On Sabbath, April 2, 2022, President of the Northern Caribbean University (NCU) Dr. Lincoln Edwards, traveled to Kingston to preach the word of God during the divine hour at the Meadowvale Seventh-day Adventist Church. There, he was greeted with a warm welcome by the leadership and members, as well as the president of the East Jamaica Conference of Seventh day Adventists, Dr. Eric Nathan.
Prior to Dr. Edwards preaching his sermon from the pulpit however, the Church pastored by Melvin Francis, cognizant of its supportive role in the organization, carried out its God-given duty.
Declaring its solid commitment to Christian education, the Meadowvale SDA Church made a donation of J$200,000 to the NCU Church Building Fund. The 113-year-old university has been making several appeals for assistance with its ‘Buildathon’ project which was organized to raise funds for the construction of a place of worship that is solely dedicated to God. Some US$600,000 is needed to complete the temple on the Main Campus of NCU in Mandeville.
Meadowvale heard the call and responded.
Elder Richard Jones, First elder of the Meadowvale SDA Church hands over an envelope containing a cheque of $200,000 to Dr. Lincoln Edwards, President, Northern Caribbean University. In the foreground (left) , Church Pastor Melvin Francis makes an appeal for members of the church to support Northern Caribbean University. :: Photo credit: Yasmin Peru
“Our elders, leaders and all of our members believe in the power of Christian education, and we believe in partnering and supporting our University. For many years, the University has been struggling to build a church and since Dr. Edwards took up the mantle of leadership, he has been doing a tremendous job, said Pastor Francis.
“The university has appealed and the church here at Meadowvale has answered the call. And today we are pleased to present to Dr Edwards, in a very special way, our first installment of $200,000 towards the University Church building,” Francis continued, as Meadowvale’s First Elder, Richard Jones, handed over the cheque to Dr. Edwards.
In closing, Pastor Francis made an appeal to individuals who can make a contribution to, “give towards NCU; give towards the University Church because our young people need Christian education”.
A gracious Dr. Edwards, sharing that it was his first time at Meadowvale, thanked the church, not only for its generous contribution, but also for having “loaned” the university two of its members.
“This church has been kind to the Northern Caribbean University because you have loaned us two individuals. I met Elder Gasford Lawrence this morning, and I want to say that his son works in the media centre at the NCU. He is a prime example of what it means to be a dedicated worker, one who gives his all to the cause of God,” shared Dr. Edwards.
He continued, “Elder Lawrence, you and your wife did a good job with him. He is making us proud, and I want to thank you. Also, there is another person here who has revolutionized our building approach at the Northern Caribbean University – Elder Desmond Young. Ever since he came to us, he has brought a professionalism that is so uplifting and he is leading the charge on our University Church building,” Dr. Edwards told the Church.
He also had special words of thanks for two prayer warriors at Meadowvale who have been praying for him.
Dr. Edwards spoke on the topic, ‘I Find No Fault In Him’.