ST Luke’s Anglican Church in Cross Roads, St Andrew will again stage a concert to benefit charities and continue its outreach work in poor communities.

The event, set for Sunday April 26 and titled Reggae Jazz & Blues Go Gospel Act II, will feature prominent artistes, among them Myrna Hague, who will be backed by veteran Marjorie Whylie; George Nooks, Boris Gardiner, Mary Isaacs and Maurice Gordon.

Nexus Band, Pon Fyah Band, among others, will also be part of the line-up.

Start time is 5:00 pm at the church grounds, 89 Slipe Road.

Solid outreach programmes are common for St Luke’s, whose rector, Fr Patrick Cunningham, has been at the spearhead of efforts to ease the burden on members of communities who often

face considerable economic pressure.

This year the main beneficiary of proceeds from the concert will be the St Simon’s Basic School, situated on Penn Street

in Jones Town, St Andrew Southern.

The school accommodates approximately 150 pupils, many of whom struggle to find the basic items needed for a sound education.

St Luke’s Church renders consistent assistance to the school, as there is a sponsoring committee comprising members of the church, which assist with the administration of the school and its fund-raising efforts.

St Luke’s Church even has a special collection taken for the school on the first Sunday of each month at its 7:30 am service.

The church also runs a Sunday School, which caters to pupils from St Simon’s.

Among the outreach programmes is a senior citizens’ home located at 21 Brentford Road, which is close to the church. It comprises 12 studio apartments at a low cost to the residents, who are sponsored in the main.

Other sponsors contribute to the home, which is also supplemented by donations.

The church has a successful Wednesday morning breakfast programme, which follows the Holy Communion Service. Breakfast is served in the church hall to elderly and needy people in the Cross Roads area and its environs.

Beneficiaries are given hot meals, tips on hygiene and spiritual guidance in shaping their lives along Christian lines.

Equally popular is the church’s soup project — an extension of the breakfast programme, with similar objectives. Under the programme, soup is served in the church hall starting around noon on alternate Fridays, to members of the wider Cross Roads, Allman Town and Jones Town communities, including the homeless and less fortunate, are fed.

At Christmas time, beneficiaries receive hot lunches, packages of grocery items, personal care products, and cash grants.

Sponsors of the April 26 concert include Albra, COK Sodality Cooperative Credit Union, Power 106 FM, Victoria Mutual Building Society, Jamaica National Building Society, and Lasco Foods.