Homes First, Then Churches: A British Denomination Sends £44,610 to Help Jamaica Rebuild

• The United Reformed Church raised £44,610 through a denomination-wide appeal
• More than 50 UCJCI churches were badly damaged and eight destroyed
• Church leaders say family homes are the priority before church buildings
• A UK official linked poor housing to legacies of slavery and colonialism

The United Reformed Church in Britain has given £44,610 to its partner church in Jamaica to help with rebuilding after Hurricane Melissa, with the Jamaican church saying that people’s homes must come before its own buildings. The URC said the money, raised through a denomination-wide appeal, was presented to the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands (UCJCI) during a visit by URC representatives to the Caribbean in mid-February.

The storm hit the UCJCI hard. More than 50 of its churches were badly damaged, with roofs torn away, and eight buildings were completely destroyed. Even so, the URC reported, “church leaders say rebuilding homes and restoring stability for families remains the immediate priority before damaged church buildings can be repaired.” Recovery is expected to take years.

“Recovery is going to be a very long process down a long road, and we need partners to journey with us,” said the Rev Norbert Stephens, the UCJCI’s director for special projects. General secretary Rose Wedderburn thanked the URC for reaching out, and moderator the Rt Rev Dr Colin Cowan said the disaster had shown “what it means to be ‘church in community.'”

Karen Campbell, the URC’s head of global and intercultural church, went further. “Hurricane Melissa has affected every sphere of life. It has also exposed pre-existing injustices — poverty, food insecurity, unemployment and substandard housing — many of which are rooted in the legacies of slavery and colonialism,” she said. The Rev Dr Kevin Snyman, the URC’s head of world justice, also travelled to Jamaica.

A denomination putting members’ houses ahead of its own sanctuaries is a meaningful choice in a country where church buildings are often the most solid structures in a district. It reflects a wider recognition that Melissa exposed weak roofs, informal construction and insecure tenure. For Jamaican congregations and their overseas partners, the harder task is to make sure that rebuilt homes are stronger than before and that families hold the land beneath them.

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