A successful entrepreneur in the United States, Dr Patricia Smith wasn’t born with the proverbial golden spoon in her mouth. Abandoned by her parents at an early age, she credits the Revival church for providing her with a sense of community and support that allowed her to endure tough times and embark on a path toward success.

The 69-year-old is among Revivalists challenging long-held assumptions about the movement, arguing that the institution plays a valuable spiritual and community role, despite public skepticism.

She said her connection to the church began in childhood while she was a ward of the state in Spanish Town. She recalled that the church was not only a place of worship but also a lifeline.

“I grew up next to a Revival church that was very instrumental in my life,” she told Observer Online.

“When I was hungry I would look to that church which regularly had these thanksgiving tables and I would stay up until after midnight or there about, so that I could get food to eat because that was the source I had at that time, otherwise I wouldn’t have any food,” added Smith, who is the founder and CEO of Sweet P Home Care Inc, a nursing home facility in the United States.

Smith said the sense of community and support she received as a child has remained with her throughout adulthood. She credits the guidance of her pastor, Apostle Ray Anthony Foster, for helping her to navigate challenges even up to today.

“What he does is guide and direct me in whatever I am doing and I find that to be extremely helpful in my life because he can forecast what is going to happen, [for example] if I enter into this transaction or deal with certain persons,” said the former ward of the state who earlier this year donated $10 million to the Child Protection and Family Services Agency in Jamaica.

Smith believes the accuracy of those prophecies is what draws people to the church.

“His church has over 300 members because people find his prophecies to be true,” she added, noting that even non-members seek spiritual insight.

She said fasting is also a major part of the church’s practice, describing it as “a form of breakthrough for deliverance.”

Still, Smith acknowledges the misconceptions that surround Revivalism, especially from those unfamiliar with its rituals.

“It is viewed as some form of Obeah, some supernatural thing that they don’t understand. I myself don’t know everything that happens. I apply faith and, when I apply my faith, these things manifest but the ordinary persons are a little skeptical,” she said.

Meanwhile, Apostle Foster of the Sacred Heart Spiritual Church of Jesus Christ said skepticism often stems from misinformation about Revivalist practices.

He insisted that the denomination’s beliefs are biblically based. Touching on ancestral reverence, Foster explained that it is not worship but acknowledgement.

“We remember the people of old and remember their gifts and the work that they have done and we are piecing off of it now because they made a way for us so that we are able to live a better life and we can accept who we are as Revivalist,” he said.

Foster said Revivalism blends Christian traditions with elements of African heritage. He also clarified symbolic rituals such as the breaking of coconuts.

“It’s like a bath. When we are going through spiritual warfare we burst it just to get our spirit, body and soul involved in what we are doing,” he said, adding that water and salt are also used for cleansing.

He rejected claims that Revivalists “get into spirits,” stating that the practice is often misinterpreted.

“We just magnify the lord and feel good in it,” he said, explaining that spiritual possession is linked to Myal practices, which Revivalists do not engage in.

Foster said Revivalism is also frequently confused with Kumina, as both traditions include head ties and African-rooted expressions.

However, he said Kumina “utilises secular songs during worship” and engages in practices Revivalist Christians do not, such as the transfer of spirits.

“We believe in the holy spirit and you have to be baptised, call on the spirit of Jesus and so on,” he said.

Regarding the ongoing national debate around the Obeah Act, Foster said conflating Revivalism with Obeah further complicates public understanding.

“Alot of people confuse us Revivalists as Obeah workers… me can’t even light one candle in my church and I can’t burn no incense,” he said.

Distancing Revivalism from that practice, he argued that “Obeah is evil, it’s when you try to harm a person or get a person to do things without their free will”, adding that “people can conflate regular spiritual practices with Obeah.”