A Christmas Message
by Apostle Cecil G. Riley, Chief Prelate, Freedom Hall Churches of God
As we embrace the holiness of this Christmas season, I extend sincere greetings to the Jamaican diaspora on behalf of the Freedom Hall Church of God family. This sacred time invites us to reflect upon God’s unfailing love, the gift of His Son, and the enduring promise of hope that Christmas brings to our lives and communities.
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This year, our beloved homeland has endured tremendous difficulty. The passage of Hurricane Melissa has caused significant disruption, hardship, and suffering for many Jamaican families. Numerous communities continue to grapple with damaged homes, loss of livelihood, and the emotional toll of displacement and uncertainty. Yet, even amid these challenges, the steadfast resilience of the Jamaican people stands as a powerful testament to our national character and to God’s sustaining grace.
Freedom Hall Church of God Ministry remains unwavering in its commitment to the welfare of our people. Our churches in Jamaica, (Boscobel St. Mary and Race Track, Clarendon) continue to mobilize various forms of assistance to support those affected, and we have strengthened our partnerships with faith-based organizations to expand both the reach and impact of our relief efforts. Together, we are working diligently to help restore stability, provide essential resources, and bring comfort to those in need.
We also continue to lift our nation before the Lord in continuous prayer—praying for healing, for renewed strength, and for divine provision for every family rebuilding their lives. It is our conviction that through unified action, compassionate service, and the guiding hand of God, Jamaica will rise from this season of hardship with renewed hope and resilience.
As we celebrate Christmas, may the peace of Christ fill your homes, may His joy strengthen your spirits, and may His light guide us all into a prosperous and restored new year.
On behalf of the Freedom Hall Church of God family, I extend heartfelt wishes for a blessed Christmas and a hopeful, grace-filled New Year.
Christ Church International Wishes You A Christmas Filled With Peace and Love!
As the year winds down, we pause to thank God for a year of abundant blessings, grace, and moments where His love is shone brightly through our church family here at Christ Church International. Through every season—both joyful and challenging—we have witnessed God’s faithfulness at work among us. This past year has been marked by spiritual growth, renewed commitment, and a deepened sense of community. We have seen lives touched, prayers answered, and hope restored as we gathered in worship, served our neighbors, and supported one another in love. Each act of kindness, every word of encouragement, and all faithful service reflect the heart of Christ and the strength of a church united in purpose. As we celebrate the Christmas season, we are reminded of the greatest gift ever given—Jesus Christ, our Savior and King. His birth is a powerful reminder that light overcomes darkness, peace is possible, and God’s love is freely offered to all. May this Christmas bring renewed hope, lasting peace, and abundant joy to every home. As we look ahead to the coming year, we do so with faith and expectation, trusting God to continue His good work in us and through us. From all of us at Christ Church International, we wish you a blessed Christmas and a New Year filled with God’s grace.
Season’s Greetings from the Dennis Shipping Team
As we celebrate the joy, warmth, and togetherness of the Christmas season, we extend our heartfelt greetings and sincere appreciation to all our valued customers, partners, and friends. This season invites us to reflect not only on the blessings of the year, but also on the challenges that have tested our strength, resilience, and compassion.
The past months have been especially difficult following the passage of Hurricane Melissa through Jamaica. Entire communities were devastated, homes and livelihoods destroyed on an immense scale, and countless lives were brought to an abrupt standstill. For many, the disruption left uncertainty, hardship, and the painful question of whether light would ever break through the darkness. Yet even in the midst of such loss, we witnessed something truly powerful.
Across the island and throughout the Caribbean diaspora, there emerged a spirit of unity, generosity, and unwavering resolve unlike anything we have seen before. Individuals, organizations, and communities came together with one shared purpose—to help Jamaica rise again. The partnerships formed, the sacrifices made, and the assistance rendered during this time have been nothing short of extraordinary. Hope has indeed shone through the darkness, and while the road to full recovery may be long, we remain confident that together we will overcome every obstacle before us.
The overwhelming volume of relief shipments during this period placed immense strain on the entire shipping community, as companies worked tirelessly to meet the urgent demand for assistance. Many faced unprecedented pressure, and Dennis Shipping was no exception. However, through collaboration with NGOs, community leaders, and compassionate individuals like you, we were able to extend support through discounted and, in some cases, free shipments to those in need. This collective effort stands as a testament to what can be achieved when compassion leads the way.
