And he said unto me, Unto two

thousand and three days; then

shall the sanctuary shall be

cleansed. – Daniel 8:14

It was this text that William

Miller, founder of the Millerite

Movement had based his scrip-

tural findings that Jesus was to

come in 1844. This was a great

misinterpretation as in reality,

Jesus, our High Priest was mov-

ing from the holy place to the

most holy place in the heavenly

sanctuary. This was to begin the

investigative judgement in

which the He would judge the

world and “cleanse the sanctu-

ary”.

William Miller’s conclusion

had led to the Great Disappoint-

ment on October 22, 1844.

Miller had led over 100,000

persons to believe that Jesus

was to come on that date. Many

individuals had even sold all

their possessions because of

their conviction.

After that very dishearten-

ing episode, there were many

who gave up on the truth and

turned their backs on God. How-

ever, some 50 individuals went

back into the Word of God and

recognized that Jesus was not yet

to come to earth but into the

most holy place to begin the pre-

Advent judgement. Their faith in

God was not shaken and so they

continued in prayerful Bible study

to seek God for answers and

deliverance. After the disappoint-

ment, these individuals were

jeered but they were not discour-

aged. Some of the individuals of

the Millerite movement went on

the form the Seventh-day Advent-

ist Church.

In the same manner, disap-

pointment can lead to transfor-

mation and new direction. God is

the only One capable of turning a

hopeless situation into a glorious

event. There are many incidents

in the Bible that Jesus turned

what may have seemed a disap-

pointment into something beauti-

ful. Some of these examples are

the experiences of Job and the

transformation of the notorious

persecutor Saul into the influen-

tial missionary Paul.

Job was cursed with many

afflictions but instead of cursing

God as his wife and friends had

suggested, Job continued to

praise God and bless His holy

name. The light was at the end of

his tunnel but the obstacles were

so great, vision was obscured.

Nevertheless, his faith had never

lost sight “For I know that my

Redeemer liveth, and that he

shall stand at the latter day upon

the earth”. Job 19:25. Talk about

faith! We are to follow Jesus re-

gardless of the many disappoint-

ments life may throw our way.

Trials are to make us stronger

and refine us.

What are your disappointments?

What are your trials? Allow Jesus

to turn those great disappoint-

ments into great transfor-

mations!

Experiencing Disappointment, Leads to Transformation by Deneve Sweeney Inside this issue:

Experiencing Disappointment,

Leads to Transformation

1

Selfless Service 1-2

Come On, Come Singles! 2

Did You Know? 2

Youth Corner Part 1 3

Youth Corner Part 2 3

The Deaconate body com-

prises deacons, deaconesses

and ushers and is one which

embodies selfless service. In

Acts 6, the Bible records the first

set of deacons appointed to the

Christian church. These persons

were chosen based on their

relationship with God.

During the Divine Service,

Sis. Lurline Farquharson, a stal-

wart worker and former Head

Deaconess for many years was

recognized for her loyalty, com-

mitment and leadership during

her tenure. The Deaconate Choir

gave a melodious rendition of

the song “Lord I Am Available To

You” just before the breaking of

the Word.

One of the two speakers for

the service, Head Deaconess

Marva Brown, reminded us that

it is our relationship with God

that will allow transformation

and make us fit to give self-

sacrificing service. She used the

story of Peter to highlight that in

doing the Lord’s work; there

should be no reliance on self.

Peter was unconverted and by

self-dependence, he denied

Christ. She reminded us that our

eyes should be fixed upon Christ,

allowing Him to transform us for

His service. She also

Selfless Service by Deneve Sweeney

Do nothing out of selfish ambi-

tion or vain conceit. Rather, in

humility value others above

yourselves, not looking to your

own interests but each of you to

the interests of the others.

Philippians 2:3-4 (NIV)

The apostle Paul, in the

scripture above, admonishes us

that we should be selfless and

in doing so, to render service to

others. On September 9, 2017,

the church celebrated Deacon-

ate Day and was reminded that

such service was important

through the theme, “Lord,

Transform Me For Selfless Ser-

vice”.

“ It is our

relationship with

God that will allow

transformation and

make us fit to give

self-sacrificing

service..”

SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH Braeton

Some members of the cast that re-enacted the

Great Disappointment. Here are their names

and roles they depicted in the skit. From the

left: Odean Whyte (visitor), Radwayne Newby

(Elder Robert Harmon), Rajhni Fray (William

Miller), Khasi Dewar (Elder at the beach) and

Antonio Bailey (Board member).

(Photo Credit: Youth Department)

Published November 25, 2017

Did You Know?

emphasised the importance of

reading God’s Word in maintain-

ing a relationship with Him. It is

these words that will allow us to

know His will for our lives and

as a result to offer the service

that He requires. She also stat-

ed that our salvation is not de-

pendent on the length of time

spent in the church, but rather

our relationship with God.

Bro. Derval Smith, Head

Deacon, was the next speaker.

