Sheryl Johnson, Contributor

Pastor Che Cowan and his wife Samantha with their children Amanda and Joshua.

It was out of sheer determination and zeal to impact on a community and nation that Family Church On the Rock, Ocho Rios, St Ann, was born in July 2002.

Apostle David Keane, senior pastor at Family Church on the Rock in Kingston, sensed that God wanted another congregation planted in the Ocho Rios area.

Apostle Keane, who is now incapacitated following a stroke in 2002, was known for his passion for God and heart to bring the anointing of Jesus Christ to the poor, broken-hearted, spiritually captive, physically bound, and mourning.

He looked around for a shepherd to raise up a congregation in Ocho and Pastor Che Cowan and his wife Samantha were chosen to give birth to the vision.

Heeded the call

Children from the Parry Town Basic School play tug-o-war. In the background is a member of Family Church on the Rock, supervising the children. - Contributed

The couple who were, at the time, living in Kingston, heeded the call and set out to Ocho Rios to win the lost, connect them to the church, train and send them out to minister in the world to the glory of God.

The first two meetings of this new congregation were held at the Sunset Jamaica Grande hotel, St Ann. But the hope of finding a permanent sanctuary location elsewhere was uppermost on Pastor Cowan's mind. But various kinds of obstacles and delays prevented this from happening immediately.

The fire of Jesus Christ in the lives of Che and Samanatha didn't wax dim, and so, while a contract was being negotiated with Jamaica National Building Society to access a space on that complex, the church was housed in a 30-seater bus. This gave new meaning to "take the gospel to the world".

Sunday service

A member of Church on the Rock, Ocho Rios, paints the jungle gym of the Parry Town Basic School in St Ann.

The bus, which bore the sign 'Family Church On The Rock', would travel from Kingston to Ocho Rios and park in front of the Jamaica National building where service was held on Sunday evenings.

Meetings were held in this fashion for two Sundays before the space at the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) complex was confirmed. The church meets at 5 Graham Street, at unit 5 of the JNBS building, in Ocho Rios.

The congregation started with eight people. It has grown in the last six years to an average of 200, meeting between their two Sunday morning services - 7:45 and 10:30.

Family Church On The Rock, Ocho Rios, has lived up to its mandate of 'making disciples who make disciples', and so, it impacts the spiritual and social atmosphere of its immediate surroundings and beyond.

In its history, the church has remained relevant in meeting the spiritual and physical needs of the community. In that regard, a major undertaking has been its partnership since 2005 with Parry Town Basic School.

The church has assisted in areas of paying school fees for some of the children, helping with providing lunches, and building and repairing structures at the school.

Annual Christmas treat

Apostle David Keane

The church also hosts an annual Christmas treat for the children.

Additionally, it has exposed the school's need to Jamaica Money Market Brokers JMMB, which donated $100,000 toward the building of a verandah there.

In 2004, Family Church on the Rock Ocho Rios hosted the 'Word Alive Medical Outreach' at the Madge Saunders Conference Centre in St Mary. This outreach served more than 3,000 persons from the St Ann and St Mary communities by providing free health and dental care, and by donating grocery and medication.

The church has also hosted a number of overseas-based missions teams, which serve various communities, schools and children's homes across St Ann.

Family Church on the Rock Ocho Rios church is heavily involved with Teen Challenge, a male drug rehabilitation centre in Ocho Rios. Members of the congregation have also donated $100,000 to the work of the centre.

Making a positive impact in the life of the community is a part of the mandate of Family Church On The Rock Ocho Rios. In this respect, the church operates a mentorship programme which is supported by enthusiastic church members.

Community outreach

A member of Church on the Rock, Ocho Rios, builds a bookshelf for the kids at Parry Town Basic School.

Meanwhile, collaborating with the centre in community outreach has been another avenue through which the church has been serving and, as part of the rehabilitation programme, the students fellowship on a Sunday morning with the church.

Additionally, Family Church On The Rock believes in meeting the needs of the whole man and is committed to the community through investing in youths.

The youth ministry dubbed 'Rock Teens' has been sowing seeds in the area of motivational talks at schools in and around Ocho Rios, including Steer Town Primary, Ocho Rios Primary and St Hilda's High.

The ministry has recently undertaken a project to make a difference in the lives of the residents at the Windsor Girls Home in St Ann's Bay, by including them in activities that are geared towards building self-esteem and exposing talent. Rock Teens transports more than 25 girls from the home to the church on a Friday evening to join with the youth fellowship and on a Sunday to share in morning worship. Out of this venture, at least 10 girls have accepted Christ, one of whom was baptised recently.

Summer camp

The ministry also sponsored 20 girls to the church's annual summer camp earlier this month.

As part of the church's anniversary celebration, it has committed to providing and installing 16 wall-mounted fans in the dormitories at the home to improve ventilation.

The church has also been instrumental in the areas of providing food and clothing to the needy in the community.

The Helping Hands ministry, which is in charge of this initiative, seeks donations to meet these needs. Donations have also been made to the Windsor Girls Home and the St Ann Infirmary.

As the church reflects on the six years of existence, its members invite you to share with them in their sixth anniversary celebration.

One of the highlights of the celebration was a three-day conference that was held under the theme 'Fully Engaged', August 3-5, at the church, located at 5 Graham Street, at the JN building, Unit 5.

Family Church On The Rock, Ocho Rios, is bent on continuing to "making disciples who make disciples", even after six years of sterling service.

Send feedback to mark.dawes@gleanerjm.com