Century Camp Meeting Celebrates 60 Years

The camp meeting held July 22-29 in Century, Florida, commemorated the sixtieth camp meeting of the United States Southern and Eastern District. Attendees from branch churches throughout the district came for the diamond anniversary, and the enthusiasm was evident from the very first service.

At every evening service of the convention, a number of pioneers of the work in that region were remembered. On Tuesday, the testimony of the late Reverend Isaac Davis was shared; he was saved in 1947 and served as U.S. Southern and Eastern District Superintendent for over ten years. The testimony of the late Reverend Leon Dicks was recalled on Wednesday. He was saved in 1944 after his heart was pricked during a street meeting, and he later founded the Apostolic Faith Church at 265 Lafayette in Brooklyn, New York. He also served as District Overseer from 1985 to 1989. Several other inspiring testimonies were shared, encouraging attendees to be faithful like those who have gone before.

On Thursday, a photo gallery was set up in the Century church, highlighting the sixty years of camp meetings. A video was also shown of the late William McClary preaching a memorable sermon titled “A Song in the Night.” The entire camp meeting was a blessing as the saints remembered all God has done and looked forward to what He will do in the days ahead.

District Superintendent of Jamaica Appointed

In late spring of 2018, it was announced that Reverend Calvin Palmer would be retiring from the position of District Superintendent of Jamaica, with Reverend Rohan Clough succeeding him. Reverend Clough had served on the Jamaica Board of Trustees since 2002, and in May of 2018, was appointed as the interim leader of the Apostolic Faith work for the island nation. On July 14 of the same year, at the Portland camp meeting, the headquarters Board of Trustees prayed for him, and he officially assumed his new role on August 1. Reverend Palmer will continue to serve as pastor of the churches in Christiana and Crofts Hill, Jamaica. 

Newfoundland 75th Anniversary Camp Meeting

The camp meeting held August 5-12 in Roddickton, Newfoundland, Canada, included a celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Roddickton church, which was founded in 1943 as the first Apostolic Faith Church in Canada.

On Wednesday of the camp meeting, a walk-through was set up with photos and displays that recounted the history of the work. The memorabilia included a model of the original church, with such intricate details that pews and a pulpit were visible on the interior. There was also a model of the boat used during the early days to evangelize towns which were only accessible by water. There were many photos documenting the work through the years as well.

The Wednesday evening church service was also dedicated to the history of the church in Canada. During the service, Reverend Rene Cassell, former District Superintendent of Canada, gave an overview of the work, including how it expanded from only Newfoundland to other parts of Canada during his tenure. The late Reverend Gideon Hancock, founder of the Roddickton church, was known to have loved the song “Abide with Me,” and members of the Hancock family sang that song during the meeting. Later, the current District Superintendent of Canada, Reverend Chris Hewlett, read a Scripture passage from Ephesians and then acknowledged the founding veterans of the Roddickton work, bringing out that the Gospel message has not changed at all in the past seventy-five years.