We would like to inform all our customers that delays at the port are expected due to congestion, along with longer-than-usual container stripping times.
As these challenges among others remain, we kindly ask that you continue to bear with us as we work through them together. We trust that you will be reassured by our unwavering commitment to service, guided by our motto, “Committed to Excellence.” Your patience and understanding allow us to maintain the high standards of care, reliability, and dedication you have come to expect from Dennis Shipping.
We are deeply grateful for your patience, understanding, and continued trust as we navigate these challenges together. Your kindness and support have meant more to us than words can express, and they continue to inspire our commitment to serve with excellence, integrity, care, reliability, and dedication—now and in the year ahead.
From all of us at Dennis Shipping, we wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas filled with peace, comfort, joy, and renewed hope, and a New Year marked by healing, brighter days, and new beginnings. Together we rise—and together, we will continue to rise.
With heartfelt gratitude, The Dennis Shipping Team
Think on These Things: Christmas Message
by Reverend Frank I. Williams
Are you ready for the Word!
“Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:7).
The Gospel of John opens with these words, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” The very being who created all this, becomes one of us––to live among humanity, and demonstrate His love for us. God descended from His glory, wrapped Himself in human form and became Immanuel, which means, “God with us.” This event changed everything. It created possibilities that were previously unknown, and made available to humanity, in an unprecedented way, access to God’s peace, mercy, goodness, and salvation. Yet, this unprecedented event occurred quietly at night in a stable; and they called His name Jesus. There, Jesus was born, wrapped in cloths, and then place in a manger – a basin like wooden object from which animals ate and drank. Immanuel, born in a stable, what’s the meaning of this? I think this reveals to us a key characteristic about God. That God is intentional about identifying with the marginalized, oppressed, the humble, and the forgotten. God chooses the position of humility and ordinariness over pomp and excessiveness. God chooses the bottom rather than the top. Even in the choice of using the young girl Mary as the one who would carry this God-Child, demonstrates God’s love for the simple and the pure.
This virgin girl who was chosen to carry the Messiah, was declared to have “found favor with God,” as Luke 1:30b states. I believe we sometimes misunderstand what this really means. Finding favor with God is not about getting special treatment in the sense of God granting you personal favors or giving you all the perks for which you ask or desire. Finding favor with God is God’s invitation for your assistance in bringing His purpose to pass. It means that God wants to entrust you with a task, or burden, that will require your time, energy and oftentimes, great sacrifice. It is in the carrying of the “burden” and the blessing of God’s will that we become co-creators of God’s purposes in the earth. Divine-favor is usually attached to God’s purposes not our own desires. This was the case with Joseph and Mary. This “favor” of God did not get them a room in the inn, nor did it get them the royal treatment. Instead, the “Holy Thing” that was conceived in her by the Holy Spirit, was born in obscurity in a stable in the open fields of Bethlehem.
There is no doubt that God loves humanity. I know, I know. When we look at the senseless violence in this world, random shootings, the wickedness of some people, and the disasters that claim innocent lives, how could we conclude that God loves humanity. Only God can best answer that question. But what I do know, personally and professionally, is that God is sovereign, and He has chosen to love us enough to give us freedom––freedom to choose or to reject, to do right or to do wrong, to love or to leave. But when we choose to love God, even when we don’t understand it all, we create for ourselves the best reality of all, that is, hope for today and peace for eternity.
Perhaps you are reading this and reflecting on your life; and you feel as though you are living “outside the inn.” It seems like there is room at the table for everyone else except you. Fear not, great things can emerge from the “mangers” of life. Do not allow your heart to be consumed with despair and depression. Seek and surrender to the Lordship of Jesus the Christ. Believe in Him as the Son of God who came to save people from their sins (Mathew 1:21). God loves you, and He has choosen to relate with us and make Himself known to us through Jesus “To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins…to give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace” (Luke 1:77-79). As you gather with family and friends during the holidays, remember the deeper meaning of this season; and if you can, do something good for someone who cannot return “the favor.” Until next time, Merry Christmas my friends, and think on these things.
