Heard Chapel AME Church is marking its 117th anniversary this month with a celebration service tomorrow.

Anniversary chairwoman Jeanann Bassett, whose family has attended this "family church“ in Glebe Road, Pembroke, for generations, said she was excited about the celebration service, including Worship Sunday at 10:30am, special guest music group Rejoice and a lunch to follow.

Reverend Ralph Trott II spoke about what it means to him to serve a church with such deep roots in Bermuda. “I have been serving Heard Chapel since November of 2011, and what it means to me is that Heard Chapel is a living manifestation and testimony to how good God is because it is only because of our God that we have made it this far,” Rev Trott said.

“But it is a testament to the people who have passed through those doors. The hard-working people who have made it their life's work to be a blessing to the community and anyone who walks through the door. It's a great thing.”

The Heard Chapel AME Church is also using this special anniversary occasion to highlight and celebrate two of their extended serving members, Cynthy Thompson and Leonard Paul.

Rev Trott said: “We wanted to highlight Sister Thompson and Brother Paul because they’re not just long-serving members of the church, but they are the people who made the church run.

“Ms Thompson took care of the administrative side and the community outreach and Brother Paul took care of the physical church itself. So on any given day for as long as I can remember, years – before I was a pastor, I visited Heard Chapel; you could find Sister Thompson or Brother Paul at the church any of the seven days of the week.”

Ms Thompson and Serena Smith, the daughter of Mr Paul, gave insight into what it meant for them to be highlighted in this way.

Ms Thompson said: “I just think they appreciate me and the work that I do.”

Ms Smith added: “It means a lot to my dad. The church is pretty much his life. As the pastor said, any day of the week, no matter what time, you can go up there, and he will be there. He was always doing something.

“Whether it was working outside doing yard work, working on the outside structure of the church, or doing something inside, if he weren't working, you would find him playing the organ inside.

“He is a self-taught pianist, and he started to play on the organ and teach himself that. He loved to do that; he would be up there every day doing something.”

She continued: “It would fill him with a lot of joy; he might be a little overwhelmed to know that he has been thought of in this way. In previous years, when somebody has brought something to his attention, or he has been honoured for something, it has brought him to tears because it means, ‘You guys feel this way about me.’ It makes him feel really good.”

When asked what lessons they have learnt during their time of service and what words of wisdom they would share with those who come after them, Ms Thompson said: "One of my greatest lessons is to observe, observe what people do, how they act and react before passing judgment. My words of encouragement would be to work hard, do your best and God will do the rest.“

Ms Smith added: “He always says that he loves to do it because you never know how that impacts that person who needs it. So he just goes ahead and does it because he feels like he is helping, and he feels like the person is being blessed by what he does, and he doesn't look for anything in return.”

She continued: “My dad is a hard worker, so he will tell anybody to prepare to do hard work, but it will all be worth it in the end. No matter how long it takes you, you keep going.”

As pillars of the Heard Chapel AME church, Ms Thompson and Mr Paul have gone beyond the heights of regular service, being living examples of the church’s motto this year, “We're going higher.”

Asked for his words of encouragement for the community, Rev Trott said: “On Sunday mornings, I stand up, and I ask the people, 'Have you heard?' And they respond, ‘We're going higher’.

“At this time right now, I just want our community to know that Heard Chapel is not just going higher, but we are just getting started, and greater works shall we do in the name of the Lord.

“We are here to serve. If you look at our church, you will see graffiti on the wall I put there when I first arrived. It says, ‘Jesus loves you, and so do we.’ So I just want people to know that in this world, which might be dark and dreary, love is still available, and there are people who love people.

“We at Heard Chapel are a family church, and we are trying to share our love with anybody who needs it because that’s what God would have us do, to love our neighbours as we love ourselves.”