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Precious in the Eyes of the Lord is the death of His Saints I got even more ‘up close and personal’ with Brother Richardson when 2 year ago, I began to attend the very refreshing 7am Saturday morning devotion at Carmel, which was started by the our dear brother Delando . It was evident that he looked forward to that rich time of fellowship because while he was able, he never missed attending. Individually we all had our chance to share our joys, pains, jokes, opinions on public or personal matters, the word. etc. While he too participated in these lively and interactive sessions, his comments indicated that he also enjoyed learning from us. At the close. when we held hands to pray, we could all echo his one and only request, sometime tearfully , “pray for my son”. In my heart, I will cherish those great moments. Marlene Wilson The passing of our brother Rich has brought to an end the last chapter of a book that has been read by thousands. It has changed the lives of so many who can look back and call him blessed. I was seven years old when my mother took me on a trip to St. Thomas when Leonard Mr Bewick a missionary from USA lived and was having a conference. There was a truck leaving Maranatha and taking us to the conference. Bro Rich was the driver of that truck. Needless to say the truck brokedown on the way. Down through the years I have enjoyed fellowship with Bro. Rich. As a young elder at Carmel, along with Jasper, George, and Keith we had Bro. Rich as the experience elder statesman there to tone down our zeal and to keep our feet on the ground. Of course sometimes we pulled him along with us and he had a hard time coping with us but his love for us and for the Lord was never in doubt. He was well loved and respected by us all and his was a life well spent. Carmel was blessed to have had a soldier in the army of God as a leader, mentor, elder statesman. His life was an example to all. His relationship with his wife was a model for young couples and only heaven will reveal all that was accomplished by his life. May Carmel show their appreciation for Bro Rich by maintaining the standard that he set and be dedicated to the community in reaching the lost and be the light on the hill that was the desire of our brother. My love and condolence to Sis. Rich and the family. Ray & Doreen Wynter Sincerely, Brenda Moses Brown Many of you have shared memories of Bro. Rich on a church level , however Eartha & I were privileged & blessed to share with this Spiritual Giant on a family level as Eartha actually live there for a while. It was at 59 Diana Drive we were able to really know Bro. Rich as Uncle Manny! I still called him Bro. Rich but Eartha affectionately called him Uncle Manny! This is what Eartha recalled about Uncle Manny. Uncle Manny was a family man in everyway. He enjoyed children especially his grandchildren. He had a nickname for every child e.g for Jackie it was Daddy Jack. He loved to crack jokes, tease us & he had an infectious laugh & captivated his audience with his sense of humor. When he started his stories you knew that you weren't going anyway for now! But he was also a disciplinarian and the rod of correction was used a couple of times. Lol!Uncle Manny also loved to eat! For sure Sis. Rich affectionately called Aunt enjoyed preparing his favorite meals, one of them being "turn cornmeal with Ackee" on Fridays! Mmmmmm Delicious! Have u ever had Ackee without saltfish? Try it. Lol! When Aunt was away, he enjoyed when Eartha & Marcia prepared different meals especially stew pork! Yet Uncle Manny loved the Lord with all His heart, mind & soul! He displayed that everyday when He woke up very early & went into his study to have his devotions & seek the Lord's face for another day! He would not leave the house without that daily communion with his Savior. On Sunday mornings he woke us all up so we could have family devotions together before we left for church. Meanwhile he was waiting on us all to come to the living room, he would be playing his favorite hymns on the piano. He always expounded the passage we read & we give each of us a chance to read a verse out of the passage & pray before he ended the devotions in a final prayer. You better get ready quickly because he hated being late for Breaking-of-bread and for church period! Eartha won't tell me who he drove off & left one Sunday morning. Lol! Uncle Manny was one of the hardest working man I know. He went to work everyday on time even though it was his own business. He made an impact on me & Eartha with his dedication & work ethics. He also told us to ensure we gave the Lord his portion & saved a portion. He supported his family well.Last but not least, Uncle Manny has a fought a good fight & kept the faith & finished the course! Yes he has many crowns. God's speed Uncle Manny until we meet again. These memories will forever be in our hearts! Peter & Eartha