From a Living Room to a Nightclub Floor: A Kingston Ministry Worships at Club MECA

• ZEAL, a new Christian ministry, holds services at Club MECA on Constant Spring Road
• It started as a living-room Bible study that grew into a backyard
• The club’s manager attended the study and offered the space
• It has also met at Bob Marley Beach and UTech

A new Christian ministry in Kingston is holding its services in a nightclub. ZEAL meets at Club MECA in Marketplace on Constant Spring Road, the Jamaica Observer reported, ahead of a sermon series with Pastor Sara Cowan titled “Babylon: Thriving in Opposition”.

“Meeting in a club is something that hasn’t quite been done in Jamaica before,” Cowan said, explaining that ZEAL wants to reach people who may be wary of traditional churches. “The heart of ZEAL is to reach people who may want to know more about God but a traditional setting may create some intimidation at first.”

The ministry grew out of a Bible study. “When Pastor Kory Cassell partnered with Omar and Lezann Azan in a Bible study, it began to grow quickly from the living room to the backyard. The manager of Club MECA attended the study and offered it as a space to meet,” Cowan said. ZEAL has also met at other unusual venues, from Bob Marley Beach to UTech, “somehow it was always brought back to MECA, which was so generously offered”. She said club management “welcomed the idea with open arms”.

Gospel artist Dr Carlene Davis was to perform at the Sunday event. Cowan, who has qualifications in biblical studies, missions and Christian education and served as a missionary in South Africa in 1994, said a November series would address “Church Hurt: Healing the Wounds of Religion”.

ZEAL’s arrangement is a good example of shared use. A nightclub is mostly empty on Sunday mornings, while a young congregation needs space without taking on land, construction or a mortgage. Using an existing commercial venue avoids that cost and puts an idle building to work. The model is worth considering for new ministries, and for owners of halls, event spaces and restaurants with quiet hours. A clear written agreement on times, rent or donations, cleaning, insurance and noise protects both sides as the congregation grows.

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