OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

As president of the great West Jamaica Conference, it is my privilege and pleasure to welcome you to our website. It is my hope and wish that you will be edified, informed, inspired, and challenged by what you will experience.

Our conference is the largest geographically and the second largest in terms of membership in Jamaica, and we are located in the western end of the island – the four most western parishes to be exact. St. James is home to Montego Bay, the tourist capital of the island. St. Elizabeth accommodates a bauxite plant and the famous Lover’s Leap and YS Falls. Westmoreland contains the flattest land surface and the historic Manning’s High School, and Hanover embraces most of the world-famous Negril Beach.

We have a membership of over seventy-five thousand presently, which means that our conference contains a very high ratio of Adventists to the rest of the population. St. James is home to about thirty thousand, St. Elizabeth about twenty thousand, Westmoreland fifteen thousand, and Hanover about ten thousand. Most of our members are in the lower class of society, but we have a significant contingent of middle class folk, many of whom are occupying prominent positions in all areas of the wider society.

Our membership meets in 222 congregations, 205 of which are organized churches. The Glendevon Church is rivaling the Montego Church as the largest in the conference. We have 38 pastoral districts, ranging in size from one to eight churches. Our pastoral staff is very young but is among the most dedicated anywhere.

Evangelism is our watchword. Our pastors and laymen conduct many crusades annually, and many of our members are involved in Small Group ministry. Community Services are given much attention, but are never adequate to satisfy the great needs. Our youth comprise about 65% of our membership, and are very active in our churches

Christian education is vibrant in our conference. We have two high schools, Harrisons Memorial and Savanna la mar. We operate six preparatory schools, and several of our churches have established basic and kindergarten institutions. Our enrollment is not as high as it should be. This is because many of our members cannot afford the cost owing to the dire economic conditions in our country. Examination results are on par with the rest of the country, and in many cases our passes are above the national average

We are pleased to occupy a significant place in the Adventist world, and we are playing our part in advancing the business of the Lord and hasting His kingdom.

Our website will highlight the interesting happenings in our conference, and we hope you will be blessed as you browse.