MANDEVILLE, Manchester – Former journalist Mark Dawes is now the new pastor of the Emmanuel Missionary Church here.

He was recently officially installed and is leading an approximately 200-member-strong congregation.

Dawes reportedly had a “call on his life” from the age of 16 to pursue theological education.

True to his aspiration, he did some early studies at the Jamaica Theological Seminary, however, upon entering the world of work, he went into journalism and spent 18 years at The Gleaner Company covering areas which included general news, religion and education. He was the religious editor at the Gleaner for a while during which time he pioneered a feature called ‘Mind & Spirit’.

A Calabar old boy, Dawes also did accounting at one point during his professional life.

In his profile provided at the installation service, Dawes indicated that the church was a guiding force throughout his life, starting from a tender age.

As a member of the Grace Missionary Church in St Andrew he took on roles as a “regular pulpiteer”, president of the Men’s Fellowship group, director of Christian education and chairman of the church board.

His service extended to being a part of the Missionary Church Association in Jamaica, serving the denomination on its media commission and as national president of the Men’s Fellowship.

Having become a “credentialed” minister in 2010, he did a five-year stint as associate pastor at the Tower Hill Missionary Church in Kingston.

President of the Missionary Church Association in Jamaica, Reverend Donald Webley, told the service of installation and ordination that Dawes was called to ministry at a time when many people are losing confidence in the church.

“Pastor Mark, as you are aware, has had a long history in journalism. He would have had the opportunity to reflect upon the nature of the church, the nature of the ministry of the church in this country of ours… There are some aspects of Christian ministry that have not really lived up to God’s expectation. We are fully aware that the community, the nation is looking to the church to provide leadership, guidance for our young people and for the nation on a whole,” he said.

Webley urged the new minister to be patient amidst challenges.

“Authentic Christian ministry is to serve others as Christ served. Those that nobody is willing to touch, those who we have put outside of city hall, those who cannot get (that) invitation to our luncheons, those also who are rich but who are in need of something more,” he said.

“Emmanuel’s best days are not behind Emmanuel, Emmanuel’s best days are in front of Emmanuel,” Dawes assured his congregation.

Dawes has succeeded Reverend David Roomes as head of the congregation at Emmanuel Missionary.

— Alicia Sutherland