Church leaders, pastors and members of the Sandy Park SDA Church paused to give thanks to God at the dedication of the newly completed audio-visual room of the church in the service of the Lord.
The service was led by pastor Howard Smith, pastor of the Sandy Park SDA Church and saw participation from former pastors, Samuel Lewis and Sebert Hamilton. The main message was delivered by Pastor Linton Williams, Executive Secretary, East Jamaica Conference.
Constructed on top of the foyer at the front of the church, the Audio-Visual Room is strategically placed to provide communication team members a bird’s eye view of the pulpit and platform area. The communication director and his team were more than grateful for this new and permanent space from which the team will be able to operate and house the audio visual equipment and personal who provide technical service to the church.
“Church audio-visual is no a longer a luxury but a necessity,” said Pastor Williams during his presentation which highlighted the progress churches have made in the area of technology in recent times.” Churches today must be equipped with audio visuals,” Williams added, noting that in 1982 when he started in ministry, the audio visual equipment was a Delco generator and a little loud speaker. “Today the church has gone way beyond that to official technology that will put wings on the gospel so that it flies with beauty and speed,” Williams said. “In my mind, that is why technology is important. It is to give colour, beauty and speed to the message so that it can be heard, seen and appreciated.”
Pastor Williams, who disclosed that he would have completed forty years of unbroken service in East Jamaica Conference in three days time, advised the church that with today’s technology, what we do and say in a church no longer remains local but goes global due to live streaming. He referred the congregation to the three angel’s message of Revelation 14:6 - 12 and said that the church at Sandy Park was heading in the right direction to expend resources to improve the communication capability of the church so that people can hear and be won for the Lord before it is too late.
Elder Elliott, first elder of the Sandy Park Church thanked the conceptualizers of the the idea for an audio Visual room and disclosed that Elder Thomas, who was the communication leader some years ago was the person to put forward the idea of the church building an audio visual room. “He was largely ignored though,” Elliot disclosed, adding that most people thought the cost was prohibitive and the church would not be able to manage that cost.
“But then came pastor Hamilton,” Elliot continued. “When you came , you articulated a vision and the church bought that vision and out of that the Sandy Park Development Committee was constituted,” said Elliot. “The committee not only bought the vision but they ran with it.”
Elliot thanks all the members of the church who contributed in cash and kind to make the building of the Audio visual room a possibility.
Pastor Samuel Lewis led the church in the act of dedication liturgy for the new audio visual room and the prayer of dedication was offered by Pastor Linton Williams.