Rehoboth Gospel Assembly

"Our first entrance into Christian fellowship was in Cecil Harris' home, Shortwood Road, a place called El Bethel. We were in a double garage, board wooden side garage, door to one side, one or two windows. It was kind of hot in there; we had some chairs. It was quite clean and nice; had a table, some flowers. About twenty people would gather on a Sunday morning for worship".

These words of Albert Karram tell the beginning of The Rehoboth Story--a journey of faith and faithfulness that spans some eighty five (85) years.

The meeting in the double garage at El Bethel moved to Constant Spring Road, then to Mannings Hill Road, to another spot on Shortwood Road before settling on the porch of T. J. and Clarabelle Karram's house at 66 Constant Spring Road in 1924. The meeting flourished. The porch at the Karrams was extended, but overflowed. So in 1926, a shed was put up outside, and passersby called it "Karram church"; but the worshippers named the place, the Rehoboth Mission. In addition to the shed, a baptismal pool was dug in the yard, and one of the largest baptisms, with 46 candidates took place on January 27, 1927.

The Rehoboth Story really began earlier, back in 1920 with the arrival from Junior Alaska of Charles Wesley Long to Jamaica. His friendship with two brothers Cecil and Stanley Harris led to the starting of the meeting at El Bethel. Long died within a short while, and both Harrises played major roles, Stanley pastoring the work from 1925-1946.

Some fine men became part of the fellowship, among them Frank Bent, Granville Salmon, Louis Miller, George Mantock, Joslyn White, and later Henry White. It was a promising group of men; but soon Frank Bent left Rehoboth, staying instead with Rehoboth"s outreach in Jones Town--a group that he led which grew to become the Church of the Firstborn. The work at Rehoboth dwindled to a mere handful in the wake.

Eleven years later in 1946, a whole new chapter began. The struggling little mission became a major missionary enterprize birthing one new church every year for about twenty (20) years. The men behind this missionary thrust were a team of freshly appointed young elders: Henry A. White, Albert T. Karram, Louis Johnson, Lancelot E. Smart, Phillip B. Christie, and Granville Salmon. The next years were markedly different.

The leader of the group was Henry White who took on the pastoral, church planting and oversight functions from early on. By 1964, he was formalized in the pastorate at Rehoboth, though called as was the custom at the time, "Brother White". In the same year came a change of location--from 66 to 77 Constant Spring Road, on part of the Merl Grove High School property which was acquired in 1954.

Rehoboth stands tall as the Mother Church of the Associated Gospel Assemblies. From Rehoboth, teams went into the neighbouring parishes. Pastor Henry White led many of these teams in the founding of churches in Clarendon, Manchester, St. Catherine, St. Mary, and in the Corporate Area. Leaders were developed at Rehoboth and then supplied to many of the young churches. As members migrated to England, they were organized into fellowships under Pastor White's leadership and the support of a missionary-minded congregation. Sis. Olive White, his fully partnering wife was right at his side helping to shape the church at #77, and particularly the Women's Missionary movement in Rehoboth and throughout the AGA.

Pastor Henry White retired in November 1999 after over half-century of leadership at Rehoboth. Many things had already of necessity changed with the changing times, changing demographics, and changing structures and expectations of Church life. The constant core of the Gospel message remained without variation in the life of Rehoboth, but everyone, without and within, was aware that a new chapter was being initiated with the search for a new pastor. Elders Victor Jones, Ransford Poyser, and John Campbell kept the fellowship pressing forward, while the AGA supplied oversight pastoral leadership through Dr. the Rev. Carlton Dennis. Deacon Anthony White of Portmore Gospel Assembly and pastoral student at the Jamaica Theological Seminary, was assigned pastoral internship under Rev. Dennis at Rehoboth. He was called by the congregation and now Rev. Anthony White serves as pastor in a new chapter of Rehoboth's journey.