GCI Churches and Work in the Caribbean

For Caribbean nations, see the website: http://caribbean.gci.org/

Charles Fleming is the Missions Director for the Caribbean region. Within the region, the desire is to see each congregation become missional – joining other WCG congregations as well as Christians from other denominations in sharing the love of God with those around them. For those looking for mission partners, here are three values that shape who we seek to become:

• Mission is personal service. Experiencing God’s patient yet insistent determination to set our denomination free from self-imposed legalism has left us with a desire to patiently, but persistently serve others with the hope that they too will come to know the life-changing love of God. We wish to partner with those who understand that mission involves entering into personal relationships with the people we serve.
• Mission is part of life’s daily rhythm. Recognizing that Christ’s life was a life on mission, we wish to make mission a natural part of the rhythm of our lives – individually and as congregations. We wish to partner with others for whom a mission is a sustainable part of their own life-rhythm.
• Mission is joint-effort. Having experienced the way the diverse gifts of the Spirit come together in the Body of Christ to express God’s love, we welcome opportunities to do ministry with committed Christians of different denominations.

We have 23 congregations in 15 of the 27 nations that make up the region. For those interested in joining Caribbean congregations of the WCG in mission work, here are a few of our current mission-efforts.

• In the Bahamas, in June 2007 a group upgraded the Bahamas church building to better serve members and the community. A summer VBS camp was held for two weeks in July 2009.
  On-going activities: the Nassau congregation is involved in a weekly soup kitchen to the local community. This ministry especially focuses on members of the Haitian migrant community. The church is also involved in refurbishing the facilities of the Simpson Penn School for Boys. There is a sustained effort to reach out to youth in the community, and an annual basketball tournament has been a popular feature.
• In Trinidad our campus has become a service center to the larger body of Christ. Dozens of Christian groups – from a wide range of denominations – along with para-Church agencies – rent the facilities for seminars, retreats and celebratory activities. The campus is one of the official training centers for Evangelism Explosion and for Kids’ EE. It is also the base for the United Methodists ‘Walk to Emmaus,’ a retreat weekend committed to strengthening the discipleship process of local churches. It is also a site for training persons involved in Prison Ministries. On-going activities. There is a major effort to serve economically challenged families in a nearby community, addressing family needs and providing educational opportunities.