Church under pressure to reclaim Easter

As Jamaicans prepare to 'turn up' this Easter weekend at various parties, a local clergyman is urging the church to remind the unsaved of the season's importance.

Speaking with THE WEEKEND STAR, Pastor Barry Hall, of Ekklesia Bible Fellowship, said he will not point fingers at partygoers and revellers, but urges the saved to inform others about the true meaning of the holiday.

"I never view things from the standpoint of how the unsaved view or treat holidays that are important to the church in terms of its biblical context. It is more how the church is responding to its own context and if we are still supporting it. We should look if we treat it with the same value that we grew up with. As a child, Good Friday was very quiet and bars would not be opened before 6 p.m. When TV came on, it would show about the crucifixion or something biblical. So that certainly has changed," Hall said.

"The church must continue to be the church and we must show people the importance of Easter. It is not so much about the holiday but the purpose behind it. We need to check if we treat it with value or if we fall into the same trap as the rest of the world," he added.

Hall said the church needs to apply a self-check, stating that his annual presence at Jamaica Carnival is to win souls for Jesus Christ.

For more than a decade, on Road March Day, Hall and members of his church have taken up position along Hope Road in St Andrew, stepping into the heart of the celebrations. There, amid pulsating music and colourful displays, they quietly offer bottles of water to passing revellers -- each one bearing a message about what they call the "true living water".

The gesture, though simple, is symbolic. In the middle of what many describe as a sea of secular distractions, the church's presence serves as a gentle reminder of Easter's deeper meaning -- an effort, Hall says, not to compete with the festivities, but to ensure that the message of faith is not lost in the noise.

"Evangelism is getting weak and personal evangelism is even weaker, and we need to check ourselves if we are reaching out to the unsaved more, and, even if we are doing that, is it a purpose towards Easter or do we just lock our doors and stay inside?" he said.

"We are out there for carnival and whenever we can. We are not partnering or celebrating carnival but we are celebrating the redemption story and the fact that man has an opportunity to make peace with God, and we are out there telling the story," Hall added.

He emphasised the need for the secular community to be educated about Christianity and the significance of religious holidays.

"A lot of churches seem to have conventions and convocations during this time and I have nothing good or bad to say about it and, since the world is focused on Easter and celebrate in their own way, we should teach people about its real purpose," he said.