Possible New School/Church Outreach

[sthomps]

My dad was born/raised in the Bahamas. He moved to the States when he married. I am a US citizen, but have many relatives still living in the Bahamas. We used to visit frequently when I was growing up.

I am interested in starting a school/church ministry in an area deprived of both. With my family ties, the Bahamas was the first country that came to mind. I have a lot of questions.

Is the Bahamian government open to such an outreach?
What laws would govern such a venture?
Are there areas in the Bahamas that do not have school or church? If so, what are these areas? What is the common language in these areas?
How can I find buildings for rent in these areas?
What is the procedure for filing for a work permit?

Thanks,

[ejluv]

If I were you I would first travel to meet with family members and get reaquainted with them. Secondly, I would visit the family islands and take a look around to see which one you felt that needed a church and school of your doctrine. Another thing is to check into your residency requirments. I know that it is difficult for non-Bahamian to get work permits over there and there is quite a bit of requirements for running a business. You could check with the Ministry of Education along with getting in touch with State side churches that are already established within bahamas. They may have a place for you already. Just because your father was/is Bahamian, you are an American citizen. Check your immigration status also.

[Daneen]

Hi there,


The Bahamas is very open with outreach-related
organizations. We are a christian nation and
the government usually welcomes new ventures.

A church is considered a business, though, and
Bahamian citizens are privy to majority ownership
of businesses here; so you might have to partner
with a Bahamian citizen to get your ministry up
and going. There are a lot of churches on the
island--they say one on each corner. But for some
reason there always seems to be room for more.
Other organizations work well with ministries, so
it should be a pretty smooth operation. The family
islands might have a greater need for something
like this, but most of the population is in Nassau.

A visit might be a good idea. That way you'd have
a better idea if this is the place you want to start
your ministry.

By the way, a very good school is very needed.
Parents all over are looking for better schools.
Schools here are good, but there are many religious
parents looking for schools that give greater
spiritual influence, as many parents these days
have demanding careers and don't have enough
time to provide this guidance themselves.

I agree that there are more schools needed in the Bahamas and especially ones that do have a sound educational curriculum along with sound religious doctrine. The last paragraph is really disturbing to me though. No matter how busy parents are these days they really need to ensure that their children receive sound spiritual guidance and that should be uptmost in their lives. Being too busy to give spiritual guidance? Time for the parents to remember the reasons why they had childrnen in the first place. Parents these days are putting work more of a priority over home values. Yes, society these days have warped the minds and made it seem that we must work harder to provide materialistic things to ourselves and our family when what should matter most is having a close knit family working together to provide all the necessary needs and spending quality time with our young.