In a spirit of jubilation and gratitude to God, the clergy and members of the Apostolic Faith Church (AFC) — both in The Valley and Blowing Point — observed and celebrated 50 years of ministry and service in Anguilla, on the afternoon of Sunday, February 12.
The angelic singing of the song “Come in the House”, by the worship team, filled the atmosphere with the harmonious sound of celebrative fervour. Following the procession of Pastors and ministers down the aisle, the church’s leader, Pastor Michael Mead, welcomed the joyful congregation and offered the opening prayer. He emphasised the fact that the church had reached its 50th milestone, not on its own strength but by the grace of God.
The service was moderated by a longstanding pillar of the church, Minister Thelma Richardson. The theme of the anniversary was: “Let the People Praise Thee, Let All The People Praise Thee, And I, The Lord, Will Do a New Thing in You in 2022”. A portion scripture from Isaiah 43:19, in alignment with the theme, was read by the entire congregation. The theme song, “Ways for Me” was sung and worship was led by Minister Doris Mead.
After the group Praising Hands Dancers performed a magnificent dance, two senior pastors, Rosalie Greer-Wade and Lesley Richardson, ceremoniously testified about their work in the ministry. Pastor Greer-Wade mentioned that of the fifty years that have passed she has been a pastor of the congregation for fifteen of them: “So through the sunshine and the rain, we have made it; through the sickness and the pain, we have made it. We could not make it by ourselves, but hitherto has the Lord helped us. I thank God for the families whose lives I have touched. I thank you for being here for me and for showing me your love. Our church is moving on. And though the building may remain the same, let us, as the body of Christ, move on for the glory of God.”
Pastor Lesley Richardson prefaced his address by leading the congregation in the singing of Jen Johnson’s popular song, “The Glory of God”. He said, “As I stand before you, I give God all of the praise. He has really done me well. For those of you who may not know, I am now a patriot of AFC.”
He made note of the fact that forty-eight years ago he knelt before the church’s altar. “I knelt right here at the altar,” he said. “I told God that Sunday night that I must be saved that night. Though I was rather pompous and presumptuous, I called upon Jesus. He heard me, forgave me of my ignorance, and He sweetly saved my soul. Today, we are celebrating fifty. I have been here in the church for forty-eight of them, and I have absolutely no regrets.”
Sister Keisha Carty
Bishop Samuel Daniels of the Church of God of Prophecy preached a stirring sermon, awakening the members to the truth that in order to experience victory in 2022 they must adopt a new approach to life. “You must begin to flow in a new anointing of the Holy Ghost,” he insisted. He invited the congregation to recite that statement as a confession before he proceeded to preach.
He encouraged the congregants to catch a glimpse of Jesus, the Son of God, as it is recorded of him in Acts 10:38: “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”
The Bishop continued: “If we are to experience the spiritual victory that Christ experienced while walking on this earth, we too must seek to be anointed with the Holy Ghost. I want to tell you that it is highly possible for you to be filled with the Holy Ghost and to operate in the Spirit of God.” His sermon, in general, was quite impactful and inspiring to the congregation which was encouraged by his uplifting message.
An Ecclesiastical History of the church indicates that over the course of the fifty years of the church’s ministry, since its inception in 1972, the church has been led by seven different pastors, one of whom served for two terms.
A listing of these pastors and their terms of ministry follow: Pastor Ellen Carey, 1972-1974; Pastor Cornelius Olive, 1974-1976; Pastor Ellen Carey, 1976-1985; Pastor Patrick Brathwaite, 1985-1987; Pastor Thomas Richardson, 1987-2004; Pastor Rosalie Greer-Wade, 2004-2019; Pastor Connie Brooks-Facey, 2019-2020; and Pastor Michael Mead, 2020 to present.
The Anguillian newspaper extends hearty congratulations to the pastor and members of the Apostolic Faith Church.
