Mark Dawes Staff Reporter
John Bailey (left), board chairman of the Jamaica Youth For Christ, makes a presentation to Dr. Gerry Gallimore and his wife Sonia for his 51 years of service.
With a lifetime of Christian ministry behind him, and though officially retired as senior pastor of the Metropolitan Baptist Church in South Florida, the Rev. Gerry Gallimore shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, he is busier than he has ever been. It seems he is preaching these days far more than when he was pastoring.
But that information would not surprise the thousands of persons locally who felt his influence when he served for 17 years at the helm of Jamaica Youth For Christ (JYFC).
At 69, there are but few goals he has set himself that have not yet been accomplished. Topping the list is that he wants to write an account of his years in Christian ministry. This would cover his 1969 appointment as national director of Jamaica Youth for Christ; his promotion in 1984 to become YFC area director for the Americas, and his 1990 elevation to the post of president and CEO of Youth For Christ International. But not to be left out would be his ministry experience as a member and officer of Bethel Baptist Church in Kingston.
Rev. Gallimore, who is widely regarded locally as an elder statesman of the Jamaican church, was a founding member and chairman of both the National Prayer Breakfast and the regional conferences known as the Congress for the Evangelisation of the Caribbean (CONECAR). Inaddition, he has been chairman of both the 1973 and 1980 national evangelistic crusades, which were conducted in partnership with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
plans to share in book
His is a voice that has earned much respect in the corridors of power in the 1970s and 1980s. Rev. Gallimore hopes in his book to share some of the behind-the-scenes things that few Jamaicans know. He particularly wants to share the dialogue between church leaders and the then Prime Minister, when there was national concern of the nation's uneasy movement toward the ideological left.
But these days when not preaching, he, with wife Sonia, is busy spends time with their three biological children and grandchildren.
As Rev. Gallimore sat down with The Gleaner, there was little doubt he was happy with his life as it is now, with his accomplishments, and it was evident he felt indebted to God for His favour.
"I could say that I am a happily retired man. Quite honestly, I am enjoying the retirement. The truth is it (the retirement) is turning out to be much busier than I thought it would. One of the things that I have asked the Lord for in all my years of Christian service is, 'When it is time for me to move on, please let me be the first one to know it'. And I feel that the Lord has honoured that."
When to go
The charismatic preacher told the story of his promotions within the Youth For Christ family and hinted that a leader must know when to go.
"I was for 17 years national director of Jamaica Youth For Christ. I moved out of that role in 1984 to become the area director for the Americas. And I have never had a moment's regret about moving out. At the same time, even till today, there are folks saying, 'When are you coming back to Jamaica?' It is good to leave from somewhere without feeling you were pushed out … it is always good to go when people still want you to stay. I was the area director for the Americas (which covered Canada down to Argentina and the Caribbean Islands) for six years.
"Frankly, I was one of the most surprised persons when, in a meeting, of the board of Youth for Christ International and its international leadership team, of which I was a part, it was said that I had emerged from all of their search as the candidate to replace Jim Groen who was the then president and chairman of the board. I was terrified. My emotion at the time was 'I don't think they were led of the Spirit'. I really felt there were other persons, more capable, more experienced. I honestly disqualified myself. But when the announcement was made, it was affirmed by all the board members and so forth. So, as the Lord's servant, you can't dismiss that. I told them that I would need some time to pray and think about it."
When Rev. Gallimore was YFC area director for the Americas, he established a team of 22 persons in Jamaica who would pray for the 22 countries in his jurisdiction. On being approached to be the global head of YFC, he asked that prayer team to pray about it and let him know what the Lord told them.
"They came back and said to me without any 'ifs' or 'buts', 'Gerry, we feel the Lord has told us to tell you, go ahead'. That group is very important to me. Just about every important ministry decision that I have made since that time, I have referred to that group. And anytime I am going to speak anywhere, I can count on that support."
first president and ceo
He took over the top job at Youth For Christ International in 1990. Prior to his appointment, the organisation had a general director, a chairman who was also president.
Rev. Gallimore became the first president and CEO.
Having become the global president of YFC, he sensed the Lord saying to him, serve two terms and no more. (A term is three years).
He began the job as president with no job description and less resources than his predecessors. While the top brass leadership did not hinder him per se, he felt he was not getting from them a satisfactory level of support. He had to rely on God, in the face of his supporters telling himto complain and/or to quit. "Youth For Christ has been a school of faith. I just had to believe that if God was in my appointment, He would come through. And He did," said Rev. Gallimore, who stayed the course and left his successor an organisation that had attained with measurable growth and a job description.
At the end of his presidency at Youth For Christ International, Rev. Gallimore and wife Sonia moved to South Florida and began worshipping at Metropolitan Baptist Church - a congregation with a strong Jamaican membership. His arrival there came about the time when the church was scouting for a new senior pastor and he was strong on their radar. They approached a few times and he turned them down. Then on the seventh approach, he finally said yes, and so the lifelong evangelist became the senior pastor.
He retired as senior pastor in January 2006, after nine years in the role. He looks back with fondness at his time there, as the church experienced significant numerical growth. While serving as a pastor there, he helped to launch a Keswick Convention there in South Florida. He serves the Keswick movement there as chairman.
As a senior and seasoned Christian leader, Rev. Gallimore has been devoting much of his speaking energies, telling older folks to empower young people by giving them responsibility and mentorship.
He cites Bethel Baptist Church as the crucible that forged much of his leadership abilities, and as a community that empowered him with responsibilities while still a young adult. By the time he was 20, he was a deacon, church secretary, church trustee, lay preacher and Sunday school teacher. Hence, he stressed, "To say that young people can't handle responsibility and be depended on is not true."
his influence
He is overjoyed at the advances in ministry being made by many persons who came under his influence when he was national director of Jamaica Youth For Christ. In particular, he sings high commendations for Dr. Donovan Thomas, the incumbent national director of Jamaica Youth For Christ, and his wife Faith.
"Young people today have some of the same needs young people have always had, including pursuing a cause bigger than themselves and somebody to follow. Jesus was a young person and his band of young people revolutionised the world until this day.
"Christianity is a young people's movement. Jesus is a young people's man. In 33 years and He finished His work. He could hardly get the job of a pastor in many of our churches, as He would be too young. I have long stopped referring to young people as the leaders of tomorrow. They are the leaders today. We are the ones who are not empowering them to do things. They see possibilities where we would not even dream of it," he said.
Send feedback to mark.dawes@gleanerjm.com.