Mack "God who at sundry times and in diverse manner spoke in times past unto the fathers by the prophets , Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son , whom he hath appointed heir of all things and by whom also he made the worlds. Who , being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins sat down on the the right hand of the Majesty on high.'' I must have heard that or read that passage before, but that Sunday morning when Bro Rich buss-up- that scripture, it was the first time that it occurred to me that this was indeed MY GOD. My God who had completed the task of purging my sin and had now sat down as a sign of completion. I remember Bro Rich struggling to hold back the tears as once again the reality of the TRUTH came over him. I subsequently commited that text to memory and have since associated it with that very first time that I heard it from Bro Rich, memories which always seem to carry me back to Carmel Gospel Hall. I know Carmel was not Bro Rich's first church, but Carmel was home. Home where young women and men like myself feasted upon every preachings and teachings of Bro Rich and walked circumspectly in holy fear, whenever he was around. Where we imitated him in secret and quoted his sayings with authority. ''My dear brother, sister,'' he would say,'' know this, that ungratefulness is worse than the sin of witchcraft''. It was as if he was there to nuture and watch over our souls. A sort of Moses to a wilderness generation. Yes he was from a different generation, some,perhaps even me, might say an oold generation, but a generation where standards were meant to be maintained. The standard of dress when one was about God's business, the standard of studying,teaching or expounding the Word and the standards of praying and coming into the presence of the Lord.The standard of loving God with all our heart, because such is the whole duty of man. Somewhere in my memory I can see Bro Rich playing football at some church picnic or the other, but he always admonished us that physical exercise profiteth little and that we should exercise ourselves unto Godliness. Therefore no sporting activity could compete with any church activity. And yet he was a man like we are, subjected to every emotions like we are. Crying when his heart was burdened, laughing when the joke was worth it and loving his family as we all want to do. And as such, with every significant occassions in my life- going to university, getting into medicine, getting married, the blessing of our children and even going to the UK- I've always sort Bro Rich's guidance and prayer. So much so, that with each return trip to Jamaica my wife has insisted that the trip is not completed until we have seen Bro & Sis Rich, especially to update them on our family's activity and to receive our prayer/blessings and to be reassured on our way. As if believing that nothing evil can befall us then. God bless Sister Rich is a reverent translation of the Jamaican phrase - Nuff Respect Sista !! because not only were you there at the beginning, as it were, but even unto the end. Because you've abideth FAITHFULLY and supported our brother throughout, as such is the nature of your being. ELDER !! may memories of your life remain tattooed upon our heart and minds, and that we in return may continue to Give thanks to the Father for his blessedness. Selah. From Carl 'Daddy' Grant on behalf of my wife Ann and the children Giovanni, Gizelle and Gilad (UK) I will always remember Bro. Rich; he was firm but loving. He also gave a lot of jokes and teased sometimes but in a good way. I was surprised - years after I had been attending Carmel and there was no one to play the piano for a long time, especially during the mid-week service, one night Bro. Rich got behind the piano and started playing. I never realized that could play. I never had this confirmed, but I suspect that he may have learned this important skill in order to fill the gap. I suspect this because he did not appear to be an expert at playing but he was doing well, he had also never played before during the long dry spell of no one playing the piano. Bro. Rich was not afraid to preach the gospel and I always loved to listening to him. He had a wonderful mix of the solid word and illustrations. I never knew that Bro. Rich was a soldier, but now I see where his sense of firmness and disciple comes from. I look forward to meeting him again around the throne one day. There we can resume our singing of wonderful hymns to the Lamb. Antia & Colin Audley Mclean I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all your memories of Brother Rich. Some of your memories provided me with new and insightful information as to just how great a man he was. There were other memories that I could easily relate to, and as i read them images of Bro Rich in action would appear in my thoughts. All in all, it is amazing that even in his death, his life still speaks, inspires