{"id":3996,"date":"2019-10-03T16:13:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T14:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/2019\/10\/03\/celebrating-30-years-the-port-of-spain-church-of-christ-in-trinidad-and-tobago\/"},"modified":"2023-06-02T07:14:48","modified_gmt":"2023-06-02T05:14:48","slug":"celebrating-30-years-the-port-of-spain-church-of-christ-in-trinidad-and-tobago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/celebrating-30-years-the-port-of-spain-church-of-christ-in-trinidad-and-tobago\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating 30 Years: The Port-of-Spain Church of Christ in Trinidad and Tobago"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n

\n \"\"\n<\/center>\n

<\/p>\n

The Port-of-Spain Church of Christ <\/a> (PoSCoC) commemorated its 30th anniversary in July with a weekend celebration themed \u2018The Hand of God.\u2019 Planted in 1989 by the Kingston Church of Christ <\/a> , Jamaica, the church, along with members of the original mission team who returned for this historical event, took the opportunity to reflect on the sometimes tumultuous, but always inspiring journey. <\/p>\n

The weekend was planned to showcase how God\u2019s hand hasbeen with us for the past 30 years and how his hand continues to be with us,molding and shaping us into his image. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n \"\"\n<\/center>\n

<\/p>\n

On Saturday, July 27, the Cipriani College of Labour and Co-operative Studies, Valsayn, saw a fully-charged gathering of disciples, friends and relatives, visitors \u2013 among whom were many who were once part of our fellowship \u2013 and our Caribbean and international brothers, sisters and guests. <\/p>\n

We began with three main teaching sessions, which were followed by an interlude for dinner before the second period when we lifted our hearts and voices in a worship segment led by our worship ministry. This was then followed by a video production of the history of our church in which previous and current leaders shared our journey through their experiences. <\/p>\n

The first teaching session was for men and women in separate classes and was taught by former leaders of the PoSCoC, Sean and Robin Barnes, who now lead in Queens, New York. Sean and Robin led our fellowship for nine and a half years from March 1995 to July 2004. <\/p>\n

The second session focused on walking with God through all stages of life and offered simultaneous classes for singles, marrieds and matures. Sam and Cynthia Powell from New York led the singles class; Tony and Leslie Millet, former PoSCoC leaders who are now in Hampton Roads, Virginia, taught the marrieds; and Matthew and Vanessa Bridges from Houston led the matures. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n \"\"\n<\/center>\n

<\/p>\n

Formermission team members Brian and Michelle Santos, who came to Trinidad fromJamaica in 1989, had the privilege of teaching the final sessionwith an energizing and convicting \u201cspiritual formation\u201d class. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n \"\"\n<\/center>\n

<\/p>\n

After dinner and a rousing hour-long worship session, the day culminated with a video presentation, with leaders chronologically telling stories. Sean and Robin Barnes, Gary and Kirtia Arthur, Leslie and Tony Millet and Nanieno and Merlene La Fleur, each linking their leadership experience to contextualize the journey of how God\u2019s hand guided us to many victories and refined us through many hardships. <\/p>\n

We were reminded of our early days when we were so filled with faith and zeal that we were willing to go wherever the Spirit led. Moving from place to place and experiencing changes in leadership, we pressed on, undaunted by the challenges. We recalled how many of our family members, friends, co-workers, classmates and strangers became disciples. We reflected on how Port-of-Spain became instrumental in the planting of churches in other islands, in Tobago and in other sectors of Trinidad, as we worked to spread the gospel. <\/p>\n

On Sunday, July 28, we hosted a Bring Your Neighbor Day Service where approximately 250 disciples saw 580 in attendance \u2013 a full auditorium and our largest attendance in years. Sam Powell ministered to our hearts in a service where many Caribbean and international brothers and sisters led our hearts in prayer, communion and in quickening our hearts to our continued role of planting Christ in every nation. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n \"\"\n<\/center>\n

<\/p>\n

From the original mission team, we also had in attendance Trinidadian Patricia Williams coming in from Jamaica. Paul Williams, who also led the church here for a period in the 1990s, came in from Barbados along with other disciples\/leaders from Barbados, Guyana and Grenada. <\/p>\n

To God\u2019s glory, our women\u2019s ministry announced therestoration of our sister Caroline Ravello, who shared a bit of her journey as superbtestimony to the power of the hand of God. Caroline was baptised in 1989 inBoston, returned to Trinidad and Tobago in 1990, and, for almost 30 yearsstruggled to find the confidence and peace in God needed for her journey. Herstory was a very inspirational part of our celebration. <\/p>\n

Sunday was awe-inspiring, to say the least. It concluded with a dance presentation from our church dancers, Stytchez 3.0,and a true Trini style, jump-and-wave praise session led by internationalgospel artist, our own, Shane \u201cRizon\u201d Gibson. <\/p>\n

Many men and women expressed their desire to study theBible and many already have started their journey. <\/p>\n

