M A G A Z I N E

BOULEVARD BAPTIST CHURCH | AUGUST 2013 EDITION | ISSUE NO. 10

Joining CARICOM in promoting healthy lifestyles To de worl

Youth Week

Tattooing
Are All Sins Equal?

Lowering Gas Costs

Mission Statement: To develop our spiritual lives, evangelize the wider community and influence the world through Christ by organized preaching, public and private worship, Christian education and fellowship, while co-operating with other Christian bodies.
Boulevard Baptist Church

Boulevard Baptist Church 2 Washington Boulevard, Kingston 20 Tel.: 905-2422, 905-0118 or 832-1522 Email: boulevard.baptist@yahoo.com Pastor: Rev. Dr. Devon Dick Opportunities For Worship Sundays at 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday School: 8:00 a.m. 8:50 a.m. Prayer & Bible Study: Wednesdays at 9:30 a.m. 1st and 3rd Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. Prayer and Fasting: 1st Saturdays, 7:00 a.m. Editor-in-Chief: Sophia Williams Editors: Dorrett R Campbell and Hyacinth Brown Other Team Members: Carla Wilson-Redden, Francine Dallas, Simone Hull-Lloyd, Verna Edwards, Ricardo Holness, Claudette Reid, Duvaughn Dick, Petrona Faulknor and Lorna Fraser.

 The only source of knowledge is experience.

Albert Einstein

W E A LT H
www.weareproven.com
Head Office: 26 Belmont Road, Kingston 5, Tel: 876.908.3800-2 Mandeville Branch: 5-7 Ward Avenue, Tel: 876.625.0845-6 Montego Bay Branch: Unit 11, Suite B, Fairview II Shopping Centre, Bogue, Montego Bay, Tel: 876.908.3800-2 info@weareproven.com

Joining CARICOM in promoting healthy lifestyles to de worl

~ Dorrett R Campbell

My first week at the Guyana-based Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat was an eye-opener. I arrived on 8 January 2007 to find the Community still reeling from the shock of Sir George Alleynes1 bombshell follow-up report that chronic Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) was the most dangerous threat to the Caribbeans social and economic development. Twas the first time I heard the term NCDs and at the time I thought it was a bank. It wasnt. Non-Communicable Diseases are killer diseases such as cardiovascular disease (hypertension, coronary artery disease, and stroke), diabetes and cancer. They are the leading causes of death in the Caribbean and account for nearly 70% of deaths globally. They affect both young and old. The risk factors for this cluster of diseases are obesity, hypertension, high blood pressure, alcohol and tobacco use. All these diseases can be prevented or controlled if we just change our lifestyle. I was drafted on the team, which organised the historic Heads of Government Summit on chronic NCDs to devise strategies for their prevention and control. With the help of the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), we pulled it off on 15 September 2007, in Trinidad and Tobago. The major outcome was the 15-point Port-of-Spain Declaration, Uniting to Stop Chronic NonCommunicable Diseases. Since then, I have worked with CARICOM and PAHO in promoting healthy lifestyles in the Caribbean. Our campaign targeted the four by four of NCDs: Four major diseases - cardio-vascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disease - caused by four major risk factors: exposure to tobacco

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use, unhealthy diets, lack of exercise, and abuse of alcohol. We partnered with Civil Society and others to distil the Declaration into a strategic plan of action with measurable targets. In 2011, we took the campaign to the world; lobbied for and secured a United Nations High Level Meeting on chronic NCDs, which took place on September 19-20 during the 66th sitting of the UN General Assembly in New York. Jamaica was instrumental in drafting the Political Declaration emanating from that Assembly, and I was there to record the historic moments. One of our major campaign platforms is the observance of the second Saturday in September as Caribbean Wellness Day (CWD) under the brand, Love That Body. Our simple message is: avoid too much salt and fried food, exercise at least 30 minutes daily, check and control blood pressure, avoid tobacco and alcohol. After six years, I ended my tour of duty with CARICOM, but not my fight against NCDs. This year, 14 September, the Community observes its sixth Caribbean Wellness Day. As a steward of the temple of the Holy Spirit, I implore my Church to join the wellness revolution and take the mantle of leadership in promoting healthy lifestyles. Love that Body; tis the temple of the Holy Spirit.

Sir George Alleyne was then UN Special Envoy on HIV and AIDS in the Caribbean and led the CARICOM Commission on Health and Development, which produced its seminal report in 2005.