and is able to influence us. Thanks so very much for sharing your our personal experiences and encounters with him, they have been a blessing. I must confess that I was never very close to Brother Rich as my Elder. But as a part of the now generation at Carmel, I too have benefited tremendously from his ministry and leadership. Of all the things i remember about him, his preaching style stands out to me the most. He was such a picture of vim, vigour and vitality in the pulpit, and was able to bring scripture alive with his dramatic delivery and antics. He was obviously very committed to his calling of "rightly dividing the word of truth" and did it with such passion, often times to the point of tears. Some of you already mentioned the fact that brother rich was never lacking in his ability to use "exotic" words to bring about the word. There is one word particular word or phrase that I can remember him using repeatedly when he prayed or preached, that is "the efficacious blood of Jesus Christ." As a young believer, don't think i paid much attention to or even understood exactly why he was saying and stressing this particular thought over and over again. But things are a bit clearer now and in my own relationship with God I know just how "efficacious the blood of Jesus Christ is" and importance of sharing that truth with others. Brother Rich, a true stalwart of the Faith, though gone from this earth to his eternal home, will never be forgotten. Kedisha Kelly Guys this is my last in my series of Memories of Bro. Ritch. I hope I kept you informed and entertained. If there were any seemingly negative statements about anyone, please note that no malice was intended. I was simply stating the facts as I remember them. Now I know that some of you might be saying " How can I say thanks to Barry for keeping me informed and entertained ?'" All I ask of you is that you : 1) Visit our website at www.vocalsteps.com and post a comment. 2) Tell your friends to visit the website and post a comment You see we need as many hits at the website so the Internet can move us to the front of the queue of Vocal Coaches. The leading guy has more than 2.4 million hits so you see we do have a long way to go. Now on to my last story. I had fallen in love with Melodie and planned to marry her, so I went to Bro. Ritch for his blessing and and advice. He gave me a wealth of advice and then said to me, "I have been watching you and Melodie and it's no surprise that you are telling me that you plan to get married. You young people think that I don't see. But I know everything that is going on. Now let me tell you brother you don't need no whole heap of fancy "Fandango" and you don't need no big wedding. Don't bother try to invite the whole of Carmel, the people who don't get invited will understand. All you going to need are 2 things in marriage,a roof over your head and a bed. Now I am sure you know what the roof over your head is for - shelter and security. But when it comes to the bed , it's not only to sleep in you know brother, it's for other more important things. You understand what I mean don't you? I immediately started to blush and look down on the ground. I just did not understand that Bro. Ritch could speak like this. Seeing me blushing he proceeded to say"Brother what you blushing about, the Bible is very explicit about sex. It says you must rejoice with the wife of your youth and let her breasts always satisfy you, It goes further to say marriage is honourable in all and the bed is undefiled. Listen brother God created sex for your enjoyment and to raise up godly children, so don't bother with the blushing. Now remember a roof and a bed, I didn't say a stove, a thousand times no - you can eat in a restaurant until you can afford to buy a stove. I didn't say a living room settee a thousand times no - you can sit on the bed. Brother, start out very small and you will end up OK. You hear me? I see too many young people start out big and end up small. So you have my blessings. Take my advice and everything will be OK. One final word - always save at least 20% of your salary each month and give the Lord his 10% plus an offering. If you spend everything you earn each month you will end up like a "Pazzart" ( I found out later that that was his word for "Pauper") Thankfully, I took his advice and now 32 years later I am much better off for it. I can just see Bro. Ritch now reasoning with the saints who have gone before. The comforting hope is that we will be joining him in heaven for all eternity. As Thess. says - Let us comfort one another with these thoughts. We will see Bro. Ritch again!!!!!!! Barrington Williams I have very fond memories of Bro Rich.I use to feel special whenever Bro Rich greets me. "Sis. Pam how are you?","How is your mother?" .."Let me tell you something.. a refreshing story woul follow. I remembered as a young christian, Bro. Rich use to encourage me to come to Bible Study every