By Lesroy W. Williams
Observer Reporter
(Basseterre, St. Kitts) – Everything done at Rivers of Living Water Christian Centre is geared towards the radical penetration of one’s belief system and the living of a Christian lifestyle, according to Reverend Dr. Allan S. Issac, Bishop of Rivers of Learning Christian Centre.
Reverend Allan S. Isaac is from St. Kitts-Nevis. He grew up in Laguerite, McKnight and Market Street in Basseterre. He came into a personal relationship with Jesus in October 1971, at the age of 15. He began preaching the Gospel in April 1972, after receiving the Baptism with the Holy Spirit, and has been in Ministry ever since. He spent 20 years as a Pastor in the Wesleyan Holiness Church, abandoning it in 1991.
In 1991, he and his wife went to Antigua where they spent four years doing missionary work at Faith and Power Ministries as it was called at that time. He returned to St. Kitts in 1995 along with his wife and founded Rivers of Living Water Christian Centre on August 13 of the same year, in their home at Shadwell Gardens. He is the Bishop and Overseer of Rivers Of Living Water Ministries International, Inc., and the Administrator/Dean of World Impact Bible Institute, St. Kitts, Nevis, French St. Martin, and London, UK. He is the Senior Elder at his church. He is also a Faculty member of Haggai Institute, based in Maui (Hawaii, USA) and Singapore.
He is married to Debbie, and together, they have four biological children, and also have raised two other children, one of whom is still living with them. Their children are all serving the Lord, and are active in Children’s Church, Youth Ministry, and Adult Church.
The two older are men, Alden, 23 and Abijah, 22.
The other two are girls, Aldis, 17 and Aldeen, 13. The two other children raised by the Isaacs are Kyle 19, and Mark 35, both nephews.
Reverend Isaac holds a BA degree in Religion from Caribbean Wesleyan College in Barbados, a MA in Theology from ZOE University in the USA and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree from Friends International Christian University in the USA.
The Rivers of Living Water Christian Centre in Limekiln, Basseterre, was dedicated on October 10, 2004. The auditorium for worship is quite impressive with air-conditioning, state of the art multimedia and a seating capacity of 575 persons. There are two services on a Sunday, 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Combined, there is a church attendance of 300-350 persons.
The vision statement of Rivers of Living Water Centre states “Raising up a mighty people with God, utilizing all the resources of Heaven and Earth to Proclaim, Promote, and Expand the Kingdom of God.” The Rivers Centre has numerous ministries channeled towards the attainment of that end.
Reverend Isaac believes that the Church has made a tremendous impact on St. Kitts and Nevis and that the society is still being impacted. However, he thinks that the Church to some extent has failed in impacting the last two generations. He said that these two past generations dropped out of Church. As a result of this, their children do not go to Church. He emphasized the need for proper and responsible parenting. Dr. Isaac strongly believes that we have to reach out to the present generation of young people in order to reverse the cycle of recalcitrance, moral decadence and lack of spiritual values that are so prevalent in today’s society. Although he recognizes that this is a mammoth challenge, he nonetheless believes that we cannot give up the fight for this noble enterprise because nothing is impossible with God.
Given the upsurge in crime and violence in the Federation, Dr. Isaac says that we must develop mentoring programs for the young, especially our young men who appear to be most at risk for antisocial behavior. The problem with our young men has to do with the faulty way in which they were socialized. He said that boys usually are given their own way while girls are expected to stay at home and be more disciplined. As a result we are reaping what we have sown and that is why young men today are irresponsible and rebellious while girls in general are showing more maturity in the areas of education and responsibility in society in general. Dr. Isaac strongly opposes demonstrations against crime.
“I put myself in the place of the criminal. I don’t want anyone coming to demonstrate against me. It would just make me angry. It would just push me into a corner. It doesn’t solve anything,” he said. He said that the approach to crime and violence must be dialogic which should include mentoring programs and one to one interaction in order to penetrate the root causes of the problem.
With regards to A.I.D.S. and H.I.V., he says that his Church employs a compassionate approach to persons living with H.I.V. and A.I.D.S. Contrary to what some Christian denominations teach about A.I.D.S. and H.I.V., Dr. Isaac said that it is not a curse from God and neither should it be viewed as a result of sin.
“It is ridiculous to think in this way. How do you explain the baby who is born with H.I.V. or the wife who is faithful and who contracts the virus from her unfaithful husband. What sin have they committed?” he asked. He strongly advocates in his Church educational programs that help people to be aware of the virus and reduce discrimination against people who are infected.
When asked if he believes that his ministry is relevant today, Dr. Isaac responded with a resounding yes. He said it is evident in the very young and vibrant population that attends his Church. About 60 percent of the Church population is between age 15 and 30 years he said. Young people are attracted to Rivers of Living Water because of the open and radical approach to worship and ministry. Out of curiosity, I asked him if the young people were only attracted to the emotional high of the open and radical approach to worship and ministry. His response to me was that worship should permeate all of one’s life.
“Worship begins at home, in the workplace, in the schools, on the streets. Worship must be a mentality, a way of life,” he stated emphatically. According to him, there must always be a consciousness of God.
Despite the many successes that Dr. Isaac can attribute to his ministry, there are challenges he faces.
He says that among some members of his congregation, there is a lack of foresight and cooperation and that sometimes members do not implement what they have learnt. However, he is prepared to have people fail because everyone deserves a second chance.
With the political temperature getting hotter in the Federation, Dr. Isaac says that the Church has a place in politics albeit an objective one.
“The Church should be a neutral organization seeking to influence the political mind through consultation and prayer. The Church should never be involved in platform politics. Our duty is not to overthrow government,” he said.
According to Dr. Isaac, Rivers of Living Water Centre look forward to a hopeful future where he sees the ministry as maturing in its personality. “Our ministry has been known for worship, spiritual warfare, prayer and evangelism. We want to be able to see that fleshed out some more in programs to make it happen. We do not say that we are having church. We say we are doing church because Church is about doing. It is about living concretely the Gospel message in contemporary society,” Reverend Isaac said.
