Community members Colleen Mahy (left) and John Humphrey
take their turn at the samaan tree, while members look on.
SOD-TURNING
FOR LIVING WATER
PASTORAL CENTRE IN BARBADOS
Community members Colleen Mahy (left)
and John Humphrey
take their turn at the samaan tree, while members look on.
More than 70 members, friends and benefactors of Living Water Community (LWC), Barbados, attended a May 18 sod-turning and symbolic tree-planting ceremony at St David’s, Christ Church, launching the construction of a pastoral centre.
In a ceremony that opened like a mini-charismatic prayer meeting with prayer, praise and the prophetic word, LWC co-founder and leader, Rhonda Maingot, said that the pastoral centre would be a place to which all persons in need could come and receive freely. Referring to the passage from Isaiah 55:1-3 that begins, “O come to the water, all you who are thirsty, though you have no money, come,” she stated that, “God’s gift of Living Water is a free gift to people (that) flows out of our hearts.
“No-one will ever be turned away without receiving materially and spiritually from God,” she added. “How ever we can minister in the name of Jesus Christ, we will. We make an open invitation to the people of Barbados: anyone can come to receive from the heart of Jesus Christ.”
The building of the pastoral centre is the first phase of construction on the 10-acre lot and will house a meeting hall, chapel, food distribution area for the poor, counselling rooms, a book store, coffee shop, a commercial kitchen and administrative offices. A residence for the LWC missionaries and a cancer hospice will follow in future.
The very location of the land seemed conducive to serving the people of Barbados, suggested Minister of Education, Ron Jones, pointing out that it was positioned at the intersection of three constituencies: St George South, Christ Church Central and St Michael East, so that the Community would effectively be, “serving 160 square miles,” in addition to the parish of St Philip.
That area would also be significantly developed within the next five to ten years, the minister said, with the construction of religious centres, schools and housing developments. However, Rhonda challenged the covenant community to work towards the completion of the pastoral centre within one year.
“We have one year to be transformed into the people of Jesus Christ, to be His hands and feet,” she said, “to be like His blessed Mother, who was a beautiful, missionary disciple; to be holy men and women and servants of the servants to God’s people when we open here.”
LWC leader, Rhonda Maingot, points out the details on the model of the pastoral centre and other buildings to (L to R) Canon Noel Burke of St David’s Church – the Living Water development neighbours their property – Msgr Vincent H Blackett, BNB CEO, Robert Le Hunte and Minister of Education, Ron Jones.
She also encouraged members to “desire holiness” and to spend that year availing of the sacrament of reconciliation and spending more time in Eucharistic Adoration.
The symbolic samaan tree was planted by Community members while the passage from Ezekiel 47: 1-12 was read. That passage recounted the spring from under the Temple that gave life to trees that grew alongside it whose leaves were medicinal. The samaan tree serves as a visible reminder of the mission and ministry of the Community from its future St David’s home, said LWC co-founder, Rose Jackman.
As the samaan tree is wide and spreading, offering shade and protection to all who need it, she said, so Living Water will be for all who come to it. Msgr Vincent H Blackett, Special Delegate for the Diocese of Bridgetown, blessed the tree and the Community.
Toward the end of the ceremony, a donation of Bds $300,000 from Barbados National Bank (BNB) was presented to the Community. CEO of BNB, Robert Le Hunte, said he was aware of the “potential work of the (Barbados) Community”, because BNB’s parent company, Republic Bank of TT, partnered frequently with LWC Trinidad on various projects. Indeed, he said, the size of the requests for financial assistance from LWC Barbados had “moved beyond tea tickets”, suggesting that their ministry was now truly poised for expansion.
Rhonda believes that the time is truly ripe to begin this stage of the Community’s journey.
“That is why, for six years, God has been forming Community,” she declared, “so we can be channels of grace; to feed the hungry, to clothe the naked and to speak God’s words of compassion to God’s people.”
(By Laura Ann Phillips)