BY GEORGE HENRY, STAR WRITER
SPALDINGS, Clarendon
GEORGE HENRY - Rev. Callis Thompson
REVEREND CALLIS THOMPSON believes that if Jamaica is to be better, its people will have to motivate themselves from within.
"Jamaica needs a turning around and I want to implore the people to ensure that this beautiful country, which is so loved by the Lord and so many persons worldwide, makes a turn around by motivating themselves intrinsically and know that there is a creator who desires us to live in harmony and in unity," said Rev. Thompson.
Quoting the scripture, she said God made it clear that if His people will humble themselves and seek His face, in turn, the land will be healed. But Rev. Thompson said the church is not doing enough to assist in the turn around which God can give Jamaica and so she is calling on the church to take the lead.
She made it clear that the church needs to do better to reach out to the people, by getting out of the church house, do house-to-house campaign and street meetings, share some of its material possessions with the people and do what Jesus himself would do if he was still on earth.
When the pastor for the Fearon Fulltruth Church of God in Clarendon started pastoral duties, she did not see herself as being in such a capacity, but believes she is called by God to do the job.
Reverend Thompson pointed out that the Lord authorised her to lead the flock at her church even before she received her training at the Church of God in Jamaica Leadership Institute in Mandeville, Manchester.
Although she noted that she had evangelistic calling on her life, Rev. Thompson said she was involved in the teaching ministry going from house-to-house in the Trout Hall District of Churches in Clarendon, while assisting with Bible Study and outreach.
SPIRITUAL TEACHER
She believes that one of the duties of a pastor is to be able to teach, and being a trained guidance counsellor, she has been able to back that up with her spiritual training, which works well in her duties as a church leader.
The woman pastor told THE STAR that she is in no way intimidated by persons who believe that women should not be pastors nor should they be leading the church.
"I think I am doing an effective job and I am confident. People tell me from time to time, that they have seen good in the work that I am doing and I myself have seen a success in the work I am doing."
Her dream for Jamaica is to see other female pastors coming together and standing up to motivate women who are in other capacities in the church, so that they can be more effective in all areas of their development.
She said that because of the stigma which is attached to the whole thing about female leaders in the church, many are not as effective as they should be, and so the coming together of female ministers with the aim of helping their colleagues, will go a far way in helping to motivate them to do what the Lord has called them to do.
Rev. Thompson, who has been saved since 1969 and who has been a pastor over the past three years, said her walk with God has been challenging but that she has been able to brush the challenges aside through perseverance and the inspiration of God from the reading of His word.
Do
you have a problem? Is something bothering
you? Write to 