Bishop Beason responds to a question posed by The Gleaner.
-Junior Dowie photo
Mark Dawes, Staff Reporter
AT 62 the Rev. Dr. Fedlyn A. Beason is at the peak of his ecclesiastical career. He is responsible to give administrative and pastoral oversight to one million members of the New Testament Church of God spread throughout 40 countries in Caribbean and Latin America.
It is a job that necessarily requires much travel. Virtually every week since January he has been on a plane seeking to fulfil the mandate given him by the world headquarters of the denomination.
For him it is a privilege and honour to serve as Caribbean New Field Director of the World Mission Board of the New Testament Church of God. His mandate from the world headquarters of his denomination is to "to develop and supervise the church's work in the Caribbean and Latin America." He explained that the church's work is not confined to strict congregational life, but he also oversees trade training centres, hospitals and medical clinics and educational institutions, including 11 Bible Schools.He is the first non-white person to hold the position in a church he unhesitatingly acknowledges has vestiges of racism. Such, he hints, is in part, the reason he has been given a smaller portion of funds to do his job. But he does not allow that to bother him, he said, as he does his job and allows God to deal with the racism.
The New Testament Church of God is located in 164 countries and has a world membership of seven million.Bishop Beason took up this appointment six years ago. It came after eight years of service as the Island Overseer/Administrative Bishop of the local chapter of the denomination, which at has 347 churches and 250,000 members. While in Jamaica, he had a staff of 15. Now, with offices in Hollywood, Florida, he has a staff of two, his wife Esmine and a secretary.
His travels is something he both endures and enjoys. Since the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001, he says, his travels have become somewhat burdensome because of the lengthy delays, as airport personnel check and double-check at various ports of entry and exit."What has happened since 9/11 has removed the honeymoon out of travelling. It is very frustrating and distressing," the Bishop said. But on arrival at his destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America, he said, the reception is warm, akin to a homecoming. He explains: "The people are happy to have somebody who speak their language, eat their food, wear their clothes, look like them, talk like them, fellowship with them, and understand their culture."Travelling across the region has brought him face-to-face with the effects of the 'Health and Wealth Gospel', which he denounces strongly as being unbiblical and as having a devastating effect on the most marginalised."When one preaches and says to people - 'Bring your last dollar let me bless it and God will give you fourfold and a 100-fold'. And then people go out of their way and they do not see it, they do not see the four-fold and the 100-fold blessings that was promised to them they become disillusioned and feel very disappointed in the God they put their trust in. We would have been better off if saying to them -'God's blessings comes along with the forgiveness of sins.' But you cannot go ahead and tell people you are going to get rich.
Once you are in this world, you are vulnerable to weaknesses of humans and the diseases that creep into the human society."The 'Health and Wealth Gospel' as it comes from televangelists and parroted by local preachers leads some to think that there is no value in bearing the cross of Christ if there are no obvious material benefits. The health and wealth gospel teaches that if a Christian is not healthy and wealthy he is still living under the curse (of sin) and is not enjoying the benefits of redemption. This is not biblically right.
You cannot measure God's blessings in dollars and cents only. The blessings of God do not only come in dollars and cents."His travels have also convinced him that "the laity has outgrown the leadership by far. The membership is more intelligent than the leadership. We are preaching to our academic betters on a Sunday morning." In this respect, he encourages pastors, to stay up-to-date academically and technologically so that they can improve their presentations to their congregations, for "while we cannot change the doctrines, our presentations need to be improved," he said.When he is in Florida he worships at the Plantation Fellowship New Testament Church of God, where his son is the pastor with responsibility for a congregation of about 320 most of whom are people from Caribbean territories. He serves in Florida as a Notary Public and conducts a lot of marriages. He is not a big fan of pre-marital counselling, accordingly these days he is majoring on post-marital counselling..
He explains: "When you are in love with a girl, it does not matter what I tell you, it pass through one ear and out of the other. After the marriage is over and the reality of life face you, that is the time you need counselling. So I am now majoring on post-marital counselling." Every couple he marries, he asks them to comeback to him every three months for post-marital counselling for a period of one-year. After that they are on their own and they can consult with him as they feel the need to.Bishop Beason has had a full ecclesiastical life. He has been a spiritual adviser to Prime Ministers, and Governors-General, chairman of schools, and hospital boards, and many non-government organisations. He was also a successful pastor, with his last pastorate being the Waltham Park New Testament Church of God which had more than 4,000 members.He has few regrets in ministry. He said however that if he were to enter the pastorate all over, he would from Day One, spend more time training people in evangelism and give greater attention to socio-economic ministries.His greatest desire for the local New Testament Church of God is for it to establish a university. This is something he is passionate about and is keen to play his part in realising that goal.
