A Brief History of Meadowvale
The Meadowvale S.D.A.
Church was founded in 1977. It was born out of a tent crusade at the
corner of Red Hills Road and Chancery Street sponsored by East
Jamaica Conference and conducted by Pastor K.G. Vaz. Two hundred
precious souls were baptized during that crusade and this encouraged
the Conference to establish a church on the same grounds where the
meetings were held. Lay leadership was provided to the
young church from a number of established S.D.A. congregations that
participated in the crusade. Notable among these established
churches were Washington Gardens, Kencot, North Street and Olympic
Gardens Churches. Dedicated in 1990 during the visit to Jamaica by
the then General Conference President, Neil Wilson, the church grew
rapidly in membership and status from its humble beginnings under a
dirt-floor tent to become a landmark and a lighthouse in the
community.
The membership is drawn primarily
from diverse economic communities neighbouring the church but
members also come from more distant communities. The Church has a
vibrant community programme, which has endeared sections of the
community to itself. The community programme includes: -
- A Prison Ministry which involves weekly visits to the prisons by members of the Prison Ministry Team.
- A Health Ministry which involves conducting free monthly health clinics at the church and at various sections of the community for the benefit of the community.
- A Welfare Ministry which provide food baskets for the poor, cash for medical, educational and personal reasons, soup kitchens and food for hundreds of Jamaica's street people.
Today, the Meadowvale Seventh-day Adventist Church stands as a monument in honour of the great God of the universe, and its members dedicate themselves to the task of calling men and women from all sections of the neighbouring communities to worship God in spirit and in truth.
