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UPDATE OCT. 29, 2007
The Christian College 10 years ago had 14 students and 10 graduated and the next term began with 3 students. Now there have been 95 students trained from 26 congregations plus sattellite courses running either by our teachers or Jamaican leadership in 6 area churches that have reached scores of others.
In the past two years the mission has sent down 800 chairs and 70 tables to equip 11 schools to bring them up to a decent standard. Cost $14,000. Value $60,000 The goal for the Bible college is to support one local administrator $1,200 monthly and bring in support staff only when classes are in session. The only current support we are able to do is $50 monthly for underwriting Ron Craig, Dean of Students to give him gasoline and phone money for student recruiting, $50 to Winston Scott as Academic Dean designated from Tomoka Christian Church, FL, and $50 for a part time secretary. Cassandra and I met with Dr. Ethley London over University Education of Jamaica and we are putting into place the required English course taught by a local Jamaican, Dornett Stewart with the goal of accreditation with the Jamaican dept. of education and phasing in the 6 week summer teacher training courses for primary and secondary levels. We can only underwrite Dornett's travel and meals for her teaching efforts. We are partnering with Florida Christian College for future educational seminars as well as with 7 other Bible colleges. In ten years Cassandra has headed up 26 work teams, VBS and medical and will even raise the money for her own ticket to provide extra for project money. I have had 15 teaching trips to Jamaica and 3 to the Bahamas for setting up the Bible Institute classes and orchestrated another 35 teaching teams to work on the islands. That's about 79 teams. All teachers from the states teach at their own expense. All Jamaican teachers we underwrite their travel and meals and materials but no salaries. 96% of the mission dollars for Jamaica go for Jamaica. The other goes for convention displays and newsletters to recruit work teams and teachers. One of our Grove Park Christian elders asked for a monthly newsletter in order to approve support of $100 monthly. I told him newsletters at that time cost $117 a month to put out and it was poor stewardship of God's money to spend $117 to gain $100. We put out newsletters periodically but current costs and mailing are $700 an issue. Even though we handle approximately $50,000-70,000 a year in funds depending on how large a work team is going down and funds that are washed and handling IDES funds for hurricane relief which is a dollar for dollar wash. Actual funds for running the college and mission are $25,000-30,000 per year. Our salaries are from working Custom Monuments in Auburndale, FL as sales manager and secretary. Historically Jamaica, Jerusalem and Liberia were the first 3 missions supported by the Christian Churches. One Beardslee was an abolishionist, Barclay was a slave owner who went to Jerusalem and Alexander Cross was a free and educated slave who went to Africa. The national language is English. Flights from Atlanta, GA to Kingston are $300-$450 and is easily overseen. No shots are required and the water is safe to drink. There is a spiritual awakening on the island of Jamaica and it is ripe for evangelizing. I went to our mission committee at Grove Park Christian in Lakeland, FL and asked them for either $2,500 to spend 2 weeks teaching in the college in India with Vivek Lall or $500 for beginning a Bible Institute in Nassau, Bahamas. They agreed to the latter and I returned in less than a week with 28 students in the Bible Institute, 2 years of curriculum and teachers lined up and $113 refund for the money not needed. Meanwhile we doubled our support for Vivek Lall, underwrote a translator for curriculum in the Hindi language, gave some for Asraam project and underwrote a sewing machine for the India mission. Current Goals: What sets this mission apart from all other missions is every dollar goes into the mission field and not in administration costs and salaries. |
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The mission has supported two Jamaican men Rhoan Wallace and Lennox Doran on the island of Jamaica $200 monthly to cover their transportation and materials used to work among 50 churches. I asked Rhoan what it would take to put him and Lennox on full time and a goal was $1,200 a month each but Lennox could quit his current secular job and concentrate on full time evangelism for $700 a month. These men have been running revival meetings and discipleship seminars among the Jamaican churches and have usually had 120 responses last year and about 80 this year. Next year they want to concentrate 3 months with each church to do a better job of follow up and discipleship. Rhoan is our first in line for full support and then Lennox. An American can live on $50,000 a year in the mission field and maybe work with 2-3 churches in 4 years. These men already have open doors and opportunities. I know it is good stewardship to underwrite these men who are Jamaicans reaching Jamaicans for Christ. 
The Mineral heights Basic School began 6 years ago with 30 students and subsidized $2,800 from the mission and today there are 180 students, 11 teachers and we put in an Abeka order every year for $9,000-$10,000 of which the Jamaican church pays for 90% of the bill.