1. Faith in Action
Graeme Sterne, 2006

2. Slaves were regarded as…
Slaves could be…
- beaten to death
- imprisoned without trial
- lashed
- forced to have sex
- made to do humiliating things
- fed whatever ‘massa’ chose
- split from their families
Slaves were regarded as…
- cattle, to bought and sold
- dangerous animals which needed taming
- born to hard labour
- only understanding harsh physical discipline
- not worth educating

3. Sam Sharpe
- Baptist lay preacher
- a slave himself
- “all men are equal in God’s eyes”
- led the Western Uprising
- pacifist withdrawal of labour
- led to violence
slaves executed overall
- Sam was hanged in this square (1832)
- 90/106 were also hanged here
/300/500 lashes plus prison

4. The Act of Emancipation, 1833
Full freedom, 1838
Final resolution, 1865
Independence, 1962

5. Some Christians supported slavery… - Noah’s cursed son
- Bible does not condemn slavery
- It suited their economic interests
- It suited their social status
- It suited their concept of civilisation
But Sam Sharpe (and others) believed in a different world
- all men are equal in God’s eyes
- equality should be lived out in social and economic relationships
- Sam Sharpe was a revolutionary
- he did not espouse violence but he did want to see change
- inevitably change brought him into conflict with the ruling class

6. Today, Jamaica is still working towards a better society
A. Diversity – “Out of many, one people”
B. Rastafarians – longing to return to Ethiopia
- Bob Marley, the ‘god father’, lion of Judah
- love, peace, unity and respect
C. Exploitation of tourists
% unemployment
- highest murder rate in the world
- 2nd highest HIV/AIDS rate in the world
- low wages drive people off shore
And there are still people trying to make a difference…

7. Not this guy.
He’s trying to
make a buck
from the tourists

8. He was charged tax on the service charge
Not this guy.
He was charged tax on the service charge
which was added on to the food bill
which was already taxed!

9. She brought these people to her church – Malaysia, New Zealand, Mexico
Elaine is.
She brought these people to her church
– Malaysia, New Zealand, Mexico

10. A. Urban Youth Project Drama, dance B. Youth Be Wise Comic books C
A. Urban Youth Project Drama, dance B. Youth Be Wise Comic books C. Art for Peace Mural on the wall

11. Are we putting our faith into action?
Death of twin babies
Death of Chinese student
15 cm knife in a man’s head
Will we just say “Oh that’s terrible”?
Will we form a committee?
Will we make excuses?
What is our response to this?

12. Are we putting our faith into action?
Young people are giving themselves to increasing levels of materialism, living for the moment, short term commitments
Are we going to fold our hands, resigning ourselves to the trends?
Are we afraid of being called judgmental if we share the Gospel with people?
Are we happy to just ‘minister to our own’?
Or will we build community?

13. James says ‘faith should be demonstrated by action’

14. We must turn our beliefs into practice
We must turn our beliefs into practice. Even demons “believe” but they do not turn that belief into repentance. Sam Sharpe believed that ‘all men are created equal in God's eyes’ and he did something about that belief

15. In this church we are committed to…
Sharing the Gospel (especially with Chinese)
Effectively ministering to all generations of Chinese in New Zealand
We want to know Christ personally
We do not want to leave things to just turn out the way they are going.
We want to influence the direction of history.
We want to be transformed and to transform others.