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Boulevard Baptist Church

Outreach Programmes at Boulevard Baptist

The Boulevard Baptist Church in winning souls and providing spiritual enrichment also reaches out to the social and physical needs of the community. These outreach initiatives include adult education and skills training, the Care Basket and dental and health services. The Church partners with the Human Employment and Resource Training Trust - National Training Agency (HEART Trust/NTA) to offer a one year course in Commercial Food Preparation, Levels I and II, and Business Essentials and Information Technology. Boulevard Baptist also partners with the Ministry of Education through the Jamaica Foundation for Life Long Learning (JFLL) to offer basic literacy and numeracy as well as subjects in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC). Classes are held during the academic year, Monday to Thursday at 5 p.m. The classes are taught by paid staff as well as volunteer teachers who are members of the church. For the academic year 2012/13, there has been positive improvement in the performance of the students. The introduction of extracurricular activities such as drama, craftwork, group discussions and handcraft has enhanced the learning experience and self-confidence of the students. This year, 20 students sat the JFLL Student Assessment Exam. THE CARE BASKET provides basic food items monthly to over 70 persons who are experiencing physical and social challenges. Many of these are not members of the church. Some beneficiaries receive assistance with their prescriptions. THE DENTAL CLINIC operates Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. by appointments only and is staffed by a volunteer dentist, dental nurse and clerical assistant. Services are offered at a minimal cost to all persons who need dental cleaning ($1800-$2700), extraction ($2000) and filling ($2000-2800). Persons who need this service may call the Church Office at 876-905-2422 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. THE HEALTH AND WELLNESS CLINIC operates on a quarterly basis, and serves the Church and surrounding communities. Blood pressure checks, sugar tests and health presentations are done.

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Boulevard Baptist Church

Youth Week
Youth week celebration at Boulevard Baptist started with a worship service on Sunday July 21, 2013. The Speaker, Rev. Mario Samuels, reminded the congregation that only God is able to fix our problems. Referencing 1st Corinthians 6: 18-20 and Colossians 3:1-17, he implored young people to seek Gods will for their lives, as He has made them for a particular purpose. He urged the young people to put away earthly desires, sexual immorality and to know that their bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, Youth Concert The Youth continued their celebrations with a concert in the evening. This event turned out to be very entertaining, as the Youth showcased their talents in singing, dancing and drama. We were very much delighted with performances in dance from Geossica Madden, Rochelle Phillips and Company; the childrens choir, and an engaging drama presentation from the Youth Group. The evenings presentation culminated with another inspiring message from Rev. Mario Samuels. Bible Focus Vivette Rhone during her Bible study presentation on July 24 focused on Colossians 2 and 3. She exhorted the Youth to make God a priority in their lives, indicating that we tend to lose our focus on Him and concentrate more on school and career. The text affirmed and offered reassurance that He is the key that opens all the hidden treasures of Gods wisdom and knowledge. Understanding Our Identity In a special charge to the Youth on Thursday, July 25, Rev. Errol Bolt, Pastor of the Kencot Christian Fellowship, , expressed that until we understand what identity is, we would never be free of our chains. Rev. Bolt affirmed that Christ is the source of our identity. The old identity was one of sin; now we are a new creation in Christ. We go to the Bible to know the new person and character in Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit lives in us, so we should live out who we are in Christ (Ephesians 1:11). Bonfire Sharing And Reflection It was an evening of sharing and reflecting as the youth, children, young adults and older adults gathered around a bonfire in close and warm fellowship. They dared the intense heat, taking quick aims at the fire, roasting sausages and marshmallows, delighted in the moment. Rev. Mario Samuels shared the Word, reflecting on 2 Samuel 11. It was a timely reminder to everyone to remain focused in whatever we did, He urged the gathering not to get distracted or delegate our assigned duties but to engage our minds constructively.

July 21 to July 27

Theme: Breaking chains Finding your identity in Christ

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What has been our greatest achievement as a nation since Independence?

The transfer of political power by having peaceful elections in contrast with former elections.
~Haughton Grant (Retiree)

Greater access to tertiary education for more Jamaicans.

~Jen Townsend (HR Manager)

Our democratic system of government and elections, which notwithstanding the many challenges we have faced as a country, has seen us changing governments more than twelve times, and this has been achieved through the ballot and not the gun.with former elections. ~ Hugh Reid (Business Executive)

We have achieved much in health care, by eradicating many of our communicable diseases through vaccination and education. We have met most of the World Health Organization (WHO) Standards and surpassed them in some cases, Jamaicans.
~ Florette Skyers (Radiographer)

We have had quite a few but for me, it is the revision of our electoral system, which is now replicated in a number of regions.
~ Karen Harris (Captive Administrator)

The freedom of worship.