other Monday when Bro Spencer use to share the Word. At first I use to tell Bro Rich that I could not understand the dictions of Bro Spencer, I remember he said one night "Just ask the Lord to open your heart,sit at the messenger feet and the Lord will reveal His Word to you". I did just that.. and believe me when Bro Spencer expounded the Word I heard no speech impediment. I learnt a lot during those Bible Study days. Flo and I use to spend a lot of our summer holidays by Bro. Rich. We stayed with him especially when Sis. Rich had to go away and we always try to prepare and serve the meals just like how Sis. Rich would have it done. Bro. Rich was always greatful. We use to have devotion sometimes around the table after breakfast or in the living room if and when it is not a church evening. How could I forget the many trips to Montego Bay, staying at the Warners or by the Ramsays. The fresh messages presented were always heart warming and listening to Bro. Rich telling his experiences on his many country runs were a blessing. I remember he told us of an incident when he drove from the country to town on an EMPTY gas tank. WOW!! the Goodness, Faithfulness and Mercy of our Lord. I remember Bro. Rich saying "When you see this long stretch of road, it does not mean you are to drive fast on it, it is there to help you exercise self discipline" this has been my practice over the years. Thanks Bro. Rich. Friendships have been formed through Bro. Rich, right Flo!! Hulda-Mae Atkins "Cherry", Fayolyn Beckford, Yvonne Wright I could go on and on, but... Bro. Rich, you have live a full life, youn have fough a good fight, you have kept the faith, treasures are laid up for you, What a day it will be when we shall meet in Heaven. Rest in peace your task is done, mission accomplish! Brother, Mentor, Friend, Teacher, Preacher, and humble Servant you will be greatly miss at Carmel. Pam Anglin It was a blessing to have known Brother Rich. I remember the days going with Brother Rich when he is going to preach in the country. Also, times spent at his house. But for me one of Brother Rich's saying is that if one is outside a bucket and can't lift it, then it will be impossible to lift it when you're inside it. His life was an exemplary one. And God has found it fit to call him home. As the scripture says absent from the body present with the Lord. Love Pat Malcolm PSM I remember Bro. Rich in many ways. He was a father, friend and confidant, Evangelist, Pastor to me. I was told by my parents that they knew Bro. Rich when he was a young soldier shortly before he became a Christian. As a matter of fact, Bro. Rich told me that it was my father who invited him to share his Redemption Song hymn book during a service at Maranatha soon after Bro. Rich got saved. The most outstanding remembrance of him to me was his love for the Word of God. He was always so excited about the Word. I recall giving him a Bible, and he behaved as though he had never had a Bible before. Not withstanding, he already had about ten other Bibles! Whenever he had to correct me about anything, he would always start by using the Word as his 'spring-board' He totally relied on it in every area of his life. Even when he prayed, he would be heard quoting Scripture in the prayer! To me Bro. Rich was one of the most outstanding Evangelists of all time. He never missed an opportunity to preach the Gospel. It could be to preach at a crusade for many days or a one-off assignment in 'tim-buk-too'! Bro. Rich would be there and on time! I will always cherish the many years of traveling with him over the island of Jamaica where he discharged his responsibility to preach the undiluted Word of God to men and women, boys and girls. It was during those days that I learnt from Bro. Rich how to counsel persons who went forward to the pulpit after the preaching of the gospel. Bro. Rich was not only an Evangelist, he could handle any area of preaching, whether it be exhortation, counseling, Bible study - you name it, he was equal to the task. Brother Rich loved the house of God. He was always there and on time. He taught us to respect the house of God and to be vigilant to ensure the preservation of its sanctity. Nothing unacceptable could take place in the church hall while Bro. Rich was around! He would instantly deal with it to set things straight. He was a disciplinarian! All in all, Bro. Rich loved the Lord with a passion and this propelled him into giving his life over to serving his Lord in whatever way he could and whenever the opportunities were presented. As a family man, Bro. Rich ensured that his responsibility was handled with highest priority. He loved and respected his dear Edna. He set the highest example for his children and grandchildren. As a matter of fact, most if not all of his grandchildren, know the Lord as Saviour having been brought up by Bro. and Sister Rich and 'evangelized' by Bro. Rich! The following verse of scripture