–as SDA ministers to people’s needs

RESIDENTS of the East Coast Demerara (ECD) community of Good Hope for the first time have access to services addressing their social, mental, physical and spiritual well-being all at one place with the launch of a new Life Hope Centre.
The centre, a two-story building large enough to accommodate comfortably 100 persons at one time, was commissioned by the Guyana Conference of Seventh-Day-Adventists (SDA) on Sunday.

Director for Missions of the Conference, Pastor Margaret Ramsarran explained the function of the centre as one which would help to influence the elimination of alcoholism, drug abuse, domestic violence, illiteracy and many other social ills from the community.
“This Life Hope Centre is for the people of Good Hope. It is here to serve the people, to help them to take control of their lives and grow and develop physically, mentally, emotionally, socially and spiritually,” she said.

Pastor Ramsarran revealed that the idea was birthed in the mid-1990s with the Conference’s vision of intentionally bringing hope to the less fortunate and vulnerable in rural communities.

Although Lusignan was initially pinpointed as the best location, social activist in the area Azeez Khan highlighted the neighbouring village of Good Hope as having the potential to benefit a larger population.

In June 2017, construction of the building commenced, and although there were insufficient funds at hand, Ramsarran said that by faith, the leaders pressed on and were rewarded in the end.

A BEAUTIFUL COMPLETION
“Thank God that He always provided the funds at the right time, and has brought us to a beautiful completion,” Pastor Ramsarran told the audience.

According to President of the local Conference, Pastor Richard James, it is the first time in the history of the Caribbean SDA Church that such a centre is owned and built by the body.
Contributing financially to its realisation were the General Conference; the Caribbean Union Conference (CARU); and the Guyana Conference of SDA.

Individuals contributing included Mahase Ragoonauth of Trinidad and Tobago; Waveney Stokes of the USA; the Richmond Hill SDA Church in Queens, New York; Asha Singh of the Cayman Islands; and Pastor Cliffmond Shameerudeen.

As Pastor James observed: “This Centre exists to minister to the needs of people in our multicultural and diverse communities. For example, at this Centre, demonstrations on cooking healthy, non-expensive meals or providing counselling on how to prepare a budget and to make wise financial decisions are part of the activities that will be taking place.”
Noting also that neighbouring communities stand to benefit as well from the services offered by the Centre, Pastor James said:

“Additionally, it can provide people with something to eat or a place to pray and counsel with persons who are divorced, bereaved or just desperately lonely. That is why it is called a Life Hope Centre.”

Also in attendance at the dedication service were CARU President, Pastor Kern Tobias; CARU Religious Liberty Director, Dr. Clive Dottin; and Executive Secretary of the local Conference, Pastor Exton Clarke.

In his feature address, Pastor Tobias said that in the same way Christ expressed love to all Mankind, so, too, do Christians have the responsibility to do likewise by assisting others.

COMMUNITY IN NEED
“When our community stands in need of help from us and we have an opportunity of being of service to them; when they differ in their opinion and practice from us in such cases as this, it will be known whether we have this badge of being Christ’s followers by the love we display,” he said.

Remarks came, too, from representative of the Lusignan-Mon Repos Neighbourhood Democratic Council (NDC), Althea Harper who said that the much-needed facility will help to strengthen families and individuals for better communities.
Many from the area turned out to the launching, while several others involved in its success were present, too, and were thanked for their support during the project’s embryonic phase.