~ Rohan Phillips (Senior Internal Auditor)

There have been improvements in education for our young people and our teachers are constantly upgrading their skills.
~ Linda Ennis (Retired Mid-wife)

Our greatest achievement has been in sports and music.

~ Monica Kelly (Household Helper)

Our greatest achievement has been through our natural talents, where we have dominated the world in sports and music. ~ Dwight Walker (Auto Mechanic) BBC eVoice | 5

Improvement in education and health, especially for our children, with former elections.
~ Enid Baptiste (Registered Dietitian)

Slave of Christ,

Brand Christian

~ Dorrett R Campbell
For Jamaicans and arguably the rest of our Caribbean peoples, the constructs slave and slavery bring out the ire in us. However, in the wake of Jamaicas Emancipendence celebrations, Pastor of the Boulevard Baptist Church, Rev. Devon Dick seized the occasion on August 3 to re-define the construct slavery; and reminded his congregation that as Christians we should proudly wear the label, SLAVE OF CHRIST. This, he stated was our badge of honour, our brand, our defining quality. Referencing Ephesians 6: 5-9, Reverend Dick, in his sermon titled Slave Service, noted that as slaves to Christ, we became his loyal subjects and therefore must put him first in everything. He stressed the need for us to be obedient to Gods will and explained that it was possible to be actively involved in church and still not be a slave of Christ. The Boulevard Baptist Pastor exhorted us to search the scriptures diligently, to ascertain Gods will and to ensure that in obeying others, we obey in the will of God. But how do we serve as slaves? According to the Pastor, slave service must be given freely; with a smile and with pleasure. Our service to Christ, he stated, was not transient and intermittent but continuous and consistent, because we were in a permanent servant-leader relationship with Him. Reverend Dick gave us the blessed assurance that as slaves of Christ, our legacy was certain and in many instances, immediate. We have a foretaste of heaven now through his provisions and protection, as we look forward to our inheritance in heaven, he concluded.

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Boulevard Baptist Church

Tattooing
has been practised for centuries throughout the world. A tattoo is a form of body modification, made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. Tattooing can be dangerous, leading to AIDS or hepatitis, if the tattoo artist does not follow strict sterile procedures to clean needles that inject the dyes. Many tattoos serve as rites of passage, marks of status and rank, symbols of spiritual devotion, decorations for bravery, sexual lures and marks of fertility, pledges of love, punishment, amulets, protection, and as the marks of outcasts, slaves and convicts. The symbolism and impact of tattoos vary in different places and cultures. Today, people choose to be tattooed for cosmetic, romantic and sentimental/memorial, religious, and magical reasons, and to symbolize their belonging to or identification with particular groups, including criminal gangs, but also a particular ethnic group or lawabiding subculture. Tattooing has now become part of a lifestyle, and men and women are taking trips to tattoo studios in droves to have their skin poked, prodded and pierced at several sticks per second. Some confess that it is painful, while some complain of allergic reactions to the ink. People have different reasons for getting tattoos, like the sportsman who got a tear drop below his eye as a memory to his dead brother. Many others do it because it is trendy; yet there are teenagers who do it to annoy their parents. Getting a tattoo is a serious commitment. When people are in love, for example, they tattoo each others names on their bodies. However, when they are no longer together, they have to undergo expensive laser surgery to remove the tattoo and the skin is scarred for life! Persons with tattoos are generally viewed by the more traditional segment of the society as worldly. If you have been tattooed or are thinking of being tattooed ask yourself the following questions: Am I seeking to glorify God or draw attention to myself? Will my tattoo be a source of contention for my loved ones?

BBC e-Voice invites you to share your views on tattoos: Can tattoos glorify God ? Will my tattoo cause someone who is weak in the faith to stumble?

Republished from the Bulletin, July 21, 2013 | by Rev. Jeffrey Shuttleworth, Pastor of Tarrant Baptist Church

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This is the Day!