He examined the life of Joseph

who was humble, served people

well and was immensely

blessed by God. He also spoke

to the influence of the Holy

Spirit when rendering God’s

service. He said that we should

listen to the still small voice, the

voice of God and must have the

passion to assist or encourage

someone so that we may win

the lost at any cost. He admon-

ished us to examine where we

are and consider if that’s where

God wants us to be. In order to

serve we need to have a loving

and joyful spirit, interest in the

truth and in prayer. Quoting

from Jeremiah 4:3, Bro Smith

informed the church that it was

time to break up our fallow

ground. He expounded that we

are to prepare ourselves to

accept Christ wholeheartedly,

be living sacrifices and offer

true worship unto the Most High

God.

The church was left in a

reflective mood after the speak-

ers joined their voices in sing-

ing :

Let me lose myself and find it,

Lord, in Thee.

May all self be slain, my friends,

see only Thee.

Though it costs me grief and

pain, I will find my life again.

If I lose myself I'll find it, Lord, in

Thee.

Shepherd, Pastor Ramone

Phoenix along with Pastor Mi-

chael Henry, Education Director

of Jamaica Union shared in the

experience. We assembled like

a family of happy campers

around these presenters, listen-

ing attentively as they encour-

aged us. We were animated as

we asked questions and shared

opinions.

The energetic singles were

quite prepared for fun and

games and we ended up having

an amazing time getting to

know each other and exploring

new friendships. The activities

which included creative adver-

tising and bun eating contests

were hilarious. We also discov-

ered new things about each

It is said that singleness

doesn’t always mean loneliness

or unhappiness. This truth was

evident on July 16, 2017 when

some of God’s children went on

a journey with Him.

On this bright and cool Sun-

day morning, the Braeton Sev-

enth-day Adventist Church saw

singles of all ages; the young,

the old, the young at heart and

the middle-aged, congregate in

sweet fellowship by the banks

of a beautiful river with mighty

waters at Castleton Gardens.

Nature in its manifold glad-

ness joined in the morning de-

votion as we lifted praises to

the Most High. This set the

pace for what would become an

awesome day. Our faithful

other during the rap sessions.

Our Family Life Directors, Elder

Ionie Wright and her husband

Gerald were present and served

as facilitators and judges for

various activities and contests.

This confirmed my opinion that

whether you’re married or not,

the singles are always fun and

exciting to be around.

The ultimate part of this expe-

rience was feeling empowered

that there was no need for a

negative stigma to be associated

with singleness. Instead we now

understood that being single is a

blessing and that we must ap-

preciate and use that blessing

wisely.

Praise God for the single life!

Selfless Service Cont’d. by Deneve Sweeney

Come One, Come Singles! by Rajhni Fray

Page 2 Braeton Voice Newsletter

“Currently,

Adventists hold 28

fundamental beliefs

that can be

organized into six

categories”

Seventh-day Adventists

accept the Bible as the only

source of our beliefs. We con-

sider our movement to be the

result of the Protestant convic-

tion Sola Scriptura—the Bible as

the only standard of faith and

practice for Christians.

Currently, Adventists hold

28 fundamental beliefs that can

be organized into six catego-

ries—the doctrines of God, man,

salvation, the church, the Chris-

tian life and last day events. In

each teaching, God is the archi-

in the Body of Christ 15. Baptism

16. The Lord’s Supper 17. Spir-

itual Gifts and Ministries 18. The

Gift of Prophecy 19. The Law of

God 20. The Sabbath 21. Stew-

ardship 22. Christian Behaviour

23. Marriage and the Family 24.

Christ’s Ministry in the Heavenly

Sanctuary 25. The Second Com-

ing of Christ 26. Death and Res-

urrection 27. The Millennium

and the End of Sin 28. The New

Earth

Retrieved from

www.adventist.org

tect, who in wisdom, grace and

infinite love, is restoring a rela-

tionship with humanity that will

last for eternity.

The 28 Fundamental beliefs

are: 1. The Holy Scriptures 2.

The Trinity 3. The Father 4. The

Son 5. The Holy Spirit 6. Crea-

tion 7. The Nature of Humanity

8. The Great Controversy 9. The

Life, Death and Resurrection of

Christ 10. The Experience of

Salvation 11. Growing in Christ

12. The Church 13. The Rem-

nant and Its Mission 14. Unity

Some of our singles at Castleton Gardens

for Singles Retreat held in July 2017.

A Testimony of Excellence

by Cheryl Green

Dr. Peta-gaye Phillips’ for-

mal educational journey started

at the Naggo Head Infant School

at the tender age of two years

old. From the beginning she was

an exemplary student with a pas-

sion for reading and creative

writing. At about age seven; Peta

-gaye and her older sister Petra

would visit the library at the Brae-

ton Seventh-day Adventist

Church each week to borrow

books. When they had exhausted

the small collection of children

books, the librarian had to

source books from elsewhere to

satisfy their appetite for

knowledge. It was no surprise in

2004 when Peta-gaye received

the Scotia Bank Jamaica GSAT

Scholarship as Top Performer in

the County of Middlesex from the

Naggo Head Primary School that

would take her to Campion Col-

lege. She gives credit for receiv-

ing that award to her older sib-

lings, especially Petra whose

scholarly discipline she emulated

after watching her prepare for

the exam two years before.

