God.
A chartered accountant and the holder of a Masters in Business Administration (MBA), Pastor Grant acknowledged that most of the leadership skills he displays were forged in the crucible of church life. He anticipates, however, that the day will soon come when he will be able to equip himself with formal theological training.
born-again Christian
At 14, he became a born-again Christian. At 16, he was baptised in the Yallahs River and shortly thereafter he became an officer of his church and youth president. He has since been a Sunday school teacher and Sunday school superintendent. At the denominational level, he sits on the governing board and holds the office of national youth director. The Pilgrim's Church of God has altogether 10 churches. These are located in Kingston, St, Catherine, St. Andrew and Portland. Since 2003, his denomination has also assigned him to give oversight to a fledgling church located on Whitehall Avenue in St. Andrew.
As a teenager, he displayed a passion for evangelism. He would regularly preach on buses as he commuted to and from Mavis Bank and Jamaica College where he was a student. He explained, "I have never been coward of proclaiming my Christian beliefs and my Christian background." On arrival at Jamaica College as a 15-year-old, he quickly identified himself with the Inter-Schools Christian Fellowship (ISCF) movement there. On many days, he used the break time to reason with his peers on matters of faith.
After Jamaica College, his evangelistic activities took him all over the island and overseas where he conducted crusades. His most recent crusade took place earlier this year in Newark, New Jersey.
from evangelist to minister
In 1993, his denomination promoted him from the office of evangelist to that of minister and he was commissioned to serve as assistant pastor at the nearby Tower Hill Pilgrim's Church which is also located in East Rural St. Andrew. There he works with senior pastor, Eloria Morris, who is old enough to be his mom. "We form a very good team ... I do work well with older people," Pastor Grant said.
When he arrived at Tower Hill Pilgrim's Church of God, the building was in a rundown state and the membership stood at about 12. By working alongside Senior Pastor Morris, they managed to create a more spacious and upscale sanctuary building which now seats 120. Meantime, membership has grown to 50. The congregation at present is almost evenly split between older and younger folk. A major challenge, he said, has been to inspire the congregation, many of whom are struggling economically. Inter-family conflicts, he said, is a recurrent problem that finds its way to his counselling sessions. But notwithstanding the demands
of pastoral care, the clergyman enjoys his ministry.
Pastor Grant, 41, sings the praises of his wife, Millicent, who heads the women's fellowship in his church and who more than complements him in ministry. They have three offspring, Phillip, 17; Janeen, 16, and Kimona, 15 all of whom play active roles in the church.
"Christianity to me is not just about going to Heaven. That's certainly the climax of it. But it really prepares you as to how to live now ... What drives me is not so much 'How can I be a better person.' That also is critical. But it is really 'How can I help to make somebody's life better?' And, that is certainly what drives me in the company I run, in being president of the Jamaica Agricultural Society, in being head of the 4-H Movement in Jamaica, and also as chairman of the Caribbean 4-H Club, and chairman of the Caribbean Farmers' Association. So it is that spiritual connection that has driven me over the years."
Up until he became a Government Senator in 2001, Pastor Grant was not involved in partisan politics. He is defensive of Christians engaging in the politics as such was the lot of biblical figures such as Daniel, David and Joseph (of the book of Genesis). "Sometimes you can't create change if you do not have a direct influence in the process of change," he said. Citing heroes such as Baptist deacon Paul Bogle of the 1865 Morant Bay Uprising fame and U.S. civil rights leader the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Pastor Grant stressed that these figures were able to influence meaningful change because they were people of strong Christian convictions who dared to be political. "Evil prevails when good men keep quiet," he stressed.
Pastor Grant does not envisage himself serving at any church indefinitely. Rather he wants to be known as a church-planter. He wants to play a pioneering role in birthing churches and helping young congregations establish systems that will enable them to function well without his direct pastoral supervision.
Right now he is working to ensure that the church he co-pastors will have within five years a strong skills-training institution, and a school. He thinks this is highly feasible, especially since the congregation has acquired lands to make it happen.
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