It was exactly one year ago that the congregation of the Shekinah Worship claimed as their “Promised Land” that unmistakable historically significant landmark at No. 98 North Shore Road, Hamilton Parish.The biblical analogies of how they reached that “promised land” were emphatically brought home by the spiritual leaders of Shekinah at celebration services Sunday. They were conducted by Pastor, Dr. Maria A. Seaman, a biologist turned Doctor of Biblical Studies, assisted by Dr. Sharon Apopa, and a social worker with three Masters Degrees heightened last year by a PhD. Also assisting was Head Elder Kevon Makell, who incidentally is a management consultant and vice president of Pure Energy at Belco.Their remarks and prayers were accentuated by powerful congregational singing and instrumental renderings of such hymns and songs as ‘Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing’, ‘Crossing Over.’ And ‘Worship in this Place O Shekinah.’Elder Makell said at the dedication last year that it was “a divine connection” that led Shekinah to purchase the property at No. 98 from the Salvation Army Trust.After having spent considerable energy, time and money converting the grounds and building into the beautiful temple that exists, there were clear hints of significant future changes, blessings ‘yet to abound’, coming from Pastor Seaman and Deacon Sheldon Fox. He told the congregation in his formal welcome, “Don’t Get too comfortable here!”Dr Seaman was giving first the Address when memorialising eight stalwarts who had died before and after Shekinah’s ‘wilderness walk’ and later while unveiling a plaque on the south-western corner of the church bearing names of the members who made the ’wilderness walk’ and were first entrants into the edifice when dedicated.Dr Seaman likened them all to ‘the stones’ as exemplified in the biblical stories of Samuel, and Joshua at the River Jordan (Joshua 4:20-24). She said, “Today, on this our first Anniversary of crossing over into our Promised Land we will set up a stone. It is a stone of remembrance, honoring those who successfully left their place of bondage to walk in a new place of abundance.”Continuing, the pastor, alluding to further expansion, added, “Our story is not finished yet, no, no. Not at all and I can guarantee you this, that by the help and by the grace of God, Blessings Abound.”The seven deceased stalwarts were Mother Thelma Bailey, Deacon Danny Grant, and Sis Caron Assan, who was chairwoman of the Board of Trustees; Mother Juliet Simons, Mother Brenda-Jean Harvey, Father Peter Smy, Mother Pearl Walker and Sis Tyaunna Armstrong.Two or more minutes of reflections on the lives of those posthumous stalwarts were given by family members.The underlying reason why Shekinah called its ‘wanderings’ or ‘wilderness walk’ to its Promised Land at No. 28 Hamilton Parish was illustrated in the following comments by Pastor Seaman:“The First Sunday, we pitched out at a place called Newlands, Salvation Army. Indeed this was a new land for us as we have never worshipped in this place before. This is a stone of our stony.“It would be the following week, 7 days later, that we would find ourselves pitched at a place called Charities House. Indeed, it was the charity or the love of God which supplied this place for us. This is a stone in our story.“The following week, another 7 days later, we were blessed to pitch somewhat of a permanent tent at The Pembroke Seventh Day Adventist Church. A stone in our story.“This house of worshipped became a home away from home for quite a while. It was here we experienced our first real moments of growth, as we grew in love, and grew with the addition of new members.“Then just as we were becoming ever so settled at this spot, God, like a mother eagle, stirred our nest and forced us to fly to a new location. Yet, just like God, our Heavenly Father had another spot waiting for us. It was Victor Scott School. A stone in our story.“Together we transformed a school hall in a Hall of Worship, as we welcomed in the Spirit of our living God each week.”