Her tenure at Campion saw

her excelling in both academic

and co-curricular activities. She

received honour awards at the

end of each term and on at least

four occasions she claimed the

prestigious Magis Award which is

given to outstanding students.

Peta-gaye was successful in nine

subjects at the CSEC examination

with eight grade ones and was

placed second and third island-

wide in Caribbean History and

English Literature respectively.

She achieved ten CAPE subjects

at grades one and two and re-

ceived a Caribbean Regional

Award for Sociology. During that

time she served as Class Monitor,

Prefect in addition to being a

member of the Hockey Team,

Interact Club, Mentorship Pro-

gramme, School’s Magazine Com-

mittee, School’s Newspaper and

a myriad of other voluntary and

outreach programmes.

She entered the University

of the West Indies as a medical

student on the Mona campus

with as much aplomb as she left

Campion, being the 2011 Jamai-

ca Centenary Scholarship Recipi-

ent. As with her earlier endeav-

ours, she rose to the challenge of

dissecting cadavers, interacting

with patients, delivering babies,

practising clinical skills, while

learning valuable life lessons

and successfully completed the

requirements for the Bachelor of

Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery

(MBBS) degree and graduated in

November 2017.

Despite the rigors of medi-

cal training, Dr. Phillips has re-

mained steadfast in the Lord’s

service having committed her life

to Him on the brink of her tenth

birthday. She has assisted in the

Children Ministries, Education,

Secretariat and Adventist Youth

Departments of her church. She

is currently an assistant director

of the Health Ministries and

whenever her schedule allows

she helps in outreach activities

of the department.

Dr. Peta-gaye Phillips is now

an intern at the Bustamante

Hospital for Children, Victoria

Jubilee and the Kingston Public

Hospital. She lives each day

claiming Jesus’ promise to His

disciples in John 16:33: These

things I have spoken unto you,

that in me ye might have peace.

In the world ye shall have tribula-

tion: but be of good cheer; I have

overcome the world.

Shareka is an unassuming

young lady with a gentle spirit, a

bright smile and a firm Christian

character. She is the first of three

children for her parents Herbert

and Millicent McFarlane and her

twin siblings are Russell and

Rushell. As a first-born, she is a

natural leader and this became

evident when she served as the

Church Clerk of the Braeton Sev-

enth-day Adventist Church while

barely out of her teenage years.

This she did with distinction for

three years while participating in

other activities including the Sin-

gles Ministries and the Arpeggio

Singers Ministries.

Her experience through den-

tal school was a roller coaster ride

lined with joys and obstacles. In

her own words, “From day one

until graduation day, God carried

me through sleepless nights,

Stepping out in Faith

by Cheryl Green

Her expedition in the field of

sciencehad its infancy while she

still was a student at the St. Jago

High School. Her yearning for

knowledge was evident, and after

sixth form she was on her way to

the University of Technology to

study for a degree in Medical

Technology.

Dr. Shareka McFarlane’s

career as a full-time Medical

Technologist took her to the Uni-

versity Hospital of the West In-

dies and Micro Labs where she

did internship. She temporarily

settled at the Bustamante Hospi-

tal for Children for a mere three

years before stepping out in faith

to pursue studies that would

qualify her as a doctor of medical

dentistry.

cleared major roadblocks, pro-

vided tuition and most important-

ly blessed me with a supportive

family whom I could not do with-

out.”

She completed the require-

ments for her degree right on

time and was a part of the Uni-

versity of Technology’s Graduat-

ing Class of 2017.

Shareka is encouraged by

God’s promise to her in Jer.

29:11 “For I know the plans I

have for you, plans to pros-

per you and not to harm you,

plans to give you hope and a

future.”

Dr. McFarlane will begin her

dental internship in January

2018.

Youth Corner Part 1

Youth Corner Part 2

Page 3 Braeton Voice Newsletter

2017 Graduation picture of

Dr. Peta-Gaye Phillips

2017 Graduation picture of

Dr. Shareka McFarlane

Address: Corner of Marlin Avenue & Hellshire

Main Road, Portmore, Jamaica

Tel./Fax: (876) 998-0306

E-mail: braetonannouncements@yahoo.com

Worship Services:

Sunday Nights @ 7:00 pm

Wednesday Nights @ 7:00pm

Sabbaths @ 9:15 am

Church office opens Wednesdays

@ 10:00 am — 7:00 pm

Seventh-day Adventist Church Braeton

Pictorials

“Voicing through the art of writing”

The voice is the official newsletter of the Braeton S.D.A Church. It

is published quarterly and distributed to the members and the

church community.

STAFF

Executive Publisher Denesha Weir

Editor Cheryl Green

Writers Deneve Sweeney

Rahjni Fray

Cheryl Green

Photographers Ian McKenzie

Graphic Designer Denesha Weir

Our women marching from church to Naggo Head saying no to

violence on the End it Now 2017march in August.

Our Pathfinders displaying their drill and march on Pathfinder

and Adventurer’s Day in September. Publishing Director, Sis. Yvonne Moore giving out books and tracts on Book

Day 2017 celebrated in September.

Some of our children and instructors who participated Vacation

Bible School (VBS)2017 in July.