Worship, praise and celebration mark a milestone
Sugar Ray Thomas
Sunday, April 17, will be a memorable occasion in the life of the very reverend Canon Charles Manderson, as members of the St Mary Parish Church, the Deanery of St Mary, the St Mary Minister’s fraternal, members of the Port Maria community, family and friends celebrated his 21 years of stewardship at the church. The occasion was a special pastoral recognition service and birthday celebration.
The pastoral recognition service was held at the St Mary Parish Church, while the birthday celebration was held at the Church Hall.
Several persons paid tributes through songs or testimonials and offered gifts of a citation, plaque and gift baskets. This was all aimed at recognizing a man, who they described as a compassionate humanitarian, a man of extraordinary might and insight, a humble and faithful servant and one who has embraced and welcomed the desolate and ostracized of society.
The day began with the usual service, which included sermon being delivered by Rev. Dr. Winston Watson.
The pastoral recognition portion of the service saw a special prayer and a blessing done for Canon Manderson, which involved the symbolic rubbing over his head and a prayer being done by Vincent Mason, owner of Mizpah Funeral Home.
A citation recognizing Canon Manderson’s 21 years of service to the Parish Church and the wider community of Port Maria was read and presented by Sunday school teacher, Dawn Gibbs and Newton Thomas, church committee member. Canon Manderson has spent 29 years in the priesthood.
The citation noted that Canon Manderson began his journey with the St. Mary Parish Church on September 15, 1995, where he sought to nurture the spiritual growth and development of the congregation.
Canon Manderson, who is also the Dean of St Mary, oversees 21 churches in the deanery and is currently the rector of the Port Maria Cure.
The Very Rev. Canon Charles Manderson’s compassion and humanitarianism have also seen him diving head on into several community activities. He has served as the chairman of the Brimmervale High School and is the current chairman of the Albion Mountain Primary School.
In addition, he is the chairman of the St. Mary ministers’ fraternal, treasurer of the St Mary Parish Library and also a member of the Custos’ advisory committee.
Canon Manderson was further lauded for his work in training “many servers and lay preachers” and his advocacy for the children.
“Charles Manderson is an extraordinary Anglican priest, who has achieved the formidable task of cutting across all denominational boundaries with his authentic, traditional Anglicanism, spiced with his electrifying flavorings of modern evangelism,” read a section of the citation presented.
FOR THE COMMUNITY
One of his greatest accomplishments was being able to oversee the completion of the St. Mary Parish Church Hall that has also been utilized by various organizations in the parish to hold civic functions and meetings.
A special plaque and a gift from members of the church and its ministries were also presented by Estriana Thompson and Eugena Robinson, both longstanding members of the church.
Children of the church also read poems in tribute of Canon Manderson and there were also tributes in song from the Anglican youth fellowship and the combined choir.
In his response, Canon Manderson lauded the several persons who had paid tribute to him and had played a significant role in grooming him to become a priest. These mentors included the very reverend Lionel Cumberbatch, the late right reverend Neville DeSouza, Father Anthony Aarons and more.
He also recognized the several mothers he had in his life, who encouraged him along his journey. Of those, he specially mentioned Port Maria businesswoman, Estriana Thompson.
He also recognized the members and other priests within the Deanery of St. Mary and the members of the St. Mary Parish Church.
“I want to thank everyone for their love, appreciation and blessings over the years. We (the St Mary Parish Church) have a congregation based on love and unity, where the rich, the poor and the needy can come and find Christ. It was also our intention to build a house of prayer and open our church to the community. We are not here to cater to only one section of the community, but to all sections,” Canon Manderson said in response.
BIRTHDAY
Following the pastoral service, church members and guests poured into the parish church hall to the birthday celebration event of Canon Manderson. That portion of the function saw the cake cutting and lunch being served.
The tributes at the birthday celebration function were done by the St. Mary Ministers’ fraternal, St Mary Parish Church, brotherhood of St Andrew, Albion Mountain Primary and others.
