by Camille Taylor, member of the Kingston Church of Christ

The members of the Kingston Church of Christ were treated to faith-building lessons and presentations conducted by Douglas Jacoby during his recent visit to Jamaica.

The events of the trip included a Q&A and prayer session with the church's Evangelists, a special training session, dubbed 'Training Day II.' for church members who are often involved in public speaking, an Old Testament Survey, and a biblical manuscripts power-point presentation. Trinidad also benefited from Doug's visit, as three members of our sister church in Port-of-Spain flew to Jamaica for the event.

Additionally, Douglas brought a number of books and audio series, which were donated to the Kingston Church by a member of the congregation in Athens, Georgia, as well as by Illumination Publishers (IPI). By the end of the first day of teaching, almost all of the new books had been borrowed from the library, as disciples, no doubt encouraged by the classes, were eager to learn more.

The final teaching session was part of the Sunday worship service, and featured another powerpoint presentation, showing images of ancient manuscripts and giving evidence for the authenticity of the scriptures. This was possibly the first time that such a large number of the disciples in the Kingston Church of Christ were being exposed to the extensive body of hard archaeological evidence. This powerfully boosted their faith.

In reflecting on Douglas' visit, Evangelist Greg Baugh said, "Douglas has lit our desire to know the Bible in a deeper way. His presentations and teaching style allowed us to easily grasp deep insights into the Bible and made the scriptures come alive for us."

Douglas left Jamaica on the afternoon of Sunday May 1, 2005. But for the Christians who had the opportunity to be exposed to his teaching, a fresh relationship with the word of God was just beginning.

Note: The event was promoted in THE GLEANER (29/04/05).