Up in the hills of inland Jamaica, in the west central parish of Manchester is a small village named Walderston. On the outskirts of Walderston you will find a quiet, rural farming community of about 500 persons named Contrivance. Sharon Gospel Assembly is a small church of about 70 people located in Contrivance with a vision for meeting the needs of its community. They are a member of the Associated Gospel Assemblies, a small group of evangelical churches in Jamaica.

Sharon Gospel Assembly is led by its pastor Phillip Cardis. He and the members of the church recognize the needs in their community for education, both at a child’s level and an adult level. They have been led by the Lord to respond to that need by operating a basic school. The current facility they meet in is inadequate to truly meet the educational needs of the Contrivance community. In 2007 they decided to build an additional building to serve as the school house and began to reach out to God’s people for assistance.

In early 2008 Hyacinth Urquhart, Ministries In Action’s Director of Project Ebenezer, visited Sharon Gospel Assembly to meet with the church members and survey the community and potential worksite. It was quickly obvious to her that they had a true vision to reach out to the Contrivance community and a sound plan. She also noticed that the village and guest house available would be adequate for accommodating short term missionaries.

Sharon Gospel Assembly currently meets in a single building approximately 60 feet by 20 feet. This small building, in addition to its auditorium, houses a vestry, pastor’s office and two bathrooms. It is currently used for both church ministry and to run their small basic school, but it is not large enough to accommodate the needs of both, nor to adequately serve the Contrivance community. Because of the remote, rural location and the fact that the foundation has already been laid, no special government approval is needed to build an additional building, and they have the full support of their local government representatives.

Ministries In Action has partnered with Sharon Gospel Assembly to construct a building of identical size adjacent to the current building. The project committee, led by Erica Cardis, and made up of members of Sharon Gospel Assembly will plan and supervise the construction of the new school building. They will also host visiting work teams that come to work on the project. Ministries In Action has committed to recruiting and sending work missionaries to the project site and to raise funds to cover the costs of materials and labor above and beyond what the short term missionaries are able to contribute.

The building, when completed, will be primarily used for the basic school, but will also be used for Adult training and certification in collaboration with HEART Trust NTA, an organization in Jamaica committed to training and certifying a workforce to simulate employment and improve productivity, competitiveness and prosperity of individuals in that nation. Sharon Gospel Assembly is planning to make the new building available for health clinics, counseling and career guidance as well.

Short term missionary teams that visit this project have the opportunity to participate in the construction of the school and to work with MIA missionaries in Jamaica.  There are opportunities for children's ministry and evangelism as well.


Click here to request information about a short term mission trip to Contrivance.

Click here to support this project financially.