Community Guest Day is a special annual event for the Rock Hall Seventh-Day Adventist (R.H.S.D.A.) Church. Each year, the church recognises a group of individuals who have made tremendous contributions to the community. Over the past years, the R.H.S.D.A. Church has recognised farmers, teachers, police officers and others. On October 1, 2022, we continued this tradition, by going into the community to celebrate the transportation workers of Rock Hall.
The recognition which included breakfast and gifts (Certificates of appreciation and long service, books, gift baskets and gas vouchers) were met with great appreciation and joy by the transportation workers and community members as seen on their ‘happy faces’. Bus drivers, taxi drivers and conductors paused their busy jobs to take ‘a bite’ of the tasty meal prepared for them and to take pictures with their tokens.
The word from God to the community came from Elder Anthony Brown who encouraged community members to have hope. “Hope is like oxygen. No human can live without oxygen. Without God’s hope, we also shall die”, he said.
Pastor Selvin Stewart and First Elder, Trevor Seabourne, were both ‘on the ground’ greeting and handing over tokens of appreciation to the recipients. “The gospel in a practical way was seen, heard, and felt. The demonstration of love and care rang out loud in the hearts of the recipients and the residents. Love was in action in the Rock Hall Square. TO GOD BE THE GLORY! God's Mission for His church, to share His love through kind gestures and comforting words of promise, was demonstrated by the Rock Hall SDA Church on their Community Guest Day”, Pastor Stewart stated.
Sis Verneek Williams, our Sabbath School superintendent that coordinated the event with her team, was in a vibrant spirit as she witnessed the joy on the faces of the bus drivers, taxi drivers and conductors. “They (the transportation workers) were saying ‘thank you’ even before the day of the event. While I traveled to work and back they gave me a special smile and a warmer greeting than they would normally give. This is an indication that they really appreciated the acknowledgement” she stated.
A tribute, in the form of a dub poem was done by Sis Shirley Edwards, which was received with great excitement. “Drivers, Drivers conductors; we salute you. Inna covid, unuh neva fraid, wi coulda depend on you whether sunshine, or rain. Suh serve with a purpose and serve wid pride and wi will enjoy the ride”, noted Sis Edwards in the poem.
In great appreciation we had two (2) bus drivers parking their buses on a busy sabbath to come and fellowship with us. Nation {Fitzroy Howell} visited on the original date of the event, September 25, while ‘Yellow’ {Osbourne Sharpe} came to the sanctuary on October 1 during divine service and shared his appreciation for the kind recognition. He said ‘he and his colleagues have been driving for many years and it's the first time they have been shown respect & recognition’. He gave thanks and appreciation to the church.
Members of the church, community members and transportation workers produced an atmosphere of joy, love and appreciation on this beautiful sabbath day.
The son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost; it is His church, we as His servants will minister just as He did. We will minister in His name, with power and authority, and with His loving-kindness. The sabbath school department looks forward to the year 2023 as we put plans in place for our next Community Guest Day.