A slave's legacy

Mamby Park Church helping people realise potential

BY NADINE WILSON Sunday Observer staff reporter wilsonn@jamaicaobserver.com

Sunday, March 14, 2010

FOR more than a century, the Mamby Park Church in Kingston has helped people to mould for themselves bright futures, through education and spiritual guidance.

The church was built 150 years ago on a plot of land given to a slave named Mamby by his master. The donation came after Mamby persuaded some British engineers to explore sourcing water through the Ram's Horn gorge in order to combat the long drought affecting St Andrew at the time.

In addition to the plot of land, Mamby was also offered his freedom, but refused it to stay with his master. Instead, the slave asked that his son be freed to go to England and study as a Baptist minister. It was his son who started the Baptist church upon his return to Jamaica.

Since that time, the church has developed the reputation as an institution that looks out for the needs of the poor. And in the last two decades, it has developed a number of social programmes to meet the growing needs of the less fortunate in nearby communities, such as Cassava Piece and Stony Hill.

"The ministry of the church is not static, but dynamic, because we are always looking at what is taking place," said the pastor, Reverend Sydney Hall.

One of the church's latest projects is a practical nursing training programme started in 2000. Through the programme, young males and females are able to secure training for work in the health sector, both here and abroad. At least 80 nurses have graduated from the programme so far and have got jobs.

"You have persons now working at the Ministry of Health, persons working at the Bustamante Children Hospital, at the Bellevue Hospital and overseas," noted Hall.

The programme, taught by trained nurses, came about when the church realised the high level of unemployment in the communities it serve.

"We really believe in the saying 'if you give a person a fish, he will eat for a day, but if you teach a person to fish, they will have food for life'," said Hall, adding that a number of the graduates have since been converted and are now serving in churches across the island.

The church also has a counselling programme that gives community members the chance to speak to one of two professional counsellors each Thursday.

"The counselling is a holistic ministry, so it is not only for people having problems. We have a lot of that, but it is also for the family, whether it relates to legal matters or health," Hall told the Sunday Observer.

He explained that they partner with other churches to help with the filling of prescriptions so that people can lead a healthier life. There is also the annual health fair that educates people about health matters and helps those who suffer from chronic illnesses.

But health is not the only priority for the church. A lot more emphasis is placed on educating the community and so a number of projects have been implemented towards this end. The church, in collaboration with the Lions Club of St Andrew, started Mamby Park Basic School in 1999 to help meet the need for early childhood education institutions in the country.

In addition, countless secondary school students are able to benefit from its educational assistance programme, which provides lunch money and bus fare to youths every week, and foots the cost of books and uniforms.

"This has always been a part of the ministry of the church because we realise the need," said Hall, noting that beneficiaries receive no less than $3,500 each week.

A grant is also given to students who are successful in their Grade Six Achievement Test exams through the Mamby Park Baptist Church Joseph Edwards Education Fund, which was launched in 2006. The fund was started by the wife of Joseph Edwards who was a pastor at the church. Since its inception, a total of 23 students have benefited from this grant.

While offering the social programmes can be costly, Hall said the members of the church have been very generous with their time and money, even during the recession.

"Our primary focus is to deal with the spiritual. But as you study the life of Jesus, we see whereby he was able to touch the lives of other," he said.

Mamby Park cap:

Mamby Park Baptist Church started because of the ingenuity of a slave named Mamby. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)

Church cap:

The Mamby Park Baptist Church does not only serve the spiritual needs of its members but also contributes to their social and economic well-being. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)

Basic School cap:

The Mamby Park Basic School has helped with educating children, such as those seen here, over the years. (Photo: Bryan Cummings)

Anniversary 1 cap:

The Mamby Park Baptist Church has been doing good in the community for 150 years.

Manse cap:

The Mamby Park Baptist Church kick started it's 150th anniversary celebration in June 2009 with the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of the church's manse.

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