After a lively Sabbath School discussion the family service followed. Local pastor Clyde Moore, dressed in the national flag of Jamaica, welcomed the congregation by declaring, "We have come from the East, we have come from the West, we have come from the North and South for one purpose: to be one in the Lord as we celebrate our unity in diversity." For the day DIVERSITY stood for Different Individuals Valuing Each other Regardless of Skin, Intellect, Talents or Years. The speaker for the day, Elder Nana Sifa Twum from the London Ghanaian church, was welcomed to the pulpit in his native tongue by Pastor Moore - Akwaaba!
After the opening hymn Pastor Moore gave the congregation an opportunity to listen to the scripture reading, Luke 17:7-10, from the Jamaican patois audio Bible. He then read the same passage from the New King James Version for those who had missed the nuances of the patois dialect! The special item was from the newly formed International Ghanaian Choir who sang a medley of melodious harmony in their natural language - Twi.
Pastor Moore's wife, Anette, who was dressed in a traditional German dirndl dress and braided hair, then gave a bemused congregation the children's story in German! It was a familiar story of Hansel and Gretel, with visual aids, who were lost in the woods and were tempted by the witch into the gingerbread house where they were trapped. The 'children' big and small were reminded that we too are 'lost' and have been tempted by Satan into his 'gingerbread house' and we are in need of rescue. Thank God for Jesus who came to save us.
Elder Twum then delivered his sermon entitled, 'Thou Art My Master'. He reminded us of whom it is that we are serving and the importance of recognizing our duty as Christians. He also pointed out that we shouldn't seek to be rewarded for what we are expected to do. A multicultural fellowship lunch then followed where everyone was fed and enjoyed the different variety of foods. One member said, "I knew that we had different nationalities in our church, but today I really appreciate that our differences are not all that different after all. I have learnt a lot today."
In the afternoon we had a dynamic AYS where the highlight wasn't the Bible quiz created by Pastor Moore, but the reports from the different countries of how 'church' was done 'back home.' We heard from Ghana, Germany, Jamaica, Holland, Zimbabwe and of course England. A visitor commented, "it was really interesting and informative to see and hear how different cultures worship God. It just shows how big our God is, that He can understand not only the different languages, but He appreciates our worship as we worship Him in Spirit and Truth." The day ended with a social at the Carpenter Community Centre where games were played and new found friendships deepened.
75 pictures from the day can be seen on the Welsh Mission website.
[Clyde Moore]