We are grateful to God for what he has done, and we look forward to his hand guiding us as we move on to our next chapter. We continue to revel in God and the rich history of our church reflecting on God\u2019s goodness, his faithfulness, his unquestionable patience, his unfailing kindness, and his all-encompassing love. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Port-of-Spain Church of Christ (PoSCoC) commemorated its 30th Anniversary in July by a weekend celebration themed \u2018The Hand of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":3997,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[71],"tags":[61,54],"post_folder":[151],"class_list":["post-3996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-missions","tag-north-america"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Untitled-81131bbe.png?fit=439%2C293&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"dtadmin","author_link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/author\/dtadmin\/"},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phsvEw-12s","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31485,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/istanbul-church-celebrates-30th-anniversary\/","url_meta":{"origin":3996,"position":0},"title":"Istanbul Church Celebrates 30th Anniversary","author":"Sunday Awolowo","date":"October 7, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"The celebration was a historic event, bringing disciples from far and wide with the local church, guests, friends, and family, to celebrate, pray, dream and plan for the future of the church in T\u00fcrkiye.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/istanbul-spiritual-retreat.png?fit=849%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/istanbul-spiritual-retreat.png?fit=849%2C480&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/istanbul-spiritual-retreat.png?fit=849%2C480&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/istanbul-spiritual-retreat.png?fit=849%2C480&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14053,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/kingston-jamaica-church-appoints-first-elders\/","url_meta":{"origin":3996,"position":1},"title":"Kingston, Jamaica Church Appoints First Elders","author":"dtadmin","date":"May 30, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"After years of seeking wisdom, the Kingston Church of Christ in Jamaica joyfully appointed its first elders.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/kingston-church-of-christ-elders.jpg?fit=1200%2C814&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/kingston-church-of-christ-elders.jpg?fit=1200%2C814&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/kingston-church-of-christ-elders.jpg?fit=1200%2C814&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/kingston-church-of-christ-elders.jpg?fit=1200%2C814&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/kingston-church-of-christ-elders.jpg?fit=1200%2C814&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4331,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/thirty-years-and-counting\/","url_meta":{"origin":3996,"position":2},"title":"30 Years and Counting: \u00a0Harare, Zimbabwe Church Gears Up for Conference and Birthday Celebration","author":"dtadmin","date":"June 12, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"As the church in Harare, Zimbabwe, celebrate their 30th anniversary and prepare to host the Southern Africa Leadership Conference from June 14-16, four disciples reflect on their personal and the church's journeys since 1989:","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/LucaTorongoandfamily.jpg?fit=600%2C418&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/LucaTorongoandfamily.jpg?fit=600%2C418&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/LucaTorongoandfamily.jpg?fit=600%2C418&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2534,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/the-church-in-st-vincent-and-the-grenadines-celebrates-20-years\/","url_meta":{"origin":3996,"position":3},"title":"St. Vincent and the Grenadines ICOC Celebrates 20 Years","author":"dtadmin","date":"February 14, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"On November 29th, 2020, the church in St. Vincent and the Grenadines commemorated its 20th anniversary with a special worship service themed \u2018In God\u2019s Hands\u2019. Indeed, the journey of the church to this point bears true testimony as to the sure and gracious guidance of our Lord.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/st_vincent_and_the_grenadines_20_years_thumbnail.jpg?fit=600%2C449&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/st_vincent_and_the_grenadines_20_years_thumbnail.jpg?fit=600%2C449&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/st_vincent_and_the_grenadines_20_years_thumbnail.jpg?fit=600%2C449&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4226,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/seattle-church-commemorates-30th-anniversary\/","url_meta":{"origin":3996,"position":4},"title":"Seattle Church Commemorates 30th Anniversary","author":"dtadmin","date":"July 16, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"30 years after its original planting, the Seattle Church of Christ is at the beginning of an amazing new era in its history. After being planted in 1989 by a passionate team of 12 disciples, the church has grown to nearly 600 souls today. In the last 30 years, we\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/seattle_30th_anniversary_1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/seattle_30th_anniversary_1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/seattle_30th_anniversary_1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/seattle_30th_anniversary_1.jpg?fit=960%2C720&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3852,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/la-icoc-celebrates-30th-anniversary\/","url_meta":{"origin":3996,"position":5},"title":"Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Celebrating 30 Years of the Los Angeles ICOC","author":"dtadmin","date":"December 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Nearly 6,000 people gathered in August for a historic celebration of the last 30 years of the Los Angeles Church of Christ.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/LAICOC30thanniversary.jpeg?fit=1200%2C566&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/LAICOC30thanniversary.jpeg?fit=1200%2C566&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/LAICOC30thanniversary.jpeg?fit=1200%2C566&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/LAICOC30thanniversary.jpeg?fit=1200%2C566&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/LAICOC30thanniversary.jpeg?fit=1200%2C566&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/Untitled-81131bbe.png?fit=439%2C293&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3997"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3996"},{"taxonomy":"post_folder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_folder?post=3996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}