Gimme-me-bit/ Rocky Point/ Springfield Churches of God Seventh Day

 The Foundation – 1950’s

The Gimme-me-bit/ Rocky Point Springfield Churches of God Seventh Day have their genesis in the Mount Zion Sanctuary Assembly in the district of Water Lane, in the parish of Clarendon, headed by the late Elder Anthony Pitterson. The Mount Zion Sanctuary Assembly Water Lane, was in turn a part of the Mount Zion Sanctuary Assemblies Jamaica, incorporated under the Mount Zion Sanctuary Assemblies Act of 1959. Under this Act, the Water Lane Church is said to have vested the church property to the Mount Zion Sanctuary Assemblies Jamaica by transfer dated May 31, 1955. The late Morrine Winnifred Henry of Rocky Point, Clarendon, became a member of the Water Lane Mount Zion Church in 1959.

 1960’s

The late Maxwell George Henry joined his wife Morrine in the Water Lane Church in 1964, and later became a Deacon in that church. The Mount Zion Assembly in Water Lane was said to be a very vibrant church, with the Church of God Seventh Day at Portland Cottage, Clarendon, was born out of her in the early 1960’s. However, towards the end of the 1960’s the Water Lane Church experienced mass exodus of its members, most of them headed for the daughter church at Portland Cottage, including Maxwell and Morrine Henry.

 The Birth – 1970

It was around this time (late 1960’s) that Sister Morrine Henry got a vision while in her business place in Rocky Point, that a church was to be erected across the road from their business place, and Deacon Maxwell Henry was to be the leader. In obedience to this vision Deacon and Sister Henry set out to erect a Church on their land across the road from their business place and home in Rocky Point, Clarendon. That Church was open in 1970. Deacon Henry was subsequently ordained Elder and Sister Henry – Evangelist. Among their first converts were the late Anita Honeyghan, and later her husband – the late James Honeyghan, who was later ordained Deacon.

 Evangelistic Fervour of the 1970’s

Elder Henry and his members were smitten by an evangelistic bug, and soon they set out on numerous evangelistic missions involving house to house evangelism and street meetings, eventually coming to the district of Gimme-me-bit, Clarendon. Seeing the promise, they started to have Sabbath Service in the yard of the late Sister Edna Sankar. Eventually, through the instrumentality of the late Sister Rebecca Bond, they obtained as a gift a plot of land from the Maxwell’s (in Gimme-me-bit) where they erected a church which was open in 1973. Sister Rebecca Bond, her brothers and children soon became the core of the membership of this new church, along with Zechariah and Rhema Johns from Gimme-me-bit, Albert James, brother and Sister Lowe and Gursha Douglas, who came over from the Water Lane Mount Zion Assembly. 

 Evangelistic Fervour -  The Next Wave (1980’s)

Elder Maxwell Henry with the support of Deacon Honeyghan continued relentlessly with their evangelistic efforts, going as far as St. Elizabeth and Westmoreland. They evangelised through street meetings many district in Vere including Water Lane, Alley, Gayle, Downer, Race Course, Water Well Housing Scheme, Banks and Kemps Hill. This contributed to growth in membership, including a teenager – Brother Donovan Stanberry, who was baptised in   the church in Gimme-me-bit on December 11, 1983.

 Consolidation in the 1990’s

On June 1994, Elder Henry ordained a number of new ministers including Donovan Stanberry – Deacon, Gale Thompson – Evangelist. These two led the charge at the Gimme-me-bit Church, while Elder Henry, Evangelist Henry and Deacon Honeyghan focused on the Rocky Point Church. In the 1998 - 1999 period, the Gimme-me-bit Church decided to intensify its evangelistic efforts in the surrounding district of Crooks Gate, Rowington, Gravel Hill, Banks, Sedge Pond and Springfield. Around this time (1998) the church lost its stalwart mothers – Evangelist Henry and Sister Anita Honeyghan.

 The New Millennium  - New Frontiers

The evangelistic series spearheaded by the Gimme-me-bit church in the above mentioned districts culminated in the launch of our first tent crusade in the district of Springfield, Clarendon, in December 2000. At the end of that crusade, on the very plot of land on which the tent crusade was carried out, the Springfield Church was born on December 30, 2000.

In 2002 the church formed the Gimme-me-bit/Rocky Point/ Springfield Seventh Day Benevolent Society under the Friendly Societies Act of 1966. By this means the church became a legal entity, enabling it to register its real estate holdings and conduct other business.

On June 6, 2005 our founding minister – Elder Maxwell George Henry passed and Deacon Donovan Stanberry assumed leadership of the churches. In September 2006 the church opened the Springfield Basic School, the construction of which was a partnership between church’s Benevolent Society and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund. In December of the same year, Sister Angelia Henry and Anett Henry were ordained missionaries and Brother Keith Hutchinson ordained Evangelist, to assist in the greater work of expanding the preaching of the gospel and nurturing the flock of God.

The great evangelistic work championed by the late Elder Henry continued, resulting in steady growth of the church. On July 16, 2016 Deacon Stanberry was ordained Elder. In the same year on December 25 Brother David Smalling was ordained Deacon and Sister Daylievans Worrie – Missionary to strengthen the work in the Gimme-me-bit church.

United under God’s banner and empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Gimme-me-bit/Rocky Point/ Springfield Churches of God Seventh Day continue the great mission of “Reconnecting People to Christ through Mentorship, Discipleship and Outreach while Nurturing the Body of Christ for His coming Kingdom.”