Greetings from St. Lucia, the Helen of the East.

I am still trying to come to come to grips with my experience in Jamaica when eight of us from Belize, Barbados, St. Lucia, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana went to Jamaica for the first Caribbean Mobilization Conference sponsored by Sunshine Cathedral Ft. Lauderdale and Jamaica. The theme was “Planting Seeds in the Caribbean”.

I have visited Jamaica on many occasions before. They have all been good visits during which I saw the Jamaican LGBT community at work. There I learned new and different ways to organize the Caribbean and St. Lucian LGBT communities around HIV.

But the August 2007 experience at the Sunshine Cathedral in Jamaica really took the cake. I was not totally sure what to expect when I agreed to attend so there was some sort of anticipation about the trip. I knew that it had to do with LGBT spirituality, God and worship. All of these were ok with me since was training to be a minister of religion and am still a practicing Christian.

The Conference which took place on our first full day in Jamaica was very useful and provided some good insights into MCC’s history, operations etc. I was very impressed and wondered why MCC had been such a well kept secret because so many of my LGBT brothers and sisters yearned for spiritual stimulation. I ended that first day energized but still feeling that my role was a little abstract and not concrete.

Well, if the Saturday workshop was the theory, then the Sunday worship service was the practical. It still feels as though I was in a dream as I entered this hall beautifully decorated with the signature rainbow colours and flowers. I watched in amazement as numerous members of the local community turned up for worship. They came from different locations, in different shapes and sizes each choosing different ways of celebrating their own sexuality. Some brought their children who seemed to be very at home in this church service and were warmly welcomed by the adults. I could not believe that this really happening in Jamaica. For the first time in my 45 years, I witnessed members of the LGBT community freely worshipping in spirit and in truth. I saw my brothers and sisters pour out their hearts to the Lord and call upon him.
I saw pent up repression and pain experience release. I saw love and support in action.
I was able to simply worship and be blessed.

I was struck by the number of persons (at least twenty) who were received as new members in the church. I was deeply moved by the fact that this included five heterosexuals. But the lingering image will always be how happy people were as they hugged and kissed and departed. And although we were there for about three hours the dream seemed to have ended as quickly as it started.

Later on, I sat on the Kingston water-front with my host-family, their children and my Belizean counterpart. We ate and chatted about what had happened and still I was lost, I could not believe.



This was an affirming experience that will have a great impact on my life.
Thanks to Sunshine Cathedral for creating this oasis in the desert, for making this possible for us in the Caribbean, for planting a seed which I hope will grow up in my own country of St. Lucia. Thank God for moving in this mighty and affirming way.