from 2 Timothy 4: 7-8 is how I truly feel about the life of my beloved Bro. Rich: "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing." Doreen McCubbin From Sis Icy Scott: Hearing about the passing of "Manny" my aunt was very sad but the first thing that came from her mouth was" He has fought the good fight and now he has finished the course" Then out spilled memories of gospel meetings where our warrior preacher spoke to crowds of people about Jesus and the salvation He offers. Jenieff's memory: My best memory of Bro Rich was the lesson he taught at a worship service. Just before the breaking of the bread our beloved Brother expounded from the word of God on who should break the bread and drink the wine. In his usually emotional, firm, voice and climbing on tippy-toe, he warned us against taking the emblems "unworthily" (1st Cor 11:27) I was filled with fear and trepidation wondering if I was worthy to take the bread. Obviously, many others felt the same unworthiness since people refused the bread and the cup as it was passed around. To this day, I do not take communion lightly. It's usually a very emotional moment when I think about the freedom that Jesus' death at Calvary gives me. Sis Icy Scott & Jenieffe Guys Marcia (Brown) Makeba just reminded me of some of Bro. Ritch's activities when he was preaching. As you know he would build his message up to a crescendo and then make the appeal. But just before doing so he would take off his glasses and rub it vigourously with his handkerchief. Next he would violently grip the rostrum until it shook. Then he would say in his big booming baritone voice "You sir, you madam tell your friends and neighbours that Emmanuel Richardson says the Bible says that a day is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father." You sir, you madam, the time to confess with your tongue and bow the knee is now because on that day it will be too late" He would then reach into his jacket pocket and take out some tiny booklets and say. "I have some little booklets here entitled' "On Becoming a Christian". I would like to place one in the hand of any man or woman boy or girl who would like to give his or her heart to Jesus. They are free come and get it" Before long you would have many people coming to the altar to give their lives to Christ. Thank you Marcia for reminding us about this aspect of Bro. Ritch. Barrington Williams
Donovan Priestley Becomes the Fourth Prophet at The Lord's Supper. It was a particularly long Worship Service. The young brothers were on form. We had sung about ten hymns and had about 8 prayers. In addition we had 3 words of exhortation. There was a deadly silence in the meeting as everyone waited for a brother to give thanks for the emblems. Out of the silence up jumped Donovan proclaiming "Let us turn to Isaiah ch. 53". Immediately, up jumped Bro. Ritch and proclaimed "No brother, we will not read Isaiah 53 but we will rather give thanks, you see the Bible says let the prophets minister by two or at the most 3. Three people have already ministered so take your seat brother.....talking about Isaiah 53". At this point Bro. Ritch gave thanks for the emblems. Well you guessed it. After the meeting Bro. Ritch was seen hugging Donovan and explaining the scriptures to him. Such was the measure of the man. Sister Cunny "writes" a Christmas Carol and "sings" it It was Christmas Eve 1979. The Carmel Choir was having its final practice before the Christmas Morning Service. Errol Beecher and Melodie(Hunter) Williams had just put the final touches on the songs when in ran Sister Cunny screaming at the top of her voice "Brother Beecher and Sister Melodie the Lord just gave me a Christmas Carol and I wrote it down and want to sing it tomorrow morning. You wouldn't believe how I got the song. He sent a little nightingale that pitched on my window and sang tweet tweet tweet and that's how I got the tune. Melodie and Beecher looked at each other and in a chorus said "Let's hear it" . By the time she was half way through they stopped her and told her the song was no good. She started to cry protesting that she knows that the Lord wants her to sing the song on Christmas morning or he wouldn't have sent the nigtingale to sit on her window and give her the tune . She was crying so uncontrollably that Beecher and Melodie finally relented and told her she could sing the next morning. So Christmas morning came and Sister Cunny began to sing. I can't quite remember the"lyrics" they were so bad, but I will never forget the chorus. "He was born on a cold winter's morning like this And the heart that receives Him what joy and what bliss" By the time she reached verse 5 (there were 8 verses scheduled) the whole church had erupted in uncontrollable laughter. All except Bro. Ritch. He kept a straight face but his body was shaking and he was biting his lips. You could see that he was fighting to hold back the laughter. Finally he couldn't