Suriname
With
its great diversity of language (7 major languages), ethnicity (7 cultures) and
religion, Suriname, with a population of 450,000, is the only country in the
Western Hemisphere whose major
religion
is Hinduism.
It was traded by the British to the Dutch for Manhattan Island in
1667, (they still drive on the left-hand side of the road), and it was granted
independence from Holland in 1975.
Following on the heels of Grenada and Nicaragua, Suriname went through
revolution in 1980. It was in this fertile diversity and national upheaval that
Reformation Christian Ministries (RCM) had its beginning under the name
"Caribbean Christian Ministries."
The Work of Reformation Christian Ministries
Today in Suriname
Reformation Christian Ministries
(RCM) today continues the ministry in Suriname which began under the name
"Caribbean Christian Ministries". In fact, it maintains a legal foundation
(Suriname equivalent for a not-for-profit charity) under the name Stichting:
Caribbean Christian Ministries.
From 1978 to the present, the
ministry has established the following outreaches which are all now
self-supporting and locally administered.
-
First Presbyterian Church
— founded in 1978 and continues to this day with a
local pastor and deacon. It's membership averages about 70 and its attendance
slightly more.
-
Christian Liberty Academy of
Paramaribo — a primary and secondary school founded in 1979,
which today is the largest English-language school in Suriname averaging
from 300-350 students per year.
-
Reformation International College
— founded in Suriname in 1996 as an extension of the Florida institution
used primarily for training teachers for the school seeking a Bachelor of
Education degree.
-
Reformation International
Theological Seminary — founded in Suriname in 1996 as an
extension of the Florida institution used primarily for training pastors and
church officers.
While there remains a very close link between RCM and the school
in Suriname, it seems now that aside from the regular need for qualified
teachers from outside of Suriname, both the church and school are able to
continue completely from their own financial resources and largely from their
own personnel.
The Church and School
Today — 2009!
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