Be deliberate when ministering to the poor, says pastor

While thousands recognised the birth of Jesus Christ on December 25 with various forms of celebration, director of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA-Jamaica), Pastor Wenford Henry, called for the Adventist membership and the nation to remember the poor in a deliberate way.

"When you plan your budget as a church, individually or otherwise, we must not forget the poor," said Henry.

"The poor must not be an afterthought or if any jingling is left in our pockets. No, we must plan deliberately to minister to the poor. We must find time and make time to go into the community and look after the poor."

Good samaritan inn

Henry was speaking at the 'Good Samaritan Inn Day' held at the Washington Gardens Seventh-day Adventist Church in Kingston.

The Good Samaritan Inn, located in the former Stanley Motta Building at Geffrard Place, National Heroes Circle, currently feeds more than 600 people on a weekly basis. It also provides bath and laundry facilities daily for street people and those 'in-need' in the surrounding communities of the National Heroes Park.

In highlighting the role of the various humanitarian programmes of the Adventist Church, including ADRA-Jamaica, Henry said: "We all collaborate to share the love of Jesus to persons in need without regard of their religion, political persuasion or ethnicity. We are not concerned with that."

The inn, which celebrated its third anniversary on December 23, is also known to provide shoes and clothing to hundreds, along with a regular back-to-school treat for children. In addition to the street people, students who cannot afford lunch from several basic and primary schools in the vicinity of the inn are fed every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The inn accesses contributions from corporate and individual donors, including the Adventist Lay-persons Service and Industries.

Earlier in the service, project manager of the inn, Vermont Murray, in highlighting the work over the past three years, used the opportunity to thank those individuals and companies which have partnered with them.

"I invite others to come on board and assist us financially in this humanitarian effort," Murray said.