Farewell to the late, Glen Algernon Day

The late Glen Day, born 5 February 1922 lived to a ripe old age of 91 before departing to meet his God on 14 July 2013. As a graduate of the London and Oxford universities, he was remarkably brilliant and enjoyed an illustrious career as an educator who taught at all levels of the education system before ascending to the rank of Assistant Chief Education Officer and acting Chief Education Officer in the Ministry of Education. He served as Lecturer in the Faculty of Education at the University of the West Indies and subsequently spent nearly 11 years coordinating a UWI / Ministry of Education and Culture teacher upgrading program. But the measure of the man was not in his academic or professional accomplishments but in his relationship with his God and with the people whom he served. As a devoted member of the Boulevard Baptist Church, and
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specifically Group Two, Deacon Day, served with quiet dignity and moral fortitude, always available to lend wise counsel and blessed assurance of our home eternal in the heavens. At his farewell service on 26 July, Pastor Devon Dick in a remarkable pun on his surname eulogised Deacon Day as the Day that the Lord hath made (Ps. 118:24), and therefore he was Gods perfect creation, who was blessed with exceptional intellectual powers, which he used in the service of others. Glen Day, he said, saw divine things clearly and truly. He was favoured by God and blessed with long life, loving wife and loyal children. He had faithful group members. God took care of Glen Day by protecting him, providing for him and pardoning him, therefore, his body is absent from us but this is the Day that the Lord hath made, we ought to be glad and rejoice that we were blessed to have known him.

Are All Sins Equal?

According to the Reverend Devon Dick, every sin leads to separation from God and requires forgiveness and salvation, but the severity, penalty and consequences of all sins were not the same. In a recent Bible study session at the Boulevard Baptist Church, Pastor explained that both the Old and the New Testament validated his claim that the penalties for sins vary. Under the Old Testament law, a thief paid restitution for his sins (Ex. 20:1); an occult practitioner was executed (Ex. 20: 18); and a man who seduced a virgin paid the bride-price and must marry her (Ex. 20: 16). In the New Testament, Jesus emphasized that those Scribes and Pharisees who hardened their hearts against the truth would incur harsher punishment and judgment (Luke 11:23-24) than Sodom did. Pastor also noted that there were degrees to sin as outlined by Jesus in Matthew 23: 23 24: Some sins, for example, sexual sins and murder, were worse than others like lust and hate. The seriousness of each transgression depended on varying factors: (1) the extent to which the transgressors know better, and are objects of public trust, guides to others, and whose example is likely to be followed by others (Luke 12:48-49) ; (2) the person against whom the sin is committed as in the case of an innocent child (Matthew 18:6) or the public dishonor of Christ (Hebrews 10:28-29) ; and (3) the extent to which the sinner flouted conscience and censures from others and obstinately persisted in deliberate, boastful malicious sinning . Reverend Dick added that knowledge affected the severity of sin (1 John 5: 15-16); that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit was unforgivable (Matt. 23:32) and that Jesus was the only sinless being to have walked on this earth. All sins, he reiterated, were not equal in seriousness, consequences and penalty.

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Boulevard Baptist Church

Financial Education Ministry SOME FINANCIAL TIPS

Tell your loved ones about your goals. This seems like an odd way to save money, but think about it. If you spend time with the people you love the most and come to some consensus about your dreams, it becomes easy for you all to plan for it. If youre all planning and working together towards this dream, it becomes easier to stay focused on it and reach it. Set a big, audacious goal together and encourage each other to be financially fit; soon, youll find youre doing it naturally and your dreams are coming closer than ever. Plan ahead, make a Will: it will provide peace of mind for the loved ones you leave behind.

Hide your credit cards. Take your credit cards and put them in a safe place in your home, not in your wallet where its easy to spend them. If you argue that you need it for emergencies, just be sure to keep a small amount of cash hidden in your wallet for these emergencies.

Beware Bottled Water: Be aware that a lot of the bottled water for sale is straight out of a hose and is neither spring water nor filtered, so be educated if you are going to spend $60-40 for hose water.

Explore home-owning options: A parent who has contributed to the NHT for at least 10 years and who has never received a benefit may help one biological child or legally adopted child to acquire a benefit. Contact the NHT for further details as the amount depends on whether the parent is over or under the age of 65.

Persons earning no more than $10,000 per week can now apply to the NHT for a non repayable Home Grant of $1.2 million to buy or build a house. Applicants should have been contributing to the NHT for at least 10 years.

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Lowering Your Gas Costs ~By Hugh Reid

We can expect our gas costs for our motor vehicles to increase for the foreseeable future and these are some conservation tips 1. Do not top off your gas or fuel tank, when the pump shuts off;
do not keep trying to add more gas. You end up paying for gas that does reach your gas tank, as your gas tank is full when the gas nozzle automatically clicks off.

2. Fill up your car in the morning when the temperature is still

cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the gasoline. When it gets warmer gasoline expands, so if youre filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a gallon is not exactly a gallon.

3. If a tanker truck is filling the stations tank at the time you want
to buy gas, do not fill up; most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when gas is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your cars tank.

4. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty), because

the more gas you have in your tank the less air there is.
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20 Micoud Street, Castries, St. Lucia E-mail smurray@weareproven.com