hold it back any longer and when Sis Cunny went up on a screeching high note he exploded in bellicose laughter. On seeing this, Sis Cunny started to weep and left the platform. By this time Bro. Bitch was laughing so hard that he had to use his handkerchief to wipe his eyes. After church as was his custom, when he knew that someone was hurt, he was seen hugging Sis Cunny and smiling wit her. Such was the measure of the man. Barrington Williams Hi Carmelites! I was not surprized when Bro Junior Adair asked a friend to inform me of the homegoing of Bro Rich, because the Wednesday before Loretta Knibb had told me that Bro Rich was not going to "make it". My first reaction was----Well done thou good and faithful servant, you have fought a good fight. You have represented your Lord well. Enjoy your rest---. What an outstanding soldier of Jesus Christ he was! As an elder at Carmel he made time to get to know each believer. He was never too busy to find out what was happening in my life and to listen to me. Do you guys remember when Bro Rich would pray on a Sunday morning and use this line "As we look down the corridor of time..." ? (I must confess that I used to visualize this l-o-n-g hallway as Mr Rich continued his LENGHTY prayer. I also remember how impressed I was when I found out that this mighty man of God, elder , evangelist and teacher found time to meet privately with his co-workers (Horace Young, Alan Smith and others) to study the word of God under the leadership of Bro Swaby Spencer. I will certainly miss Bro Rich saying, "Brenda ,my dear Brenda, it was good hearing from you, man". Love you all, Brenda Moses Brown Some of my favorite memories/sayings: "You sir, you madam,you boy, you girl" as he pleaded to all for a response to the gospel. "This is your savior" as he told the story of a little boy mangled body on a train track who saved the train & it's passengers. "if you were born in a garage does that make you a car" as he showed how absurd it is to believe because u were born in a Christian country or family that makes you a Christian. "We will not sing that hymn" - as he firmly would admonish a brother who was a little off the spirit's leading at the Lord's Supper. Speaking of the "odoriferousness"(it's a word folks) of the sweet smelling odors of praise offered up by the saints. "Hymnology is often not great theology" - So true. I am sure you could think of many more. He will be sorely missed. Ransford Keith Tucker Before I give you some stories I must give you two of Bro. Ritch's favorite words and his favorite phrase. Words EFFULGENCE - meaning glory or brilliance. He used this to refer to the glory/brilliance of Jesus when He was transfigured. ODOURIFIOUSNESS - meaning strong fragrant odour as when Mary opened her alabaster box. Favorite Phrase "NOW YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT MEANS, SO LET ME TELL YOU" He would make this comment right after reading a Bible verse just before giving a word of exhortation. I am sure that there are other words but they will come to me later. Now on to the stories. Barry Ministers from Revelation at The Lord's Supper I was only 17 years old and a 2 year old christian, yet I chose to minister from the difficult book of Revelation one Sunday morning at the Breaking of Bread Service. When I announced my reference passage, a collective groan went up around the church and I saw Bro Ritch looking at me steadfastly with fire in his eyes. Needless to say, I started to give very wrong interpretations of the prophecies and the church groaned even more and Sister Cunny began to weep loudly. However I still continued with my "word of exhortation" and it kept getting from worse to worst. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Bro. Ritch shaking his head from side to side and mouthing the word "No". Still I continued my crazy preaching. After this Bro. Ritch took out his spectacles and started shining it - I immediately knew I was in trouble as Bro. Ritch only does this when he is angry or making a strong Biblical point. He wasn't doing the latter so I knew I was in "big trouble" To make matters worse he was twitching in his seat and grinding his teeth. Still I continued "preaching". It was then that I heard the loudest shout I have ever heard. Bro. jumped up out of his seat and came over to me shouting loudly "BROTHER SIT DOWN" while pointing me to my seat. I immediately started bawling loudly more out of fright than of shame. But the stalwart that he is, he just gently put his hand around my shoulder and walked me to my seat. After the meeting he called me into a little room, explained to me why he had to do what he did and then gave me the proper interpretation of the Scriptures. That was the measure of the man. However, you know I never ministered from Revelation again until "many" years later. Barrington Williamson |
REMEMBERING EMMANUEL RICHARDSON
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