PRESBYTERIAN Moderator the Rev Dr Roy Patton begins a visit to Jamaica today as a guest of the United Church in Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

During his week-long visit, Dr Patton will undertake various preaching and speaking engagements as well as meeting Church leaders from various denominations in the area.

On Wednesday next, Dr Patton will attend the annual synod of the United Church in Jamaica and Grand Cayman and will be the main speaker at the opening service which is themed as a celebration of life and witness.

The Presbyterian Church, up until the 1990s, would have had an active involvement in Jamaica with various people from Ireland being involved in teaching, health care and ministry. However, currently the Church has no overseas personnel working in Jamaica though still remains in partnership with the United Church in Jamaica and Grand Cayman (UCJCI).

UCJCI was formed in 1992 through a union of Presbyterian, Congregational and Disciples of Christ.

Today, it has more than 200 congregations and around 20,000 members in five area councils.

An important aspect of UCJCI’s ministry is its social outreach programme ministering to a country that faces difficult times with on-going violence, child abuse, drug addiction, prostitution and inner city deprivation. The need to care for older people, the disabled and the poor requires scarce resources to be used with integrity and compassion.

A vital aspect of this ministry is the homes UCJCI runs for particularly disadvantaged sections of the community. These include Mount Olivet Boys’ Home and Pringle Home for Girls which face many challenges as they attempt to provide an oasis of care for neglected and traumatised children.

Dr Patton is particularly looking forward to renewing a friendship with the general secretary of the United Church, the Rev Norbert Stephens, who he welcomed to the Presbyterian General Assembly in Belfast last June.

“It was a great delight that Mr Stephens attended our Assembly last year and I consider it a great honour that his Church is returning the compliment by inviting me to address their Synod,” said Dr Patton.

“We have historic links with the church in Jamaica and part of my visit will be to celebrate our involvement in shared ministry over the years. However, we have much to learn from them and the process of restructuring they have successfully completed as we in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland work through a similar process,” he said.

For more on this story go to:

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/community/churches/irish-church-links-with-grand-cayman-1-4997978