WEYMOUTH HILLS, Sint Maarten – In a moving ceremony on Saturday, July 18, 2015, four pastors were ordained as bishops in the Church of God of Prophecy. The organization held its 60th Biennial convention for the region, which includes the Leeward Islands, French West Indies, Dominica and Suriname on St. Maarten over the weekend.
The ordination was administered by Chief Consecrator Bishop Clayton Martin, who is the Caribbean Presbyter for the Pentecostal body. Receiving the elevated ministerial offices were Bishop Alfred Lafaille, Bishop Hopeton Buchanan, Bishop Amador Shephard and Bishop Israel Jimenez.
Bishop Lafaille, who is from Haiti, became a lay minister in 1997 and currently serves as the Field Secretary for St. Maarten and the French West Indies. Bishop Jimenez, who is from the Dominican Republic, became a Christian at the age of 13 and now pastors the Spanish Church of God of Prophecy in Cole Bay. Bishop Amador Shephard leads the Spanish church on Antigua while Bishop Hopeton Buchanan serves the church on the island of Dominica.
Regional Overseer Bishop Michael Greenaway congratulated the men on their elevation to the new office. A bishop has the general pastoral oversight of all the people in his charge and is called to uphold and care for his fellow ministers. The overseer also encouraged the men and women who serve as pastors to pray more as they wait for God to change their situation. He asked that they be willing to try new and innovative ideas to build the body and affect change in their area.
Members from across the Caribbean attended the four-day event to fellowship and to be inspired to continue their mission to spread the gospel and positively impact their communities. Done in three languages, the convention featured messages and workshops, as well as meetings to address current issues affecting the church.
In the Saturday morning business session, pastors and leaders were encouraged to champion the development of a Regional Disaster Fund to be able to support churches who may experience disasters due to hurricanes and other natural phenomenon.
View photos and videos from the convention on www.cogopleeward.org.
