In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, in September 2017, several churches on the island ended up badly damaged by strong winds and rains. One of these was Kingdom Vision Apostolic Church (KVAC), located in the Farrington.
During the past year, the church’s Pastor, Apostle Elmead Allen, and its members have been working assiduously to restore the church’s auditorium into a beautiful, welcoming edifice. Last Sunday afternoon, May 5th, the remodeled sanctuary, the fruit of their hard labour, was re-dedicated back to God in an inspiring Thanksgiving Service. That service launched a week of special nightly meetings with the theme: “The Church — the Family of God”.
The Kingdom Vision Apostolic Church (KVAC) is an offshoot of the former No-Walls Church of Hope which was originally located upstairs of the English Rose Restaurant building in 2007, under the leadership of Pastors James and Patricia Harrigan.
On a remarkable date, Sunday, January 1st 2012, the church transferred to the Farrington and, in early 2017, its leadership was relinquished to Apostle Allen. By this time, the name of the church was already changed to Kingdom Vision Apostolic Church (KVAC). Apostle Allen and his congregat
ion have since been doing excellent work in creating awareness of the church’s mission, and promoting the gospel message within the Farrington community.
In essence, the entire interior of the church’s former auditorium has been transformed into a spectacle of magnificence. The fantastic carpentry work, which accents the major part of the elongated room, was skillfully undertaken by renown craftsman David Ruddock of the UK, with Barbadian heritage.
The stage and its rails were re-designed with immaculate taste, to essentially complement the curved shape of the podium. The wooden covering on the wall, which forms the backdrop for the pulpit area, was meticulously carved with picturesque vertical grooves, extending from the floor to the roof.
The formerly carpeted floor has been replaced, as well, to reveal the original vinyl tiles covering which has been treated with a special gripper compound, then creatively painted to produce a smooth, satin sheen of a beige-and-brown esthetic design. Additionally, the floor features a distinctive demarcated aisle constructed of hardwood ply that had been resin treated, sealed, and dressed with a high grade stain varnish to create an excellent, glossy wooden-floor finish.
Overall, the new appearance of KVAC’s hall is quite pleasant to the eye, as it must be pleasing to the Lord, as well, since it becomes His house.
Apostle Allen left no stone unturned to recognize the skillful handiwork of Mr. Ruddock, and he made proper recognition of the hard work of the church’s committed members, as well, and, in particular, Minister Anthony Thomas.
A representative group of KVAC’s sister congregation, God’s Kingdom Citizens Ministry of Cape Bay, St. Maarten, came over for the special occasion to give thanks with their Anguillian counterpart. Under, the leadership of Pastor Lance Ross, the group included young talented musicians who had come to add their flavour to the jubilant celebration.
The Moderator of the program, Sister Samantha Carter, melodiously sang Hillsong United’s “Oceans”, while Sister Shamara Brooks, another one of KVAC’s singing enthusiasts, inspired the congregation with Jonathan Hesler’s “No Longer a Slave to Fear”.
The keynote speaker for the event was Pastor Philip Gumbs of the Church of God (Holiness). He aptly delivered a pertinent sermon entitled, “I See a Small Cloud”. The scripture text was taken from 1 Kings 18:44, and related the account of Elijah’s servant’s response to him during a period when Israel was experiencing horrendous drought.
The spiritual application of the message was that Christendom, today, faces a time of critical dryness, and that the infrequent drizzles of hype and mere talent cannot relieve the dry ground of apostasy and the spiritual ills of our deprived congregations. He stressed that we can’t afford to play church, for “while the church is playing church, the devil is waging war.”
Pastor Philip spoke of the many social vices that plague our societies, and emphasized the need for the Holy Spirit’s “showers of blessings” that would accompany a spiritual revival for Christendom.
Following the well accepted sermon, Apostle Allen made a dedicatory declaration, after which he prayed a fervent prayer of thanksgiving and consecration. He then invited a cadre of visiting pastors to prayerfully surround him at the pulpit while he emphasized that, as a minister of the gospel, he divests himself of any selfish motive. He pronounced, rather, that he considers himself accountable to each one of the pastors who surrounded him there. After making that statement he declared that, from that moment, KVAC was not merely a church, but an integral part of the Family of God.
Finally, before the event ended, Apostle Allen requested Pastor Connie Brooks to pray for the church family in general. The gist of her passionate prayer was that in this “new season” the church would be in a position for the outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit, and that the power of that Spirit would cause each member to function in purpose and in destiny.
– Staff Reporter, James R. Harrigan
